Ë®¹ûÅÉAV

In the moments after Wells College announced its closure on April 29, 2024, Aurora Mayor Jim Orman told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV it was too early to determine what impact that loss would have on the lakeside village.

One year later, Orman is optimistic about Aurora's future without Wells College.

Ë®¹ûÅÉAV interviewed business, community and government leaders in Aurora for this story. They agree with Orman about the village's outlook, even as there are challenges to overcome and questions about the future use of the college campus.

'It's empty'

Karen Hindenlang is an Aurora resident, chair of the village's zoning board and a Wells College alumna. When the college closed, she wasn't just losing her alma mater. It was also the loss of a critical component in her community.

The impact has been noticeable in Aurora, Hindenlang told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV. Before the closure, the village included students in its population count. With the college closed, the village's population dropped from 600 to under 300.

Faculty, staff and students who had a major presence in Aurora are no longer there.

"It's empty," Hindenlang said.

Aurora and Wells College, she continued, leaned on each other since 1868 — the year the college was founded. The college was one of the few employers in the village and attracted students from other areas of New York and out of state.

What happens with the campus is a key piece of Aurora's future. Hindenlang noted the village's zoning changes allow for commercial development on Wells-owned properties around the campus. However, she added there is a desire to have a "nonprofit presence" on the campus, which is zoned institutional.

Wells is attempting to sell its 127-acre campus and a few of the known offers would continue to use at least a portion of the property as an educational institution. Some of the proposals include adding a grocery store and housing on the campus.

"We're hoping for another partnership, not just somebody to use the water and lower our rates," Hindenlang said. "Somebody who will take that unique historic campus and enable it to remain a vibrant and vital part of our community."

A future that's 'incredibly bright'

One of the important players in Aurora's future is Kevin Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald and his business partner, Brian Dugan, bought the Wells College Golf Club from the college earlier this year. They acquired the golf course after managing it since 2021.

Orman told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV he is encouraged the golf course has a private owner separate from the college.

"That golf course will not only be a new water user, a large water user, but also a key to our economic development as we go forward," Orman said, adding that Dugan and Fitzgerald have "some very nice plans" for the southern end of the village. The pair has acquired ancillary lands near the golf course, records show.

Orman continued, "We're going to start seeing signs of life that we've never seen before at that end of the village."

Fitzgerald hasn't detailed those plans, but is proud to play a key role in post-Wells Aurora.

There is uncertainty and fear, Fitzgerald acknowledges, but he also believes the village's future is "incredibly bright."

"If you look at tourism, the economic impact of the Finger Lakes, I believe Aurora is poised to just be an amazing place for families, small businesses and I think Aurora has that opportunity, because of the closure of Wells, to set itself up for the next 100 years. That goes in a lot of different ways — economic development, small business, parks and recreation, communal lands.

"This is an opportunity, out of a negative, that Aurora must grasp."

'Coming together'

Pleasant Rowland delivered on her mission to revive historic homes and transform them into what's now known as the Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa, the largest remaining business in the village.

Sue Edinger, chief operating officer of the Inns of Aurora, told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV one of the reasons for Rowland's investment was to help Wells College recruit more students.

"As we now know, that simply wasn't enough," Edinger said. "We're very sad that Wells, candidly, just didn't make it."

The impact of the closure on the Inns of Aurora's businesses, according to Edinger, has been most felt at the Fargo Bar & Grill and Village Market. With the loss of the college and fewer residents, there is less foot traffic at those establishments.

It's why Edinger said they are hoping the future plans for the former Wells College campus include a housing component. It would not only help the Inns and its more than 300 employees, but provide much-needed housing in the village.

"I would love to see more people in the village," Edinger said. "When I first started, there were about 650 residents. I think we're down to 250 now. It has dramatically changed."

She continued, "From a community standpoint and from our standpoint as a business, it would be great for the community to be a little larger."

The Inns of Aurora has been involved in conversations with local leaders about the future of the village and plans for the campus. However, Edinger said the Inns does not intend to buy any of the Wells-owned properties. But she said the Inns hopes "there is something that is symbiotic that can work well with us."

"Yes, it was a college town for (156 years). What does it look like now and what is the future for Aurora?" Edinger said.

'Prosper and grow'

When Ë®¹ûÅÉAV called Orman on April 29, 2024, he was stunned. He did not receive advance notice of Wells College's closure announcement, but he knew it was a massive blow to the small village along Cayuga Lake.

One of the first priorities for village leaders was determining the fate of the college-owned water plant. It is unusual in New York to have a municipality buy water from a privately-owned plant, but that's the arrangement that existed for a century in Aurora.

Wells College did not have specifics on how much it cost to operate the plant. An agreement was reached to allow the village to run the facility — the only way to determine what those costs would be.

Two weeks ago, the village board approved a purchase offer to acquire the water plant. The college is gifting the plant, but the village has to pay a small fee ($10) to complete the transaction.

Although the village's acquisition will ensure businesses and residents have access to water, it will come at a hefty price. Orman acknowledged that an increase in the village's water budget from $118,100 to $327,600 could nearly triple rates for users.

Orman anticipates it will be a short-term budgetary blow. Once there is a new user at the campus, that should ease water rates. But the campus will likely be offline for two years, if not longer.

"In the end, this is what we need to do to sustain," he said. "I do believe you have to reach this level before you begin to see the beginning of the renaissance of the village. I think that's the point we're approaching now."

Despite the challenges, there is reason for optimism. Orman said a resident, Grace Bates, will donate beachfront property at the southern end of Aurora to the village. The village will also learn what projects will be funded with a $10 million grant that was awarded to Aurora, Cayuga and Union Springs. He highlighted the Inns of Aurora's continued growth.

Orman is proud of the village board for how it has navigated these issues in the last year. He believes they have relayed to residents that "we are all in this together."

"We're going to see it through and it will be a better place in the end," he said.