Hamburg, NY – Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera was joined today by New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Village of Hamburg Mayor Tom Tallman and various Village officials at the Hamburg Youth Center to announce state funding to renovate the facility.

Originally, the announcement was set to detail $100,000 in capital funding secured by Assemblymember Rivera. But through the generosity of Speaker Heastie, his vision for the future capacity of the Village of Hamburg Youth Center and what the space might ultimately become, that number was raised to $1.4 million.

The significant increase in state aid will facilitate much-needed upgrades to the Village of Hamburg Youth Center, located at 200 Prospect Avenue in the heart of the Village.

The investment will allow the facility, first opened in 1963 and long considered the hub of activity for the Village of Hamburg Recreation Department, to adapt to the growing needs of the village’s growing youth and family population.

The funding will support the repurposing and expansion of the building’s underutilized second-floor storage areas, transforming them into active program space to significantly extend the Center’s capability for youth programming. Additionally, the project will include accessibility improvements to ensure that children, seniors, and residents of all abilities can enjoy the facility for years to come.

The building that houses the Youth Center has existed for more than a century. It was originally constructed in 1923 as an icehouse and storage facility, later used to store buses prior to the Village of Hamburg’s purchase in 1961.

Following renovations, the Hamburg Youth Center officially opened its doors on March 1, 1963. A 1975 addition paved the way for after-school and summer programs, which began in 1976. The current version of the after-school program has been running since 2007 and now serves more than 200 students grades K-8 during the school year. Meanwhile, the summer program, which just concluded, enrolled over 270 children.

Today, the Center’s first floor includes a multi-use game room, snack bar area, lavatories, coatroom, and lounge, all of which serve school-aged children for after-school programming Monday through Friday. These same spaces are regularly used by adult meeting groups and senior citizens.

The second floor includes storage rooms, a photography lab, an arts and crafts room, and a carpeted lounge with a computer lab, in addition to providing rental opportunities for residents on weekends.

This investment announced today ensures that the Youth Center can keep pace with the evolving needs of local families in Hamburg. As a new generation of parents and children look to the Village for opportunities to grow, connect, and thrive, these enhancements will provide expanded programming, modernized spaces, and a more inclusive environment that will benefit the entire community for future generations.

Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, “The Hamburg Youth Center has been a pillar of this community for decades, offering generations of young people a safe, welcoming place to learn, play, and grow. This funding ensures the building is modernized for a new era, expanding its capacity to serve hundreds of local children while also making it more inclusive and accessible for everyone who relies on it.”

Carl Heastie, Speaker of the New York State Assembly, said, “It’s vital that our communities have spaces to come together to learn and grow and socialize. I’m glad to be here today with Assemblymember Rivera, seeing this great hub of activity and community here in Hamburg and to see the plans they have to make it a better place for people of all ages to come.”

Thomas P. Tallman, Village of Hamburg Mayor, said, “On behalf of the Village of Hamburg Board of Trustees, I would like to thank Assemblymember Jon Rivera and our NYS government partners for their support of needed improvements to the Village of Hamburg Youth Center. The Youth Center is a vital building in our community where we offer many exceptional recreation programs and services. Our after-school program has over 200 children enrolled and serves many families in our community. Once again thank you for this significant investment in the Village of Hamburg.”

Josh Haeick, Village of Hamburg Recreation Supervisor, said, “As a lifelong Village of Hamburg resident, and in my position here at the Parks and Recreation Dept., I have seen firsthand the impact our programs and our facility have made on generations of children in Hamburg. Over the last 15 years, enrollment in our after-school and summer programming has grown exponentially, and the time to enhance and modernize our activity space at the Youth Center is long overdue. Assemblymember Rivera and Speaker Heastie’s joint investment of state dollars in our facility and community is an absolute game changer in continuing our legacy of creating positive, impactful and memorable experiences for generations to come. It is a great day for our community!”