ESL Federal Credit Union has committed $2 million for naming rights to a planned health and wellness campus in Newark, giving the proposed $22 million project a major private funding commitment as organizers seek more money to complete it.
The agreement will name the development the ESL Health and Wellness Campus for 25 years, through 2052, according to an announcement Monday from the village of Newark and the Alex Eligh Community Center.
The campus is planned between Van Buren and Siegrist streets. Organizers said the project is intended to serve residents across Wayne County as part of a broader regional revitalization effort.
Two buildings are planned. The first, expected to be completed in 2027, would house Lattimore Physical Therapy.
The second building would become the new home of the Alex Eligh Community Center and is anticipated to be completed in 2028. Plans call for a six-lane indoor track and field event space, an indoor turf field, courts for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, fitness equipment, multipurpose rooms and space for school-age child care and after-school programs.
New York has committed $3.34 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding to the project. The village, community center and Capstone Real Estate Development are seeking additional capital to cover the remaining cost.
ESL President and CEO Tom Rogers said the investment reflects the credit union's long-term commitment to Newark and would support a facility intended to expand opportunities, strengthen local economic activity and create jobs.
Newark Mayor Jonathan Taylor said the sponsorship moves the project closer to completion and would help create a regional, year-round destination for sports and wellness programs. Alex Eligh Community Center board President Alex Quku and Executive Director Braxton Guy also said the partnership would expand opportunities for young people and the broader community.
The Alex Eligh Community Center has served Newark and the town of Arcadia since 1951. Information about supporting the campus project is available by emailing hwc@alexelighcommunitycenter.org.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.