Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 7

44 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7 commuters are “happy to come home at night to the calmness and comforts of West Seneca.” Wherever residents are employed, developing a strong workforce is essential to the town’s healthy economy. One key element is the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services of New York State (BOCES). For the past 70 years, BOCES has been partnering with school districts like West Seneca’s to offer hands-on vocational programs such as auto repair. On the industrial side, the U.A Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 22 union has a state-of-the-art welding and HVAC training facility where current and future tradesmen learn. In addition to cultivating this resilient workforce, the West Seneca Chamber of Commerce is promoting the town as an ‘Arts in History’ destination. “We’ve created the Charles Burchfield Gardenville District, encompassing nine historically and artistically significant sites,” says Kirchmyer. “It includes the home and studio of world-renowned artist, Charles Burchfield. That property is the keystone.” Across from the historic landmark is the Charles E. Burchfield Nature & Art Center, located in the same park which served as a source of inspiration for the artist. There are also two historic churches: the Fourteen Holy Helpers Church dating from the mid-1800s and John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church with its beautiful stained-glass windows dating back to the early 1900s. Another hallmark is the Christian Metz House, one of the oldest in the area. “I think a lot of other towns would kill to have something like this,” admits Kirchmyer. “We’ve had it in our own backyard all these years. Even though some of the buildings need renovations, just walking around Gardenville you really get a feel for West Seneca’s history and treasures.” In order to protect these significant sites, the Town of West Seneca is in the process of establishing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Dickson explains this law will give with his family upon arrival from Germany in he home of the operator of a nearby Seneca Burchfield Gardenville District. From Burchfield Park you can see the home where Charles Burchfield lived with his family and created his best-known works of art. His studio, a separate building, still exists directly behind the home. Both buildings are currently being renovated.