By My-Ly Nguyen
mnguyen@gannett.com
BINGHAMTON - Four days after the massacre at the American Civic Association, the center is ready to open its doors. But it's unclear whether the staff, students and community are ready to have classes and other activities resume inside.
Mayor Matthew T. Ryan said the association wants to reopen as soon as possible.
Cleanup crews in the building over the weekend have made that possible.
State funding, allocated by Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, also will help: $100,000 to help the civic association get back on its feet and another $100,000 to provide counseling services and implement protective measures at the center, said Tina Ruocco, a spokeswoman for Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton.
It will take at least a few days for the related paperwork and other administrative procedures to be completed, she said.
Priscilla Pease, a teacher who was in the civic association basement during the shootings Friday, said staff would meet with students "at a neutral site" today "to talk about what we're going to do next."
Through the front windows of the American Civic Association, a man could be seen mopping the lobby floor late Monday morning.
A co-owner of Disaster Clean Up and two of the Endwell business' technicians spent about six hours Sunday conducting more extensive cleanup at the facility. They donned Tyvek white suits and other protective gear, and disinfected the space inside.
"You'd never know it happened other than some telltale signs of some bullet holes," said Jim Coyle, who owns Disaster Clean Up with his wife, Debby.
It takes a certain kind of person to do this job, he said.
"You kind of have to put it out of your mind," he said. "You have to understand that you're doing a valuable service. That's the attitude we have."
Bio-Recovery Corp. of New York City sent two workers to the site to help with the cleanup, Coyle said.
Both companies are members of the nonprofit American Bio-Recovery Association of crime and trauma scene workers. The businesses donated their labor and supplies to the City of Binghamton and the civic association. Coyle said he'd normally charge about $12,000 for a similar job. Insurance almost always covers the cost.
Outside the civic association, flower bouquets, balloons and even a line of 14 pennies - presumably to mark the 14 who died Friday during the shootings in the association's building on Front Street - were placed on the front steps. A light rain fell from the dark gray sky late Monday morning.
Casey Chandler, 26, of Endicott, stopped to drop off a bouquet of flowers and pay her respects to those killed and their families. She said she feels for the gunman's family, too, and wonders how they're coping with what happened.
"I cried when I heard it," she said. "When something this tragic happens ... it affects everybody."
Two doors down at HCA Respite Home & Residential Services, staff members have fielded calls from concerned families, some of whom asked if the HCA is taking any special precautions in light of the shootings, said Mike Reed, a registered nurse.
The facility provides services for families and children with disabilities. All doors in the building have keypad systems to provide security, Reed said.
On Friday, about 30 new staff members were participating in a training class at the HCA, he said. None of the children were present because they were in school or at work.
"Everything is quiet today, even Wal-Mart," said Mary Catherine Allison, a residential counselor. "It was just like a calm. Normally, it's hectic on Mondays. There were lots of parking spaces. It was really weird. It felt like the city was mourning."
Across the street, Envy You Salon-Boutique remained closed Monday, after being closed Saturday and Sunday "due to the recent events," according to a sign posted in the shop's window.
Pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks near the American Civic Association was sparse late Monday morning.
"Everyone who survived this incident is a hero," Chandler said.
She wants outsiders to know this: "We've always been a tight-knit community. ... We're not just a small, rundown little town. I just can't believe this happened."
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