Dunkirk business braces for hospital relocation

DUNKIRK, NY — Central Station Restaurant has been serving the city of Dunkirk for more than 30 years.

Robert Contiguglia has owned it the last eight years.

“This has actually become my kind of dream job,” he said. “It’s because I get to cook everyday, to wrap with my customers on many different levels.”

There’s a level of concern over Brooks Memorial Hospital leaving the city and rebuilding a new facility in nearby Fredonia.

“There’s not a lot of business down here, but there is business down here,” Contiguglia said.

He’s concerned about losing business from hospital staff, visitors and doctor’s offices he thinks could also relocate to Fredonia.

“It’s difficult enough trying to run a business in downtown Dunkirk since there’s a lot of empty storefronts,” Contiguglia said. “By taking out the hospital, it just, it makes it that much more difficult.”

City leaders say they’re disappointed the hospital won’t be rebuilt in Dunkirk, but support the move, as the facility faced the possibility of closing, and would be added to the more than 130 hospitals that closed in the state between 2010 and 2021 .

The city is looking to minimize the impact on the business community.

“We don’t anticipate that there will be a long transition period once it’s up and running, whatever that next incarnation of Brooks Hospital is,” said Vince DeJoy, planning and development director, City of Dunkirk.

Brooks and the city are working to encourage a developer to repurpose the site.

“The hospital is leaving but that doesn’t mean health care is leaving,” said DeJoy. “We want to make sure there’s at least some type of acute health care for the residents.”

Brooks recently cut the ribbon on a new medical clinic in Fredonia, like the one in Dunkirk. It’s part of the effort to serve the region.

“It takes both communities in order to achieve success and economic success in the future,” said Ken Morris, president/CEO, Brooks Memorial Hospital.

Contiguglia is hopeful about his future, serving the greater community and preserving downtown Dunkirk one sandwich at a time.

“Our restaurant will be just fine,” said Contiguglia. “We take care of seniors. We take care of tourists. We take care of the local business people. I’m not concerned about me, I’m concerned about all the people that are around us.”

Another concern raised is transportation, as many Dunkirk residents don’t drive and generally walk to Brooks.

The new hospital is expected to be completed within the next three years.