St. Lawrence Surgery Expands To New Location With Help From National Grid

Main Street Revitalization Incentive Supports Major Renovation of Vacant Building

ODENSBURG, N.Y. – National Grid and St. Lawrence Surgery today announced a $50,000 Main Street Revitalization incentive as part of renovations to a vacant, former industrial building located at 305 Main St., Ogdensburg, New York. Upgrades to the 7,000-square-foot building include a new roof, complete interior redesign, exterior revitalization, landscaping and construction of an adjoining parking area.

“National Grid is dedicated to community and economic development across northern New York,” said Melanie Littlejohn, regional executive, National Grid, Central New York division. “Several of our Main Street Revitalization Program incentives have been awarded in Ogdensburg, thanks to referrals from John Pinkerton, city manager. This latest project with St. Lawrence Surgery is one of the most dramatic before and after results we have seen to date.”

Founded in 1999, St. Lawrence Surgery provides general surgery to patients in Ogdensburg and the surrounding area. A growing patient load and addition of four independent surgeons in 2013, the practice relocated to the Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center campus. A year later they looked to further expand and landed on the long-vacant structure once occupied by a former printing company.

The initial cost estimate of renovations approached $1 million. To help mitigate costs, Dr. Christopher Brandy, of St. Lawrence Surgery, met with John Pinkerton, Ogdensburg city manager and Patrick Kelly, executive director of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency, to determine available economic development assistance.

“We are happy we qualified for a National Grid Main Street Revitalization Program grant,” said Brandy. “This was a huge undertaking and the grant certainly helped us to manage our costs.”

National Grid’s Main Street Revitalization program provides matching grants aimed at the revitalization of critical Main Streets and commercial corridors in villages, towns and cities in National Grid’s service territory. Application requests include the renovation and rehabilitation of commercial, industrial or mixed-use buildings under 100,000 square feet and development of pre-construction documents that advance an existing, community-accepted design plan, site preparation and construction of commercial or industrial adaptive re-use projects.

Of the total 7,000-square-foot space, St. Lawrence Surgery occupies 3,200 square feet. Additional surgeons, mid-level providers and administrative staff will be added to the group. The remaining 4,000 square feet are leased to Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and used for office space and patient care.

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center is one of the top 10 employers in St Lawrence County. St. Lawrence Surgery is an integral part of the hospital's vitality and growth. The construction of the adjacent medical office facility furthers the center’s commitment to providing readily available, convenient, high-quality surgical health care for both the hospital and St. Lawrence Surgery.