Arts Education Center for Adams County

About the Project

History
As a result of the Adams County Arts Council’s 2008 Big Canvass community planning meetings, the ACAC board set the creation of a community arts education center for Adams County as its primary strategic goal.

A board committee, appointed to explore suitable options, found a building on South Washington Street that fit the board’s defined specifications of size, cost and general location. As an added bonus, this property, which is located just blocks from the Gettysburg square, is part of the Elm Street District.  Renovation efforts will benefit the Borough and Commonwealth’s work to revitalize this neglected area.

With the help of consultant, Nancy E. Petrisko, the board conducted a feasibility study to determine if there was community support to advance the project. The study, conducted over three months in late 2009, included 49 representatives from government, foundations, corporations and individual community members, and showed very strong interest in this project.

In February 2010, under the leadership of co-chairs Bill Monahan and Phil Murray, the hard work of a dedicated capital campaign committee, and Nancy’s guidance, ACAC began its “quiet phase” of a 1.1 million dollar Capital Campaign.


Description
This 10,000 sq. ft. building will include open and inviting spaces for classes in music, dance, theater, visual and culinary arts; a gallery space to accommodate local artist and special exhibits; a large reception hall for performances, rentals and community events; and an outdoor sculpture garden. The center will be fully accessible and will have office and meeting space to accommodate future growth. Ten parking spaces are included with this property and will provide both rental income and access for center participants.


Fundraising
Major gifts pledged early gave this campaign the encouragement it needed. Substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Adams County and the ACAC Board of Directors provided the initial gifts that helped secure more than one quarter of this campaign’s fundraising goals. With this visible dedication to arts education and commitment to the community, the campaign committee has been able to secure other important gifts that bring us closer to our goal.


Timeline
After a competitive bidding process, ACAC has secured local architect Gary Shaffer. In October, ACAC will purchase the building and Gary, along with the ACAC building committee, will request construction proposals from local and regional professionals. Renovation is expected to begin in January 2011. The Center is expected to open in Fall 2011.


Sustainability
With the help of a low interest loan, secured from the United States Department of Agriculture, ACAC estimates that it will be able to pay its mortgage, maintain the building and expand its programs without deficit. Five year budgets, based on actual ACAC growth trends and realistic projections, indicate that ACAC will be able balance its budget and realize a savings each year that will be placed into reserve.








 

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