Board formed to nurture Center For Arts and Culture
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
What may look like a negative can sometimes turn out to be a positive.
Such is the case for the Lakeland Art Association and local artists.
Monday, LAA discussed the culmination of the ArtsREACH Grant Project at the old Champs building, corner of South Buffalo and East Market streets, Warsaw.
Linda Dilling presented an executive summary of the grant project followed by the presentation of the architectural study of the Eagles building by Mary Ellen Rudisel Jordan of Scearce Rudisel architectural firm.
Because of the Justice Building expansion project, the Lakeland Art Center lost its facilities in spring 1999, Dilling said. They found a new home on Buffalo Street and applied for an ArtsREACH grant. From the grant, a coalition of community partners was created to study the need for and the feasibility of an arts center in Kosciusko County and to create a directory of artists and art resources.
Kosciusko County Foundation granted $5,000 to match the $8,900 grant by ArtsREACH; Eugenia Fulkerson provided in-kind office space for a year-plus, valued at $3,600; and Kosciusko Leadership Academy provided a $375 scholarship for Dilling, director of the ArtsREACH project, to be a part of the KLA class of 2000.
A board of directors was formed to secure a facility and expand the arts in the county. The Center for Arts and Culture board members announced Thursday are: Michelle Boxell, Trish Brown, Alin Cass, Bob Condon, Dilling, Bonnie Gore, Dan Hampton, Sally Hogan, Milt Holmgrain, Mary Ellen Rudisel Jordan, Joan Moore, DiAnne Smith and Howard Woodward Jr.
While involved in the project during the past year, another setback came about. It turned out to be a step forward.
The organization looked for support for leadership of the project within the county. Everyone they approached in the county said that while they were not incapable, they were unqualified to give direction. They encouraged LAA to go outside the county for assistance.
Indiana Arts Commission granted Lakeland Art Association $3,000 to assist in the architectural study. The F.I. Saemann Foundation, owners of the Eagles building, gave $5,000. Scearce Rudisel, who is conducting the study, pledged a $4,000 contribution toward the study.
Rudisel said they were asked to look at the Eagles building and see if it was possible for the Center to be housed there. First, she said, they had to see if it was big enough and if it was capable of housing the Center. The next step was to interview "all kinds of people who'd use it and see what their needs were." The "needs" list was evaluated while also looking at budget numbers for the project.
Organizations who were interviewed included the Community Choir, Kosciusko Community Historical Society Genealogy, Kindermusik, Kosciusko Community Theater, Lakeland Art Association and several others.
The total for all the space requirements is 30,440 square feet, Rudisel said, and there is 30,500 square feet available.
She suggested the project be broken up into phases.
Phase I would include interior circulation including corridors, elevator, stairways, mechanical, electrical, plumbing system upgrade, automatic fire protection system and alarm system. The cost for phase I is $530,000.
For $300,000, Phase II would include the first two floors' interior work and finishes plus prep kitchen. The least expensive phase is the third one for $50,000 and is for top floor interior work and finishes.
Exterior masonry, revision of entrance, repair and replacement of windows and exterior signage is part of phase IV for $200,000. The last phase includes work on the ballroom floor and serving kitchen for $200,000.
Total construction cost is $1.28 million, with fees of $130,000 plus a contingency of $128,000. Cost for furniture and property purchase, Rudisel said, is up to the association.
A question-and-answer period followed Rudisel's presentation.
Asked if it was possible to build the center upwards if growth occurs, Rudisel said it is possible but would be more expensive than purchasing the building next door.
As for how long it would take to create the facilities if all the checks were written tomorrow, Rudisel said, "I think the whole thing could be done in less than a year."
The last question was whether it may be better to build a completely new facility.
"To build a new building at today's standards, at the same size at $100 per square feet, is about $3.5 million," Rudisel replied. "So it's much cheaper to build a building that's already here." [[In-content Ad]]
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What may look like a negative can sometimes turn out to be a positive.
Such is the case for the Lakeland Art Association and local artists.
Monday, LAA discussed the culmination of the ArtsREACH Grant Project at the old Champs building, corner of South Buffalo and East Market streets, Warsaw.
Linda Dilling presented an executive summary of the grant project followed by the presentation of the architectural study of the Eagles building by Mary Ellen Rudisel Jordan of Scearce Rudisel architectural firm.
Because of the Justice Building expansion project, the Lakeland Art Center lost its facilities in spring 1999, Dilling said. They found a new home on Buffalo Street and applied for an ArtsREACH grant. From the grant, a coalition of community partners was created to study the need for and the feasibility of an arts center in Kosciusko County and to create a directory of artists and art resources.
Kosciusko County Foundation granted $5,000 to match the $8,900 grant by ArtsREACH; Eugenia Fulkerson provided in-kind office space for a year-plus, valued at $3,600; and Kosciusko Leadership Academy provided a $375 scholarship for Dilling, director of the ArtsREACH project, to be a part of the KLA class of 2000.
A board of directors was formed to secure a facility and expand the arts in the county. The Center for Arts and Culture board members announced Thursday are: Michelle Boxell, Trish Brown, Alin Cass, Bob Condon, Dilling, Bonnie Gore, Dan Hampton, Sally Hogan, Milt Holmgrain, Mary Ellen Rudisel Jordan, Joan Moore, DiAnne Smith and Howard Woodward Jr.
While involved in the project during the past year, another setback came about. It turned out to be a step forward.
The organization looked for support for leadership of the project within the county. Everyone they approached in the county said that while they were not incapable, they were unqualified to give direction. They encouraged LAA to go outside the county for assistance.
Indiana Arts Commission granted Lakeland Art Association $3,000 to assist in the architectural study. The F.I. Saemann Foundation, owners of the Eagles building, gave $5,000. Scearce Rudisel, who is conducting the study, pledged a $4,000 contribution toward the study.
Rudisel said they were asked to look at the Eagles building and see if it was possible for the Center to be housed there. First, she said, they had to see if it was big enough and if it was capable of housing the Center. The next step was to interview "all kinds of people who'd use it and see what their needs were." The "needs" list was evaluated while also looking at budget numbers for the project.
Organizations who were interviewed included the Community Choir, Kosciusko Community Historical Society Genealogy, Kindermusik, Kosciusko Community Theater, Lakeland Art Association and several others.
The total for all the space requirements is 30,440 square feet, Rudisel said, and there is 30,500 square feet available.
She suggested the project be broken up into phases.
Phase I would include interior circulation including corridors, elevator, stairways, mechanical, electrical, plumbing system upgrade, automatic fire protection system and alarm system. The cost for phase I is $530,000.
For $300,000, Phase II would include the first two floors' interior work and finishes plus prep kitchen. The least expensive phase is the third one for $50,000 and is for top floor interior work and finishes.
Exterior masonry, revision of entrance, repair and replacement of windows and exterior signage is part of phase IV for $200,000. The last phase includes work on the ballroom floor and serving kitchen for $200,000.
Total construction cost is $1.28 million, with fees of $130,000 plus a contingency of $128,000. Cost for furniture and property purchase, Rudisel said, is up to the association.
A question-and-answer period followed Rudisel's presentation.
Asked if it was possible to build the center upwards if growth occurs, Rudisel said it is possible but would be more expensive than purchasing the building next door.
As for how long it would take to create the facilities if all the checks were written tomorrow, Rudisel said, "I think the whole thing could be done in less than a year."
The last question was whether it may be better to build a completely new facility.
"To build a new building at today's standards, at the same size at $100 per square feet, is about $3.5 million," Rudisel replied. "So it's much cheaper to build a building that's already here." [[In-content Ad]]