Development Latest News, Future Plans
October 15, 2015
We are excited to share with you some news about the progress on the plans that our capital campaign will make possible. As previously announced, we will construct a 3-D studies facility on our property adjacent to the parking lot on the rear of our Carter-Kelsey building. We have received approval from both the zoning and planning boards of the City of Lebanon to move forward on the construction.
The existing building, a small one-family home from 1890, will be demolished in order to provide the necessary space for the new construction, scheduled to begin in April 2016. The re-useable parts of the house have been salvaged, including flooring, windows, doors and cabinets. While the lovely crabapple tree on the east side of the house could not be saved—it was just taken down by AVA artist and board member Michael Kraatz, ably assisted by Justin O’Rourke (see photo)—the wood from the tree is being stored for use in the 3-D center’s new woodworking studio.
Before demolition of the remainder of the house takes place later this month, the Lebanon Fire Department will undertake a training session at the site. They will not burn the building down, but will practice access and rescue operations from the roof.
We continue to make progress on our $3.5 million capital campaign. A $200,000 grant this month from the Timken Foundation of Canton helped push us beyond the half-way point toward our goal. We also recently met the challenge from the Byrne Foundation by successfully raising $25,000 in new or increased campaign gifts, and those have been matched dollar-for-dollar by Byrne. In addition, our efforts to eliminate the mortgage on the Carter-Kelsey Building have been extremely successful—in just this past year, the mortgage has been reduced from $410,000 to $130,000. With the pledges we have received, the mortgage will be completely eradicated by October 2016. In addition, we continue to develop our plans for the new artist members’ gallery. We are looking forward to providing a beautiful space for our artists to share their work with both the community and other artists, including a frequently rotating show space, promotional opportunities through digital archives, and gallery store possibilities.
Please stay tuned for more progress reports!
Future Plans
Deconstruction Works of West Dummerston, VT will be salvaging items from AVA’s Yellow House on Monday, September 28th through Wednesday, September 30th.
Several items will be salvaged for consignment sale on behalf of AVA including: 1000 sq ft Hardwood Flooring, Vinyl Replacement Windows, Kitchen Cabinet Set, Cast Grates and Front Door.
If you are interested in purchasing any of these items please email info@avagallery.org or erich@deconstructionworks.com.
Development Latest News, Future Plans
AVA’s plans for the future include a new building for 3-dimensional studies, to be constructed on our recently acquired property behind the parking lot on the north side of our Carter-Kelsey Building.
Construction of the new building will begin late summer/early fall 2015; completion is scheduled for spring 2016. It will be constructed to meet “LEED” (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements.
In spring 2016, the current Stone Carving Studio will move from AVA’s Carter-Kelsey Building
to the new 3D facility. The former Stone Carving Studio will then be transformed into an additional exhibition space for a Members Gallery; this gallery will expand opportunities for sales and promotion of works by the many talented artists who are members of our organization.
A $3.5 million capital campaign is underway to realize these plans. This campaign also includes
Initiatives that will make our facilities net-zero by 2017 (including the installation of solar panels). In addition, it will help eradicate the mortgage on the Carter-Kelsey Building and make possible the establishment of a reserve fund to position AVA for a vibrant future.
Future Plans
This past spring, we were pleased to announce a new initiative: AVA’s Green Building Challenge. Its aim is to significantly shrink our carbon footprint, with the goal of making our facility a “net zero” building by 2017. In other words, we hope to have a building that ultimately produces more energy than it consumes.
As we continue the conservation efforts that began with our 2007 building renovation, we will also begin tapping into the significant solar-power potential of our site.
The first phase of this goal began in May, when we contracted with the Jordan Institute to focus on the energy-saving opportunities inherent in our building and to examine the potential for renewable energy. In hiring the Jordan Institute—New Hampshire’s premier think-tank dedicated to addressing climate change in the built environment through aggressive building efficiency upgrades— we will once again be working with the team that was instrumental in our achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold-certification for our renovation. Jordan’s staff, led by Paul Leveille, is currently analyzing three years of our energy consumption, both thermal and electrical. (It is already evident that the 2011 LED lighting upgrade in our gallery spaces made a significant reduction in kilowatt-hours.)
The strategy is to reduce the electrical loads as much as possible (measuring devices placed throughout the building will identify areas for improvement), then address the solar potential of AVA’s rooftop as well as other areas capable of producing both thermal and electrical energy.
The prospect of making the “new” old Carter-Kelsey building net zero has energized AVA’s Board, staff and friends. It builds on work that has been accomplished over the past several years and reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability. It is in our DNA: The Arts and the Environment—a winning combination!
