October has been a very busy month for construction.  Major work had to be done on flooring in the main entry area including installing a beautiful, black tile as part of the finished entry area.  A large trophy cabinet and oak bench finish off the grand entry.  Doors were trimmed out in granite laminate and even a water fountain was installed to serve the public.  The final install will be the ticket kiosk to be completed in early November.

The auditorium has undergone all the major installs that give it a grand look.  During harvest break, concrete was poured to finish off the sloped floor for the main seating area.  Motorized wheelbarrels filled with concrete were driven down the hallways and into the auditorium in order to fill in the framed in sections.  Upstairs, the balcony had three areas of seating platforms installed for the stadium style seating.

Finishing touches are beginning to change all the major looks of the auditorium including red walls, three different types of  house lighting and deeply stained ebony, oak doors.  The balcony and stairs leading from the entry vestibules change the overall feeling of the  and will provided enhanced audience experiences.

Behind the scenes, a revamped sound system including 13 speakers connected to a digital processing system will provide the audience with a fantastic auditory environment.  A new theater lighting system will provide multiple stage lighting locations and have a state of the art dimmer system that ties into the stage and house lights to allow for various preset controls.  All of this upgraded technology will provide great flexibility for groups using the auditorium.

There are still lots of things to do, check out more picture and video updates!

The best way to see what is truly happening at HHS is to watch our posted videos from this website or from the HHS Alumni Association.  We will be updating these videos as new looks to the project keep happening throughout September into October.  Your financial support is still needed so buy a chair or donate directly to the project.  You can access the videos from the home page.

The 2009 school year has begun for MSAD #29 and the work at HHS finished in certain areas of the building right as scheduled.  There currently is ongoing work with a new sprinkler system and also doing electrical work and other minor work in the hallway outside the auditorium.  The general reaction from the students on their new looking school is one of awe and they also think it is pretty cool.  There is still work to be done in the cafeteria from now through harvest vacation including finishing the ceramic floors, installing a trophy case, ticket kiosk and bench.  The auditorium is now the big focus of the construction project and a full work load continues including pouring concrete floors, working on rails for the balcony and building some walls for the vestibules. There is still a lot of electrical and ventilation work continuing in this space.  It is a major work in progress more to come next month.

By August 14th with only one more full week of summer vacation to complete major work at HHS, things are moving along very fast. Currently the following things are finished or near completion:

Newly constructed curved entry area from parking lot has been completed with doors, paint, windows, lighting. Exterior and interior trim work to be completed soon.

Entry into cafeteria nearing completion including new walls, new drop ceiling, paint and VCT flooring to be completed soon. There will be a delay on the new ceramic tile to be installed, which will go in during harvest break in October. Lighting is being completed very soon.

Paint…Lets just say we are golden!

New kiosk, ticket booth area, bench and trophy case are not installed yet. Completion of these major builds are still in the works.

Main hallway outside the auditorium will still need new doors to auditorium, panel trims around doors, and items to rehang in the hallway will be moved around and spaced out appropriately.

The auditorium is a major work in progress, but we are happy to say the steel work for the wrap around mezzanine is in place. New doors to back of stage are ready and major electrical items are being worked on.

The history area across from the auditorium is complete and ready to move in. Clean up of the band room is almost finished and hopefully ready for hundreds of instruments, thousands of musical scores and coutless props, costumes and other items.

As work keeps progressing, more updates will be given. Lots of things to do, so little time.

New videos from late August!

All of the videos for August 21st and 28th are below.  Scroll the video window left and right to see them all or just click play and enjoy!

The new school year is just around the corner and the crew has been hard at work on renovations to the school.  Check out these videos to see how the process has been going!

As of July 4th the following has been completed:

1. Auditorium stripped of: seats, sound clouds, wood panels, sound booth, lights, ventilation, theater equipment and catwalk.

2. Work has started on removing stage walls located on the wings and removing portions of the stage to build passarelles.

3. Ceiling has been painted in music room.

4. New lights and ventilation are being worked on in music area.

5. Cafeteria wall has been removed, storage closets are removed, floor tile with asbestos is gone, exterior work for new entry started.

6. History area redesign has been completed and new walls are done and are to the drywalling stage (part of HHS renovations).

As school comes to a close, come up for a visit and see the auditorium, it is all gone!  The seats are out, the theater lights are gone, the curtains are down, the lofts are empty and the control booth and sound clouds are dropping fast.  What a great job the students have done clearing out for the upcoming Houlton Community Arts Center renovations.  In just four days, all four lofts filled with costumes, props, sets, scenery and music were emptied and stored in the small gym and a trailer.  There is still some work to do as we have to empty out the three offices and move some instruments to storage, but the majority of the demolition work is complete.

Phase one of the Houlton Community Arts Center is a full renovation of the auditorium including adding a balcony,  new seats, new theater lighting, moving the control booth, expanding the stage,  and upgrading the sound system.  This monumental change is possible because of the funding provided by the Houlton Community Arts Center Council.  There will also be changes in the hallway outside the auditorium and the entry to the cafeteria.  The partnership that HCACC developed with MSAD #29 afforded both entities the opportunity to make major changes on behalf of the school and the community.  This phase of the project is hopefully the start of bigger and better things to come.  With changes to the auditorium complete by November, the next phase will be to raise enough funds for an addition of 13,000 square feet of classrooms, rehearsal areas, and storage.
When school starts up in late August, the challenge that the music department will face is that the auditorium will not be finished.  With all the major structure work that has to happen, we hope to have the auditorium ready for the fall musical in late November.
Losing access to the auditorium for a few months will also be a challenge to the music programs.   Currently the auditorium is used everyday for rehearsals, instrument storage and it also contains Mr. Mania’s office.  With the changes planned, we lose the office on stage, storage on the wings of the stage, and the loft storage above the wings.  Although the end result will be a state-of-the-art auditorium, this will also force the music department to work in closer quarters than we currently do.  Rehearsals for our groups and for the musical will all need to fit into one room.  What a challenge!  With less access to the auditorium and the loss of storage and a teaching space, it will bring to the fore front the need to quickly move ahead with phase two of the project.
Phase two includes a new band room, separate chorus room, bringing the art room to this end of the school, new offices and new practice rooms.  We know we need this new space.   We are excited phase one has started and are looking into the not-so-distant future for phase two.  Look for updates on the HCAC website www.houltonarts.org.

The Houlton Community Arts Center Council is happy to receive $1,000 from the Bangor Savings Bank Community Matters More program.  Although we were not considered for the top prize, we were glad to be recognized for being a leader in change for the community.  Thank you Bangor Savings Bank!

Dead River Company to make a $10,000 donation.

Dead River Company announced that it will be donating $10,000 in support of the Houlton Community Arts Center project to expand and renovate the existing music facilities of Houlton High School in order to establish a performing and visual arts facility that will better serve the needs of the students and the residents of the Southern Aroostook area.

“Dead River Company is very pleased to make a donation that will keep on giving,” stated Jerry Wilson, Dead River Company, Houlton District Manager. “As a life-long resident of Houlton, I know how vital the arts and music are to the community. By donating to the Houlton Community Arts Center, Dead River Company is helping to make a lifetime investment in our students and our community.

About Dead River Company
Organized in 1909, in Bangor, Maine, Dead River Company is still owned by the descendents of the company founder, Charles Hutchins. With more than 1100 employees, Dead River Company is the largest distributor of residential heating fuels (propane, home heating oil, and kerosene) in northern New England and operates a chain of convenience stores in Maine. The company’s Dead River Properties division is actively engaged in commercial real estate, developing, owning and managing a large portfolio of properties that includes office buildings, industrial buildings and shopping centers in states from Maine to Florida. www.deadriver.com

The Houlton Community Arts Center has been selected by the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation to be part of a special $100,000 donation program towards non profit organizations through out the State of Maine. Currently HCAC will receive $1,000 for being part of this program, but we need your vote in order to receive $5,000. If HCAC receives the most votes in the northern region, they will jump from the guaranteed donation of a thousand dollars up to the five thousand dollar award. Visit any Bangor Savings Bank location or go to www.bangor.com/CommunityMattersMore.aspx to access the ballot from on line.