Houlton Community Arts Center Wraps Up Summer Activities

The Houlton Community Arts Center Council and fundraising committee members have been hard at work this summer continuing their efforts to organize and raise funds for the fine arts wing expansion project of Houlton High School. Several key meetings have taken place with fundraising consultant BHC Consulting Group from Bangor. The organizational meetings have lead up to members working on the asking of major donors over the course of the summer. The process has gone well and the committee is reporting strong successes with contacting individuals and businesses.

Many hours have also been spent this summer working with the MSAD #29 School Board and superintendent Steve Fitzpatrick on organizing the upcoming November referendum that will positively impact a major renovation goal and also the expansion project. HCACC president Joe Fagnant met with Mr. Fitzpatrick, school board members, school legal council and other HCAC members to discuss how the referendum process will be organized and what the language will look like for the referendum. The main body of the referendum will support a $2.5 million renovation portion to complete HHS projects and a $2.5 million portion to go to the expansion project, to be matched by $2.5 million in private funds currently being raised.

HCAC fundraising committee members Steve Nelson and Torrey Sylvester, along with superintendent Fitzpatrick, presented the project and bond information at town meetings in Littleton, Monticello and Houlton. Arrangements are currently being made to meet with the Hammond board. A key area of the presentation was how the bond money will support immediate changes at HHS while being paid off over twenty years with money that is already built into the current budget system. There were great questions that came about from the different panel discussions and the presenters felt that the individual town councils were interested in the process and progress of the project.

Fundraising committee chairs Fred Grant, Dave McGillicuddy and Liz Anderson were active in kicking off the donation seeking process and organizing various public events including information booths set up at different venues through out the summer. Ann Joy assisted in staffing the information booths, where board members and volunteers greeted visitors with explanations of floor plans, handed out information pamphlets and gave out wristbands with the “Artstrong” motto and the HCAC web site: houltonarts.org.

Upcoming events include a full HCACC board meeting on August 29^th, ongoing fundraising committee meetings and public information meetings. The HCACC will assist the school board with educating the public at two meetings: September 6^th and October 18^th held at Houlton High school from 5-8pm.

A lot of organization, planning and activities have taken place this summer. Great things are coming together for this much needed project and more details will be forthcoming from the Houlton Community Arts Center Council.