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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