Project Sponsor: Jim Mackell
Fundraising Goal: $100,000
Questions for Jim? Want to get more involved in the project? Contact him here.
The Visitors Center has served us well over the past four decades, but it is time to upgrade the facility. Due to the long list of upgrades needed to the building, the Board of Trustees has focused our first phase of fundraising on the following projects:
The Visitors Center in progress of receiving a fresh coat of paint, July 2020. Phil Morse photo.
- Rehabilitating and painting the building’s exterior. This project was mostly completed during the pandemic in 2020, with thanks to several volunteers who helped from one day to over 250 hours. Paint colors were selected to reflect the colors of the Atlantic Shore Line stations. Some sections of siding on the sections of the building facing our Visitors Center platform do still need to be repaired, and as we raise more funds to support the work, those areas will be addressed.
- Replacing the walkway connecting the Visitors Center to the parking lot with asphalt. This project was completed in April 2020.
- New Landscaping to match the fresh coat of paint. This project was completed in 2020, with thanks to Terrapin Landscapes, who donated labor and helped us find great deals on flowers and plants.
- Upgrades to the building’s septic system and in-ground well, to increase performance and support larger, more frequent events on campus, year-round. Both of these projects took place in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The Visitors Center on a beautiful winter day, December 2020.
- Adding heating and cooling throughout the first floor, prioritizing the Exhibit Room, lobby and restrooms. Funding raised in 2020 has been directed to complete this project.
- Upgrading the windows throughout the building. All windows have reached the end of their lifespan and need to be replaced with a solution that will better insulate our building during the cold months.
- Replacing all exterior doors. All of our decorative single-pane doors have also reached the end of their lifespan and need to be replaced with a solution that will better insulate our building during the cold months.
- A fresh coat of interior paint. The lobby and Museum Store are in desperate need of a face life to match the fresh coat of exterior paint.
Following the successful fundraising efforts to help us finish Phase 1 projects, funding will be raised to complete Phase 2 of the Visitors Center renovations, which include replacing the flooring throughout the first floor and the carpet in the Exhibit Room, increasing workspace efficiency on the second floor, and better equipping our kitchen (Trolley Fare) to handle large events.
We have established a $100,000 fundraising goal to help us complete the remaining priorities in Phase 1 of our renovation work. Please support this project and designate your donation to Fund 993.
Thank you to the following donors who have supported these projects to date:
Terrapin Landscapes
Phil Morse
Katie Orlando
Sue Ellen Stavrand
Thank you to the following volunteers who helped us paint the exterior of the building in 2020:
Jim Mackell
John Mercurio
Arthur Morin
Phil Morse
Nick Ouelette
Sue Ellen Stavrand
Lorraine Tracey
And designate your gift to Fund 993