ISLAND FALLS, Maine — The town’s community center will be getting some much needed renovations thanks to a grant from the Gloria C. MacKenzie Foundation.
Island Falls Town Manager Jutta Beyer said Thursday that the town received $125,000 from the foundation to make the building handicap-accessible. Currently, the only way to access the gymnasium is to use a side door and there is no way for individuals in wheelchairs or walkers to access the bathrooms.
In addition, workers will add insulation to the walls to make the building more energy efficient, install a new heating and ventilation system, and replace outdated flourescent lights with LED lights.
“We want to put an ADA-compliant ramp into our gym building so that people can access the space from inside our town office,” she said.
Renovations will begin in the spring. Little has been done to the community center/gymnasium since it was constructed in 1975.
This was the first time the town had ever written a grant, Beyer said. It marks the sixth time a southern Aroostook County town has received grant awards from the foundation.
In 2016, the town of Sherman received a $20,000 grant for updates to its recreation department. In 2017, Sherman received $14,000 for emergency generators and $51,715 for fire equipment, while Stacyville received $16,000 for updates to its town office and the veterans memorial. Sherman also received $38,003 this year for updates to town buildings.
According to the foundation’s website, the Gloria C. MacKenzie Foundation is dedicated to awarding grants that will advance educational opportunities aimed at fostering the organization’s goals to contribute to and support strong economic development in the state.
“In keeping with the founder’s wishes, we award grants that aim to improve the quality of life for the people of Maine with the primary focus on Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Aroostook counties,” the site states.
The Gloria C. MacKenzie Foundation is a family-based philanthropic organization that was established in 2013 after MacKenzie won the Florida Powerball, claiming a prize of $278 million. MacKenzie, was born and raised in Millinocket, but moved to Florida after her retirement as a teacher in the Schenck school system. One of her first moves after winning was to bestow $2 million to Schenck High School to repair its roof.
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- Island Falls plans to updated the community center with a handicap-accessible ramp, a new heating system, insulation and LED lighting thanks to a grant from the Gloria C. MacKenzie Foundation. (Joseph Cyr)
