Community Center group exceeds $3.75M goal
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Steve and Lucy Richard, co-chairs of the Community Center Fund-raising Committee, held a press conference Friday to announce the donation of more than $1 million toward the project.
“We’re pleased to make the great announcement that an anonymous donor has donated $1.5 million in memory of Rodney Smith, which brings us to nearly $3.8 million raised,” said Steve Richard, noting he and Lucy planned to be at Monday’s Council meeting to say “our part is done.”
The Committee was tasked with raising $3,750,000 through donations to match the voter-approved bond issue — the fund-raising portion of the estimated $7.5 million cost to build the structure.
Lucy Richard said now that the initial fund-raising goal has been met, efforts will continue, with any additional funds raised going toward furniture and other necessities.
“We’re not done our part. We are still raising money for various items needed at the Community Center, including furnishings and playground equipment,” said Lucy Richard.
This marks two large donations the project has received, with numerous smaller donations helping officials reach their goal.
“We’ve had two big donations: the Sargent family’s $1 million donation and this $1.5 million anonymous donation,” said Steve. “We’ve had a lot of others who’ve stepped in with $100, $1,000 and various other amounts.”
The Presque Isle Rotary Club was also recognized for raising $375,000 for the community center during last year’s radio/TV auction.
“We’d like to thank the Rotary who took on the Community Center as their special project. It’s heartwarming to get those calls (calls received during the Rotary’s annual fundraiser) in support of our project,” said Steve.
Bids were opened earlier this year, with the estimated cost of construction coming in higher than initially proposed, due in part to higher cost for building materials.
“When bids came in significantly higher than anticipated for the new Community Center, citizens and councilors sharpened their pencils and went to work to bring the project back within budget. While this anonymous donation means the committee has reached its initial goal, its work is not yet done,” said Kim Smith, the city’s grant writer and spokesperson at the press conference.
When asked about the donation, Steve and Lucy agreed, “We are so excited about this donation and what it means to the project. With these funds, we know that we will now be able to move forward and break ground on this wonderful facility that will have such an impact on our community. It is very important to recognize all the individuals and businesses that have come forward during this campaign to give of their time and money to make this a reality for the residents of Presque Isle. Thank you all so much.”
The $7.5 million price tag is only for the basic building.
“The Fund-raising Committee wants to raise $200,000 to $300,000 more in order to enhance the community center experience for residents. The additional funds will allow for landscaping around the new center, additional bleachers (in addition to the two sets already slated for purchase), and new furniture — rather than putting the old, outdated and dilapidated existing furniture in this new facility. That means that for those who held back from making contributions to the project in order to make sure it was really going to happen, it is not to late to be a part of this exciting community resource,” said Smith.
Smith said several naming opportunities within the building still exist as well.
Councilors were scheduled to discuss the Community Center project at their June 8 meeting, with construction possibly getting underway by summer if councilors give their approval.
