We have some fantastic news to share with all of you. We have received an anonymous donation in the amount of $125,000! That’s right, you are reading this correctly. $125,000. All of us here at Farwell House are beyond excited and grateful for this amazing gift of generosity. To know that someone(s) is as excited and as passionate about this project as we are is beyond words. This infusion of much-needed funds will allow us the opportunity to move forward in completing many of the projects necessary for Farwell House to become the home to our family and the many artists we long to support through our Plank Road Artist Residency program. With that being said, we have been crunching numbers and scratching our heads to determine the best use of the funds. We certainly want to be wise stewards of such a tremendous gift. To give you a better idea of how we plan to use the donation allow us to break down our approach into three phases. After that we will delve into the specific areas we will focus on first. We can tell you this, Phase I will consume all of our recent donation and then some. With a project of this magnitude, the financial investment and need is great.
Farwell House Immediate Needs – Phase I – This first phase will focus on things we need to complete in the very near future in order to move into the house and really get going with the project. Keep in mind, Farwell House is 149 years old. A home with this many years under its belt is in need of many repairs and upgrades.
Long Term Phase II – Plank Road Expansion – It is during this phase when we would potentially transition artists out of the house into more private living spaces. This would allow us the flexibility to use the two bedroom spaces on the first floor for other things or leave them open for visiting artists. it is during this phase we plan to build a large barn to be used for studio spaces and community events along with four all-season cabins to house our resident artists. It is during this time that we would be able to accept as many as six artists at any given time.
Long-Term Phase III – Community Outreach and Income Potential – We are looking at various ways to connect with our community as well as create a revenue stream that would support our work. Our ideas stem from filling a void and we desire to offer something that is not currently offered in our community or area. Many, many things to consider here. We are looking at various agricultural and food related opportunities specifically.
So here is where we are headed. Over the next several months we will focus on hooking up our wood fired boiler system, removing and replacing soffit material, running gas line for our LP tank, upgrading our electrical service, installing a water line booster pump, repairing the Boston roof (flat area in the middle of the roof), installing backup/emergency boiler, replacing all switches and outlets and adding in new ones where needed, installing ceiling lighting/fans in various rooms, installing all new water lines, hookups/drains/vents for washers and dryers on 1st and 2nd floor, drywall ceilings on 1st and 2nd floors, repair 2nd floor walls, upgrading electrical panel on third floor, installing hot water heaters, and finally pouring concrete in basement room.
After all of these items are completed we will be moving onto the next list of Phase I items. As always we thank you for your interest and support of Farwell House. WE could not do it without you! Onward and Upward my friends.
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