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3.a Draft Case for Support V10 - 26Feb2021 - Water Tower Barn Scandia Arts Heritage CenterWATER TOWER BARN: SCANDIA ARTS & HERITAGE CENTER As envisioned by the Scandia Heritage Alliance The Scandia Story: Re-Energizing the American Dream Scandia has a tale to tell—a story of inspired immigrants looking for a better life. Today we are telling only part of the story of Minnesota’s first Swedish settlement—that of early immigrants as featured at Gammelgården Museum. But what are the success stories from the next generation? And how can their rich sagas educate Minnesotans about our immigrant roots and the similar experiences our ancestors share with today’s new Americans? We believe our common backgrounds can help bring us together as a city, state, and nation to create cohesive community in divided times – and simultaneously inspire and bring hope to new immigrants seeking the American dream. Like many of today’s immigrants, Scandia’s Swedish ancestors moved from an impoverished nation seeking a better life for their children and grandchildren. They faced extreme hardship and prejudice in the New World, but their offspring thrived. Their tales can create understanding of how similar we all are. Water Tower Barn: Scandia Arts & Heritage Center The Scandia Heritage Alliance (SHA) envisions bringing back the historic Water Tower Barn (dismantled in 2014) as an Arts & Heritage Center and telling the important story of its role in our early 20th century economy. The state’s only remaining tank house, this unique barn stood behind the Scandia Mercantile and provided water to early businesses and residents. In addition to showcasing the hard work and success stories of Scandia’s second generation—such as the Mercantile, millinery, creamery, and bank—we envision showcasing an operational well that will include a replica of the wood water tank, windmill, and hand pump – plus a playground water feature for children. Additionally, the water focus will provide an opportunity to educate visitors via museum displays on the importance of our local wetlands, lakes, streams, aquifers, and the St. Croix River – vital features of our beautiful city. And what about the “Arts” in “Arts & Heritage”? Living in the St. Croix River Valley, we are surrounded by an amazing arts community that is not currently showcased in Scandia. In addition to demonstrating a functioning 19th century well, the Water Tower Barn and an outdoor amphitheater will focus on bringing our community together for local and regional art shows, art classes, music productions, and film – plus events in partnership with nearby community theaters and other cultural organizations. Plans also include a summer outdoor café featuring traditional Swedish fare. We invite you to be part of Scandia’s Legacy – to partner with us in rebuilding the iconic Water Tower Barn, create greater understanding of our shared immigrant histories, and celebrate local art and artists. We are seeking to raise $3 million:  $1.5 million - Water Tower Barn and restroom construction  $300,000 - Outdoor amphitheater and children’s water feature  $900,000 - Site development construction costs (parking lot and lighting, sidewalks and trails, landscaping, stormwater management, plaza)  $50,000 - Engineering, architecture, legal services, surveying, environmental planning  $125,000 - Initial operational funding, including hiring a program manager after barn has been resurrected  $125,000 - Endowment fund establishment Our Mission: To make Scandia a uniquely interesting and vibrant place to live in and visit by preserving and celebrating our rich history, culture, arts, and rural character. Our Vision Scandia is blessed with a rich history and sense of place due to its unique position as the first Swedish settlement in Minnesota, its beautiful natural and rural landscapes, and its tradition of local arts and artists. Going forward, we envision a community that has worked together to preserve, restore, and celebrate our community assets, creating a vibrant village center with preserved buildings that complement the existing Gammelgården Museum and a community center complex that includes the Water Tower Barn: Scandia Arts & Heritage Center. Our community character will enrich the lives of Scandia residents and inspire properly scaled tourism and economic development. As a result, Scandia will be widely viewed as a uniquely interesting and vibrant place to live in and visit. SCANDIA HERITAGE ALLIANCE Why Now? You might be asking yourself, “Why is this important now? What is the urgency?” For many reasons, now is the time. Project Momentum In the past three years, we have gained momentum with the Scandia community and the City to create the Arts & Heritage Center, and success hinges on continuing momentum. We have a highly professional and passionate volunteer board, several key volunteers providing in-kind professional expertise, a supportive City Council and Parks & Recreation Committee, and community excitement generated through our Progressive Dinner fundraisers. All involved are excited to see this project through to completion, and we want to maintain the existing momentum. A Sense of Community We believe that bringing residents together and tapping into their inherent talents will enhance our sense of shared community. The Water Tower Barn project will help create connections that bind our residents together into the future. For families rooted in Scandia, the center will provide a place to celebrate our city’s history – a place to preserve historic photos and share stories. The center will also attract new families to Scandia by offering activities they can enjoy together, including educational, recreational, and cultural events. Attracting and Serving Young Families Scandia Elementary School is increasingly serving students from expanded boundaries rather than Scandia itself in order to remain viable. Of the 364 students enrolled for the 2020-21 school year, 164 are from Scandia, and the other 200 are from outside the city limits. The Arts & Heritage Center will provide programming that is attractive to young families, such as summer day camps for children focused on the arts and the environment, family-oriented movie events, and summer theater classes. Attracting young families to Scandia – and providing programs that serve the community – will help ensure the future viability of our treasured elementary school. A Supportive Community and City Council Local residents have strongly indicated their desire to maintain Scandia’s rural character, enhance small-town charm, and preserve history – all of which are elements of our project. Community and City support for the Arts & Heritage Center is deep, as indicated by the high level of volunteerism generated at our community feedback meeting in spring 2019, as well as the unanimous vote of support from the City Council in 2020 and the City’s agreement to lease land to SHA for the site at a rate of $1/year for 100 years. It is critical that we take advantage of this strong support and sustain project momentum. Timeline Urgency We have a Redevelopment Agreement to lease city land for the center for $1/year for 100 years. This agreement gives SHA one year to prove the site is feasible and to develop preliminary site and architectural plans -- and five years to raise the funds to build and operate the Arts & Heritage Center. Project success hinges on meeting these deadlines. Viable Barn Materials We currently have the opportunity to save a unique historic gem – the Water Tower Barn. We urgently need to resurrect the barn now while the materials are viable. The barn was dismantled in 2014 and is currently being stored in another barn. The Social Milieu In our nation’s current social milieu, telling the immigrant story and demonstrating the value immigrants bring to our society is more relevant and compelling than ever before. Unless we are Native American, we all come from immigrant backgrounds -- with our own version of the same story. We are more alike than different. Capitalizing on our shared immigrant story will energize the American dream and demonstrate that it is alive today. Project Sustainability, Planning, and Operational Budgets Project sustainability is determined by the drive, determination and management abilities of the community members leading the charge. Our board consists of highly driven professionals with a passion for Scandia. We are carefully developing our strategy for constructing the Arts & Heritage Center, as well as our plan for transitioning to program operations. A high-level overview is as follows: 1. Project Management: The SHA board is managing the planning and construction phases of the project. We have no paid staff, so all planning is done on a volunteer basis, with outside experts hired as needed (e.g., land surveyor, wetland delineator, and site engineer). We will hire a part-time Fundraising Campaign Coordinator once our Fundraising Campaign begins. See Appendix 4 for Board of Director bios. 2. Volunteer Expertise: We firmly believe that tapping into the inherent talents of Scandia residents will enhance our sense of shared community. We are grateful that our passion for this project has become contagious, and key experts have enthusiastically accepted our invitations to volunteer. Key volunteers include: a. An attorney who has represented a wide array of Twin Cities-based cultural organizations in planning successful development projects, including Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Orchestra Hall, Cowles Center, Ordway Center, Minnesota Children’s Museum, MacPhail Center for Music, and Children’s Theatre Company b. An architect who is head of the Construction Management program at the University of Minnesota c. A landscape architect d. Nonprofit strategic planning expert e. Fundraising campaign advisor f. Accountant g. Local historian h. Grant writers i. Commercial construction contractor (for estimating and advice) 3. Programming Management: Once construction of the Water Tower Barn begins, we will hire a 0.5 - 0.75 FTE Executive Director to plan events for the upcoming seasons, promote the center, create and manage the website, write grant applications, maintain relationships with partner organizations, and provide overall management for the center. In the future, additional seasonal employees may be hired to work at the gift shop, museum, and summer café. 4. Operating Budget: Based on our interviews with other small-town cultural centers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, we expect that our initial operating budget will be under $100,000/year* once programming begins. Note that the grounds for the center and amphitheater will be maintained by the City of Scandia, which owns the land. SHA expenses will include: a. Compensation (director and seasonal employees) b. Insurance c. Utilities d. Contributions to a building maintenance fund 5. Ongoing Funding: Once programming begins, we aim to fund the center in equal parts through ticket sales, memberships, grants, and gift shop/summer café sales (25% each). 6. A “NewCo” Board of Directors: Once construction is complete, we will establish a “NewCo” – a new charitable organization and board of directors – that will manage the Arts & Heritage Center separately from SHA. The NewCo board will include one SHA board member to maintain a close working relationship between the organizations. *Research includes 2019 operating budgets for the Minnesota and Wisconsin organizations we consulted. 2020 was not considered due to suspended operations during COVID-19.