Print and Online Subscriptions

The Official Newspaper of Douglas County!

print article Print     e-mail article E-mail
Published February 05, 2010, 12:00 AM

Brandon Auditorium gets $100,000 boost

The effort to renovate and restore the Brandon Auditorim has received a $100,000 matching grant from the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Legislature.

The effort to renovate and restore the Brandon Auditorim has received a $100,000 matching grant from the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Legislature.

For nearly a year, the city of Brandon, along with consultants ORB Management Corporation of Alexandria and Claybaugh Preservation Architects of Taylors Falls, has been planning the historical preservation and renovation of the Auditorium.

A $50,000 private donation from Joan Fjoslien initiated the project idea and a commitment from the city of Brandon allowed the team to move forward with planning and funding research.

ORB and Claybaugh worked with the city to navigate grant application processes and to prepare the documents and presentations to secure them.

In addition to the $100,000 grant from the Minnesota Historical Society, the Otto Bremer Foundation provided a $40,000 grant.

These grants, along with Joan Fjoslien’s donation and $20,000 received in donations from the Brandon History Center fundraiser, Brandon Fire Department and the Brandon Legion and Auxiliary, will be used to kick off Phase I of the project this spring.

The total anticipated cost for all project phases is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $700,000.

Work to be performed in the first phase consists of exterior restoration and repair, as well as mechanical and electrical preparations for Phase II – for which the group plans to pursue additional grants and donations this year.

Design work for Phase I is already in progress. On-site work is expected to begin this May, with completion expected in time for Brandon’s Summerfest activities in August.

To follow the progress of the project, go to the ORB Management website at http://orbmanagement.biz/agree.html with the following username and password:

Username – BrandonAud

Password – remodel$

Chili Cook-Off Contest

The Brandon History Center is hosting a Chili Cook-Off Contest to raise money for the auditorium. See today’s Entertainment section for details.

Tags: , , , 

More from around the web