Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Interior work at the new Dahmen Barn addition has resumed after time off due to weather and a wait for funding.
The Uniontown Community Development Association (UCDA) signed a contract with Mangum Construction of Clarkston in January – an extension of the previous contract – for work to continue to finish the space which will be used for art studios, food preparation, musical performances and classes.
What remains to be done is electrical work which is underway, followed by framing and final plumbing, electric fixtures, heating and ventilation completion, and installing appliances for the kitchen area.
Work stopped last spring after which the unfinished space was used in the summer to host music performances.
“The exterior envelope was done and restrooms,” said Dale Miller, President of the UCDA. “We were just really using it as a shelter for last summer.”
In the fall, workers closed the doors and wrapped pipes in insulation to prevent freezing over the winter.
As work is underway again, Miller expects it all to be complete in April. For the final step, UCDA volunteers will paint the inside of the building.
“There should be few surprises at this point,” Miller said.
The building's studio spaces are already rented.
“Everything's ready to go as soon as we get finished,” said Miller.
The 3,600 square-foot addition to the barn is connected to the main building by a breezeway.
Funding for the addition has come from an ArtPlace America grant for $362,300, Whitman County .09 funding for $30,000 and $29,500 from Inland Northwest Community Foundation as well as private donations. The commercial kitchen/cooking class space is funded by a $49,750 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Business Development Program.
In addition, the UCDA received approval last July for $123,000 from a Washington state “Building for the Arts” grant, which allows a project to get up to 20 percent of its total cost.
The Dahmen Barn expansion is estimated at $615,000.
The USDA grant was the final piece to come through for the project, with funding arriving in December.
ArtPlace America chose the Uniontown project in 2013 from 1,200 applications nationwide as an exceptional example of creative placemaking.
ArtPlace America is a collaboration of national and regional foundations, banks and federal agencies committed to accelerating creative placemaking – using art to revitalize communities.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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