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SAVE
SAUNDERS SCHOOL Mission Statement: "The Saunders School Project is a
grassroots effort to transform a revered community landmark into a civic space
to preserve historic memories and artifacts, and to promote and celebrate the
study of the arts and humanities for Henry County and its people." Greetings! We
want you to become one of our Saunders School Project partners. The
Project: Saunders School sits empty except for the many
memories that it holds. Those memories
may be ones that you share or helped create.
We propose to bring this building back to life to serve several
functions: 1. Create an art center where Art League activities will
be provided and art shows and demonstrations can be held. 2. Document the history of Henry County by providing the “missing
piece” to the network of existing, wonderful museums throughout Henry
County. The museum will provide space
where artifacts can be stored and displayed, to preserve our rich
heritage. It will give an overview of
how the historically significant pieces of Henry County fit together. 3. Preserve a wonderful old building that has provided
happy memories and a sense of community to generations of Henry County
students. Project
Leadership: A citizen’s group has convened to figure out how to
make this happen. We come from different
parts of the county and come with different perspectives, but share a strong
interest in our local arts, culture and history. Our current members: Martha Hayes and Todd Barton [co-chairs],
Lisa Barton, Lea Bradley, Lori Becker, Gayle Olson, Pat White, Beverly Wood and
Donald Young. The Henry County Board of
Supervisors, City of Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Pleasant Community Arts League and the
Mt. Pleasant and Henry County Historic Preservation Commissions have offered
their support. What
Needs to Be Done: Preliminary
reviews indicate the building is structurally sound and worth preserving. Major renovations are required to preserve
the historic and physical integrity of the building. Our intention is to leave the interior as
intact as possible. First
Step: Conduct
an official feasibility study to determine the extent of needed repairs,
consider all options to create an attractive, useable space and devise a plan
to outline the work and estimated costs.
Without this plan, nothing
else can move forward. We have
contacted Herb Stone, with the Howard R. Green Company, who was involved with
the successful renovation of the old high school into our wonderful library and
civic center and is currently involved with the middle school renovation. This first phase will cost about $15,000 and
when completed, we’ll have an idea of the dollars needed and the length of the
project. This initial phase will
determine our community’s commitment to financially support these efforts. How
You Can Help: Consider making a donation to this project. The Mt. Pleasant Community Arts League, which
is a 501(c )(3) organization, has agreed to serve as the fiscal agent for this
part, so contributions are tax deductible.
Contributors of $1,000 or more will be gratefully recognized as Charter
Donors. Please make checks payable to “Mt.
Pleasant Community Arts League”. Thank You for whatever amount of time, information or
dollars you can commit. I WANT TO
HELP SAVE SAUNDERS
SCHOOL Name:___________________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:____________________________________________________________ Phone:___________________________________________________________ Email:___________________________________________________________ I
am enclosing $20_____ $50_____ $100_____
$500_____ $1,000_____ Other____________ to be used for the Saunders School
Project. Comments
/ Suggestions: Stories
/ Memories of Saunders School: Ways
I Would Like to Volunteer: QUESTIONS? Contact one of us: Martha Hayes: hayeshist400@lisco.com Todd Barton: lbarton@lisco.com Pat White: pwhite6024@aol.com Donald Young: 319-385-8143 Make
your check payable to: “Mt. Pleasant Community Arts League” Mail
to: Mt. Pleasant Community Arts
League P.O. Box 333, Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641
“Mt. Pleasant Community Arts League” is a 501( c )(3)
organization eligible to receive tax deductible contributions. ~ SAVE SAUNDERS SCHOOL~SAVE SAUNDERS SCHOOL~SAVE SAUNDERS SCHOOL ~ |