With a building permit in hand, adjusted construction plans and a loan in place, Vashon Allied Arts (VAA) will begin construction of its new arts center next month.
The board of VAA voted unanimously on Saturday to approve a contract with Sellen Construction, the general contractor, and move ahead with construction of the building, which is now expected to cost more than $19 million.
“We’re actually doing it,” said Molly Reed, VAA’s executive director. “And I think I almost cried when all those hands went up in the room. It’s really wonderful.”
VAA was originally scheduled to begin the project last November. However, shortly after holding a ceremonial groundbreaking, the organization learned that construction costs would be higher than anticipated. Due to the current building boom in Seattle, Sellen did not receive as many bids from subcontractors as anticipated and many of the bids it did receive were higher than expected. The $800,0000 VAA added to its construction budget in the last couple of years, Sellen said, wouldn’t cover it. VAA decided to delay construction until the spring while it worked on lowering costs and raising more money.
Shortly after that announcement, Reed said, VAA went back to several of its major donors who decided to increase their gifts. For instance, one seven-figure donor who Reed declined to name gave another $1 million. Someone who had already given $1 million gave another $550,000.
“It was gratifying that here we were in this tough situation and yes, we were able to go back to a few individuals, and they were there. It was very emotional,” Reed said. “Throughout this process, every time we feel down, other people step forward.”
VAA also recently garnered a $350,000 grant from the The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust. Reed said the project went through a lengthy and rigorous review to be considered for the grant, and garnering it felt like validation that VAA was on the right track.
“It really is so gratifying,” she said.
In addition to fundraising, VAA and Sellen spent the last several months re-bidding some parts of the project doing value engineering or finding more affordable alternatives in parts of the plans. Most changes won’t be noticeable, Reed said, such as using less expensive materials. The most obvious change is that the building won’t have cedar shakes for the roof and siding.
“These aren’t dramatic changes, they just helped us out a little,” said Kirk Robinson, the project manager.
Even with the cost savings, the project total, originally set at $17.7 million, increased to over $19 million, according to Reed, who on Monday was waiting on some final negotiations to have a specific number. So far $18.5 million has been fundraised.
“It will come out to about a million to (fundraise) depending on what happens with Sellen,” Reed said.
To help cover the difference, and to provide cash flow until all pledged donations are fulfilled, VAA will take out a loan from Our Community Credit Union, which has a branch on Vashon. Reed declined to say the amount of the loan, but called it “more than adequate” and said VAA hopes to pay it off quickly as it completes fundraising.
“We still don’t want any long-term debt,” she said.
The project’s construction permit was approved just two weeks ago, on March 11. Robinson said that when construction was delayed last fall, VAA held off on the final steps of permitting and just recently completed the process.
“Once we realized we weren’t going to start right at that time, we just didn’t focus on it,” he said.
Now, the VAA campus is being prepared for construction. A shed was just taken down, and a large oak tree was slated to be removed today — its timber will be used inside the new building. Construction will begin as soon as early April.
“It feels great,” Robinson said. “This is a huge thing for the island and for VAA.”
