Fundraiser Set For Hickory Hills Improvements : News : The Ticker

July 1, 2015

Deb and Brian Cairns, owners of Sleder's Tavern in Traverse City, along with fellow Hickory Hills supporters will host a day-long fundraiser in support of an improvement plan for the recreation area on Sat., Aug. 29. The day will include a 5K/10K run, a pancake breakfast at Sleder's, an 18-hole golf tournament at Bay Meadows and a disc golf tournament at Hickory Hills. An awards ceremony for all events begins at 4pm, kicking off an evening party under the tent at Sleder's, complete with live music, food, beverages and raffles and a silent auction. Proceeds from the event go toward a $1.5 million fundraising campaign. More ... Fundraiser Set For Hickory Hills Improvements : News : The Ticker

Another $100k for new Interlochen library - Record Eagle

Another $100K for new Interlochen library

BY SARAH ELMS selms@record-eagle.com | 
Posted: Sunday, June 28, 2015 2:00 pm

Joselyn Fisher picks out books with her son Daniel Lyons at the the Interlochen Library. The library's campaign to raise $2.5 million to construct a new building recently received two $100,000 grants.

TRAVERSE CITY — Interlochen Public Library officials and volunteers are certain that by the end of 2016 they'll have the $2.5 million needed to build a new library. They're on a fundraising roll.

In June alone the campaign received two $100,000 grants and about $17,000 in pledges and donations to add to the $1 million raised last year.

One grant is a dollar-for-dollar challenge from Rotary Charities of Traverse City, which will match donations collected for the next year up to $100,000. The other, announced last week, is $100,000 from the Midland-based Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.

"We were just overwhelmed. We're so happy, and it just sent all the volunteers into a mode of being thrilled and feeling like we can do it," said Mary Beth Hardwicke, co-chair for capital campaign. "We're on a roll."
Officials hope to have the total $2.5 million in hand by the end of next year so they can break ground on the building in spring 2017. They don't want to start construction until they're sure funding is in place for the full project, and they're on track to reach their goal.

"We're over half way, but I don't know the exact figure yet because money keeps coming in," IPL Director Renee Kelchak said. "We are very grateful. It's a wonderful thing."

The new facility will sit on 10th Street near Interlochen Fire Department and Green Lake Township Hall and within walking distance of Interlochen Elementary School. Hardwicke said a community room is an integral part of the building's design plans and will help make the new library a hub for local families.

"Not only will it allow the library to have the room that it needs and the space for people to come and sit comfortably and read and work, but the community room that will be attached to the library I think will be a tremendous resource for this area," she said.

Officials are channeling most of their energy into raising $100,000 in donations to match the Rotary Charities grant, and they've already had success.

"For a small library and a small community that has come together, this is just amazing," IPL board President Pat Thompson said. "In a year and a half, look how far we've come."


Visit newinterlochenlibrary.org for more information about the building campaign.

Board kicks off fundraising $2.5 million campaign for new library

Published: Sunday, November 16, 2014: Grand Traverse Insider

By Sheri Worm
Contributing Writer

Plans for a new library in Interlochen were unveiled during a recent meeting. The project is expected to cost $2.5 million, with funds coming through contributions, fundraising and grants.

INTERLOCHEN – A capital fundraising campaign for $2.5 million to build a new Interlochen Public Library (IPL) is underway. Plans for the new library building were unveiled before a large audience at a recent open house held in the Golden Fellowship Hall, part of the current library building.

As stated in “The Case for a New Library” offered at the unveiling, the need is driven by three factors:

“Demands on the library continue to rise as the area’s population growth rate outpaces most in the state, notably among young families.” The southwest corner of Grand Traverse County is expected to have the continued greatest growth in the future. The Interlochen Library already tops five of the six libraries (that are part of the Traverse Area District Library Network), second in use to the main branch on Woodmere.

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Courthouse Clock Bell Fund Moves Forward

October 31, 2014: TC Ticker

Grand Traverse County Commissioners gave their blessing to a citizens group that is poised to launch a fundraising effort to restore the 1899 bell at the historic county courthouse. In a 7-0 vote, the board endorsed the efforts of the organization which has generated approximately $2,700 toward an estimated bell repair bill of $10,000. Approval by the board enables the group to send contributions directly to the county treasurer. After repairing the bell, the group will try to raise more funds for additional repairs to the clock, according to attorney W. Peter Doren, who is a member of the organization’s committee. Others committee members include Karen Mauro-Doren, Ed Kalat, Alisa Kroupa, Ken Richmond, Bernie Riker and Gary Schilke. The clock has been silent since 2008. Four years earlier a malfunction in the tower atop the Antrim County Courthouse caused a 600-pound set of weights to crash through the ceiling. No one was injured, but it raised an alarm with GT officials. Preventative maintenance was done and the chimes continued until 2008. Permalink

Old Town Playhouse renovations

TC Ticker - Friday 24 October 2014 - Traverse City Business News

Now Introducing...Renovations, Bar Service At Old Town Playhouse

by Jodee Taylor

Nearly five years ago, Traverse City's Old Town Playhouse (OTP) conducted a study to see if the community would support a new or expanded building. The community said "yes," but the organization's board and pricetag for a new structure said "no."

Executive Director Phil Murphy says the estimate came in at $18 million. “We thought we could maybe get $10 million,” he says, noting the plan then shifted to a three-year, three-phase renovation to focus on safety, audience comfort and "life span" of the facility.

“We looked at renovations or purchases that needed to be replaced now or had a 10-year life cycle,” adds Betsy Willis, OTP’s director of development.

The first two phases are now complete, at a total cost of about $150,000. In year one, the front entrance was gutted and revamped, air-conditioning was added to the third floor, and the 110-year-old former church became ADA-compliant. A digital soundboard also was purchased, and baffling added to the orchestra pit.
Most of the funds came from individual donors, particularly those attending OTP’s annual Black and White Gala.

"We called it ‘Fund the Need’ and showed a video of the building and asked for money,” Willis says. That first year, “we raised about $65,000 in three minutes.” The rest came from grants, cash reserves and savings.

Phase two of improvements just wrapped and includes new exterior paint, a new awning over the front entrance and a repaved parking lot with more handicap spots. The downstairs level has new carpeting and the Mary Schmuckal Auditorium -- once the Studio Theater -- has been transformed into a space that can double as a lobby, complete with a concession stand and bar service.

Bar service could eventually be handled by nearby eatery Om Cafe and The Parlor, which has applied for a banquet license to serve alcohol before shows and during intermissions. The playhouse will rent space to The Parlor and provide insurance; The Parlor will keep all drink revenue. The banquet license is expected sometime in 2015, though a limited-use, nonprofit license will likely allow the Playhouse to offer drinks by mid-January.

The final -- and most significant -- phase will include a main stage auditorium facelift, including new chairs (the current seats were built in 1944 and installed in 1978.) Fundraising will take on a more public face as sponsored chairs will be available for $1,000 or $700 in the balcony. The balcony will also get a better “rise” to it, so people in the back rows have improved lines of sight. The phase three pricetag is estimated at $250,000.

Wiith a $400,000 annual budget, OTP is the third largest community theater in Michigan. Ticket sales are down this year, Murphy says, probably due to the enormous popularity of last year's two main stage shows, “Les Miserables” and “The Sound of Music." This year's lineup, he adds, has some promising shows, though, including "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "A Christmas Story," "Crimes Of The Heart," "Shrek, The Musical," and "Becky's New Car."

New YMCA Opens Monday - Announces new $3 million campaign

TC Ticker -

September 20, 2014

The new Grand Traverse Bay YMCA on West Silver Lake Road opens Mon., Sept. 22, at 5:30am, with the first fitness class kicking off at 6am. While the tennis courts, health & fitness center, learn to swim pool and hot tub are ready to go, the eight-lane competitive swim pool will not be complete until late October or early November, says Board President Lynn Schultz. The old Y facility on the Boardman River will remain open for basketball, pickleball and other court sports as will the Y facility on Woodmere, which houses its gymnastics program and childcare. Schultz says membership at the new Y is at 1,321, exceeding the board goal of 1,150 by opening day. The search for a new leader at the facility is also underway, with the first search committee meeting held earlier this week. The board parted ways with longtime CEO Tom Van Deinse in early August. Schultz said the committee expects a new executive director to be in place within six months. Earlier this month, some members upset about Van Deinse's departure were circulating petitions to require a board meeting with the general membership but Schultz says as of this week the board has not been presented with any such petition or approached about it. It is, however, meeting soon with a subgroup of the membership, but Schultz says that is a private meeting. The long-awaited and delayed opening of the new Y's doors also marks the beginning of fundraising for Phase 2 of the project – a gym and indoor running track for which the organization needs to raise $3 million. Permalink

Pickleball in Suttons Bay? Fundraising Campaign

TC Ticker ... August 26, 2014
A group of pickleball enthusiasts is hoping to raise $40,000 to build two pickleball courts at Herman Park in Suttons Bay. Pickleball is a cross between ping pong and tennis. The sport has seen an explosion of new players in recent years. So far, the group is a third of the way to its goal. More info on Facebook. Permalink

Fifth Third Donates Another $100k to Cancer Center

From TC Ticker

August 12, 2014

Fifth Third Bank has announced its second $100,000 donation to the Cowell Family Cancer Center project at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. With this donation, Fifth Third emphasized the hospital's use of local contractors. "We appreciate the economic impact this facility will have on northern Michigan residents and patients in terms of job,s access, and beyond that, Munson's commitment to the local economy through its support of local construction firms," says David Shooltz, community president of Fifth Third Northern Michigan. As part of its recent round of construction bids, Munson awarded $17 million in contracts to 12 contractors from the Grand Traverse region. The project broke ground in May and plans call for the center to open in 2016. Local firms working on the project include Advanced Fire Protection, Bay Masonry, Bloxsom Roofing, Comstock Construction, DW Mechanical, Floor Covering Brokers, Grand Traverse Nurseries, Integrity and Balance, Molon Excavating, National Coatings and Windemuller Electric. Permalink