ruggles center answers to cpc questions
DAVID RUGGLES CENTER answers to CPC questions
Answers to questions one and two are combined below question 2
1. Please provide a development budget or operating budget- for the unit in the proposed condo
that would house the center or for the condo overall.
2. Please provide a budget for predevelopment funding for between January and July, 2009.
PREDEVELOPMENT BUDGET (October 2008 to January 2009)
Income
Income from fundraising $75,000 to $125,000
Income from CPC grant $150,000
Total $225,000 to $275,000
Expenses
Fundraising cost to Wunderarts $5600
Printing, postage, adverstising costs, etc $1000
House parties, fundraiser expenses $400
Miscellaneous $1000
$215,000 to $265,000
Net
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET (JANUARY 2009 TO JUNE 2009)
Income
Income from continued fundraising $25,000 to $75,000
Expenses
Purchase of 225 Nonotuck Street $180,000
Closing Costs $2000
Cost of initial renovation/restoration $40,000
Furniture, lighting , mounting, etc $2000
Computers, scanner, printer $3000
Miscellaneous $5000
Net Balance $8,000 to $108,000
MONTHLY POSTDEVELOPMENT BUDGET
The income for the Ruggles Center will come from a number of sources: fees for guided tours of
Florence Historic Sites; sales of books, maps, t-shirts; annual membership fees, grants and donations.
On the expense side I asked for figures from the Florence Civic and Business Association to use for
catergories of expense and to get a general idea of costs from a grassroots non-profit with its own
building to take care of.
Loretta Gougeon, the FCBA, treasurer was kind enough to gather these June 2007-June 2008 figures
for the FCBA.
Annual FCBA expenses
Gas 1867
Electric 1086
Phone 0 108
Insurance 1746
Cleaning 0 896
Water and Sewe(est) 360
Copies 75
Supplies 150
Miscellaneous 150
Snowplowing is a donation
6438
Total
Taking some of these figures and cutting them by 25% due to the smaller size of the building and
adding others that will be specific to the DRC, should give us an approximate idea of what our
monthly costs would be.
Annual Expenses
Gas 1400
Electric 814
Phone and Internet 480
Condo fees (including water, sewer,
capital fund, plowing, landscaping, etc 1800
Insurance 1309
Exhibit preparation 1000
Supplies and Miscellaneous 225
7028 (585 per month)
Total
Monthly Income
Tours 150
Publications 50
Membership 150
Grants for exhibits 85
Fundraising 150
585*
Total Monthly
*Menu of income categories and their contribution presented at minimum to fund expenses. We
would expect proceeds beyond this once we are fully operational.
3. Will CPA $$ be used exclusively to purchase the house at 225 Nonotuck St? Explain please the
statement on p. 15: “If for any reason the developer is unable to complete his plans for the buildout
at the site we would reserve the ability to use the funds allocated by the CPC to purchase the
property outright should a fair price be negotiated.”
We will use CPA funds exclusively to purchase the house at 225 Nonotuck Street. Renovation and
operating expenses will be covered by our fundraising efforts. The statement cited from page 15
seeks to add a contingency plan should the developer fail to get the permits or financing to allow
the larger condominium project to proceed. In this case we request that the CPC allow the CPA
funds to be part of a financing package that would purchase the house and property in its current
configuration. The total amount for this eventuality might be more or less than the agreed upon price
for the house as a condo unit.
4. The DRC is a very young organization, est. April 2008, and therefore, has not established a
record of successful programming and fundraising in our town. Considering the size of this request,
there is risk involved in funding this “untested” organization. Please speak to this.
There are several advantages the DRC has relative to other young and “untested” organizations:
1.The DRC is one of two organizations under the 501c3 umbrella The Committee for
Northampton. The other organization is the Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue Committee. The
STMSC has pledged its full support for the DRC. The educational mission of the DRC
complements curriculum development goals of the STMSC and will provide a research base
for the materials that are produced by the STMSC. Two members of the DRC are also members
of the STMSC and were involved in the sometimes difficult committee work that led to the
successful installation of the statue in 2002. Emikan Sudan played a vital role in establishing the
Sojourner Truth Scholarship for Social Justice which has now given six scholarships to deserving
high school seniors. The experience in fundraising, programming and community outreach
that has made the STMSC such a success will help the DRC achieve its goals.
2.On page 81 of the DRC application to the CPC are brief biographies of some of the principals
involved in the DRC. Members have training in museum development, historic preservation,
architecture, archaeology, printing and publishing, website development, and community
outreach. These founding “Board” members have all pledged their own money to the project
and are working closely with Nora Maroulis of Wunderarts in Amherst, a successful non-profit
fundraising organization.
3.The David Ruggles Center continues the work of the Florence History Project that accumulated
the voluminous files on Florence history that will form the core of the archive at the DRC.
Hundreds of people have attended programs and walking tours sponsored by the FHP that
are now continued by the DRC.
4. Page 14 states, “…we formed the David Ruggles Center as a dba of the Committee for
Northampton…”. What is a dba? Is the DRC a 501c3 in its own right?
The DRC is not a 501c3 in its own right. Like the Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue it is a project of the
Committee for Northampton, Inc. “Dba” is short for “doing business as.”
6. If the house becomes part of a condo complex, who will own it?
The Committee for Northampton, Inc., as the umbrella 501c3, will be the owner.
7. How will ongoing condo maintenance fees be provided?
The percentage shares of the units will be determined at the time of incorporation for the
condominium association. The DRC will pay its percentage share of the condo fees as determined by
the directors of the condominium association.
8. What will happen if the condo project is not successful?
See response to question three for the possibility that the developer might fail to get permits or
financing. If the project is built and the developer is unable to sell the other three units then the bank
holding the paper would become the owner and sell the units either at auction after foreclosure or at
a reduced price avoiding an auction. In any case the DRC, it is my understanding, would not be
liable for the outcome of the other three units. This is indeed how the Davis Block Condominium
proceeded: the bank foreclosed on the developer, sold the units to recoup a portion of the loss and
now the current owners operate with Collective Copies, a preexisting owner in a functioning
condominium association.
9. How will the Center be made predictably accessible to the public?
The budget described above does not have an item for salaries for paid staff. We intend to make the
Center accessible for regular hours throughout the year through volunteer staffing and “by
arrangement”. Committee member Amy Bookbinder has offered to staff the DRC. Steve Strimer and
Mark Wamsley also believe they can take a weekly shift. Training and recruiting volunteer docents
and research assistants will be a challenge but one we feel up to especially as the DRC, once open,
should attract additional interested volunteers. The pool of retired scholars participating in Learning in
Retirement could provide docents as well. Members of the Sojourner Truth Statue Committee are also
a potential source.