Northampton Community Music Center QandA.pdfNorthampton Community Music Center Q&A
What is the status of the applications for funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s
Cultural Facilities Fund and the Beveridge Family Foundation? If funding is successful, will
that lower the ask from the CPC?
The applications for the MCC Cultural Facilities Fund and Beveridge Family Foundation were
not yet available at the time the application for the CPC was due. These applications will be
submitted by NCMC at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 in accordance with their cycle
and guidelines. Funding from these sources would not change what is needed from the CPC.
On page 30 of the application, you breakdown project expenditures into those that qualify
for CPC funding and those that do not. Qualifying expenditures come in at $196,597, not
including the two porch structures ($10,589.42) which you stated as unsure of
qualification. Why is this figure not the ask? Is it that you are adding 10% on for
construction cost contingency?
Are the two porch structures CPC eligible?
The document on page 30 of the PDF (marked as page 28) was prepared for me by Wright
Builders, Inc. as an advisory document, and was not intended to qualify or disqualify any
aspect of the project for CPC funding with any absoluteness. It was my mistake to have
included this document with those assumptions made, since it is for the CPC to decide what
qualifies and what doesn't. We were all in agreement that the entrance vestibule was not an
aspect of the project for which we should request CPC support. However, other aspects of the
project such as painting, masonry repair, and reinforcement of the porch structures were grey
areas about which we were unsure.
Does replacing historic doors with new doors qualify as preservation?
The original doors which are designated to be replaced are not in any condition to be
saved. They have aged beyond repair. However, Wright Builders, Inc. has selected new doors
and hardware that will retain the historic look of the building, while improving upon
functionality and energy-efficiency. I felt there was an argument to be made that this
would qualify as preservation.
Given the volatility of construction costs, is this bid amount realistic?
As I outlined in the project budget on page 9 of the PDF (marked as page 7) of our application,
we did add a 10% construction cost contingency to the entire project to address volatility due to
inflation. We may need to increase this percentage if costs continue to rise above expectations,
but this would be modified in the budget for future grant applications we have not yet
submitted to cover these additional costs.