Mayor’s Report

Week of May 19

Noorvik Art Center

Not long ago, the new Noorvik Art Center was a dilapidated and rarely used building referred to as the “snow machine shop”.  The building, which belongs to the City of Noorvik, had become a graveyard for old parts, waste oil, and other junk that had been laid to rest.  The grimy walls were decorated only with graffiti that was barely legible in the dim light.

Today, the interior of the building is brightly painted, newly rewired, heated, and replete with all new lighting.  It is furnished with custom-built workbenches and tables and contains band saws, sanders, buffers, rotary tools, dust collectors and all the supplies and accessories needed to craft quality carvings.

While the art center will ultimately be just as valuable as the residents choose to make it, success at this point can best be measured by the cost of creating a local art center.  A new building of similar size would likely cost at least $250,000, given the high material and shipping costs we see today.  Given the fact that the Borough would like to create such art centers in all of the region’s villages, the cost of new construction would run in the millions.  By upgrading a dormant building in Noorvik and keeping expenses to a minimum, the total development cost for this art center was just $5,450:

Ceiling light fixtures and tube lamps                         $500

Wiring supplies                                                       $150

Lumber                                                                   $300

Used Monitor stove                                                $400

Local electrician labor                                             $700

Local labor for clean-up, painting, stove

Installation                                                              $600

Tools, equipment , supplies                                     $2800

A key element in keeping costs low was utilizing the local high school woodshop class to construct all the workbenches and weatherize the building.  In getting this kind of involvement from students and faculty, the project got more than just financial help.  It produced a sense of local pride and personal ownership in the facility as well as some practical experience for the students.

The Noorvik Art Center is being supervised by Roy Barr and Glenn Coffin, local artists who have agreed to enforce strict operating rules and teach others in the community.  Due to both the value and potential danger of the tools and equipment, only those who have been approved for facility use by those supervisors will be allowed entry.  Initially, operating hours will be limited to the times that either Roy or Glenn is present.

Noorvik’s facility is the fourth that has been developed in the region over the last year.  The Buckland Art Center is also based in a city-owned building and is supervised by Lorin Geary.  The Selawik Art Center, supervised by Wallace Gray, was developed in a privately-owned building after its use was donated by Emma and Ralph Ramoth.  The Kiana facility will open later this year and is located in a building owned by the local IRA.  In each case, the developmental cost was about $5,000 per facility.

Initial operating expenses for stove oil and electricity are being funded by the Borough’s small business development program.  Both of those expenses are limited at this time due to limited hours of operation.  As use of the facilities grows, there a number of potential sources of operating funds that will be pursued.  These may include user fees, vocational rehabilitation or alcohol abuse treatment after-care funds, or vocational education funds.