Baptist Building Donated to the Town of Fairfax

[Henry]

The Trustees (Bob Ertl & Peggy Gilbert) of the First Baptist Church (part of the United Church of Fairfax) signed the deed today gifting the "Baptist Building" property to the Town of Fairfax.  The building will be supervised by the Recreation Department and will be used as a Multi-generational Community Center.  The Church hopes that community members will donate what they can to help the Town develop this much needed facility as well as help preserve one of our most visible historic buildings.

Contact Colin Santee at the Town Office with questions.

[Colin Santee]

I'd like to thank everybody involved in this process! You are all great people who put our community first, and for that, I thank you.  Below is the official Press Release from the Parks & Rec. Department.




Town of Fairfax receives donation of ‘Baptist Building’ to act as future Community Center

On Monday, January 4th the Trustees of the First Baptist Church (part of the United Church of Fairfax) signed the deed completing the donation of the property at 1210 Main Street to the Town of Fairfax.  The building, known as the Baptist Building, was donated on the condition that it is to become a multi-use community center, acting as a resource to all of the residents of Fairfax.

The Fairfax Parks & Recreation Department (PRD) will work in collaboration with other community groups like the Citizens for Fairfax Community (CFC) to upgrade the building from its current condition to a condition more appropriate for daily use as a community center.  While the building needs significant upgrades before it can be fully utilized, the project has been outlined in multiple phases to better allow for the usage of the building to increase gradually until the renovations are 100% complete.

The funding for Capital Improvement will not be generated through new tax revenue collected from the citizens of Fairfax.  Various grant funding will be used to complete each phase of the project, starting with things as simple as adding internally light signage above exits, before eventually moving to things as complicated as rewiring the building’s entire electrical system.  Local contractors and builders will be used as often as possible, as the mission of this project is to enhance the quality of life for those in our community by creating opportunities of all kinds.

The building will be operated through the Fairfax PRD and made available as a space for community members to use for various events.  While the PRD will continue to use the building for events such as the Haunted House and Tree Lighting Celebration, both new programming and events will be offered that couldn’t have been offered in our community before due to lack of an adequate space.  This project creates new opportunities for organizations and individuals alike, as private parties are highly encouraged to utilize the available space for their functions.

The Fairfax Parks & Recreation Department would like to thank all of the individuals and organizations that have worked (over the approximate period of six years) to make this donation possible, specifically; former PRD Director Katrina Antonovich, Susannah Chamberlain, Mark Hunziker, Mary Taylor, Barb Duval, Rev. Elizabeth Griffin, Sally Sweet, Peg Gilbert and all others who were dedicated to making this dream become a reality.

Both the United Church of Fairfax and the PRD hopes that community members will donate what they can to help us preserve an important historic landmark in town while simultaneously supporting the future of our community through the development of our new community center.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact PRD Director Colin Santee via phone at (802) 849-6111 ext. 20 or by email at: recreation@fairfax-vt.gov