Dear Friend,

On October 26 and 27, 2005, Chris Velasco and Peter Sieve of Artspace came to Chatham, NY for two intense days of discussion, exploration, examination, and evaluation regarding the transformation of the former Columbia Box Board Mill into Solaqua Power & Art. Solaqua Power & Art intends to create an art and technology center demonstrating and promoting a sustainable future through the innovative integration of renewable energy and the arts. Solaqua Power & Art will be a mixed use, multipurpose, community driven project with a sustainable vision, meeting the needs of the community, artists, the environment, and the future.

Artspace is a 25-year-old not-for-profit organization based in Minneapolis whose mission is to create, foster and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations. They pursue this mission through development projects, asset management activities, consulting services, and community-building activities that serve artists and arts organizations of all disciplines, cultures, and economic circumstances. By creating such affordable space, Artspace supports the continued professional growth of artists and enhances the cultural and economic vitality of the surrounding community. According to Chris Velasco, Vice President of Consulting and New Projects, the arts bring eight dollars for every dollar invested whereas sports facilities only bring one dollar for every dollar invested. Supporting and promoting the arts in a community is a powerful economic engine. Artspace is now the nation’s leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts.

Solaqua Power & Art brought Artspace in as consultants to perform and facilitate a preliminary feasibility study for two reasons: 1) to determine if Solaqua Power & Art is a feasible project with its given site, location, development team, and its commitment to sustainable design and powering the operations of the entire facility with renewable energy; 2) to invite Artspace to participate in developing Solaqua as an Artspace project.

Based on their experience, Artspace looks at five areas to determine the feasibility of each project - market, site, financial, concept, and leadership. On a scale of poor to excellent, (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent) they rated Solaqua as Very Good. Solaqua has formally invited Artspace to work on developing this project.

Artspace has developed, or is in the process of developing, projects across the country, including New York, Florida, Minnesota, Washington, California and more. In August 2005, Artspace was awarded $11 million through the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal to develop the historic Breitweiser Printing Building on East Main Street in Buffalo, New York. Artspace has an impressive track record in raising funds and designing successful business models of mixed-use buildings that are financially self- sustainable. Of all the projects they have completed, not one has failed or required an infusion of capital beyond the initial funding.

At Artspace’s request, the Solaqua team put together four focus groups: artists and arts organizations, financial leaders, local and state political officials, and business leaders in the community. They also organized a public forum to which the entire community of Chatham and outlying areas was invited. There was substantial showing at each of the focus groups and over 150 people attended the public forum. Chris Velasco said that at similar events only 100 people turned out in Buffalo and only 40 showed up in Chicago.

Velasco describes this preliminary feasibility study as a two-day surgical strike. They receive many requests for these consultations each week and only accept those that they meet their stringent criteria.

Velasco and his assistant, Peter Sieve, facilitated all the meetings with the community, as well as extensively touring the site and meeting in depth with the Solaqua team - Jody Rael, President and owner, Lauren Astor, Project Director, and Jon Sarno, Director of Research and Master’s Candidate in Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy. Velasco explained how Artspace goes about choosing their projects and making them happen with a strong focus on community, economic development, sustainability, and a strong operational model. In the public forum, he showed slides of previous projects before and after their development and told stories illustrating the strength of community that is created as a result of creating affordable living and work spaces for artists – all kinds of artists – musicians, actors, writers, magicians, painters, potters, glassblowers, sculptors, even chefs. Because Artspace is a nonprofit, the rents on these spaces are raised only when expenses go up. Artspace combines commercial space, affordable space, and market rate space to design a unique mixed-use operational business model of revenue balancing for each project.

Velasco and Sieve will be presenting the findings of this preliminary feasibility study and Solaqua’s invitation to the Artspace Board on January 12, 2006. Artspace is in such high demand, that even among the projects they rate highly, they can only accept one out of three projects. However, given that they have recently made a commitment to green building and sustainable design, the members of the Solaqua team believe that they have an excellent chance to be chosen as one of Artspace’s projects. If this is the case, they will begin raising funds immediately to demonstrate the community’s involvement and to support Artspace as they prepare their research for bringing in the bulk of the funding.

In his final remarks to the Solaqua team, Chris Velasco said, “When we make small communities better, we make the world better. The small community of Chatham, New York and Solaqua Power & Art has the potential to become a national and international model of sustainable design, alternative energy, and the arts.”

For more information about Artspace and SOLAQUA Power & Art, please visit www.solaqua.org, www.artspaceusa.org, and contact Lauren Astor, Project Director, at 518-392-8171, ext 204 or 718-715-1302. The email address is lauren@solaqua.org.

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