Since our beginning 30 years ago, the only things stirring during March at the freezing cold Sandisfield Arts Center have been a few mice and house manager Steve Kopiec periodically checking that our piano is still warm in its heated and humidified cubby.

But not this year! Not this March!

This March has been busy with, among other things, the completion of the HVAC installation, far from simple in a historic building. A major investment in our future, replacing our oil heat with climate-friendly heating and A/C was made possible not just by generous donations and grant funding, but an Eversource rebate for almost one-third the cost. These rebates matter!

Even though heat pumps are energy-efficient, we found out that our old electric service wasn't up to handling four large ones. Eversource paid us a visit and figured we'd need to upgrade to Three-Phase Electric Service, costly now but good for the future. Our electrician has been doing the switchover, wiring, and HVAC connections, and also streamlining the electric outlets in the Gallery as part of the Gallery spiffing-up.

Of course, power was still needed for other work while the electric service was being changed. Craig and Linda Storms came to the rescue, lending the Arts Center their portable generator.

Thanks to the replacement of the oil heating system, we were able to remove the unsightly ductwork in the Gallery. But the Gallery Committee, local artists Jess Cofrin, Josie Miner,and Jaye Moscariello, elected to keep the historic doors to the utility room, with some cleanup. Those doors, we have learned, were the original doors to the church.

Another aging system needing an upgrade was the plumbing. Those upgrades are done, including moving things around in the men's room to make room for the HVAC. The new plumbing and electric service will support a kitchen (where the oil tank used to be). The kitchen is planned for our 2026 season. (Sooner if we get more funding.)

Upstairs, Board member Peter Baiamonte has been working with volunteers and experts to fashion a new light bar for the stage lighting. This was yet another pulled thread where one thing led to another.

First, the light bar had to be moved for the new ductwork. Doing that, Peter learned from the lighting expert that it was perilously mounted and needed a safe, up-to-date replacement. This is one more improvement for our future, thanks to hours of expert pro bono time and anonymous donations.

Coming up in April are most of the remaining Gallery improvements: Putting in drywall for the new back wall for the Gallery and creating more space for art; professional Gallery lighting, fixtures, and a new ceiling.

As we approach our 30th anniversary and our grand opening weekend May 30-June 1, which will focus on Sandisfield and "Celebrating the Landscape We Live In," we are grateful for the hundreds of hours of "pro bono" work from architects Nick Elton and Jerry Herman, project manager and Treasurer Jean Atwater-Williams, and many others who have kept the place humming with saws, drills, and hard work through a cold, unheated winter.

As co-president Suzanne OConnell says, "We have inherited something priceless from all those who built this community resource over the past 30 years. Now it's our responsibility to secure its continuation for the next 30 and for all the Sandisfield residents who will carry on its mission and enjoy its offerings in the future."

For an early preview of the improvements, and to put your own mark on this exciting project, join us in late April or early May for a Painting Party to paint the Gallery. Look for a call for volunteers online at ConnectSandisfield, on our web and social media, and, depending on timing, in The Times.