Donate to the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall!
Take a look at the list of projects we’ve already done to improve the Grange Hall, and then click the “Donate” link at the bottom of this page!
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Since being founded in 2012, The Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall have planned, fundraised for and project-managed numerous projects to improve the Hall. As much as possible, we use the funds generously donated by people who support our community hall to match grant funding, which we’ve gotten from the VT Arts Council, the Recreational Facilities grant program, and the Preservation Trust of Vermont.
2024 “Challenge Fundraiser–kicking off Aug. 3, 2024!
Every year, the Montpelier Contra Dance steps up to help the FCCGH to raise money for the Grange Hall. Several generous members of the Grange and dance community pledge at least $100, and challenge the everyone else to (at least) match the pledged total–this year, the goal is a total of $4,000! Our next project is improving the ventilation in the Grange Hall, by installing heat-recovery units and ducting to bring in fresh air, even when windows are closed! We’ve learned a lot about the importance of filtered, fresh air, and we want to reduce CO2 levels indoors, while providing warmed air from outdoors. Your contribution will make a difference!
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In previous years, the Friends have raised money for many other significant upgrades to the Grange Hall, which have greatly increased the usefulness, attractiveness and rentability of the Hall. Most of the following Grange improvements were funded with a blend of community member donations and grant funds. We have used the donations to leverage the grants–at least doubling the impact of dollars donating to the Friends!
2023: With the help of a grant from the VT Arts Council and its “Cultural Facilities Grant Program”, we were able to install a wheelchair lift in the Hall, which allows everyone to reach all three levels of the Hall: Stage, Main Floor and Lower Level. We also rebuilt the wall between the Main Hall and the original entrance foyer, bringing the wall and the double doors up to the Fire Marshal’s specifications.
Also in 2023, this time with the help of a grant from the Preservation Trust of VT, we were able to get the entire exterior of the Hall professionally scraped and painted. It’s never looked better!
With the help of cellulose expert and Grange friend Bill Hulstrunk and a small but dedicated crew of volunteers, we dense-packed cellulose into the walls of the Main Hall. This will save us on our heating bills, and also reduce moisture passing through the walls–which will help our beautiful paint job last longer.
We had the driveway and parking lot re-graded–and it helped us survive the huge July rainstorm with no damage!
2022: We replaced the inadequate closers installed on the ADA entrance doors. The new closers are adjusted to slow the door closing to meet ADA standards.
Also in 2022, when our old (1953 original?) oil furnace had to be replaced unexpectedly, we researched options and decided to install a wood-pellet furnace to heat the Grange! We also had a stainless-steel chimney liner installed. Besides greatly reducing our carbon footprint, we are confident that fuel costs will be noticeably lower, and will stay lower while oil prices will continue to go up. A low-interest loan from the VT State Grange made this decision much easier.
2021: We replaced the old plywood-panel wood double-doors in the old entrance with two new, insulated fiberglass doors, with greatly improved weatherstripping, and insulated glass panels in the upper halves. This makes the entrance much more inviting, and connects the foyer to the world outside visually. We installed push-button locks on this set of doors, and also on the ADA entrance doors. This allows our volunteer Rental Agent to just give out a code to renters, rather than having to deliver and retrieve keys–a real saver of time and energy!
In 2021, we also installed a new, efficient, quiet exhaust fan for the Main Hall. Its 3 speeds can push out up to about 6,000 cubic feet per minute, providing about 4 air-changes per hour, during times of the year when we can open windows and doors. For other times, we built and installed “Room Air Filter Boxes“–4 for each floor. These combinations of box fans and MERV 13 filters can remove a large percentage of airborne particles, of the size of COVID aerosols. While noisier than we would wish, they provide a way of filtering and recirculating the air, during times when it’s too cold to open windows and use the exhaust fan.
2020: The “Second Stage” project provided a major upgrade to our lower level. With the help of a grant from the VT Arts Council’s “Cultural Facilities Improvement” grant program we made renovations that save us heating costs, give us cleanable, attractive floor, wall and ceiling surfaces, get rid of leaks and moisture, and reduce humidity. Steps for the project began with installation of interior perimeter drainage, going to a sump were any water is pumped out and continued with installation of foam insulation on the inside of the poured concrete basement walls and foaming of the ceiling joist ends. After that, sheetrock and “FRPs“–Fiberglass Reinforced Panels–were installed over the insulation, new ceiling tiles were installed, new carpet squares installed over the concrete floor, new trim installed and painted, and a dehumidifier (draining to the sump) was put in place.
2015: New bathrooms in the basement level replaced the original, cramped, hard-to-clean cubicles. We also added an ADA-accessible bathroom downstairs, installed water-fountains in the upstairs foyer, and put baby-changing stations in bathrooms on both floors. And we bought more floor mats to allow complete coverage of the main Hall floor.
2014: We bought new floor mats to protect the wood floor of the Main Hall, and rebuilt fire egress from the Lower Level–which helped us get the legal occupancy of the basement raised from 49 to 100!
2013: New windows for the main Hall and the basement–with insulated glass and good weatherstripping!
2012: New hardwood floor (local maple) for the Main Hall after nearly 60 years of dancing and other uses wore out the 1953 original. Several handy folks repurposed the worn floorboards as spoons, picture frames, pens, cutting boards and a mandolin!
What is our Next Big Project?
Our next set of projects are what we are calling “Building Essentials”. These include:
We are looking into adding better fresh-air ventilation via heat-recovery ventilation systems, to improve the air quality indoors–both to reduce COVID transmission risks, and to reduce CO2 build-up indoors.
Long-term wish-list items include:
- Improved stage lighting.
- Purchase of a sound system, and increased security measures.
- Improvements to the “Second Stage” alcove downstairs to create a small-scale performance space.
- Renovation of the downstairs kitchen.
In 2023, for our Challenge Fundraiser in August and early September, we’re going to donate 50% of the proceeds to help Berlin families who have suffered serious losses in the floods of July. We want to help the people who need it most.
Thank you! Together we can do this!
Donate Securely Online
Donate by Mail
Make your check payable to “Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall” or FCCGH and mail it to:
FCCGH
PO Box 192
Northfield Falls VT 05664
Donate by Bequest
Consider making a charitable bequest to the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall. By including a bequest to the Friends in your will or living trust, you are ensuring that the Grange can continue its mission for years to come.
It is as simple as one or two sentences. You can leave an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events, or a percentage of your estate to the Friends. Take care of your family first, yet imagine what a gift of $10,000 or more could do to improve the hall!
Long-term wish list items:
- Remodel the kitchen, making it fully accessible, as well as improving ventilation and storage.
- Install quality sound equipment available for use by all hall renters.
- Install Solar PV panels to provide power to the Grange Hall
- Install heat pumps to further reduce our carbon footprint, and to provide some cooling on the hottest days.
Bequest Examples:
To leave a specific dollar amount to the Friends of the Capital City Grange:
“I give twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to the Friends of the Capital City Grange in Berlin, Vermont.”
To leave a percentage of the estate:
“I give ten percent (10%) of my estate to the Friends of the Capital City Grange in Berlin, Vermont.”
To leave all or a portion of the estate remainder (the balance of the estate after the payment of specific bequests, debts, taxes and other estate expenses):
“I give to The Friends of the Capital City Grange, all (or a portion of) the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, to be used for the general purposes of the Friends (or insert a specific designated purpose).”
The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in examples are for illustrative purposes only.
The Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose purpose is to ensure the long term sustainability of the Hall on Northfield Street in Berlin as a venue for the public performance of and participation in traditional dance, music, song, and other arts and as a meeting place in Central Vermont for individuals and organizations. The FCCGH supports the maintenance, improvement and public promotion of the Capital City Grange Hall.