Page 5 - The BellTower - Spring 2016

Repurposing the Armory
Tucked away on the southeast corner of the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus, the for-
mer Maine National Guard Fort Kent Armory building has slowly changed the relationship between the University, the environment, and the surrounding community.
Five years ago, the University acquired the 17,500 square foot building from the state government for the sum of $1 by means of a quitclaim deed as outlined in LD 1759.
The question after the purchase was how to use the new space. Former UMFK President Wilson G. Hess invited the com- munity, staff, and faculty to tours of the old armory and to make suggestions for future uses.
Eventually the University decided
to use the facility as a home for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, UMFK forestry program, and the base for the new campus-wide heat plant.
The transition from a largely aban- doned building to a center of education and community outreach was difficult. The previous winter, melting snow from the roof of the armory drained into the main assembly hall and refroze. “When we went in there, we had the perfect skating rink,” said President Murphy. The University also faced serious environmen- tal problems with asbestos and lead con- tamination. The asbestos was a result of the age of the building, and the lead con- tamination came from the National Guard firing range inside the building.
The intervening five years have allowed the University to fix the drain system
on the roof, remove the asbestos, and start utilizing the building. The University abated the lead contamination during the construction of the boilers for the biomass project.
Interim President Murphy recently described the building as having a three- part mission to encourage sustainable farming and community education, sup- port the forestry program, and provide heating for the campus and the broader community.
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension was the first organization to move into the armory. Regional Supervisor Lisa Fishman said the cooperative exten- sion is an outreach program to bring UMS resources to every region of the state. These resources include 4H programs, marine science, gardening, nutrition edu- cation, potato agronomy, crop rotation, and horticulture.
“For 50 years we’ve been the one go-to resource that people have come to know.” “We approached UMFK, and they liked
the idea of having the extension service back on the campus,” she said.
As work proceeded to stabilize the building, the cooperative extension began moving in. “When the armory became a reality to UMFK, they worked very hard
on the front of the building. We were here during the entire construction process.”
The latest group to come in was the forestry program. UMFK Instructor of Forestry and Applied Forest Management Program Coordinator Jeff Dubis said, “It’s been a positive move. Having our own space kind of defines the program.”
The forestry program occupies one classroom, a GIS computer lab, storage areas and two offices. “They’re kind of in
their space, and it works out great,” said Dubis.
With the growing forestry program,
the coordinator hopes to see improve- ments to the facility for more lab space, office space and technology. “That’s where things are going to be interesting here,” Dubis said.
Then there is the biomass heat plant. In February of 2014, a $5.5 million furnace roared into life with the sound of blowers and flames. The ignition of this furnace, the Pleasant Street Academy Biomass Project, marked the moment when two public schools and a university campus finally freed themselves from the clutches of foreign oil for heating.
The armory stands as a symbol of good governance. In a world of changing priori- ties, a need to understand and utilize the environment more safely and efficiently, UMFK is responding with proactive deci- sions and plans. Communities must maintain awareness of the relationship between towns and the surrounding wil- derness and with the pragmatic concern for U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The armory project shows that rural commu- nities can work cooperatively with state agencies and education institutions to find innovative solutions that transform prob- lems into opportunities.
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