AFGS Building Fund Update - Preserving our Past...Building our Future

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AFGS Building Fund Update

Building fund update September 12, 2009

by Normand T. Deragon Chair, Building Committee

Lower Level Restrooms: Bids were received from three contractors. Pine Street Construction of Cumberland was the lowest bidder ($21,000) to be the general contractor for the project. The Society saved $600.00 by doing most of the demolition work. Project was scheduled to be completed by Labor Day, but delays by city inspectors pushed the completion date back about a week.

Additional Repair Work: Pine Street Construction was retained to construct a drop ceiling in a portion of the lower level hallway and to replace the rotted door frame and door that leads to the roof. Total cost: $1,000.00

Building Exterior Signage: On August 24, the Woonsocket Zoning Board of Review approved the AFGS variance request to install signage in excess of the size allowed on a residential zoned property. This clears the way to install the signage designed for the Snow Street side of the building. The zoning board added the condition that the signs must never be lighted. Application fee was $100.00. Mandeville signs was contracted to create and install the signage for $4,500. This is about $400 less than the original quote because we handled the zoning issues ourselves. A permit is needed from the city for the actual installation, which has been approved. The installation should be completed by the end of September.

Roof Leak: The source of the leak was finally located over the summer. The roofing contractor, Jim Keegan, was at the building and made repairs this past week. We are hoping this concern is now addressed. The next major rain storm will provide the answer.

First Floor Painting and Carpeting: In anticipation of the Hall of Fame ceremony on October 16, the building committee agreed to spruce up the first floor conference room and hallway by painting the walls and ceiling with the “AFGS colors” and asking the previous flooring companies to solicit new bids for the hallway and conference room only. The committee will remove the old carpeting to reduce the cost. Bids have been received and they will be reviewed and the job awarded next week. We will seek volunteers to assist with the painting. Project should be completed by early October. Florescent and emergency lighting has already been installed in the hallway.

First Floor Cleaning: After painting and carpet installation the first floor must be thoroughly cleaned in preparation for attendees of the Hall of Fame ceremony. A cleaning party will be needed for this task.

Building Fund: Cash balance as of August 31 was $32,500. Payments will be subtracted for the restroom balance, hallway drop ceiling, roof door replacement, signage, carpeting, and lighting.

The Society received an inheritance of $18,000 from the Poulin Family Estate, $10,000 from the June Rockwell levy Foundation, and individual donations are now coming in with membership renewals.

Building fund update January 7, 2009

In June 2000, the AFGS launched a campaign to raise funds for the purchase of a permanent home. By November 2007, the Society had raised over $200,000 in cash and pledges for that purpose. The donations were primarily from our 1,400 dues paying members who reside across the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East. Donations primarily from members and friends continued to pour in throughout 2008, including two grants from the State of Rhode Island totaling $9,000.

On November 21, 2007, the American-French Genealogical Society closed on the purchase of the former First Universalist Church on 78 Earle Street in Woonsocket, R.I. The purchase price was $100,000 and the Society purchased the building outright without a mortgage. AFGS had been renting space in the lower level of the building to house our extensive genealogical and historical holdings.

Although the purchase price of our building was low, the Society was aware of the funds needed to repair and renovate an 84-year old building that, because of dwindling church membership and a lack of financial support, had been neglected over the past decade. The AFGS was prepared to utilize the balance of its building campaign funds and some of its cash reserves to make necessary repairs while continuing to raise funds through member donations, grant applications and targeted events.

During 2008, the AFGS made the following repairs and renovations to the building:

1. Replaced the leaking roof over the main section of the building $32,500

2. Repaired damaged bricks, masonry joints, and capped unused chimneys $11,100

3. Engaged structural engineer to assess weight capacity on first level $850

4. Repaired water-damaged wall in the former chapel area and lower level ceiling $650

5. Upgraded building security alarm system $1,500

6. Replaced and expanded building fire alarm system to comply with R.I. fire code $31,400

7. Replaced hot water tank and made repairs to heating system $1,600

8. Converted former lower level kitchen to member lunch room $1,100

9. Energy conservation measures (insulation and caulking of windows and blocking of air vents behind radiators and sealing off of fireplaces $1,800

TOTAL EXPENDITURES $82,500

On the drawing board for 2009:

1. Reconstruct the lower level restrooms $35,000

2. Renovate first level training and meeting room $5,200

3. Re-zone building heating system to use more efficient hot water boiler $17,000

4. Replace selected older wood-frame windows $18,000

TOTAL ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES $75,200

Web site building fund update September 12, 2008

NEWS FROM 78 EARLE STREET
Norm Deragon

It has been a busy summer in and around the AFGS building in Woonsocket. On the outside, the masons have completed work on the east side of the exterior, sealing loose bricks and sealing concrete skirting around the roof and sides of the structure. They also capped chimneys that serviced several fireplaces that are no longer in use. The work should prevent weather damage and improve energy efficiency this coming winter.

The building committee has been meeting with heating contractors to determine the best way to reduce oil consumption and find the most efficient means of heating the three story building. Several solutions have been recommended, including converting our large boiler from steam heat to hot water baseboard heat and installing a means of selecting between oil and natural gas to fuel the boiler. One contractor suggests that we could heat the entire building with the one large boiler and keep the smaller boiler (now used to heat the library and part of the first floor) as a backup. Part of the conversion could also include the installation of air conditioning in the library to maintain climate control and eliminate the use of dehumidifiers in the summer months and prevent mold on our books and films. The price tag for this project is about $50,000. This may have to wait until next heating season. However we will continue to seal windows and find other means of sealing the building to reduce energy consumption during the winter months. Last winter the Society used 3,900 gallons of oil to heat our building. We are hoping to cut the usage by at least 30 percent during the upcoming heating season.

Volunteers have been busy working to convert the former kitchen in the lower level into a lunch room. The room will contain a soda vending machine, refrigerator, microwave oven, and coffee maker. The room has been cleaned and repainted. We expect it to be ready for use within a few weeks.

By the time you read this, the contract will have been issued for the upgrade of our building’s fire alarm system. The cost will be about $35,000 and should take about three to four weeks to install. Once completed, the fire alarm system will comply with Rhode Island’s new fire code.

With the completion of the masonry work and installation of the new fire alarm system, the AFGS building fund balance will be down to about $15,000. We will soon be announcing naming opportunities for some rooms within the building and expect to raise additional funds for future projects through our annual holiday raffle, and a vehicle donation program that will be launched in the coming weeks.

Web site building fund update February 14, 2008

The AFGS Building Fund has reached $230,000 in donations and pledges. This leaves us about $20,000 shy of the half way mark in our Phase II goal of $500,000.

Since acquiring the building in late November 2007, the society has begun transforming our permanent home from a church to a Franco-American heritage center. Our first task was to repair the main section of the roof, which had three layers on one side and two on the other. There were leaks in the sanctuary of the church (and what eventually will be the main research center.) The cost: $32,498.

Next we will update the fire alarm system. In order to comply with Rhode Island’s strict fire codes, the Society must increase the number of smoke detectors and other detection and alarm devices, emergency lights and exit lights on all three floors. We also must replace the hard-wired alarm box with a radio-box that will have direct communications with the Woonsocket Fire Department. We expect to seek bids for this project soon. We will then concentrate on making our building more accessible to all visitors.

The building committee and the board of directors are reviewing every room in the building to determine repair and/or renovation costs in order to determine naming rights for designated rooms in the building and the determine project costs as we seek grants from foundations and corporations. We expect to publish a “wish list” to make it convenient for members and friends to designate the purchase of furnishings and accessories for our heritage center.

We could not have made it this far without the generosity of our members and friends. We invite you to visit this Web site often for updates as we develop a master plan for the creation of a state-of-the-art Franco-American heritage center. The committee welcomes your input. You may e-mail your comments and suggestions to buildingfund@afgs.com.

The AFGS Building Fund Committee

Check out the new pictures in our Album

Photo Album of our recently acquired Building also new roof being installed(use slide show)


Woonsocket Call newspaper article Nov. 27th 2007	Providence Journal November 28th, 2007	The Valley Breeze newspaper article Nov. 29th 2007
French take over Church	Step Up For Society	"The AFGS will fill out new facility, complete extensive renovations "

September 21, 2007

Negotiations are proceeding smoothly toward our goal of purchasing the building in which we currently rent space in the First Universalist Church in Woonsocket, R.I. We hope to announce good news soon.

Meanwhile, it has been a very good summer on the donation front. Since mid-July, 96 members and friends donated $13,602 dollars to the building fund campaign. To date, $78,223 has been donated and pledged since Phase II of the campaign began on April 1, 2007. In total, since the building fund began the AFGS has collected nearly $200,000 in donations and pledges. But we need much more in the coffers to both purchase a building and make any necessary repairs and renovations to convert it into a Franco American Cultural Center. If you have not yet done so, won’t you please consider making a donation today?

Donating is easy and secure here on our Web site. To access the donation pledge form, simply click here now.

Thank you for your support.

July 08, 2007

During the past ten weeks, over 100 generous members and friends donated or pledged over $40,000 to the campaign. Donations and pledges are continuing to come in weekly. We are very grateful for the commitments that our members and friends have made to our Society and their belief in our vision for the future.

On May 20, the First Universalist Church voted to sell their building, which is also home to AFGS. The Society has been given the right of first refusal to purchase the building. Once the congregation obtains an appraisal we will begin discussions about the possible purchase. The congregation has indicated that they plan to have the appraisal completed by the end of July and would like to close the sale by the end of September.

Given this tight timetable, it is more important than ever that we step up the campaign. It is critical that we have as much capital available as possible should the negotiations turn out favorably for AFGS. That would mean that we may be able to purchase the building and move forward with our vision for our Society.

If you have not already done so, won’t you please send in your pledge or donation today? You can download a pledge card from our Web site, www.afgs.org, or donate directly on our secure Web page. If you have questions about the campaign, contact Norm Deragon, the AFGS Building Fund chair, by e-mail at buildingfund@afgs.org, or by phone at (401) 524-7315.

May 7, 2007

Donations to Phase II of the AFGS Building Fund campaign have been arriving steadily. As of Saturday, May 12, a total of 90 cash donations and pledges have been received for a total of $33,624.

On May 7, interest was posted to the two building fund bank accounts. As of that date, the AFGS Building Fund total (Phases I and II) was $133,942.50.

The board of directors and building fund committee express their sincere appreciation for the support of our members and others who have contributed so generously to the campaign.

An Honor Roll of Donors will soon be posted on the Web site and will be posted in the library and distributed through the Society newsletter.

On May 20 our landlord, the First Universalist Church, will hold its annual meeting. On the agenda is a discussion by the congregation on whether to sell the church building. The AFGS was given the right of first refusal on the purchase should the church decide to sell. We will keep you posted on any developments.

April 17, 2007

Phase II of the AFGS Building Fund campaign is entering its third week. The AFGS Building Fund Committee is very pleased to announce that as of Saturday, April 14, donations and pledges received since April 1 total $14,778. Forty-two individuals have made donations and/or pledges to the fund.

During the first week ending Saturday, April 7, we received donations and pledges totaling $3,784 with 21 one-time donations of $1,468, and 2 pledges totaling $2,316 to be paid over three years and one year.

During week 2, we received 19 donations totaling $10,994. There were 15 one-time donations totaling $6,230, including a very generous $5,000 donation from the Savoie Family Foundation. Four pledges totaled $4,764.

The committee is compiling an Honor Roll of Building Fund Donors to Phases I and II of the campaign. We will be publishing this list and posting it on the Web site in the near future.

On behalf of the board of directors, the committee extends its deepest appreciation to all who have supported this campaign to date.

American French Genealogical Society

Building Fund Campaign

Please join us by making a generous contribution to the campaign. The on-line brochure reviews AFGS and its commitment to

"Preserving our Past...Building our Future".

Click on How You Can Help for information on the different ways you can help with this goal. By donating, you will help establish a permanent home for our Society to grow and prosper.

Keep in mind that critical decisions about our future will be made in the coming weeks. We need your support now to make certain that the Society can continue its important work.

Please download the pledge card and mail it today, or Pledge online Either way you will help the AFGS in

"Preserving our Past…and Building our Future".