EASTON, Md. — Organizers of the Waterfowl Festival are asking the state for help with repairs to Easton's historic armory, the building that has served as the festival's home base for more than half of its life.
According to the festival's executive director, Deena Kilmon, the Waterfowl Festival has applied for a grant of about $600,000 from the Maryland State Arts Council. The money would pay for an HVAC system on the main floor, upgraded restrooms and improved accessibility in the building's lobby area and front steps.
The armory was built in 1927 and turns 100 next year. The festival has used it since 1971 and bought it from the city in 1997 for $1.
Kilmon said the building's age is showing. Parts of it have no air conditioning, and the restrooms, which she said were added in the 1970s, have no ventilation. The building's original design included men's restrooms in the basement and none for women.
"It's important to keep up with the building," Kilmon said. "So as it ages, these systems have deteriorated, and there's been a lot of, not a lot of money rolling around, So it's got some deferred maintenance."
However, Kilmon said the work is about more than comfort. The artwork displayed in the building needs humidity and temperature control, she said, and the current systems only serve certain rooms.
"The building will deteriorate without them," she said.
The grant would build on recent work. Kilmon said the Maryland Historical Trust helped pay for a roof restoration completed in July that stopped leaks that had stained ceiling panels in the main festival hall. The state contributed $100,000 to the roof, and the festival and private donors raised another $100,000. She said the state and the festival also spent more than $200,000 on historically accurate replacement windows.
Kilmon says now the focus can shift to preserving the interior of the building.
The Talbot County Council sent a letter supporting the application after last week’s county council meeting. Council Vice President Pete Lesher said the state looks for evidence of local backing, and the vote to send the letter was an easy one.
"Waterfowl Festival is such a vital part of our community," Lesher said.
Lesher said the building is one of the largest indoor gathering spaces in the area and is rented to other arts groups and community organizations for banquets, dinners, awards and art shows.
In their county council’s letter of support, members write that community art partners, such as the Avalon Foundation and Academy Art Museum view the Waterfowl building as an important space for growing their programming.
“The county understands that by supporting this project, we're supporting not just Waterfowl Festival, but that we're supporting all of the other groups that rely on the Waterfowl Festival’s venue for their events,” Lesher said.
Additionally, Kilmon said more than three dozen community groups use it each year.
"This investment in the building is not just for Waterfowl," Kilmon said. "It is for our community at large throughout the year."
Organizers say the festival is a major economic driver. Kilmon said an independent study found it has a $6 million impact on Easton and a $9 million impact on the state each year. She said more than 30,000 people attend, with visitors coming from 45 states last year.
The grant would cover only part of the work. Kilmon said the full renovation of the main and upper floors, including stage restoration, is estimated at $4 million to $5 million and would rely on additional grants and private donations.
She said she hopes to hear about the state grant by spring and to finish the full project by the 60th festival, five years from now.
"Full of light, full of laughter, full of people, full of art, full of the welcoming vibe that we all love here in Easton," Kilmon said, describing how she hopes visitors will feel when they walk in.
The 55th Waterfowl Festival takes place Nov. 13-15 in Easton.
