Art center becomes debt free.

Art center becomes debt free.

LUDINGTON — The Ludington Area Center for the Arts has announced that it recently has become debt free.

“Last year at this time, the LACA had $77,000 in debt on our line of credit and zero dollars in our checking account,” Brad Reed, president of the Ludington Area Center for the Arts said. “As the new president of the board of directors last summer, my amazing team of board members and I had to look at every possible option, including the possibility of selling the building.  We were determined to not have to sell so we made a game plan for fund-raising and cutting costs and it has been working beautifully.”

Reed said the center received a $50,000 donation from an anonymous donor to help pay down the line of credit.

“We now have paid off the remaining debt on the line of credit,” he said.

Reed said the center has also been aided by Bob and Kay Neal who agreed to pay building operating costs, including utilities, each month for the next several years.

“It has been a beautiful community-wide effort, from the origination of the Ludington Area Arts Council in 2004 to the acquisition of a facility for the Ludington Area Center for the Arts in September 2008 to the increased improvements to the facility and programming and events that exist at the present time,” Reed said.

A fundraiser will be held on September 22 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the center, 107 S. Harrison St. to raise money to replace the building’s boiler and heat pumps.

“We are hoping to raise $21,000 that night,” Reed said about the event being called “Baby It’s Cold Inside.”

Donations may also be sent directly to the center by mail or through its website.

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