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Peters Valley School of Craft seeks county support for planned Pike County expansion
Summary
Representatives from Peters Valley School of Craft outlined plans to expand into Pike County, described grant applications underway and asked the commissioners to provide a letter of support; county officials suggested coordination with human services, the area agency on aging and transportation.
Representatives of Peters Valley School of Craft on Oct. 1 presented the board of Pike County commissioners with plans to expand programming onto a property at 1400 Route 739 and asked for county support, including a letter for pending grant applications.
Kristen, speaking for Peters Valley, said the school has “celebrated 55 years of bringing arts to the region” and described plans to lease a property on Route 739 while fundraising. She said the organization contracted with Hailstone Economic to help apply for a statewide LSA grant and for the RACB and that a board member currently holds the property and is leasing it to the school while fundraising.
Why it matters: Peters Valley conducts workshops and brings visiting instructors from across the region; an expansion could increase year-round programming for seniors, youth and visitors and could create additional demand for local lodging and restaurants. The project is currently in the planning and grant-application stage; no county funding or formal approvals were recorded at the meeting.
Kristen said Peters Valley is working with architects on a master facilities plan and partners with the National Park Service for some programming; she asked the commissioners to provide written language of support so the school could include county letters in its grant applications to state officials such as Lisa Baker and Jeff Olson (individuals named by Kristen as grant contacts). The commissioner presiding offered to provide suggested letter language if Peters Valley supplied the text the county should use.
County staff and commissioners suggested potential partnerships with the Office of Human Services, transportation and the Area Agency on Aging to bring seniors and other groups to classes. Transcript remarks note Peters Valley’s clientele skews older (Kristen said about 60% of its participants are age 65 and older) and that the school has run programs for senior centers in other counties.
No formal county action or vote on funding or planning approvals for the Peters Valley expansion was recorded. The meeting record cites direction from the commissioner to provide letter language on request and recommends that Peters Valley meet with human services, transportation and the director of aging, Robin Solis, to explore programming and transportation options.
Public comment at the meeting also included a separate resident’s remarks observing the UN International Day of Older Persons and urging continued support for local community programs during a period of state and federal budget uncertainty.
Ending: Peters Valley representatives said they will follow up with the county on a letter and next steps; county staff were directed to assist with connections to relevant departments and agencies.
