The Fairbanks School Neighborhood Association is a non-profit organization located in Fairbanks, Maine.
Our History
Built in 1896, the Fairbanks School served students in the community for seventy years - grades K-5. It then served as a storage facility until Farmington schools district consolidated. The school then reverted back to the town.
Housed a lucrative business, MTE, inc. until the building burned in 1998
In 2000, a group of concerned local Fairbanks residents came together to bring the school back to life.
FSNA (Fairbanks School Neighborhood Association) was formed, and soon the community raised funds and donated labor and materials to rebuild the basement and shell of the building.
Received loans and grants from USDA and held a capital campaign to complete the building in excess of $406,000.
Became a 501 c3 non-profit organization.
Our Current Work
What we have done to date: Today we have a vibrant building for community use.
The new Fairbanks School Meeting House features design elements from the old school.
Expanded the food closet for the Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministries.
Designed a beautiful function room with a kitchen for community use.
Built an office and function room to lease.
Began a memorial garden.
Accessible rest rooms and ramp
Landscaped.
Built a Storage Space.
Held our first alumni reunion, August 2010.
Have a strong board of directors and several committees.
Our Future
Continue our fund raising efforts to become sustainable and to pay our mortgage of $1500. per month.
Build an archives/memorabilia area for artifacts from Fairbanks.
Pave the parking lot
Continue to partner with other agencies and businesses to provide education, training.
Renovate the unfinished basement.
Specific objectives of the Fairbanks School Neighborhood Association will include the following:
1. Engagement in the development, construction, and management of a community meeting-house building at the location of the former Fairbanks Neighborhood School.
2. Sponsorship of meeting space within this community meeting-house, open to all groups and organizations, for people to gather and interact, and to promote public benefits, including the provisions of vital neighborhood activities.
3. Provision within this community meeting-house of much needed office, working and meeting space for other non-profit, charitable and governmental groups.
4. Gathering and display of items in a history/archive that inform the public of the former neighborhood school’s culture and history, in order to build public knowledge and awareness of and support for conservation of these types of heritage assets.
5. Possible provision of an outdoor park area in close proximity to the community meeting-house that will be open to the public for outdoor activities such as picnicking, in order to increase public understanding and appreciation for the public value of these community assets and encourage their long term conservation on behalf of the public interests.
