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HANCOCK - The building in which the Copper Country Community Arts Center is located on Quincy Street in Hancock is old and not very environmentally friendly in some aspects, but that should change soon.

Cynthia Cote, CCCAC executive director, said in May the organization received a $60,000 Kresge Foundation Green Building Initiative Grant to do planning to make their building environmentally friendly.

The arts center was established in the building in 1992, and the CCCAC board purchased it in 1995, Cote said.

Although informal discussions about the condition of the building - which is actually five buildings joined together - started years before, Cote said in 2008 the CCCAC board decided to seek the Kresge grant.

"The (building's) systems are really old," she said. "We started talking about energy efficiency and green building."

The oldest part of the building was constructed in the 1860s, Cote said, and the front section facing Quincy Street was built in the 1960s. Only about one third of the 13,500 square-foot building is being utilized.

"Parts of the building we've never been able to use," she said.

There is a full basement, also, which Cote said isn't being used at all.

"It's in good shape," she said.

It may be possible the basement could somehow be redesigned for parking, or put to some other use, Cote said.

After deciding to green the building, Cote said the CCCAC board contacted project advancement consultant Allison Slavick, who is a graduate of Michigan Technological University and lives in Cable, Wis., to write a proposal for the grant.

Cote said since so much of the building isn't used, discussions by board members have included possibly tearing down some of that unused space, and reorienting the building so the south elevation, which is currently boarded up, becomes the focal point.

"I've always thought the south elevation of our building is our prime asset," she said.

Preliminary thoughts include putting in larger windows on the south side to let in sunlight, making the south the main entrance for the building, and possibly installing photovoltaic solar collectors.

"We had some sessions where we just opened up and dreamed big," she said.

In order to get ideas from the public about possible changes to the building, Cote said a series of educational presentations will take place at 7 p.m. for each session in room 323 of the Finlandia University Jutila Center for Global Design and Business in Hancock.

On Oct. 7, Linda Frey, executive director of the West Michigan Chapter of the United States Green Building Council will talk about the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) concept and how that might be used on the art center project. On Oct. 12, Corky Overmyer, community sustainability manager of United Water Contract Services, and Norman Christopher, sustainability manager of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, will talk about their work. On Oct. 28, Heather McElwee, assistant director of the Pittsburgh Glass Center, which is a glass art gallery, and Chris Drake, the PGC director of facilities, will talk about their LEED-certified building.

Since the idea is to make the art center building as environmentally friendly as possible, Cote said recycling will be an important concept for any changes done.

"The one thing we are surely relating to is reusing materials in the building," she said.

Since the Kresge grant is only for planning, Cote said money for construction will have to be found.

"We will have to launch a capital campaign to do the building," she said.

After the educational meetings, Cote said a charrette, or relaying of ideas and concepts for the project to an architect, will be done. By November plans for the renovation should be ready.

"It's coming together quickly," she said.

Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie @mininggazette.com.