Building
for the Future
CCS’s campus renewal brings sustainability, economic growth, and a creative hub to the region
Project updates
Sep 2026
The needle is moving forward
We’re excited to report that since launching our Capital Campaign, we have raised 35% of our goal! Only $350k to go! Thank you to all our donors who have supported us thus far, and a special shout-out to Jean Schulz and the Barrette Family Fund, both early supporters of CCS and of our campus renewal plan, whose contributions have made a major impact.
Construction-wise, concrete has been poured on the basement floors and, as our colleague Dave colorfully says, “no more smells!” Walls are being framed, and we can really start envisioning the spaces that will host so many of our programs this spring. We’re seeing dramatic changes day by day!
Aug 2026
Two new grants awarded
Over the years, we’ve applied to many (many) grants for this project. We win some, we lose some. This is how fundraising works. This summer we’re honored to have had the project recognized by two local grantmakers: the Vermont Arts Council (VAC) and the M&T Charitable Foundation. Kathleen L. Schirling, M&T’s Vice President and Senior Regional Program Officer, sent us these kind words:
“We are honored to support a project that reflects the power of placemaking, education, and community engagement to create lasting impact.”
Funds from these grants will support creating a welcoming, ADA-accessible environment for our students and visitors, including the many local children and teens who attend our Cartoon Club workshops.
Speaking of workshops, we had 161 participants this summer! This includes local, regional, and national attendees. It was lovely to reconnect with several repeat workshop attendees and meet new talented cartoonists who really see our workshops as an opportunity to hone their skills. Several workshops were also at full capacity! We invited participants to tour the Telegraph Building, and everyone was excited about the project and the prospect of using the improved facilities next summer.
Jul 2026
Construction begins!
The time has finally arrived. Over the last few months, we’ve focused on finalizing environmental remediation work and construction plans. Our partners at Stone Environmental have been extremely diligent in implementing the Brownfields Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and, during the process, found an additional area in the building that needed testing and remediation. It was a setback for both the timeline and the budget, but with the support of our trusted partners, including Stone Environmental, Alloy Group, and Two River Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission, we got through it.
Meanwhile, CCS worked with Studio Nexus Architects and Planners and Estes & Gallup construction managers to evaluate the design and construction plans. The process is called Value Engineering, which was a term we used a lot during these months – this allowed us to make the right choices for cost savings without compromising the integrity and priorities of the renovation, as it aligns with our programming priorities.
Now that the Brownfields cleanup is nearly complete and we have permits, plans, and a GMP in hand, Estes & Gallup has started mobilizing crews to begin construction. We can’t wait to see the rapid changes!
Jun 2026
Spring Appeal
We’re dedicating our spring fundraising appeal to the Campus Renewal Plan and the Telegraph Building Renovation project. We mail out our appeals to 3,000+ contacts – a list that keeps growing thanks to outreach and CCS’s visibility through special projects and the success of our alumni. Appeals are a great way to connect with our donors and often showcase artwork by CCS alumni and renowned cartoonists. If you’re interested in joining our mailing list, email info@cartoonstudies.org with your name and mailing address.
Speaking of CCS alumni, last month we had the honor of hosting the inaugural 2026 Vermont Reads, in partnership with Vermont Humanities. The panel centered on CCS ’16 alumna and faculty member Tillie Walden’s book “Charity & Sylvia,” which was selected as a Vermont Reads 2026 book. Students, alumni, and community members attended in person, while many more tuned in to the free livestream. We can’t wait to host programs like these in the renovated Telegraph building.
May 2026
Capital Campaign Launched
Between 2022 and 2025, as CCS developed and implemented our Campus Renewal Plan, we assembled a substantial portion of the project capital stack, allowing us to set this renovation in motion. In August of 2025, CCS purchased the Old Telegraph building from Consolidated Communications. Now, eight months later, we are opening up our fundraising to the general public with a Capital Campaign to help us bridge the budget gap. Our goal is to raise 500k before the end of this year. For ways to support this project, please visit: cartoonstudies.org/support-ccs/ways-of-giving/
April 2026
Energy efficiency, climate resilience, and ADA accessibility
This month, we continued our extensive work to ensure our main renovation priorities carry forward. We applied for grants focused on these issues and continued conversations with Efficiency Vermont on energy use analysis, solutions, and potential subsidies. Thank you to Steve O’Malley of Efficiency Vermont, Doug Sonsalla of Studio Nexus Architects and Planners, and Tim Estes of Estes & Gallup for all the exchanges and discussions over best practices for our project.
The renovation of the Telegraph is guided by the principle that the most sustainable building is an existing building. We are salvaging 75-80% of the structure, including floors, roofs, and exteriors. In the early stages of this project, CCS was awarded a grant from an anonymous foundation to conduct an Energy Analysis Report and advance the project toward a Net Zero Energy Goal.
Given the building’s dilapidated state, several windows are already missing; most are in very poor condition. We’ve decided to replace the old existing single-pane windows with new, energy-efficient, Argon-filled, double-pane windows that, paired with air sealing, high-efficiency heat pumps, and sensor-controlled LED lighting, will significantly reduce the building’s energy waste. The interior spaces are being reconfigured for efficiency, collaboration, comfort, and accessibility, including a LULA elevator, ADA-compliant restrooms, and other accessibility features. For years, CCS’s programs have operated across multiple rented spaces, many of which are below ground and vulnerable to flooding and water-intrusion damage. The Telegraph renovation will move all these programs above the flood plane, which, as we know well from several destructive regional floods, is increasingly important.
Mar 2026
Brownfields Abatement 95% completed
Allowing us to start construction this spring with our construction team at Estes and Gallup! The Telegraph building is enrolled in the The Vermont Brownfield Program which encourages the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated, underutilized properties (brownfields) to foster economic growth and environmental safety. The program is led by Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation and helps transform Vermont’s underutilized properties. As of March 2026, the Brownfields work is 95% complete. CCS worked with Vermont’s Stone Environmental for a comprehensive review and to develop a Corrective Action Plan for the site. Alloy Group was contracted to implement this work.
Aug 2025
Building Purchased
Prior to acquition, CCS worked with Horizons Engineers, SRH Law, and the Town of Hartford Planning and Zoning to subdivide the historic Telegraph building from the larger structure and parcel that was built around the original building in the 1960s. CCS purchased the property from Fidium at a below-market rate, thanks to the support from our partners. As part of our campus renewal research, Studio Nexus Architects and Planners of White River Junction worked with CCS on a feasibility study to assess current and future programming need fit for the Telegraph.
Arch. Drawing 
Arch. Drawing 
Sep 2024
Ready to Move Forward
Three big milestones allowed CCS to move from planning to the implementation phase:
CCS secured the matching funds required by the Northern Borders Regional Commission (NBRC) for the previously awarded Catalyst Grant, the largest in our capital stack. With this and other requirements in place, NBRC issued a notice to proceed.
Vermont’s Department of Environmental Protection approved the Corrective Action Plan (CAP), prepared by Stone Environmental for The Center for Cartoon Studies, in association with the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission. VT DEC determined that the CAP meets all the requirements of § 35-603 and § 35-606 of the Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Properties Rule (IRule). Public notice was conducted from August 14, 2024 until September 13, 2024. No comments were received during the public comment period.
May 2022
Energy Analysis Report by BVH Integrated Services completed.
CCS’s commitment to creating a healthy environment for its community and reducing its carbon footprint has led us to conduct an energy-efficiency study for the renovation of the Old Telegraph. The study has provided us with guidelines for our design planning phase, including phased options towards a Net-Zero Energy building.
Our project rehabilitates a long-dormant 100-year-old building, advancing measurable climate action through adaptive reuse and electrification. By preserving embodied carbon, avoiding demolition waste, and installing high-efficiency HVAC heat pumps and other energy-saving measures identified in our campus efficiency study, the renovation significantly reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to new construction.
Sep 2021
Campus Renewal Plan Launched
CCS’s first class was in Fall of 2005 on leased spaces in the Colodny building (commercial level and basement). CCS invested in retrofitting these spaces to make them usable for its instructional programs, including installing HVAC, an air exchange system, removing asbestos tiling, electrical work, building out the space for a classroom, offices, and a production lab, and many code compliant occupancy upgrades. Despite these crucial improvements, the facilities are inadequate for the level of quality that we need to offer our students, faculty, and staff: the building is not ADA accessible, and the basement floods regularly.
In 2013, CCS was able to purchase and renovate the Old Post Office building, relocating its classroom to this less vulnerable, accessible space, and allowing it to open the Schulz Library to the public. However, crucial facilities such as the production lab – where students print and bind their projects – had to remain in the Colodny.
The need for an improved campus became more pressing amid recurring destructive floods across the state and increasing competition from larger colleges that were starting to offer degrees in cartooning.
After years of seeking alternatives, we identified the Old Telegraph Building as the ideal location to host our production lab, senior studios, offices, archive, and special collections, CCS had been leasing space in the Telegraph Building for limited use, which gave us a good understanding of the building’s potential.
The Telegraph is only a block away from CCS’s flagship building – the Old Post Office on South Main St – which allows us to secure CCS’s campus in a highly competitive and limited real-estate historic district and continue to offer an easy, non-vehicle-dependent commute for our students. The Telegraph also offers the opportunity to expand our flexible classroom space for more public-engagement initiatives and to integrate the Applied Cartooning Lab into the school’s daily activities.
Our established partnership with the Telegraph’s owners, the telecommunications company Fidium (formerly Consolidated Communications), brought forward a timely opportunity to acquire the building and begin envisioning a sustainable future for our campus.
In 2021, CCS conducted a feasibility study and worked with Studio Nexus on preliminary designs to estimate the project’s cost. With the CCS Board’s unanimous approval and encouragement from town officials, we officially launched our Campus Renewal Plan and started actively fundraising for project.
This year-long journey reflects CCS’s determination in keeping its campus in White River Junction and offering its students an environment where they can thrive. Leaving the leased spaces that saw us grow for the past 20 years will be bittersweet, but we are also happy to give these spaces back to the community and see new tenants take over our formerly loved spaces for the benefit of the town.
