By BRUCE GOULD, guest columnist

By the time this column is printed, the Brown County Music Center will be officially opened and the public will have had an opportunity to tour the new building.

This is your building, and everybody can take pride in what has been accomplished for our community and be hopeful for the many benefits it will bring us all for many years to come.

There is still a list of things to be done and improvements will be perpetual. As funds are generated by the venue, some of those funds will be put back into the venue to make it even better and guarantee a long and prosperous future.

Throughout this construction process, the weather has caused continuous delays in the site work. As a result, completion of landscaping and the parking areas is behind schedule. The landscaping, family garden and beer garden areas, and parking areas will be completed as weather, time and funds permit.

It seems like the music center project happened rather quickly, but in retrospect this project started well over two years ago with a small group who shared a vision. Doug Harden, the local architect who designed and oversaw construction of the building, worked countless hours facilitating the numerous contractors, subcontractors, engineers and government agencies, coaxing everybody to work together on this grand project. In the end, Doug’s dream has become reality. Doug certainly has much to be proud of.

The Brown County Maple Leaf Management Group Incorporated has led this project from its conception to completion, and now transitions to the role of overseeing the operations of the venue. Of the seven members of the corporation, two members deserve special recognition.

Barry Herring first conceptualized using innkeepers tax revenue as collateral to acquire bank financing. Barry’s experience throughout his working career was in developing large structures, so this project fit well within his comfort zone. Barry has devoted literally thousands of hours to this project, overseeing all financial transactions, contracts and countless other dealings required to complete this project. Barry’s organizational and bargaining skills have saved tens of thousands of dollars on this project.

Jim Schultz, a commercial electrical contractor by trade, has been on the job site almost daily since construction began. Jim’s knowledge of all facets of construction has proven to equal that of many of the contractors. Jim has also spent countless hours on the job site looking out for the best interest of the building owners — in other words, us. As a result, Jim’s recommendations and physical presence on the site have resulted in a better product, quite often with cost savings. His opinions quickly became respected by the contractors, who realized that one of our team fully understood the technical aspects of a major construction project.

Our general contractor, Brandt Construction, has been outstanding in producing a building that we were not sure could equal our hopes and expectations with our limited budget. Our focus from the start was on a building we could afford, constructed around the highest quality sound and lighting available. Brandt spent a large part of this project working outside in the worst weather imaginable for Indiana. We are confident that the performers and guests alike will agree that this building is extremely well built based on what it cost, and provides an opportunity for outstanding performances.

The management corporation felt it was important for the staff of the venue to reside in Brown County. We are happy to report that all of the management staff now resides in the county. Many local contractors and workers participated in the construction process, and many local businesses will be used in the operation and maintenance of the venue.

This article will be my last update for the Brown County Music Center since it is now open for business and information will be available from many other sources. Our goal was to keep the community informed of the construction progress, and that is now completed.

The community seems genuinely excited and ready to support this venue, so let the shows begin!

Bruce Gould is vice president of the Maple Leaf Management Group.