When Pineland Farms of New Gloucester and the Libra Foundation stopped funding the Fort Kent Outdoor Center last year and gave the facility back to the board of directors, the group knew a challenge lay ahead.
Now, they need to come up with approximately $140,000 in annual funding if they want to keep the operation and its programs intact.
The Fort Kent facility, along with the Nordic Heritage Outdoor Center in Presque Isle, were created in 1998 as part of the Maine Winter Sports Center. Primary funding came from the Libra Foundation, a Portland-based charitable organization that also owns Pineland Farms. Libra funded both centers for 25 years and Pineland owned them.
But last year, that all changed. Libra closed the Presque Isle ski area in December and put it up for sale, and then transferred ownership of the Fort Kent Outdoor Center back to the board. Though the St. John Valley community supports the center with more than 300 memberships, it’s not enough. That’s why the board launched a new endowment it hopes will make up the difference.
“Libra, through its operations at Pineland Farms, has subsidized our operations for the past 15 years by paying for a portion of capital improvements and maintenance, taxes, insurance and half of the salary of a venue manager,” board member Carl Theriault said. “Without this support, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain the facility and programming of our daily operations.”
The center not only trains athletes and hosts local and international meets, but is an all-around recreation resource that helps draw people to the St. John Valley and Aroostook County as a whole, he said. And when athletes and families come north, they patronize local lodging, food and retail options, boosting the economy.
The board aims to put $2.4 million into the endowment, using the interest to generate annual funding to replace what Libra provided.
Directors are working with the Maine Community Foundation, a nonprofit that offers grants and manages charitable giving in all 16 counties. Founded in 1983, the organization “brings people and resources together to build a better Maine,” its mission states.
The foundation will hold endowment funds and make investment decisions to provide steady annual income, Theriault said. It may also help with grants for future programs.
The community has already brought the center more than halfway to its goal.
“Through the generous donations of many in our community, we already have commitments of 58 percent, or $1.4 million,” he said.
But to continue operating consistently and offer the same levels of programming for members, visitors and aspiring athletes, the center has started a giving campaign to raise another $1 million for the endowment.
If that doesn’t happen, programs, events and maintenance at the 25-year-old venue would have to be cut back, he said.
With the loss of the Presque Isle venue, the center is the only biathlon range in Aroostook County. Following the U.S. National Biathlon Championships held there in 2024, U.S. Biathlon called it a “gold-level” club.
Theriault said the community greatly supports the outdoor center. More than 300 people maintain year-round memberships and enjoy using the 25 kilometers of trails for Nordic skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, snowsledding and mountain biking, along with the center’s facilities for biathlon and disc golf and year-round athletic training.
So far, the response to the endowment requests has been positive, he said.
The board offers several contribution levels. For details, email info@fortkentoc.org.
For Theriault, seeing the center continue is paramount because it’s much more than a facility. It unites people with a common love of the Aroostook outdoors.
“We have a great volunteer base that is always eager to help out at events,” he said. “It is like a family gathering when we all come together to support our young athletes.”
