CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Carrabassett Valley Academy announced it recently met a challenge grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation to pay its construction debt for the new academic center.

Later this spring, the facility will be formally named to honor Peter and Martha Webber, whose vision and hard work on behalf of CVA laid the foundation for the academy.

The challenge required CVA to secure $536,000 in new gifts and commitments by Dec. 31, 2016, to trigger a $500,000 matching grant.

“We continue to be humbled and grateful for the tremendous support of the CVA community,” said CVA Director of Development Kate O’Halloran. “We are particularly gratified to see so many young alumni who helped get us to the finish on this endeavor.”

The Webbers were one of the first families to live full-time in Carrabassett Valley and both volunteered on school boards and ski clubs, and for their church. While CVA was taking shape in the early 1980s, Peter and Martha kept the importance of a high-quality academic program at the forefront of the school’s mission. CVA has stayed the course, with a strategic commitment to rigorous academics paired with athletic intensity within a value-based community.

Receiving this grant moves CVA closer to making a full operational shift to the King Cummings Campus. With this phase of the challenge complete, CVA will embark on comprehensive planning and analysis for the next phase of the campaign, which will include a new student center. That project already has momentum, thanks to the Harold Alfond Foundation’s pledge of an additional $500,000 capstone grant.