AUBURN – L/A Excels will look for financial help from around the country to pay for design and engineering work at the Great Falls School.

The group wrapped up a study last year to see if turning the old school into a performing arts center – complete with professional stages and practice areas – made financial sense. Now it’s time to determine what the center could look like, according to L/A Excels Executive Director Beckie Conrad.

“We’re looking at questions of how large would it need to be to work, and how much will much of this cost,” Conrad said. “We’ve done all of the preliminary work. We’ve talked to the community about it, we’ve talked to the people that would use it. Now it’s time to get technical.”

The community began talking about using the former school as a cultural center in 1998. It’s currently home to the Community Little Theatre group and Edward Little Drama Club and provides studio space for local artists, musicians and community groups.

Consultants Graham Gund and Associates identified the building as a possible cultural space in a community-wide inventory last year. The Great Falls School would include space for theater, dance, music and studios available to community members for rent and for classes, according to their report.

“We figure we’re going to need about $100,000 to come up with a design plan for this space,” Conrad said.

Conrad said she’s applying for grants from some art foundations in Maine, but she’s looking outside of the state for much of the money.

“We specifically do not want to compete with other Lewiston-Auburn groups for those resources,” Conrad said. “I’ve actually identified a number of national foundations committed to the arts and building community infrastructure for this purpose.”

Conrad said she hopes to have answers on some of the grant applications in time for L/A Excels May 31 Community Convention. At least one third of that meeting will be devoted to discussing the future of the Great Falls School.

staylor@sunjournal.