Director Derek Peterson addressed community members at an informal “State of Allerton” address in the Mansion’s Library on June 4, 2019.
“There is plenty of work that awaits Allerton Park and Retreat Center staff each and every year as it maintains the 1,500-acre facility and 100-plus year old buildings.
At the same time, officials continue to make progress on dreams spelled out in the 2015 master plan.
Park Director Derek Peterson told interested parties in an annual update on June 4 that they are getting pretty good at doing the routine and dreamwork simultaneously.
‘We don’t think the future is limited here at Allerton,’ said Peterson. ‘I think we’ve got a very bright future ahead of us, and with community support, with engaged staff I think we can keep this thing going the right direction for a really long time.’
For the next 10 years, the focus will be on transforming the visitor center area into a site that will be more engaging to the public. That includes the current conversion of the seldom noticed ice house along Old Timber Road – currently used for storage and maintenance – into an artist-in-residence site. Another in-residence space is planned a few years down the road when a neighboring maintenance building is also renovated.”
Read the full story from the Piatt County Journal Republican here.
