The Architectural Services Selection Committee has begun considering firm proposals as the Town of Madison continues to move forward with plans to renovate the Academy School into a regional arts center.

The committee is comprised of six members including Matt Callahan, Stephen Dowler, Richard Gentile, Peter Smith, and Bill Freeman and Eric Dillner, both of whom represent the Shoreline Arts Alliance (SAA).

SAA CEO and Executive Director Dillner said the committee met for the first time on Dec. 10.

“We are going to meet again this week and then by the first week of the New Year we will have an architect hired,” he said.

Four architectural firms submitted plans for consideration and three firms a likely to be selected for formal interviews according to Dillner.

“The committee is reviewing all of those proposals at the moment,” he said. “The charge is to choose no more than three firms. Then there will be a day of interviews and then a selection.”

Dillner said he has been very pleased with the progress of the project thus far

“We are moving even closer to getting this lease,” he said. “We are seeing the motion forward so my board of directors and I have decided it is time, because we are getting very excited about the lease coming, we decided it is time to push the idea of wanting to know more about the Academy School history.”

Dillner said they are looking for information about the school and the building from the community.

“We want stories, photos, archives, things like that that people would be interested in sharing with us so that we could start to build the story about the building, what it has been,” he said.

As the review process begins, the SAA is continuing to fundraise for the project.

Dillner confirmed the SAA is still hoping to sign a lease with the town by late spring 2016.