 14 gold shovels broke ground for the new home of the Watermark Art Center in Bemidji. Josh Peterson was there and shows us what it will take to transform an old supermarket into an art gallery. It was a day that has been many years in the making. Friends and supporters of the Watermark Art Center gathered today at 505 Bemidji Avenue North to officially kick off the construction of the gallery's new home. Something that is expected to make Bemidji a destination for the arts. This is really proof that we are a place that we are a distinct place and a destination for the arts throughout the state of Minnesota. The Watermark new building kind of proves that point. The structure that the Watermark will call home was a fixture in the downtown Bemidji community for years. The building was home to the former downtown Lukens grocery store. Now that transition begins from supermarket to art gallery. Bones of this building are good. They're here and we can build off of them. The roof is intact. So, you know, we've actually got things in place to move it along well. For Bemidji based Zeta Construction, working on a project like this is an honor. It is truly gonna be a torchlight to Bemidji from the north and south from Paul Bunyan Drive. We're gonna be able, it's gonna showcase through the windows and the lighting, you know, the artistry of this community. So I'm proud, you know, to be part of it and our whole staff is. The project is already on a tight schedule with a grand opening expected to happen sometime this October. However, there is still plenty of work that remains to be done when it comes to fundraising. The goal is $3 million and we're currently at 73% with a 2.1 million over 2.1 million raised. So we do have work to do. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. If you would like to contribute to the Watermark Arts Center project, we've posted a link on our website at lptv.org slash news. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.