Danvers Community Access Television (DCAT) is finally all set up in its new home on the second floor of the NorthEast Community Bank building and celebrated the move by holding an open house on Thursday.

Visitors to DCAT’s new home at 87 Elm St. were able to walk through the newly renovated 3,000-square-foot space, which took about five months to complete and is roughly three times the size of the old studio on School Street. The larger space also DCAT to conduct all its operations in one space rather than having separate buildings for the editing suite and studio, which was the case on School Street.

DCAT Board President Bill Cerretani praised the “wonderful work” done by contractors R.C. Griffin Inc. of Peabody, who converted the second floor office space into a studio that would accommodate work flow, a large main studio space, control room, equipment room, editing suite, conference room and lounge area. Robert Farley, an Ipswich architect, designed the space and Ultimate Electronics donated money towards new flat screen TVs for the studio, which boasts all new audiovisual equipment and editing programs. There’s also Wi-Fi in the lounge.

“We wanted an atmosphere that felt both warm and professional. A place where everyone could come and feel relaxed and want to learn,” said DCAT Executive Director Kam Dunn.

The jump in size also allows for a studio audience, which will come in handy during events such as candidate forums, and the conference room is available for reservation by other non-profit groups in town.

“Overall, it’s just a better fit for the community and school groups," said Dunn.

Visitors at Thursday’s open house sounded impressed by DCAT’s new home.

“It is totally awesome. It allows you to do so much more!” said Danvers resident Beth Klemm, excitedly. 

Dunn says DCAT’s mandate is to give the community a voice by creating and sharing local programming that addresses the interests, concerns and events of the community. DCAT also offers various classes; information on those classes and other events can be found online.

In the near future, Dunn hopes to add hi-definition camcorders, laptop editing software and more lighting to the studio, continuing the growth she has been a part of for nearly 22 years at DCAT. Dunn was the sole employee of the studio when it was first run by Nashoba Cable in 1987 and has managed the facility ever since.

“We are going to be able to get a lot more done. Most importantly, we want people to use it as an opportunity to get involved and network – it’s a lot more fun that way,” Dunn said.  

When asked about the studio and her work there, she explains: “Every day is a new creative opportunity. That’s why I love my job.”

If you missed the open house on Thursday, you can stop in Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. to check out the new studio or work on a video project. Public Access Coordinator Dana Frazao also leads online viewers through a tour of the facility at www.danverstv.org.

“You should come down and take a look for yourself to see all the fun,” Frazao says.