The Carbondale Community nonprofit Center (C3) project is a joint effort between the Town of Carbondale, SCoR and the RFCDC to renovate the old Carbondale Elementary School into a green facility that maintains affordable space for community and regional nonprofit organizations.

The SCoR/CDC is currently working in pre-development partnership with the Town of Carbondale on the programming, financing, and ownership/management structure for the facility.

Project Overview (PDF)

CES Naming / Branding

Summary Document

Courtesy:

Green Design Charrette
April 24th
Summary Report coming soon

See slideshow

Overview [click for full image]

May 15, 2008
 

Groups lining up for nonprofits center space

Jeremy Heiman
The Valley Journal

With efforts to redevelop the former Carbondale Elementary School proceeding briskly, the demand is growing for space in the building once it is converted into a base for nonprofit organizations.

The project, now known as the Carbondale Community Center, or C3, has a list on its website of about 30 groups that have ponied up a $500 deposit in order to be considered as prospective tenants in the building.

The building is in the hands of the town of Carbondale, thanks to a property swap last year with the Roaring Fork School District [note: the land swap actually has not been completed as of this article]. The Carbondale trustees have invited the Sustainability Center of the Rockies to help with the redevelopment and hired SCoR members Jeff Dickinson and Gavin Brooke, both architects, along with the Roaring Fork Community Development Corp. to create a green development plan for CES.

Local nonprofits that have put down a deposit on space in the yet-to-be redeveloped elementary school site have different reasons for moving there, and different levels of urgency in their desire to do so.

Some are attracted to the idea of working close to other nonprofits and sharing ideas, energy and assets. Others, perhaps victims of local real estate prices, are looking for more affordable digs. Others, such as YouthZone, see the center as an opportunity to have a greater presence in Carbondale. Several are considering the move for a combination of reasons.

CCAH can hardly wait

The Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities is one of those groups hoping the refurbished elementary school is ready sooner rather than later. Ro Mead, executive director of CCAH, said the current Main Street headquarters of her organization is rented and the owner has put the building up for sale, so her organization has little security.

“It could be any day,” Mead said. Moreover, the existing gallery space is too small for teaching programs CCAH would like to do and also too small for some exhibits, she added.

“We can’t do any programs without renting space,” she said.

But perhaps most important, Mead said, the organization is looking forward to being in a space where it can grow, and to being neighbors with other nonprofit organizations such as Solar Energy International and radio station KDNK.

“We really want to build an arts center there,” she said. “We’ll be in the heart of it.”

Steve Skinner, station manager at community access radio station KDNK, said the station hasn’t decided for certain whether its future lies at the former elementary school. KDNK now co-owns its building on Second Street with Solar Energy International. So, making the decision to leave will be difficult.

“We’re waiting to find out if it makes financial sense,” Skinner said.

KDNK may need more room

One thing that would draw KDNK to the nonprofits center would be more room to plan for the future. But whether they jump on board or not, Skinner said the staff and board of directors at KDNK are excited about the possibilities presented by the center.

“All of us at KDNK are totally supportive of the project,” he said. They’re open to various levels of participation, including the possibility of just renting additional studio space.

“We’re definitely excited about it,” Skinner said. “We’ll be involved.”

A local organization that’s not quite so excited about the prospect of moving is the New Century Transportation Foundation, created to advance the cause of resource-efficient mobility choices, currently located in the SAW building. Alice Laird, NCTF director, said her organization is only thinking about the CES site as a place for future expansion.

“The SAW building works perfectly great,” Laird said.

Wilderness Workshop is much less equivocal about the idea of moving into the nonprofits center.

“We’re psyched to be part of the vibrancy that it will create, with all those nonprofits there,” said Sloan Shoemaker, Wilderness Workshop’s executive director.

Further, said Shoemaker, the idea of recycling the CES building is exciting, because it’s essentially a brownfields redevelopment project. Brownfields redevelopment is usually defined as a cleanup and redevelopment of an old industrial site, so CES isn’t quite the same, but it’s better in terms of land conservation than the previous location SCoR had chosen for a nonprofits center and business incubator. SCoR had an undeveloped site near CRMS under contract, but backed away from that plan last fall.

“The idea of greening it and making it more sustainable is really very exciting,” Shoemaker said.

Wilderness Workshop looks at long term

Other reasons come to mind as well for Shoemaker. The Wilderness Workshop’s current location, in a modular building on Main Street, may also be redeveloped at some time.

“We’re looking for long-term stability,” he said. “We’re looking to hunker down somewhere.”

Shoemaker also expects that being in close proximity to other nonprofits will increase his organization’s membership because of increased exposure to like-minded individuals.

And he expects the CES location to be relatively inexpensive, in a town that’s been hit by high rent for office space.

“I don’t see us finding a better deal than what we’ll find there,” he said.

Gary Goodson, director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency, also sees multiple opportunities at the nonprofit cent