Update on the New Community Makerspace Building!
Below is an article that was printed in the Talent News & Review in June ‘24. Images are added for this website version
You may have seen the new construction happening downtown at 109 Talent Ave — across the street from The Talent Club and next door to the Malmgren Garage! We want to fill you in on the progress and answer all of your questions since this will be YOUR community makerspace!
Talent Maker City has been making things with our community since 2016. We’re currently operating out of our shop at 304 E. Main Street (right next to the amazing Grotto Pizzeria).
We are equipped with innovative tools and equipment so that you can make almost anything with us. Thanks to many foundations and generous donations, we have woodworking, ceramics, screenprinting, metalsmithing, sewing, 3D printing, laser engraving/cutting, bicycle repair and maintenance, and CNC machining equipment available to our community.
We are wrapping up workshops at our current location as we roll into Summer and partner with the Phoenix-Talent Schools for our youth programs. Construction on our new building is very close to being completed. In the fall, we will have a full list of workshop offerings for adults as well as a robust youth programming calendar.
Our current space in Wagner Plaza is 3,700 square feet and our new space is just a little over 8,000 square feet — we’re doubling the square footage and doubling the fun!
WHAT is Talent Maker City and what does Talent Maker City do?
Talent Maker City is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit makerspace working to build a more connected, prosperous, and resilient community through hands-on creativity and innovative, STEAM-based learning. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math)
Through our education programming we engage and ignite student interest in STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) through hands-on projects like robotics, woodworking, 3D printing, and design. We support students to pursue career pathways most needed to support our community’s rebuilding efforts. In 2023, we served over 1,300 youth in our programs. We partner with Phoenix-Talent Schools, Maslow Project, Juvenile Justice, Logos charter school, Boys and Girls Club, B.A.S.E. (Black Alliance for Social Empowerment) and more. We conduct innovative, hands-on, programming throughout Jackson and Josephine Counties.
Our creative collaborations provide opportunities for businesses and nonprofits to make their own merchandise and bring all kinds of ideas to the makerspace.. Last year we partnered with Sweet Beet Station to screenprint their staff aprons. Kimber and Dave from Art Bob Beer Co learned how to use the lathes in our woodshop and they custom turned their own walnut tap handles for their brewery. Cerberus Coffee made custom signage on our laser engraver. The folks from Naumes Suncrest Winery screenprinted wine totes and 3D printed custom tap handles for their wine kegs. And - those are just our local Talent friends! Last year we served over 14 businesses with technical and skill-sharing support! In our new space we will continue to serve the economic revitalization of Southern Oregon for many years to come.
Our nonprofit partnerships allow us to amplify the work other organizations are doing here in Southern Oregon when we work alongside them. Working with Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection we conducted wheelchair maintenance and repair workshops. We partnered with Coalición Fortaleza for Dia de Los Muertos family workshops and Rise Up Rebuild Workshops. We partnered with SOU’s Native American Student Union and All My Relations as they used the space to print tote bags for Powwow, make quilt pieces for elders, and custom laser ornaments to be sent to tribal members across the country. We partnered with Maslow Project to support homeless youth with bicycle repair workshops. In 2023, we partnered with over 25 nonprofits and that list continues to grow.
In 2023 we served 1,152 adults in our community workshops, nearly tripling the amount we served the year before. We are growing to meet the demands of our community!
Finally, we will continue to serve as a community organization ready to respond in case of future emergencies. Our close partnerships with local residents and nonprofits set us up to help in a time of crisis - and our new building design will allow us to be an additional local resource.
WHERE will I park while using the new makerspace?
So many people have asked us about parking in downtown Talent! How many people will this new, bigger space bring into town and where the heck are they going to park? TMC purchased this particular piece of property with just this in mind. We wanted to be conveniently located along the RVTD bus route so that everyone could have access. There is public parking available on Talent Ave, Valley View, Market Street, and on Sieber Street behind the Camelot. Will this be enough? We don’t know - but this will be something we monitor closely with the City of Talent. Many of us live and work here so we’ll be riding our bikes, walking, or taking the bus when we can.
WHY is the building so big?
Our original design for the new building was close to 6000 square feet. When we went through the planning process with the City of Talent, we were reminded that the new building is in Talent’s Historical District and would require approval by the Architectural Review Committee. After consulting with local historian George Kramer, the design of the building changed to better represent the old Feed Store that was located downtown in the early 1900s. The new, agreed upon design raised the roof and raised our square footage to 8,000! We love the new design but it did make the building larger so we plan to use that upstairs space, complete with a lift for accessibility, for meeting space for us and for our community partners - and for much needed additional storage.
How is the building being paid for?
In January of 2022, Talent Maker City received $1.8M in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. These initial funds helped us purchase the property and work through all the pre-planning phases of construction with our architects, engineers, and general contractor. We are currently conducting a capital campaign to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the building. The overall project will cost $4.4M. We are actively writing grants, working directly with foundations, and seeking out community support to secure the remaining funds. Our community really showed up to support us at our Maker Mixer Bid-athon we had on April 20th in the new building. Over 200 people showed up to celebrate and donate to this new community space.
The answer to this question could also be: “you!” We have a wall designated in the lobby of the new space to honor those who give to this building project. Every donation over $10 gets your name on our wall and every donation gets us closer to our goal! Visit talentmakercity.org/donate to be a part of Talent’s future.
WHEN will construction be completed and WHEN will TMC move into the new space?
We are working with Arkitek Design and Outlier Construction on this project. Planning started 2 years ago and continues today. Every step of the way they have been ensuring the design meets our needs and that construction is on time. Everything from pre-ordering supplies to avoid shipping delays to strategically planning the sidewalk installation so that the siding can easily be installed using the scissor lifts. Outlier has worked closely with every subcontractor, helping us secure some in-kind material donations so that we can keep the project within budget.
Right now, the project is estimated to be completed ahead of time this summer so that we can move in and be ready for a grand opening this Fall!
This means that we will be closing down our Wagner Plaza location to begin the moving process. We are wrapping up our last workshops in our current location.
WHAT is the story of that siding?
We made every effort to have the building align with our values and with our environment. The siding on the lower half of the building is corrugated metal. It was donated to the project from S & S Metals. We were told it is over 70 years old and it came from an old Timber Mill Barn located in Willamina, Oregon. We love that we are able to repurpose it and that it is metal! Along with fire-resistant landscaping, the siding is part of our efforts to harden the property against wildfire.
What is happening to our current location?
Our current location at 304 E. Main Street will be available to rent! You can reach out directly to Jack Latvala via email: jacklatvala@gmail.com to find out more information. Thankfully, we will be just a stone’s throw away from our beloved neighbors in Wagner Plaza.
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about us. If you have more questions or just want to learn more, you can reach out to makeit@talentmakercity.org or you can follow us on social media @Talentmakercity or check out our website: www.talentmakercity.org