We are a Community Center that hosted over 3,000 meetings and events in 2018. We have four community rooms that can handle groups from 2 to 300 people.

We are an organizational incubator and home to 26 nonprofit organizations, 7 artists, and 2 small businesses that rent office space at affordable rates. Several organizations started here and grew into larger off-site spaces, including True Nature, Carbondale Arts, Ascendigo, Coventure have moved to expand into bigger spaces in Carbondale.

Over 100 people work at the Third Street Center. This number has increased from 40 when we opened in 2010. Third Street has two full-time staff.

We are regional hub for meetings and services. Community impact organizations based at Third Street Center offer direct services to individuals and families across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys – improving the lives of thousands of people.

Third Street Center tenants work on almost every important issue facing our region – climate change, senior services, food safety, youth mentoring, health insurance, energy efficiency and renewables, education, business development, and mental health – making Third Street Center a place of creative exchange and a solution incubator for the larger region.

We are a self-supporting nonprofit organization. Office leasing, space rental and individual contributions make our $500,000 annual budget possible. We receive no funding from the Town of Carbondale.

Third Street Center repurposed the old Carbondale Elementary School, an initiative resulting from the Town of Carbondale’s 2007 Economic Road Map Process. Third Street Capital Campaign raised $2M to help renovate the facility into a community center. An additional $2.5M in financing was secured from Alpine Bank due to Town support. The Center opened in June 2010.

100% of our electrical energy needs come from on-site solar power. We generate more electricity than we need and put the extra clean electricity back on the grid. We are one of the most energy efficient buildings in the region, with many sustainable design features added when the building was upgraded to become Third Street Center. We are working on strategies to reduce our natural gas use and become a net zero building.

We have embarked on a second phase of improvements that were identified but not completed during the origination renovation. After nine years of operation, we also have some ideas for improving the facility to meet community needs. Recent renovations include upgrading restrooms and adding windows in the old gym. We are moving towards upgrades in our parking areas and increasing clean energy production.

Stoneworks Masonry taking a donut break while cutting windows into old the Gym

Third Street Center is more than a building. We currently are the coordinator for the Carbondale Revolving Loan Fund and serve as the fiscal agent for a number of community efforts and start-up nonprofits including Roaring Fork Cycling and the Youth Water Leadership Project. We also organize and host trainings to strengthen nonprofits, help coordinate the regional Colorado Gives Day effort, and actively participate in regional discussions on affordable housing solutions.