Project Updates
 

November 18, 2009

Carbondale nonprofit center moves closer to capital goal


John Stroud
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado

CARBONDALE, Colorado - Carbondale's Third Street Center is well on its way toward a nearly $1.9 million capital campaign goal, as work continues to convert the former school building into an energy-efficient home to more than two dozen nonprofit organizations.

To date, the project has received gifts and pledges totaling $1.25 million, including several government grants and a $100,000 challenge grant from the Gates Family Foundation, plus a variety of other foundation and individual grants.

The final phase of construction began this week, with a projected completion date of next May. The public is invited to an informal open house and groundbreaking celebration on Dec. 3 at 4:30 p.m.

The 45,100-square-foot former Carbondale Elementary School building will eventually become home to between 20 and 30 organizations that are now scattered throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, according to Colin Laird, interim executive director for the Carbondale Community Nonprofit Center, the organization formed to head up the project.

"Now that we're starting the final phase of construction, we want to remind people that we're still working toward our fundraising goal, which we hope to meet by next summer," Laird said Tuesday.

About half of the center's space has already been leased to tenants, including Mountain Valley Developmental Services, Solar Energy International, Sustainability Center of the Rockies, the Wilderness Workshop, and YouthZone.

Already operating out of a portion of the building that is complete is the Senior Matters center, which offers a variety of programs and a meeting place for local senior citizens.

The Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities (CCAH) plans to coordinate a variety of gallery shows, performances and community gatherings in the center's "Round Room."

"We are excited about the spirit and energy that will be created by all of the tenants," said CCAH Executive Director Ro Mead. "I believe the entire community will reap the benefits of the Third Street Center."

Government grants to help complete the project include $500,000 from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, $135,000 from Garfield County and $100,000 from the town of Carbondale.

Among the foundation donors is the Aspen Community Foundation, which also plans to establish a downvalley office at the Third Street Center.

"The Third Street Center is designed to foster a synergistic exchange of ideas and resources among nonprofits that in turn supports programs of lasting relevance and value for our community," said Tamara Tormohlen, the foundation's executive director. "This made the center an outstanding fit from a funding standpoint."

Other funding entities included the Environment Foundation, the El Pomar Foundation and The Manaus Fund, which provided predevelopment funding. Alpine Bank also provided a construction loan and mortgage secured by bank qualified tax-exempt bonds.

The project came about last fall when a land swap between the town and the Roaring Fork School District Re-1 put the school property in the town's hands. The town subsequently agreed to a renewable 49-year lease for the Third Street Center.

The idea was to provide long-term, affordable rental space for nonprofit organizations, artists and small businesses under one roof with shared spaces, such as a conference room and break area.

The remodeled building also has a variety of green design features, including a rooftop solar photovoltaic electric system.

Laird said another $300,000 in grant proposals for the project are still pending.

jstroud@postindependent.com

September 10, 2009

Third Street Center pulling in tenants; but looking for more

By Jeremy Heiman

It's a popular place. Dozens of nonprofit organizations are lining up for space in the Third Street Center. But what the project really needs is renters willing and able to take on the commitment of a long-term lease.

Project coordinator Sara Plesset said that spaces are still available at the nonprofit center in the former Carbondale Elementary School building, though numerous organizations have paid deposits to get onto a waiting list. Several have signed long-term leases for spaces in the building and the numbers are growing. The center will open in spring 2010

"We're leasing the long-term spaces now," Plesset said. "By the time we open the doors we'll be filled."

Nonprofits that have already signed long-term leases include Sustainability Center of the Rockies (SCoR), Mountain Regional Housing Corporation, Wilderness Workshop, Healthy Mountain Communities, Mountain Valley Developmental Services, Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, Solar Energy International (SEI), and Youth Zone. More groups are in lease negotiations, including Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Aspen Community Foundation, A Spiritual Center, Lift-Up, and Crystal River Ballet School.

According to information provided by the Third Street Center, space is being offered to nonprofits at about half the going rate locally. Because of high property values in the Roaring Fork Valley, there's a great deal of pent-up demand for low-cost rental space. Some groups need a place right away.

"We actually have people calling us every day wanting space, but we don't have any more right now," Plesset said.

The Third Street Center is crawling with activity. Contractors are hard at work on a renovation that encompasses almost the entire building.

Plesset said the work that remains to be done includes replacing of the boilers, upgrading the mechanical system, insulation work, the last phase of asbestos removal, and installing of a solar hot water system for heating and domestic hot water.

Though there's immediate demand for space, most of the building is still empty. But three organizations have already occupied spaces in the old school under short-term leases. Mountain Valley Developmental Services, Senior Matters and SEI are now using spaces that will be renovated after the rest of the building is done.

Current renters satisfied

SEI's business manager, Sandy Pickard, said the temporary classroom space at the Third Street Center is just what the renewable energy education organization needed.

SEI has been growing exponentially for the past five years, she said, and the majority of SEI's classes are now held in Paonia. High costs in the Roaring Fork Valley have made it difficult to expand here.

At the old school, SEI will offer a building science class that explores the ways buildings can be improved through energy efficiency and renewable energy features.

"This just seems to be a natural fit," she said. "This building is the perfect example."

SEI has been a close partner in the development of the project, Pickard said, and SEI is happy about the prospect of being in a building that houses other nonprofits, is a community project, and is exemplary in its use of renewable energy.

Also happy to be in the building is Amanda Emerson, director of enrichment for Mountain Valley Developmental Services. The Glenwood Springs-based agency provides opportunities for developmentally disabled citizens to live more useful and interesting lives.

Mountain Valley has one permanent space and will soon have a second space
as well.

Currently, Emerson said, the space is used to provide education and enrichment services to clients who cannot work or who choose not to work.

The space is also a base for outings to such destinations as the farmers' market and parks and natural areas.

"It's wonderful," Emerson said. "It's working very well for us."
 

Sign up for the gym, kitchen

Project coordinator Plesset said it's important that prospective tenants sign leases soon, not only to reserve the spaces, but also because periodic drafts from construction loan funds hinge on getting legal commitments from tenants.

The gym, cafeteria and industrial kitchen still need work, for example. But commitments are needed in order to fund those renovations, too. Plesset said leasing those spaces has proved tricky. Because of their size, they will no doubt need to be divided among several tenants.

The kitchen might be rented hourly, she said, or become part of a building cafe. The gym might be rented in evening-long slots, or might be rented by for physical activity classes at lunchtime.

"But we need people to step up now and say they're interested in that space," Plesset said. "That will determine the scope of the remodel."

For more information, log on to thirdstreetcenter.net

Though it's still under renovation, a handful of nonprofits are getting ready to move into the Third Street Center, and a few have moved in already. Photo by Jane Bachrach

June 6, 2009

Lights on at Third Street Center

Even as the community was wondering where the stolen panels from the rec. center had gone, a new solar system came on line in Carbondale last week. The solar array at the Third Street Center was officially activated last week. It is expected to provide a little less than half of the total energy used by the facility once it's fully occupied. Sol Energy, the company that designed and installed the system at the Carbondale rec. center, also designed the 52 kW Third Street system.
 

Pictured:
Ken Olson, Mike Bouchet, Marco Guevara, Kris Lathrop, Amanda Emerson, Andi Korber, Colin Martin (hidden), Kevin Lundy, Katharine Rushton, Jeff Quakenbush, Robin Scher, Anibal Guevara, Jeff Dickinson, Spencer Schacter and Gavin Brooke. Photo by Jane Bachrach

April 2, 2009

Third Street Center planner keeping tabs on availability of federal funds

By Trina Ortega

Sara Plesset has been waiting. She inquires nearly every day but is still awaiting word on when green projects can apply for some "green" from the federal stimulus package.

Plesset is the project coordinator for the Third Street Center in Carbondale and while she waits, she is doing her research and getting all of her data straight so she can be ready to apply for funds that will be granted through the $787 billion American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

"We are definitely going to put in a proposal. But the application hasn't even come out yet. We're all just waiting," Plesset said from her office at Land+Shelter.
 

The Governor's Energy Office (GEO) will be issuing request for proposals for best use of the recovery monies, but has not received final figures from the federal Department of Energy, according to GEO media relations manager Todd Hartman.  

"Any entity that believes it has the ability to meet the requirements laid out in the RFP will be welcome to apply, including nonprofits, the private sector and cities/counties," he said.

Renovations are well under way at Third Street Center, which is located at the old Carbondale Elementary School. It will include a photovoltaic system that is expected to produced 52.8 kilowatts, making it an energy-efficient, innovative site for a number of the valley's nonprofits.

It is also "shovel-ready."

That lets Plesset check off one item that is sure to be on the eligibility list.

She also has been checking the GEO's economic recovery Web site, www.colorado.gov/energy/recovery, that provides a to-do list for interested applicants.

Hartman says Plesset's plan of attack is on target. With requirements, deadlines and funding amounts yet to be announced, one of the quickest ways to learn about updates will be through the GEO Web site, he said.

"I would encourage interested parties to pay close attention to our Web site and sign up for our e-newsletters, also available on our Web site, to stay abreast of opportunities around the [Recovery Act] and the GEO," Hartman said.

With Gov. Bill Ritter"s aggressive New Energy Economy initiative, Colorado has been "in the eye of the hurricane," according to said Sam Mamet, executive director of the Colorado Municipal League, an advocacy organization for cities and towns.
 

"This one, in my opinion, has the most intriguing and significant impacts for the state and for local governments because it's a lot of money . . . Gov. Ritter owns this," Mamet said.   

The funding will be available for a range of conservation and sustainability projects. Carbondale, therefore, should capitalize on its green innovations, he said.

Plesset agrees and thinks the center will be competitive. She noted that the remaining remodel work at the center can bring upwards of 100 jobs in construction.

According to Hartman, "large sums" of money will be directed toward weatherization/energy efficiency work, as well as renewable energy. Money will also likely be directed to training, workforce development, and research and development.
 

November 07, 2008

Carbondale, school district complete land swap
Nonprofit center moves closer to reality

Contributed report
The Valley Journal

The town of Carbondale and the Roaring Fork School District recently completed the land swap that clears the way for the renovation of the old Carbondale Elementary School into a nonprofit center.

The land swap, which has been in the works for a couple of years, trades the elementary school site with an undeveloped parcel next to the new Roaring Fork High School.

The Third Street Center, a 501c3 nonprofit set up to specifically to renovate the elementary school into a green, multi-tenant nonprofit center, has also signed a 49-year master lease with the town to manage the new center.

"It's a great day. We are excited to have completed this land deal with the school district and look forward to moving ahead on the creation of the nonprofit center," Carbondale Mayor Michael Hassig said.

Over the next year, the Third Street Center board and development team will work to renovate the school for local regional nonprofit organizations at a reduced lease rates. To that end, the Third Street Center board has selected B+H General Contractors as the contractor for the remodel.

"The closing between the school district and the town is a real milestone for this project," said development team member Gavin Brooke of Land + Shelter. "With B + H as the contractor, the entire project is ramping up."

The Third Street Center is currently working with interested nonprofit organizations to sign leases and has created some early leasing opportunities in the old school. The pre-development financing is being provided by The Manaus Fund with construction and permanent financing provided by Alpine Bank.

"Some organizations are desperate for space," said Brooke, "so we are doing our best to create some temporary space in a portion of the building despite the fact that we will be heading into construction over the winter. This project has taught everyone to be adaptable."

The Center is also advertising for people with leasing, property management and capital campaign expertise to join the development team. To learn more visit the Third Street Center website at www.thirdstreetcenter.net.

October 16, 2008

Elementary school building deal authorized

By Jeremy Heiman
The Valley Journal

After months of meetings behind closed doors, the town of Carbondale and the Roaring Fork School District are ready to close a real estate deal involving the old Carbondale Elementary School building and the former North Face property at the south end of town.

The town will own the former school building, and the district will get possession of a piece of the former North Face property formerly owned by the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, located at the Meadowood Drive entrance to the new Roaring Fork High School. The trustees will need to finalize a lease with Roaring Fork Community Development Corp., the group that will redevelop the old CES building to serve as a base for nonprofit organizations.

The nonprofit center will be governed by a board of directors with seven members, said town attorney Mark Hamilton, and the trustees will be allowed to select one board member. The tenants, the nonprofit organizations that will populate the building, will be allowed three members on the board, he said.

Trustee John Foulkrod argued that the tenants should not be allowed three members, because, although they would not be a majority, they could still control the agenda in board meetings, and lock in a certain group of organizations, to the exclusion of others.

Gavin Brooke, an architect and a representative of Roaring Fork Community Development Corp., argued that more tenants should be allowed on the board because they would be more deeply invested in decisions than anyone else.

Trustee Stacey Bernot agreed, pointing out that Carbondale has only a limited number of people who are willing to become involved in such things as board membership.

"The people who will be most concerned about how this operates are the tenants," she said.

Mayor Michael Hassig said he doesn't think it's likely that nonprofit representatives on the board of directors would act as a bloc.

Hamilton said that the current economic climate brought some uncertainty into the financing of the remodel of the building, but he thought funding still would be available.

Brooke said he has been in contact with Alpine Bank periodically and is still confident that Alpine would be able to finance the project through bonding, as previously discussed. The bonds would be issued with a 25-year maturity schedule.

The trustees approved a motion authorizing Mayor Hassig to sign the closing documents.

Closing is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 21.

August 28, 2008

Nonprofit Center transformation expected to begin soon

Jeremy Heiman
The Valley Journal

Remodeling work to turn the old Carbondale Elementary School at Third Street and Capitol Avenue into an energy-efficient nonprofit center can commence in September, if all goes well.

Colin Laird, director of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation, said he expects a land exchange between the Roaring Fork School District and the town of Carbondale will take place in mid-September, putting the building in the hands of the town.

A recent zoning action by the town split the school building and surrounding land off from the larger school campus, so that the land swap could take place.

Now, the nonprofit center project can proceed separately from the school district's longer-term plans to develop teacher housing on the larger site.

Laird, who is also executive director of Healthy Mountain Communities, said a separate non-profit organization, governed by a board of directors, will hold a lease on the building, which is being called the Carbondale Community nonprofit Center, or C3. Openings on that board are currently being filled. The building will be owned by the Town of Carbondale.

The group working on the nonprofit center has filed an application to the federal government for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, Laird said, and is working out financial details of the project. They already have financing commitments from Alpine Bank, he said.

Laird said 25 to 30 nonprofit groups have expressed interest in relocating to the building and put down a deposit. RFCDC has begun to negotiate lease terms with some, he said. A selection committee will be formed in the fall to determine which groups are the best fit for the nonprofit center, because the number of applicants is expected to be greater than the number of available spaces. Laird said that is job that must be taken seriously.

"We're not trying to exclude anyone," he said.

Earlier plans for the building called for a small business incubator. Laird said plans for that feature are not as advanced as other aspects of the project. RFCDC is still in discussion with the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, though.

"There's still a placeholder for it," Laird said. "It could be a component of the  final building."

When the land swap is complete, the elementary school building will stand on a parcel of approximately 2.7 acres. The building itself measures about 45,000 square feet, and will have about 35,000 square feet of leaseable space, Laird said. The remainder is common areas, including hallways and a community room.

Lots of work ahead
From the time the land swap is completed, Laird said, it may be as much as a year before the building can be opened to prospective tenants. Asbestos remediation, energy efficiency improvements and remodeling all will take time.

"All this is predicated on the swap happening," Laird said. "This (land swap) is the first big milestone."

Major structural changes are not planned for the building, Laird said, but some walls may be moved and some ceilings will be raised, partly to help with daylighting. The thermal efficiency of the building's shell will be improved as well.

Heating and cooling systems will need to be adapted to the building's new year-round use, Laird said.

The energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements are somewhat
dependent on budget, Laird said. Many of the changes were suggested in a green design charrette, or brainstorming session held in April, involving 40 architects, Laird said.

"We're going to take the ideas from that and see what we can afford to do," he said.

The project may cost as much as $4 million, Laird said. But most of the items that will drive up the initial cost will drive down the month-to-month operating costs. A photovoltaic system, energy efficient windows and daylighting features are expensive up front, but reduce the cost of operating a building, he said.

Efficiency possibilities are many
Jeff Dickinson, of Energy & Sustainable Design, Inc., who is heading up the architectural work on the project, said final decisions have not been made on most of the energy-saving features for the building. But the wish list is long.

Some of the more basic things high on the agenda are upgrading the
insulation and replacing as many windows as possible with energy-efficient windows. An analysis of the benefits will determine how many windows are replaced, Dickinson said.

The group is also looking into replacing the existing boilers with more efficient models, and adding solar thermal panels to assist the heating system, Dickinson said.

"We may be looking at heat pumps, too," he said. These would use ground source heat to assist the heating and cooling systems. During the winter, the system pumps water or coolant into a loop of pipe in the ground and collects heat from the earth and carries it through the system and into the building. During the summer, the system reverses itself to cool the building by pulling heat from the building, pumping it through the system and leaving it in the ground.

Dickinson said a number of alternative heating and cooling systems are under consideration to be used in a demonstration/education function in the building, to illustrate how they work and how well they perform. The designers are considering several different systems, for example, that take advantage of Carbondale's climate, and especially the greater difference in temperature between night and day.

The light of day
Daylighting features are also being considered, Dickinson said. The architects are considering such improvements as clerestory windows, windows located above eye level for the purpose of allowing more daylight into a room; light tubes or sun pipes, tubes that are often coated with a reflective material on the inside, to bring daylight into a room through a roof; or light monitors, ramp-shaped or wedge- shaped raised areas on a roof, with a window located on the highest side to collect daylight.

The designers are working with Rising Sun Enterprises, Inc., a Basalt lighting consultant that specializes in energy-efficient lighting solutions, and Rising Sun has brought in a daylighting specialist, Dickinson said.

A Living Machine, which is a greenhouse containing plants and
microorganisms that help to treat sewage, is also a possibility for the nonprofit center, Laird said.

One thing that's definite is the solar electric system that is planned for the building. Dickinson said the design group has already received proposals for installation of a 50-kilowatt photovoltaic system that will be mounted on the building.

There are also plans for the initial 50 kW system to be supplemented by anadditional 100 kW of solar panels to be mounted on and around the building, he said.

Looks aren't everything
The look of the building will definitely be changing, and not just due to the addition of all the solar panels and daylighting gizmos. Will Young, a Carbondale architect, is working on the exterior, Dickinson said.

"We're looking at adding a lot of architectural appeal to it," he said. "We'll be adding to the 'wow' factor."

All of the energy efficiency and renewable energy features the building is expected to make the nonprofit center cheap to operate, but the architects working on it hope it will also be a showplace for energy efficiency.

"There's a lot of people excited about the possibilities," Dickinson said.

"Our goal is to have it be a living building," he continued. That's a building that actually gives back energy, rather that consuming it, he explained. He said the architects have goals for reusing materials and minimizing the distance from which new materials are shipped, in order to reduce the total transportation energy required to remodel the old school.

The designers hope to receive recognition for the building's energy efficiency and renewable energy production from the U.S. Green Building Council, which grants LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification to buildings that meet certain standards.

"We'll definitely be following the LEED criteria for this building," Dickinson said.

"Taking it beyond LEED is what this is about."

"This is a complicated project because of all the organizations involved," Laird said. "There are a million things that could have happened to derail it, and it's still going to happen."

He praised the Roaring Fork School District Board and the Carbondale
Trustees for seeing the project through.

"We're going to turn it into something more than what it once was - an
efficient, sustainable nonprofit center," he said.

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 center. One important advantage of being located there is the plans to make the former school building a showplace of energy efficiency and renewable energy.

"CORE sees it as a huge opportunity," Goodson said. "We want to walk our talk."

In addition, Goodson said he thinks being in close proximity to other like-minded organizations will foster the growth of ideas.

"We'll be sharing ideas with each other," he said. At a distance, he said, it's difficult to create partnerships. In a shared facility, however, "You can just pop your head in the door and say 'hello.'"

There's a sort of reciprocal relationship, too, between CORE and the developers of the nonprofit center. The nonprofit center is the recipient of a grant from CORE under the Renewable Energy Mitigation Program. REMP grants are funded by assessing monetary penalties against new developments in the Aspen area that use excessive amounts of energy.

Goodson said that grant money will be well spent because the energy efficient improvements to the old school building may continue to save energy for 30 or 40 years.

SEI needs classroom space

Johnny Weiss, co-founder and executive director of Solar Energy International, which provides education on workshops on solar construction and energy efficiency, is also excited about moving to a remodeled green facility.

"I see it as a very positive opportunity," Weiss said. "We're excited about being in a real world-class nonprofit facility."

"I think the synergy with other nonprofits will be very helpful," he continued. SEI also needs to expand, and the nonprofit center will provide that opportunity.

"We're looking for a space that's better suited to meeting our long-term goals," he said. Those goals include expansion and the need for more classroom space.

Some organizations on the human services side of the spectrum are also interested in the nonprofit center. YouthZone, which provides counseling and programs for adolescents and parents of teens throughout the valley, now has only a temporary presence in Carbondale. The organization has the use of an office for occasional counseling, but has no permanent personnel in town.

"We're hoping to have a permanent office space there," said Evan Zislis, upvalley division manager and spokesperson for the group.

"Carbondale has underutilized YouthZone," he continued. "It's a way for us to have a greater presence in town."

April 25, 2008
 

Nonprofits seek to transform C'dale school into
'living building'

David Frey
Aspen Daily News Correspondent

CARBONDALE - Walking through the hallways of the old Carbondale Elementary School, cluttered with unused shelves and file cabinets, it is hard to imagine the nearly half-century-old schoolhouse as a state-of-the-art green building. That's what a group of nonprofits have in mind, though, as they set about trying to convert the former school into a nonprofit center.

"You walk in and you just smell it - just dust and mold," said Carbondale architect Jeff Dickinson, one of the organizers hoping to bring new life to the old school.

Dozens of local nonprofit representatives and experts in engineering, design, energy use and other fields with a bent toward sustainability gathered in the school on Thursday to take a look at how to turn the aging building into a model of sustainable design.

Their hope is to make it a "living building," a concept that takes sustainable LEED-certified construction to a higher level. Developed by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, a chapter of the group that certifies LEED buildings, the living building challenge asks developers to create super-efficient, zero-energy, zero-water buildings that are pleasing to look at, too.

"We're very challenged," said Carbondale architect Ron Robertson, sitting at a table with others trying to figure out the "beauty and inspiration" component, while other tables tackled elements such as energy consumption and site plans.

"I think all the tables pretty much have an uphill battle," he said.

Much of the school dates back to 1961. Additions came in 1967 and 1988, but none of it was designed with sustainable energy in mind, or architectural beauty, for that matter.

"It kind of points out how far we've come in the past 40, 50 years in the importance of light and spaces," Robertson said.

Where there are dark hallways, organizers want passive solar. Where there are flat, empty roofs, they're thinking about green roofs that could create habitat above the building. Solar panels could generate electricity. Composting toilets could cut down on water use. Water collectors could catch rain and snowmelt - that is, if it weren't against state law. That's a catch that could put the living building challenge out of reach, organizers said, but even if they can't achieve the goal, they hope to come close.

"We are reaching to attain the highest levels that can be done to a reused building like this," said Gavin Brooke, a member of the Carbondale Community Center group, or C3, which formed to spearhead the effort.

The town of Carbondale is in talks with the Roaring Fork School District to buy the building. It would then rent it to C3, which plans to make it available to a variety of nonprofits. Just who that would be remains to be seen, but among those interested are Aspen GrassRoots Television, KDNK radio, Senior Matters, Mountain Valley Developmental Services, Solar Energy International, Wilderness Workshop and others. The Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities is looking for artist studio space. The Carbondale food cooperative is interested in a natural food store. The town is considering holding on to the gymnasium for recreational activities. The school district plans to build affordable housing around the edges of the site.

"It's a trend happening all over the country," said Colin Laird, director of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corp., an offshoot of his organization, Healthy Mountain Communities, which has helped coordinate the effort. "Nonprofits are having a hard time getting space, so they're bonding together."

The goal is similar to the conversion of Aspen's old red- and yellow-brick school houses into nonprofit centers. Aspen, however, had the budget to purchase the buildings and convert them on its own.

"Carbondale can't do it entirely on its own, so they're looking at partnering with nonprofits and a local bank to pull it off," Laird said.

Dickinson led the group on a tour of the school, from classrooms to the boiler room. Blackboards were still on the walls. Small desks were upended. Tiny chairs were stacked. Furniture lined the halls.

"You can see - obviously, no natural light," he said, as he led the group to a dark, musty, round room surrounded by classrooms. "Everybody take a deep breath - or not."

But if the building has a long way to go to meet the group's hopes for sustainability and livability, at least it's there, Dickinson said. From an environmental perspective, they'd rather recycle an existing building than build one from scratch, even if it will mean a lot of work.

"It needs a lot of beauty," he said, "a lot of love."

February 28 - March 06, 2008

CES renovation planning team organizes;
meeting March 6

Valley Journal staff report

The initial members of the newly formed Carbondale Community Center (C3) team - as it is currently being called - met recently to begin overseeing the renovation of the old Carbondale Elementary School (CES) into what is envisioned to be a green, affordable community nonprofit center.

As the center becomes more established, additional board members will be added, including tenant representatives.

"This is a critical piece toward the renovation of the old school," said Colin Laird, director of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation (RFCDC). "We wanted to get some key players who will make this a successful project."

Laird said that meetings with prospective tenants will hopefully come up with a better name for the nonprofit center. Laird also said that there has been a strong interest among tenants so far in the process. Laird estimates that about 25 to 30 potential tenants have come forward expressing interest in locating in the facility.

"It's exciting to see how this project has come together," said C3 board member and town trustee Stacey Bernot. "It's a project with a lot of moving parts that have yet to be finalized, but we are moving in a great direction."

The CES renovation is a joint effort between the town of Carbondale, the Sustainability Center of the Rockies (SCoR) and the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation. SCoR and RFCDC are nonprofit organizations that have teamed up on the project because of their interests in making the new facility green and affordable.

"The current building has parts that are over 40 years old, low ceilings and dark interior spaces," said SCoR/CDC development team member Jeff Dickinson of Energy and Sustainable Design. "We've learned a lot about how to make buildings more efficient and more enjoyable places to work in. Upgrading an old building creates a great model for sustainable design."

The Carbnondale Elementary School renovation is part of a complicated land swap and development application with the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD). The school district is subdividing the larger school campus property, which is currently home to both the old elementary school and the current middle school, to enable affordable housing, with teachers being given priority.

The non-profits center would be established in the old CES building, and Bridges High School, the Computers for Kids organization, and other school district support services are slated to move into the middle school building once the former Roaring Fork High building on Snowmass Drive is ready for the middle school to make its move.

"Collaborative, public-minded development projects almost always take longer than you expect," said Gavin Brooke of Land and Shelter and another member of the development team. "What has been so exciting and encouraging is how many partners have already committed to making the project a success."

In addition to the town, which has supported the initial planning for the project, the Manaus Fund (which focuses on socially entrepreneurial projects) has agreed to finance the pre-development component of the project. And Alpine Bank is working to help finance the construction.

More than 25 organizations, from arts and environmental organizations to senior and recreation programs, have shown interest in the project and committed a $500 deposit.

The exact timeline for renovation and occupancy depends on the timing of subdivision approval and land swap, which is currently in the planning stages after the town approved a zoning plan last fall.

Bridges High School is also temporarily using CES until June. In the meantime, the SCoR/CDC development team is getting the pieces in place to get construction rolling this year.

"We have a lot of contracts to negotiate, architectural drawings to complete, additional funds to raise, and discussions to have with potential tenants over the next four to five months," said Dickinson. "The exact timeframe is not as clear as we want it to be at this point, but the critical path to complete the project is. The new facility will be another jewel for the Carbondale community."

With the new board formed, the CES planning will continue with a community meeting and discussion open to the public on March 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Carbondale Community Center (old Carbondale Elementary School). To attend the meeting, RSVP to Andi Korber at 963-0201.

July 12 - July 19, 2007

Nonprofits center plans moving ahead

By Gina Guarascio

Carbondale trustees voted on Tuesday to enter into an agreement with the Sustainability Center of the Rockies and the newly formed Roaring Fork Community Development Corp. to help manage the old Carbondale Elementary School building as a nonprofits center and small business incubator.

The two nonprofits will act on behalf of the town to work through details of what SCoR's Gavin Brooke calls "an incredible community asset."

The town authorized $22,500 for SCoR and the CDC to perform pre-development services. Those services include things like creating a rate structure for the tenants of the building, meeting with potential tenants and making a recommendation whether the spaces will be for sale or lease, researching financing and fundraising options as well as an estimate of total costs to bring the building up to code and make desired aesthetic and efficiency improvements.

The town also approved $31,100 for local architect Jeff Dickinson, whose firm Energy and Sustainable Design was chosen to perform architectural services on CES in June.

And up to $10,000 was allocated to enable local consultants Joani Matranga and Bob Schultz to continue the services they have provided for the town until the project can be fully turned over to the SCoR/CDC team.

The money for the services comes from the town's general fund, where $100,000 was budgeted in 2007 for work at CES.

Meanwhile, the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission is reviewing a rezoning request for the entire 14.2-acre school site, which includes the old CES building as well as the land surrounding the former Carbondale Middle School building. The CMS building itself will become home to Bridges High School and other school district programs.

The rezoning and subdivision of the property need to take place before the town can take ownership of the approximately 2.9 acres that includes the old CES building. The town is in the process of trading the Roaring Fork School District for the town-owned land near the new Roaring Fork High School, in exchange for CES, which it plans to turn into the Carbondale Community Nonprofit Center.

P&Z starts the land use process with a public hearing on Thursday, July 12. The proposed rezoning will change the site from School Facilities, Recreation and Open Space, to School, Community Facility, Residential, Recreation and Open Space. The new zoning will create several different zone districts for medium- and possibly high-density housing on the site.

"It's designed for affordable housing," said Carbondale Town Manager Tom Baker of the residential component of the site. "The middle school and the playing field will remain open space, there are small parcels created along Sopris Avenue and Third Street. There's the CES parcel and a parcel to the south as well."

Baker said there will be seven smaller residential parcels created with medium density near the existing neighborhoods and higher density internal to the site. There will be a total of 11 different parcels on the property, according to the school district's application.

"It might be going to the trustees at the end of July or early August (for approval)," Baker said. "There could be 50 to 80 affordable units, but it's really conceptual at this point. We need to make sure the roads and intersections can handle the impacts; that's going to drive the density."

The school district will retain ownership of the remaining land and could possibly partner with agencies like the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, the town or the Carbondale and Rural Fire protection District to build employee housing.

Most of the housing would be offered to school staff, as teachers who leave the district often cite the cost of living in the area.

520 South Third Street
Carbondale, Colorado 81623