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First Friday
the
Sun
Sopris Carbondale’s
weekly, non-profit newspaper
Volume 4, Number 16 | May 31, 2012
ird Street Center turns two, still hitting stride By Judith Olesen Special to The Sopris Sun
T
he Third Street Center turned two years old earlier in May. Two-year-old kids are notoriously uncooperative (thus the label Terrible Two’s). But Third Street Center tenants agree that the opportunity to cooperate and collaborate with other organizations was among the many benefits that convinced them to make their homes in the multi-tenant nonprofit facility. And like two-year-olds, the center’s tenants are active, energetic and enterprising. To celebrate the Third Street Center’s turning two, there will be a birthday part in the Calaway Room from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on June 1. The Third Street Center is a non-profit organization with deep roots in collaboration. A partnership between the town of Carbondale, two local non-profits (Sustainability Center of the Rockies and Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation), a team of design professionals, the Manaus Fund, and Alpine Bank became the foundation for the 18-month effort to renovate the 50-year-old Carbondale Elementary School building. Getting under way in 2008, these diverse constituencies joined together to transform the 45,100-square-foot former school building. The Third Street Center, located at 520 S. Third St., opened its doors to tenants on May 1, 2010. Its mission is to promote community through a multi-tenant, mixed-use facility that provides long-term affordable space for non-profit organizations and that serves as a model of sustainability. “The biggest challenge at the start was raising funds for the renovation,” said Third Street Center Executive Director Jody Ensign. “We were fortunate to receive $2.2 million from foundations, government agencies and generous individuals in the community. However the entire cost of renovation was over $4.7 million, so the center needed to enter into a long-term $2.5 million mortgage with Alpine Bank to pay for all the improvements.” Fundraising remains a challenge. The center’s annual budget is about $608,000. Lease and common area maintenance payments from tenants fund about three-quarters of that amount. The center depends on contri-
In a photo from February 2011, a couple of little ballerinas have some fun. The TSC dance studio is sandwiched between the 3rd Street Café and music/entertainment venue PAC3, and is home to Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Ballet and Ballet Folklorico. Photo by Jane Bachrach butions from community members and grants to raise about $150,000 each year. Ensign said the center has exceeded its ambitious expectations.“Our 40 eclectic tenants include 26 of the valley’s beloved nonprofits, six complementary for-profits, seven artist studios and a community-friendly café serving delicious food. The non-profit programs encompass youth and human services, energy and the environment, community building and the arts.”
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Diverse uses In addition to the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, the center is home to Ballet Folklorico, which provides free afterschool classes for grades 1-12 from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. Year-round, people use the center for purposes ranging from master gardener’s training classes to the Roaring Fork High School prom (held this year at PAC3). The building has also attracted environ-
mental and energy non-profits and businesses: Clean Energy Economy for the Region, Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Green Weaver, SolEnergy, and Solar Energy International. Their location in a sustainable building is prompting these groups to join forces in new ways. Several of the groups cooperate in providing training sessions to help households, the community and the region implement alternative energy resources. In 2012, the center welcomed three new upvalley tenants desiring to expand their outreach in the mid-valley: the Aspen Community Foundation, Aspen Public Radio and the Aspen Writers’ Foundation. Andrew Todd, executive director of Aspen Public Radio, said “In Aspen, we are used to being surrounded by fellow non-profits at the Red Brick Center … . TSC creates the same atmosphere for us here. Additionally, almost all of our growth in membership has occurred in Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, and we felt it was important to have a presence in a community in which we are experiencing a lot of growth.” Community outreach is also the goal behind the establishment of a satellite office by another long-standing Aspen organization. Julie Comins Pickrell, the community outreach consultant for the Aspen Writers’ Foundation, explained: “As the Roaring Fork Valley has grown and changed, it makes sense to grow and change with it. We see both a market and a need for literary programming in the mid- to lower-valley, and believe the area's well-educated, intellectually and culturally curious population is eager to attend programs such as author readings, writing workshops, kids creative writing camps (and more) closer to home.” Mountain Valley Developmental Services, which has been serving individuals with developmental disabilities in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1973, made a home in the center even before the renovation was complete. Among other activities, its participants enjoy drumming and dancing led by Barry Chapman and Laurie Loeb in the Calaway Community Room. Reflecting on the past two years, Ensign said “The Third Street Center embodies the spirit of Carbondale under one roof. … A tired old elementary school once slated for demolition is now a model of green building, a model for others wanting to establish multitenant non-profit centers, and a gathering place for vibrant community activities.”
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