An architectural rendering shows the front of a new building envisioned in downtown Talent for Talent Maker City.
Rendering courtesy of Arkitek
By TONY BOOM for the Rogue Valley Times Sep 4, 2023 Updated Sep 4, 2023
A $2.5 million fundraising campaign has been launched by Talent Maker City to pay for construction of the group’s 8,000-square-foot center in downtown Talent.
A groundbreaking at the site planned for Saturday was canceled due to smoke. It will now be held during the Talent Harvest Festival Oct. 7. But the day served as a virtual kickoff for the two-year campaign with sales of limited-edition T-shirts and hats.
“We’ll be tapping into the community, foundations, meeting with large donors,” said Allison French, TMC executive director. The new space is needed as the organization has seen a growth in demand for classes and workshops, space for makers to do projects and an expansion of staff.
The building will be in the 100 block of Talent Avenue, a site where small commercial buildings burned during the Almeda Fire. The TMC space, along with the Malmgren Garage restoration next door, will be the first commercial spaces developed in downtown Talent since the fire.
Chris Brown of Arkitek in Ashland created the building’s design. A contract has been signed with Outlier Construction to build the facility. The construction manager/general contractor system will be used, with the builder working closely with the architect and a subcommittee of board members, which include Gil Livni of Magnolia Fine Homes. That team will do value engineering to help keep costs low.
“We want to make sure that it fits Talent. It’s hopefully going to bring people into the downtown,” said French. Programs and workshops at the present site already attract residents of Klamath Falls and Grants Pass.
TMC worked with the city’s Architectural Review Committee to come up with a building that reflects Talent’s historical heritage. City codes call for that, but they were designed more to protect historical buildings and enhance them, not to cover new construction, which was brought on by the fire, said historian George Kramer, who helped formulate the codes.
Kramer and Brown met with the review committee to see what could be done with a submitted design. Brown willingly cooperated with the board to make change that reflected the goals, said Kramer.
“The final design may resemble a little building that had been added onto over the years,” said Kramer. “It’s designed to look like a rural, agricultural building.”
The design will add more space than the original 6,000-square-foot structure announced last year. Included will be a raised portion in the center section.
“We will put in a mezzanine above the offices,” said French. “We could have community meetings there for others, like local nonprofits.”
TMC already had obtained $1.9 million toward the $4.4 million project cost. A state grant of $1.8 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was secured with help from District 5 state Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland. In addition, the Oregon Community Foundation has committed $100,000 to the effort.
The bulk of the $2.5 million sought in the capital campaign will be used to finish the building. But funds are also earmarked for big-ticket items including a higher-powered laser engraver, a water jet cutter and a large CNC machine, which uses preprogrammed computer software for machining metal and plastic parts. Talks are underway with a local bank to secure a construction loan.
TMC added its first full-time development coordinator this year, bringing on Nina Gerona. Previously, development was combined with community engagement.
TMC is currently in 3,700 square feet of leased space in downtown Talent about two blocks away from the new location. The new building will bring additional space for classes, work sites and storage.
The organization has three full storage spaces and is filling a fourth with items that will be in the new structure. Donations of materials and equipment are turned away due to a lack of storage.
TMC has grown in the past year with more offerings, more staff and an enlarged board of directors. Besides activities at the Talent location, the organization also goes out to offer classes. Groups that use TMC instructors include the Phoenix-Talent School District, the Maslow Project, Logos Public Charter School and Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection.
“We are hoping that the building generates curiosity in the trades. We want to make it a learning experience,” said French. Some walls will be Plexiglas instead of drywall so visitors can see how things are put together. Formulas for concrete will be stamped into the floor.
TMC plans to exceed ADA standards to assist clients, said French. Wheelchair-charging stations, high-tech wheelchair lifts, additional ADA ramps and accessible tools and equipment will be incorporated.
Solar panels, repurposed and reclaimed materials, native plants and drought-tolerant landscaping will be included. The building will not use natural gas. Hard outdoor surfaces will be decomposed granite as an alternative to petroleum-based asphalt.
The site has been flattened out and fill dirt brought in, but no other work will begin unit the city issues permits for construction. Fencing should go up around the site in early October when work will begin on infrastructure. A September 2024 completion date is envisioned.
A Rube Goldberg machine with fantastic technology is being built and will be featured at the October groundbreaking, said French. More information can be found at talentmakercity.org.