Press release Aug. 21/21
The Silverton Co-Work Society has been moving forward in its plans for a multi-purpose community resource centre that will provide workspace for people who need part time office and meeting space, as well as support local food producers, entrepreneurs and community programming. However the project has hit a wrinkle with its initially chosen location and is pivoting to a Plan B.
The development of a local co-work space was originally the brainchild of Danika Hammond, who saw a shared office-style workspace as a way to spur economic development in the area. Co-work spaces allow people to work remotely as freelancers, consultants or in tech-related industries without needing to incur the expense of a full-time office. They also allow those who primarily work from home or with non-profit organizations to have occasional access to some of the perks of an urban-style office, like higher speed internet, private meeting spaces and a peer network.
Hammond spearheaded the formation of the Silverton Co-Work Society in 2018 to further this vision within a non-profit model. The Society began operating a part-time co-work space on rented premises in the former United Church building in Silverton. Plans for procuring a permanent home for the co-work space began to take shape with some seed funding secured in early 2020. Hammond then resigned from the Silverton Co-work Society Board of Directors to avoid a conflict of interest either as a government employee or as a member of the family that owns the Silverton General Store property that was at the time the primary location being considered for the project.
Subsequently in the summer of 2020 the newly augmented board undertook the additional mandate of incorporating a commercial kitchen and food-focused workspace so that local food producers would also have access to an affordable location in which to pursue their livelihoods. The Society currently has six directors, some of whom have a background in food production, some with more of an office and tech background, but all of whom share a vision for a multi-use shared workspace encompassing both realms.
In March 2021 the Society received word that it had been awarded a Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP) grant to include a North Slocan Valley Food Centre in a facility in conjunction with the co-work space. They were able to begin moving ahead with detailed consultations in aid of the expanded multi-purpose project. They drafted an agreement for the use of grant funding to make improvements to a privately-owned building on condition that they receive the full value of those improvements back from the property owner in the form of free or reduced rent over the course of a long-term lease.
Unfortunately the inclusion of a commercial kitchen, which constituted a “change of use” under Building Code regulations, triggered a number of complications at the Silverton General Store site which proved challenging. These went beyond what the Society felt could be accomplished in a fiscally responsible way within the scope of the project; as such they have decided not to pursue the project in that location. It was a difficult decision for the board to make, as the Hammond family enthusiastically supported the workspace vision and had already invested time and money to prepare the building for the project.
The Hammonds still hope that this highly visible heritage building can be redeveloped in some manner, to regain its former importance to the community and enhance economic development in the region.
Community members have expressed concern that the North Slocan Valley Community Food and Co-work Centre project may not proceed, but the Silverton Co-Work Society remains fully committed and is eagerly exploring the possibility of an alternate location. They have not spent any grant funds on renovations to date, and their request for an amendment to the terms of the CERIP grant is pending; if approved it will allow those funds to instead be applied to a new location. The Society is very optimistic at this point and they hope to make an announcement about their Plan B as soon as their re-worked budget and plans are approved by the granting agency.