Finding Common Ground
by MacKenzie Rawcliffe
Just off the Main Street in Farmington, stands a recently refurbished, beautiful brick building that houses a unique blend of non-profit and for-profit organizations. The Church Street Commons is a building that allows several county social service agencies to share space and resources with some innovative new business and community organizations.
The idea began with Bruce Hazard, director of the Mountain Counties Heritage. He was looking for a new space that would help the group establish a more public presence and include space for meetings and exhibits. He found a possible building but realized that there was way more space available than he could use. He began talking with Alison Hagerstrom of the Franklin County Development Corporation, who was also looking for a more accessible site, about possibly sharing the space. That first building did not work out but the two began to think “Gee this is an interesting combination” according to Hazard, and they started looking for more partners from both the non profit and for profit arenas.
They found another building and began the difficult work of getting their new partners to “sign on the dotted line.” Some had to get approval from State agencies and others were trying to move a home business into the public sphere so the hardest part of the process was getting them to commit.
Once things got settled Hazard and Hagerstrom looked around and realized what a unique environment they had created. By bringing so many diverse groups and services together they not only made it easier for consumers to find and use their services, but also made collaboration and conversation among groups easier. Overall, Hagerstrom says it has been a hugely successful endeavor that will hopefully lead to more resource sharing and collaborative projects in the future. For others interested in developing a space like the Church Street Commons the key Hagerstrom says is getting the right people rather than the right organizations. You want the people that will be open to sharing space and resources as well as collaborating across areas, once you have that the organizations and business will fall into place and no one can predict what new and exciting outcomes they will produce.