Come to a town meeting (for everybody in Madrid) at the Engine House Theater for more information and discussion of this project.

The Madrid Cultural Projects propose that 7500 square feet of the upper ballpark parking lot should be leased for a Madrid Community Center. It will be developed and maintained by the Madrid Cultural Projects

A Report to the Greater Madrid Community on our Community Center Project

Introduction

The name for this report was carefully chosen. This report is for anyone living along the Turquoise Trail that enjoys being in Madrid and participating in community events here. Of course a community center will have the most impact on Madrid town residents and merchants and they will likely be most involved as we go forward.

The report is written by Bruce McIntosh chair of the MCP Community Center committee with editing from the members of the MCP Community Center Committee and the MCP board.

To very briefly summarize our conclusions we believe that it is time that Madrid has a community owned event center. It can only become a reality though if the community wants it and is willing to contribute to its creation.

Prior Community Centers – History

Madrid has had several de-facto community centers since the ghost town days. Two of these have been active during the 5year period I have been living in Madrid’s outlying area. We feel that it is important to review what went on with these projects, both good and bad, to determine how best to create a new center.

Paul Olsen’s House

In the nineties Paul Olsen opened his home, the original coal company office, to Madrid to serve as a community center. This was before my time here but from discussion with Paul and other community members Paul was forced to close his property as a center because of misuse by a small minority of our residents.

I don’t have any pictures from that period but Paul has continued to sponsor community parties about twice a year so you can get an idea of what the space looked like. (See the pictures at the end of this document.)

The Talking Bridge

In 2005 James Hayes rented the boardwalk gallery that housed the soda fountain and opened it as a combination gallery, soda fountain and community event space. Art events, the Freebox Fashion Show and readings were held there and were very well attended. (See pictures at the end of this report) Unfortunately the gallery was not a commercial success and it closed after about a year.

The Old Madrid Church

Later in 2005 Gail Snyder rented the Old Madrid Church from Kent Black who was at the time working at the Los Angeles Times. Gail had a vision of using the church as a community center and she held several very enjoyable events (see pictures at the end of this report). At the end of 2005 with the Talking Bridge closing Gail wrote a detailed proposal to the community and to Kent. Unfortunately Kent would not permit this use, likely because he knew he was coming back to Madrid soon and would need his home back. The REPORT that Gail wrote was very positive about the uses of a community center and much of her thinking has been incorporated into our plans.

When Gail was offering the church as a community center she sent out a proposal outlining the benefits it could offer to the community. This document is Appendix 1. Rereading this document there is nothing in that document that cannot be accommodated in the proposed center.

Conclusions

Two significant conclusions have been taken from this history.

1. The use of a private space as an ad-hoc community center is unlikely to work better in future than it has in the past due to financial limitations and the conflict between private and public use of the space.

2. A community center must be manned not left open for anytime use. For us this has led to the plan to provide lodging space for a live-in caretaker. The center will be open only when the caretaker is on premises or when a MCP member is present to open it for a specific event or service.

The Planning Process

This report is the result of over 18 months of work by the MCP Community Center Committee. The membership in the committee has been open and several non MCP members have contributed to its work.

We have tried to gather ideas as widely as possible and to revise our plans as new information came in.

Needs Assessment

After a few meetings where we brainstormed ideas about the center we wanted to reach out to the community to see what their ideas were for what a community center should do for the community. A survey was developed listing the committee’s ideas and soliciting comments on them and additional ideas. This was published in the June 1 2006 Madrid Curtsy both in print and email form. The text of that survey is attached as appendix 2.

The response was frankly underwhelming. We could have concluded that the community didn't want a center or that we had done our work well enough in the material presented that the people who read it were satisfied with the direction we were going. Obviously we made the latter interpretation as we have continued and come to this point.

Reports to the Community

One of the early decisions we made was that the community center would best be sited on community (that is MLA and/or Water CO-OP) land. We felt that this has the benefit of reducing the total fund raising needed and that this commitment will show potential donors that the community is willing to contribute.

Starting at the December 06 quarterly meeting and continuing each subsequent quarterly meeting we have made status reports to the MLA on the state of our planning and the involvement we are requesting from the MLA and Water Co-op. We have incorporated the comments at these meetings into the planning process. For example when we presented our proposal to use the Garden Lot as a site for the center we got several well thought out objections and have moved our proposed site to the upper ballpark lot. At the fall quarterly meeting there were objections to the size of the project. We have addressed this by separating the proposal into an initial phase and an optional later phase that would only be approved after phase 1 is completed and working satisfactorily. We did not act on the suggestion that the center be just one large room. We felt that the further work to fund raise and construct such a project would not be worth the very substantial effort and that we would propose a more complete and flexible center.

Current Proposal

From all the inputs and our own discussions we came up with a minimum set of spaces for the center:

1. Great Room approximately 30x55'

2. Kitchen suitable for preparing full meals

3. Library and quiet room

4. Bathrooms meeting ADA requirements

We also decided that the center should be as energy and water independent as possible, incorporating roof catchments for water and passive solar heating to minimize gas and electric consumption in the winter. Potable water will be trucked in. If permitted we will use composting toilets. Otherwise a septic tank and leach field will need to be used. In any case no use of city water is planned.

Designs to address these basic requirements were created by Cathasha Cabriel, Glen Neff and Mike Wright. Meetings were held to incorporate design elements for each to create a composite design. Following that Mel Johnson, a pioneer in environmental building design, adapted the floor plan we decided on to make it more effectively passive solar. The trees are there to shade the south facing windows in the summer to reduce heat gain at that time of year. The photos below are of his model.

Proposed design floor plan

This floor plan contains all of the features we feel are needed.

The main meeting room will be used for parties, community meetings, musical and theater events, large classes etc.

The library room will house the Madrid book collection that has been condensed to contain children’s and travel books. It will contain a computer with fast Internet access and will be the location for such children’s events as readings.

The full kitchen can be used to prepare meals for events.

Bathrooms employing composting toilets will meet ADA design rules.

Security

One theme that has come up repeatedly is that a community center might become a flop house or magnet for drug users.

Our solution to this potential problem is to never leave the center open without supervision and to prohibit drug use anywhere on the premises.

We have provided an upstairs apartment for a live in caretaker. This person will open the center for walk in use during the day. When there are events planned there must be a person who is responsible for the facility present for the full time. This can be the caretaker if arranged with the event leader or can be the event leader if they sign an agreement to see that the rules of the center are obeyed.

Ultimately, since we have no local law enforcement, serious problems will have to be referred to the county for assistance.

Detailed Design

Some community members have demanded detailed cost estimates before favoring granting the land. Unfortunately this presents a chicken and egg problem. Until we have the site and size for the center we can’t undertake the rather substantial detailed design effort necessary to provide exact costs. This level of detail will be required for a fund raising program.

Fortunately we have two people skilled in building design, Mel Johnson and Cathasha Cabrielle, who have volunteered to do the design work needed both to cost and then build our facility. This effort will only commence after the MLA and Water Co-op vote to permit use of the ballpark space.

Income Potential and Ongoing Costs

Funding and building our facility will not be enough. We need to see that its continuing costs of operation are planned for. Our approach to this is to promote the facility for paid outside use.

Since the primary purpose of the facility will be for the benefit of the Madrid community, community uses will always have priority. To assure this, community members will be able to reserve the facility for any time it is open while outside users will only be able to reserve a maximum of two months ahead.

Cathasha has run a facility much like this one for many years and has volunteered to do the booking for external paid uses of the center.

Recently I visited the Galisteo Studio Tour. One of the stops was at their community center. This building is a very important focus for the community and is regularly rented out for events such as wedding receptions.

We, the MCP, feel that when completed all of the ongoing costs of operation can be supported by this rental income.

All non-profit community events will be hosted free. This includes any, such as MLA and Water CO-OP meetings currently held at the firehouse, if these organizations want to use the center.

Objections Voiced at Meetings

When our plans were discussed at the MLA meetings a number of objections were raised.

Some objections seemed to revolve around whether the MCP would be able to manage such a project. While this is clearly the largest project we have attempted we feel strongly that we are the right people to do this and that we will succeed. The MCP was formed to develop and assist in projects such as this. Information in the organization can be found at www.MadridCulturalProjects.com.

To provide some added security to the landowners we propose that if we haven’t raised appropriate funds and broken ground within 5 years of the grant of the lease we would accept a vote of the landowners to rescind the lease.

In addition, prior to groundbreaking the MLA and Water co-op will be free to rent out the assigned space for parking.

Another objection was that the ballpark parking lot is a significant source of revenue for the MLA and water co-op and that placing the center on that would reduce the rental potential. These are the last 4 years income amounts. 2004 $868.19, 2005 $551.62, 2006 $5138.70 ($5000 from Disney), 2007 $12.00. Assuming we don’t invite Disney or another movie company back the total income we can expect for each year with the parking lot in its current state is under $900.

To compensate for any loss due to our use of space we propose that 2% of the gross rental income for the facility be paid to the MLA and water co-op.

Proposed Location

The image below shows the proposed location for the center. It is located at the South East corner to consume a minimum amount of the parking space. The orientation is to place the sun absorbing windows in a South facing position.

The 7500 sq feet represented by the white rectangle is 0.17 acres. Considering the triangular piece blocked off by the location we may lose .3 acres out of the total parking area of 2.34 acres or about 15%.

Path Forward

1. This report will be distributed to the community by e-mail, print and on the MCP website approximately November 1.

2. A town meeting will be held November 8 to discuss this proposal. Lori Lindsey has graciously offered the use of the Engine House Theater. The event will be a pot-luck supper at 6:30 followed by a presentation and discussion of the proposal. Alcohol will not be permitted at this meeting.

3. The MLA voted at the fall quarterly meeting to permit a written ballot vote on granting the MCP the lease we are requesting. The MCP will prepare the wording of the ballot, which will be mailed by the MLA. A similar process will need to be done with the water co-op though their procedures are a bit less well documented.

4. If the lease is granted the MCP community center committee will proceed with the detailed design of the facility.

5. The MCP will develop a fundraising committee and program. Our initial inclination is to raise funds from individuals and corporations, as this appears to be a quicker way to go. We will however follow a parallel course to seek out organizations that provide grants for this type of project.

6. We will build the facility. It is anticipated that volunteers from the community will provide some of the labor. Helping build the center will make it feel like more the property of the community.

7. The MCP will continue to manage the facility indefinitely.

Appendix 1 Church as Community Center Proposal from Gail Snyder

I am offering the church (aka Our Lady of the Mothers of Invention) back to the town of Madrid to use as a community space, a resource and a place for all of the following adult and all-ages heartfelt gatherings:

yoga classes

potluck dinners (example: a soup exchange, where everyone brings a big pot of their favorite homemade soup and several containers to bring home soup made by their neighbors; the church provides homemade bread, salad, bowls, plates and spoons)

readings, plays, performance art, miscellaneous events like the Freebox Fashion Show

parties of all shapes and sizes (garden parties, holidays, solstice, birthday, etc)

writing groups, art groups, mens’ groups, womens’ groups, nonviolent communications groups, counseling groups, coffee klatches

music and dances

movie nights beside a roaring fire, the church provides popcorn, sodas and beer

workshops by locals and non- (including earth stuccoing, how to compost, seed exchanges and nonviolent communications skills, photography)

book groups

language classes

belly dance classes

weddings

memorial services

installations and gallery space

speakers

meetings, roundtable discussions, town hall meetings

ceremonies, rituals, magic

celebrations

worship

meditation

a whole-town Christmas party

as well as events and programs specifically just for kids, including: every-other-Sunday afternoon art classes for very young children, a Halloween costume-making day and a Halloween haunted house, all orchestrated by Bethany

Easter egg decorating

children’s art shows/auctions

an after-school tutoring program

storytelling programs, reading projects

all-kids’movie nights

writing groups for kids

kids rehearsing and performing plays

a piano for kids to learn on (all ages, really)

the children’s library collection

In order to fund all these and more, donations are gratefully accepted at the door. We also will be selling postcards in town with a photo of the church for tourists, having periodic rent parties for the church and, when applicable, asking that those using the space for events that charge an admission price give 20 percent of their proceeds to the church.

We need to provide things like chairs, dishes, utensils, wine glasses, cloth napkins, a piano, art materials, a DVD projector, publicity costs (including hiring Bruce McIntosh to make the postcards), lots of firewood (the church’s only heating source) as well as just being able to handle the extra strain on electricity, propane, water and toilet paper costs. And we would also like to hire Anah-K as originator and coordinator of special uniquely Madrid events; for that, we need to be able to pay her a salary.

So we’re hoping that, in addition to donations of money and materials from the community, we can receive funding from the Madrid Cultural Projects.

Thank you very much, and please, everybody, keep your events ideas and suggestions pouring in.

Respectully yours,

Gail Snyder

Appendix 2 – Survey published in the Curtsy 6/06

MCP Community Space committee meeting - 18 April 2006

The following documents the results of the first meeting of the Community Spaces committee of the MCP. It is provided for review by the members of the MCP. It is submitted to the community for information and to request additional suggestions. Please return these pages to Lynn at Tumbleweeds. PDF copies of this document and Gail Snyder’s suggestions about the church as community space will be on MadridCommunity.info site tomorrow.

Brainstorming session facilitated by Bruce McIntosh.

Meeting held at Liz Falconer’s gallery WINDHORSE on Firehouse Lane.

Attending: Bruce, Liz, Lara Lane, Gail Snyder, Diana Johnson, David Decker, and Mark Bremer.

We brainstormed on these eight questions regarding “community space”:

1. What should it be used for?

2. Where to site it?

3. How should it be constructed?

4. Who should build it?

5. How should we fund it?

6. How should it be staffed/managed?

7. What utilities will it need? (water? elec.? gas?)

8. What kind of time frame are we talking about?

WHAT WILL WE USE IT FOR?