Makers Mill is granted Certificate of Occupancy for community makerspace and vocation hub

WOLFEBORO — Almost a year to the day since the renovation construction began, Makers Mill received its certificate of occupancy from the Town of Wolfeboro’s Planning and Development department for their community makerspace and vocation hub at 23 Bay Street.

“This has been such an exciting project to be a part of and we couldn't be happier to see the space ready for use by the community,” said Leslie Benson of Leslie Benson Designs. “Through an amazing fundraising effort and years of perseverance we were able to pack a lot of great spaces and design features into Phase 1 of this project and are thrilled with the outcome.”

“Makers Mill leadership and volunteers have, from their beginning to the development of this incredible economic development resource, demonstrated a strong commitment to community and to building a stronger, more resilient local economy,” said Katy Easterly Martey, Executive Director of the NH Community Development Finance Authority. “We are proud to be a funding partner of this project and to support the community in the development of this incredible place.”

“The volunteer turnout has been incredible. In order to cut down on construction costs, we saved nearly all of the interior painting for our team of volunteers, as well as the build out of the kitchenette, workbenches, greeter’s desk, dust collection system, tool restoration, and so much more which is still underway,” says Josh. “Equally impressive has been the amount of time volunteers have spent carefully thinking through the floor plans for each shop, how tools will be stored, organized, and inventoried, and all of the different policies and procedures needed to open in a manner that is welcoming and safe.”

Now that their certificate of occupancy has been issued, when can we expect a grand opening? While preparations are still underway, it sounds like we can expect news of a “soft opening” later in August with a series of weekly open-houses and tours. These will spread out the introduction of this new facility to the community, allowing ample space and time for people to have their questions answered while also keeping group sizes small to help mitigate the lingering covid risk. A larger event will be planned for a later date when the shops are more furnished and the organization can solicit sponsors for entertainment and refreshments.

Classes and workshops, however, are already being put on the calendar for the fall and are expected to be ongoing thereafter. If you or anyone you know is interested in teaching a class, contact Makers Mill’s Program Director, Carol Holyoake by emailing carol@makersmill.org or calling the office at 603-569-1500. Membership options will be posted soon for people to learn how to access the forthcoming community workspaces for woodworking, metalworking, fiber arts, fine arts, crafts, electronics, robotics, computer software and media, bicycle and ski tuning, and much more.

Anyone interested in learning more is also encouraged to visit the website at makersmill.org and follow construction and shop build out progress on social media at @makersmillnh.