Fayetteville City Council Greenlights Next Phase of Downtown Makerspace Project
Fayetteville City Council gave the green light to do more work to convert an old warehouse near the gateway into downtown into a creative hub for artists.
At a recent City Council work session, approval was given to use funds remaining from an original $800,000 allocation to get the building at the intersection of Murchison Road, Rowan Street, and Bragg Boulevard suitable as a future makerspace.
The facility will ideally feature equipment for different crafts — ranging from heavy-duty woodworking tools to pottery wheels. Artists will need to apply and pay fees, which will be handled by a non-profit.
The first portion of the funds approved previously were used on a new roof, gutting the interior, adding security systems, and cleaning up this and an adjacent property. The next phase includes putting in new electrical systems, climate control, bathrooms, and fixing the parking area. Construction teams will turn in detailed plans in roughly 90 days.
Parks and Recreation Director Michael Gibson made a straightforward comparison: the space will work like a community center, but geared toward artistic creation and teamwork.
Once the building is suitable for occupancy, the city would seek a non-profit organization to begin work turning it into the actual makerspace.
“All major cities, they have these things where artists can come in, because space is always a big deal,” Gibson told The Fayetteville Observer. “It’s just open space that has a lot of equipment that people can (use to) design art.”
