Union River Center for Innovation (URCI) and the City of Ellsworth are Awarded DECD Coworking Grant
A portion of the funds to be used for an automated on-line booking system
URCI applied for and was awarded a grant from the Maine Department of Community and Economic Development Coworking Development Fund. The Coworking Development Fund and accompanying program supports coworking and collaborative workspaces throughout the state by providing financial assistance and opportunities for collaboration and networking.
The application, which requires a local cash or in-kind match, requested funding for some aesthetic upgrades, an automated booking system for the space, and office furniture to accommodate three additional co-workspaces. Currently, the Center has one private office available to rent and just one shared coworking desk available.
Under the current protocol, when someone wants to book rental space at the Center, everything is done on paper and relies on multiple back and forth emails, a shared calendar dependent on someone to maintain it, and City finance staff invoicing tenants and processing payments. Coworks is a cloud based coworking management system that will allow the public to reserve and securely pay for space in real time using an interactive calendar. “I’m excited that Coworks will be available for users of the Union River Center, not only will it vastly improve the user experience, but it will streamline operations for finance staff at City Hall,” commented City Manager, Charlie Pearce.
Another portion of the funds will help renovate one of the larger private offices to provide three additional floating coworking spaces, augmenting the one of four currently available. One of the four available coworking desks is already reserved for four weeks this summer. Historically, in addition to the existing long-term rentals, the Center has rented the equivalent of 400 additional workdays between the months of June and November.
During the next few weeks, the Coworks system will be deployed and both staff and existing tenants will be trained in how it works. Simultaneously, the new three desk co-workspace will be furnished and made available in time for the summer visitor season.
About Union River Center for Innovation
In 2015, the Union River Center for Innovation was established, primarily as a bio and life sciences business incubator through its community lab and mentorship programs. Over the years, accelerated by COVID 19, the Center evolved into a thriving coworking space with eleven private offices, four shared space co-working desks, providing conference space, a shared kitchen and lounge, fiber internet, and access to a shared copy / fax / printer. As the center embarks upon its next decade, the City continues to focus on providing coworking space for area residents and entrepreneurs while it looks to the future and reevaluates the highest and best use for the community lab and incubator tenant space.
Visit unionriverinnovation.com to see more about the Union River Center for Innovation.
