Friday evening, August 15, we officially launched the Tech Project with a crowd more than double the number of anticipated guests showing up. Live jazz was supplied by our friends Dan Pritchett and Chris Marolf, followed by an hour of non-stop improv courtesy of Bob Craig’s Disposable Theatre Company.
Our twelve basement artists displayed their work around the room and a number of color placards, designed by Christopher Pupillo, explained our vision for the Tech, what a makerspace is for, what coworking means, etc. Numerous guests signed up to volunteer for the project in various ways.
New Architectural Renderings
The rendering of the Tech building above is an example of the work of Kevin Tempelman, on loan to us from Valpo’s own Design Organization. Kevin is creating not only beautiful two-dimensional graphics such as this one but also 3D visualizations which allow the viewer to see the interior of each floor of the future Tech built out in different scenarios. These new graphics will come in very handy in our upcoming Capital Campaign.
Tech Capital Campaign Getting Underway
Several weeks ago, the Tech, through its fiscal sponsor Project Neighbors, entered into a purchase agreement for the Tech building with its current owners, One Center Street LLC.
Over the next several weeks, the Tech team will be working to hit an initial campaign goal of $100,000 for a down payment on the building and a good start on what will ultimately be a $1.5 million effort over the next two years.
The initial phase of the campaign includes a Founding Membership program. For a gift of $1,000, each Founding Member will receive a lifetime membership for all Hubworks-sponsored programs at the Tech, a personalized ceramic tile to be displayed in the Tech’s new atrium area, and a listing by name on the Hubworks website. And a word of thanks to our very first Founding Member: Geraldine Piggott of Valparaiso.
Details for a naming rights program for eight key spaces in the Tech will be announced soon.
New Hubworks Board Members: Jon Groth and Heath Carter
As our project picks up momentum, we’re pleased to welcome Jon Groth, Area Director of the Career and Technical Education for Porter County Schools. He has served as a board member for the Porter County Sheriffs Department Merit Board and for the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce. He is a U.S. Army and U.S. Peace Corps veteran (Morocco, North Africa), and has a B.A. and M.A in industrial education from California State University at Long Beach.
We’re also happy to have on our team Heath Carter, assistant professor at Valparaiso University, where he teaches a variety of courses on modern U.S. history. At the local level, he collaborates with a variety of civic organizations and initiatives, ranging from ValpoNext to the Porter County Museum. In February 2015 he will moderate a major public forum on Civil Rights in Northwest Indiana today, featuring community leaders from across the region.
IU Northwest partnering with the Tech
This fall, IU Northwest’s Center for Urban and Regional Excellence will be sending students to visit the Tech as part of a course in community engagement and graphic design. The first such course at IUN, the class will bring together design students, faculty, and community members to work towards the goals of community development and sustainability.
The Tech is also having discussions currently with Valparaiso University (School of Engineering), Ivy Tech (office of the dean, business school faculty), and Porter County Career and Technical Center about possible partnerships and sponsorships.
What’s the difference between the Tech and Hubworks? The remaining building from the original Valparaiso Technical Institute (VTI) campus was called Dodge Hall in its day but it has taken on a local nickname of “the Tech.” So we continue that tradition.
Hubworks, on the other hand, is a relatively new non-profit group which will provide the programming for the renovated Tech building.
As a new group, Hubworks has chosen to operate as a project of another, long-standing organization in the Valpo community: Project Neighbors. The advantages are the business experience of Project Neighbors, its ability to offer a tax-exemption for all donations to Hubworks, and its mission of having a community service orientation.
Would you like to lend support and get involved? Here’s how:
- Volunteer to work with others on our Steering Committee—contact information below.
- Join our Facebook Group, The Tech Project (VTI), and spread the word to others https://www.facebook.com/groups/188808427909975/
- Donate to The Tech Fund - help us raise funds for the purchase and renovation of The Tech. Make a tax-deductible donation and mail it to: Project Neighbors – The Tech Project
454 S. College Street Valparaiso, IN 46383Or donate online at http://projectneighbors.org/ (via Paypal: look for Donations link down the page)
Thanks to your interest and support, the new Tech building is becoming a reality.