Transformed space is open to all

By Chris Sinclair

The many stone walls running through the New England landscape may well reflect the entrenched belief that, as Robert Frost put it, “Good fences make good neighbors.” But this New England town has opted for a somewhat different approach in the form of the Norfolk Hub. The Hub, located in what locals will know as the old pharmacy building opposite the Arcanum, is a new and largely unpartitioned community space in which individuals, nonprofits, business people and creative types of all stripes are welcome to meet, collaborate, exchange knowledge and ideas—or simply hang out with a coffee and check the latest news using the Hub’s free wifi.

And, fittingly, for its first public Monday-night event on May 14, the Hub organized a talk on the profound impact that a collective, integrated approach among local organizations can have on a community. The invited speaker, Sharon Danoski, of Danoski & Associates in New Milford, Conn., particularly cited a coordinated, multi-year effort in a Danbury community that resulted in increased high-school graduation rates and increased enrollment in job training programs.

The Hub’s central “flex space” can be easily reconfigured for different kinds of meetings and events.

Dawn Whalen, who manages the Norfolk Hub and has been with the project from its beginnings, identifies one of the primary motivations for the space as a desire to “bring a greater shared awareness of Norfolk’s multitude of volunteer organizations.” To this end, the Hub will offer work and meeting spaces and professional support to its member organizations, as well as display space for its members’ art and projects. While the central space within the Hub will more or less always be open to locals and community members, the Hub will also have special membership options for groups and organizations, tiered to accommodate the unique needs of different organizations. In an effort to get the space running and energized, “nominal membership fees structured to encourage use of the Hub” will be instituted for member organizations, after an initial six-month grace period. Hub membership will allow use of the conference room and private offices; a secure area for filing cabinets and lockers; after-hours access to the buiding via key card; communication and technology services; and accomodations for scheduled private or public events. In addition to wifi, the Hub is also outfitted with a full kitchenette and wireless printing capabilities.

Local organizations, Norfolk Now among them, hope that with the Hub will come greater visibility and accessibility, which will in turn lead to greater community engagement. There is a sense among some local groups that one of the main obstacles to a more collaborative and free-flowing atmosphere in town has been the absence of a designated venue. With that particular obstacle eliminated, there is a burgeoning groundswell of excitement for the possibilities and prospects that the new space will help to cultivate. Whalen hopes that the Hub will quickly carve out its niche within the town community, and before long “people will come to think of the Hub as the place to be on Monday evening, just like the place to be on Tuesday evenings is the Pub for Trivia Night!”

Upcoming events at the Hub include a presentation by Peter Taylor, president of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, on where philanthropy can make a measurable difference in the region, scheduled for June 4 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and a discussion of fiber optics with Felicia Jones, project coordinator for Northwest ConneCT, scheduled for June 25 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Whalen welcomes input and inquiries from the community concerning anything at all to do with the Hub, from membership options to suggestions for future talks and programs. Whalen can be reached at dawnwhalen@norfolkfoundation.net, or at 860-542-7185. If we New Englanders can coax ourselves over our stone walls, we may just find community spaces like the Hub to be vibrant, energizing and inspiring.

Photos by Dawn Whalen.