ORANGE — The nonprofit makerspace on the Orange Innovation Center’s third floor has received a $65,000 grant to make the membership-based operation more comfortable in all seasons, no matter the temperature.
The 13,000-square-foot LaunchSpace is expected to use the funding, which is jointly administered by MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, to purchase and install new heat pumps, mini splits, ceiling fans and electrical outlets.
LaunchSpace CEO Brianna Drohen, who founded the nonprofit with Alec MacLeod in 2017, said the third floor of the former Bedroom Factory at 131 West Main St. can get unbearably hot in the summer and brutally cold in the winter.
“It can get very uncomfortable, to the point where we have to cancel programs. People don’t want to use the space, so we lose out on revenue,” she said. “We have very little temperature control in the makerspace.”
Through the makerspace, members have access to a variety of tools and equipment that they may not have at home or may not have access to otherwise, and are able to get support from fellow members and volunteers in completing their projects. A variety of classes, workshops and programs give community members an opportunity to learn new skills at LaunchSpace.
Drohen mentioned the grant’s mandatory $65,000 match is being contributed by Orange Innovation Center owner Jack Dunphy, who bought the building in 2013.
The state money, part of roughly $6.48 million the MassDevelopment board of directors approved in May, is meant to support planning, development and maintenance at cultural spaces across Massachusetts. Seventy-four new Cultural Facilities Fund grants were approved this year. The 17th round of funding reportedly received 198 eligible applications by the December 2024 deadline.
Drohen explained no work has been done yet, but she hopes to have a contract signed with an Easthampton company within the next month.
Like Drohen, MacLeod said the renovations will make LaunchSpace more usable.
“In the summertime, it’s prohibitively hot in here. People stay members, of course, but they often don’t come when the weather is hot, which is understandable,” he said. “This is sort of last-mile stuff.”
For more information about LaunchSpace, visit launchspace-orange.com.