Summer UPDATE Wickham Works

Idea board at April 2016 Treecycle

​The proposal for Wickham Works is for a MakerSpace and Material Exchange to be created
at Wickham Woodlands in the Town of Warwick, New York. This site (formerly the Mid-Orange Correctional Facility) was turned over to the Town by the State of New York after closing in 2013.
The entire733 acre site is in the process of being developed for both commercial and recreational purposes.
 
There are a few buildings remaining in the recreational portion that we are planning to re-purpose;
most notably the 12,000 sq.ft. dairy barn and adjacent hen house. The Town has offered to lease
these buildings on a no tax/no rent basis to Wickham Works. The renovation and operational costs
of this endowment are up to us at this time.
 
Over the last year there have been meetings with over 50 interested people attending from diverse demographic sections of our locality. From those meetings a group of 12 of us have come together
as a core to shape and move the project forward. We have actively solicited input from individuals
and civic groups in order to create a compelling vision that benefits the entire Warwick community
and beyond. We are now in the process of obtaining our 501-3C non-profit status in order to begin
raising the capitol needed for renovation and operational cost as detailed in our business plan. We
are looking forward to formalizing an Economic Impact Statement that will specify the possible regional economic benefits of our project.
 
The space available is larger then needed for our project. We are seeking partnerships with like-
minded non-profits and social enterprises in order to reach a sustainable level of operation.
Our aim is to nurture this place into a destination for innovative activity, cultural events,
and socially responsible commerce. It is a community building effort that will have positive
economic impact in addition to preserving these wonderful, iconic buildings that represent our common heritage of cultural support for family, friends and neighbors here in the Warwick Valley.