PORT TOWNSEND — A proposal to develop a cooperative working space where individual workers can share knowledge and resources is moving toward fruition and being tested to determine interest in opening a shared facility.
“We are assessing the needs of the community for this,” said Heather Dudley Nolette, who with Frank DePalma is developing the project.
“There are a lot of different models, and we want to find the best one, whether it is a standard business with overhead and rent and resources or a more organic one with everyone chipping in and providing those resources.”
The Co-Lab process has many different possibilities but is generally a shared facility that provides business infrastructure and a clean, well-lighted place to work.
Aside from developing a business plan, Nolette and DePalma are testing the concept by inviting those who are interested to work free of charge at Team Jefferson’s office at 2410 Washington St. from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
This will continue at least through February.
In addition, research is being gathered through an online survey, http://survey.ptcolab.com, to gather specific information about what people want.
Nolette said a favored model will require users of the space to pay a membership fee, which will grant them access to the shared resources and provide a place for self-employed people who don’t have an office and don’t want to spend their entire workday at home or in a coffee shop.
The occupations are diverse; on Monday, an artist, Web developer and freelance writer dropped in to share the space.
Sharing a space can be productive, even if those in the next desk are doing something completely different.
“One of the concepts of Co-Lab is to have people next to you who contribute only by being there,” said Web developer Nathan Malmgren.
“If you have a question or just need some quick feedback about something you are working on, you just ask the person next to you.”
Nolette said the space will adapt to the user.
“You may come in one day and want to share information and interact with people, but on the next day, you will need to put your nose to the grindstone and go into a ‘cone of silence’ room,” she said.
“There will be an understanding of how the space should be used; you won’t have to come in and actually say ‘nobody talk to me.’ You just go into the ‘nobody talk to me’ space.”
Port Townsend now has several places where people can sit for hours, drink coffee and use a free wireless connection, but this is not compatible with the Co-Lab concept.
“Undertown is a public place, and a Co-Lab is more like a private office,” Malmgren said.
“In public, you are less productive and there are more distractions, and you can’t show three or four people a presentation like you can here.”
“We are not competing with any of our great local coffee shops,” Nolette said.
“There is a lot of spillover from those places which meet our needs some of the time, but in other times, you need to go to a co-working space to get the more professional environment that you need at some times.
“But we are never going to stop going to the coffee shops.”
Nolette said the Port Townsend Co-Lab will draw upon worldwide resources during its development period.
“We are looking at getting into a business that is not only well-established throughout the world but has an incredible communication network,” she said
“Right now, I can go onto a co-working blog and ask a question and get an answer right away from someone on France, Germany or Seattle about how to deal with a specific situation.”
DePalma said the Co-Lab is looking for office space around town and is currently looking at two models, one with 1,500 to 1,700 square feet, and a larger 3,000-square-foot requirement.
For more information about the Port Townsend Co-Lab, phone 360-301-3779 or visit www.ptcolab.com.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
