Living in Kingfield, Maine and working as a freelancer for the Daily Bulldog, Dee Menear understands the need for coworking spaces. Thank you, Dee for reporting on our Greater Franklin CoWorks initiative!
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Survey to identify Franklin County coworking needs
“Pre-pandemic coworking was a hot topic,” said Greater Franklin Executive Director Charlie Woodworth. “The way people work post-pandemic, remote working has amplified. We want to find out how that shift has affected the need for coworking space. With more people working remotely, we want to know if they are hungry for socialization and partnerships. Do they need a place to convene? Are they good with hanging out at home? The survey will help us get those answers.”
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“The silver lining of the COVID pandemic was the shift to remote work, which allowed me to move back to Farmington three years ago, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision… It works well most of the time, but the distractions of home life—like ongoing projects and family members—can be challenging. Having a coworking space in our community would be incredibly valuable, both personally and for the broader community. It would provide a dedicated space free from personal distractions, and create opportunities to connect with other professionals,” Brandyn Cloutier of Farmington explained.
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“For my own transition to remote work, the most challenging aspect that I have faced is loneliness…
I’m often caught off guard when I sit and think about my own friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, the number of people I know in town working remotely,” Andrew Gale of Kingfield added. “Shared working spaces can bring out creativity and collaboration for those of us working remotely, and even if these benefits do not apply to a given individual’s work, creating an additional gathering place in the community fosters relationships of neighbors by bringing us together in new ways, strengthening our bonds to the larger community and region.”
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Gathering information through the survey is the first step, Woodworth said. Once the data is compiled, respondents will be invited to attend a workshop to talk about specific needs and wants.
If a need is identified, the first coworking space is expected to be housed at the Greater Franklin location on Front Street in Farmington.
“Greater Franklin gets a lot of phone calls asking about open office hours. People looking to start a business often ask about funding options or want to know what hoops they need to jump through,” Dunn added. “In the Farmington space, Greater Franklin would be as much of a resource as the space itself.”
Potential sites in other communities have been identified, if there is a demand.
“Communities have to want it,” Woodworth said. “The people in those communities have to want it.”