 Architect
and Major Gift Just Announced for Exploration Commons at 50 East
Carroll County, MD – The Board of County
Commissioners for Carroll County has named Manns Woodward Studios as the
architect for Exploration Commons at 50 East, an interactive space where
people, ideas, and tools come together to create, innovate, and collaborate in
a makerspace, culinary center, and meeting space. The 14,000 square foot
community space will be in the lower level of the Westminster Branch Library.
A major gift to Exploration Commons at 50 East from Sharon
Hafner Yingling and John Yingling has also been announced. The $50,000 gift
will help support learners and entrepreneurs of all ages to bring ideas to
life. The state-of-the-art meeting and learning space will offer equipment,
resources, and training for areas such as: digital fabrication, game and app development,
virtual and augmented reality, robotics, textiles, cybersecurity, culinary
arts, audio and videography, and photography.
Sharon Hafner Yingling is serving as committee chair for the
fundraising and said of the gift, “John and I are proud to do our part in
making Exploration Commons at 50 East a reality. We believe this exciting
project will transform Main Street and benefit all of Carroll County.”
Of the space, Jason Stambaugh, MAGIC Board of Directors
said, “Exploration Commons at 50 East will create new horizons for innovation,
work, and play in our community. Children and adults alike will be afforded
experience and opportunities previously only available in major cities. I can’t
wait to see and hear about all of the amazing things that people learn and
build. We’ll look back in 30 years and see that this space was a critical piece
of the puzzle for creating incredible growth and prosperity in Carroll.”
The total cost of the project is $3.9 million, of which $2.5
million will be funded by the State and the County. The remaining $1.4 million
will be met through private donations and grant funding.
Manns Woodward Studios is a
Maryland based architectural firm that specializes in the design of public
safety and community driven buildings. The firm focuses on the design of
fire stations, libraries, schools, and community centers. Their portfolio
includes the Carroll County Public Training Center, Havre De Grace Library, and
Maryland Food Bank.
Construction is slated to begin in Fall of 2019 with project
completion in the Spring of 2020. More information about the project may be
found at https://explorationcommons.carr.org.
For information about making a gift to the campaign, call 410-386-4500
or visit https://explorationcommons.carr.org/techxcellence.asp.
Carroll County Public
Library
1100 Green
Valley Road New
Windsor, MD 21776
Contact: Lisa Picker
443.293.3196
lpicker@carr.org
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