Mel Burchett of Sustainable Capitol Hill tables for a neighborhood tool share. (Credit: Cha Cha ala Mode)
Wanted: a parking space, or several, to place a shipping container to be the future home of the Capitol Hill Tool Library.
Plans for a tool share on Capitol Hill are moving forward, but now the organizing group Sustainable Capitol Hill is on a search for a location to park it. The potential benefits of a centralized tool share in garage-strapped Capitol Hill are fairly obvious, says Gina Hicks of Sustainable Capitol Hill.
“There’s no reason for everyone on Capitol Hill to have a ladder. You’re only going to use it a couple times a year,” Hicks said. “Also, there’s the cost: why go out and buy something you’re barely going to use?”
Sustainable Capitol Hill has kicked around the idea for a Capitol Hill tool library since at least last year. In January group member Gina Hicks said the group refocused with a plan to run the library from an empty shipping container. With some retrofitting — adding sliding doors, installing shelves — the “tool shed” could be ready by January.
CHS previously reported on the group’s initial efforts to mimic tool shares in West Seattle and NE Seattle.
Currently the group is considering two options for a location: place the container on various street parking spaces for 30 days at a time, then moving to a different spot on the Hill, or finding a private lot to park the container semi-permanently.
Hicks said city officials told her they could park the container on a non-arterial street as long as they had permission from the closest landowner. Hicks said she’s looking at spots on 14th Ave., as well as the Miller Community Center parking lot. Ideally, the tool library will eventually find a permanent home inside a building to allow for a workshop and classroom space, Hicks said.
“Tool libraries are places where people can hang out, it’s a community meeting place,” she said.
If all goes according to plan, Hicks said she expects the tool library could be up and running by January. Although the library isn’t yet open, Sustainable Seattle is currently accepting tools for sharing. Hicks has been tabling at the Capitol Hill farmers market to spread the word. She said she expects more tools and interest to flow in once the library has a visible home.
In addition to donations and late return fees to fund the project, Hicks tells CHS the group will be a applying for one of the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grants. The tool library will be volunteer run, as is Sustainable Capitol Hill.
How about Richard Hugo House’s parking lot? It has a very central location on Capitol Hill, and from what I remember, the cos of parking spaces there is pretty reasonable.
I realize for the fourty-somethings and below that have been indoctrinated within the public education system that communism, social existence and activity based on community of goods that any “Sustainable” effort is wonderful and good. However, I’m curious if anyone else notices an increase in the number of these efforts the last couple of years.
…“There’s no reason for everyone on Capitol Hill to have a ladder. You’re only going to use it a couple times a year,” Hicks said. “Also, there’s the cost: why go out and buy something you’re barely going to use?”…
Excuse me? If I want to spend the money I earned, on a ladder, or more realistically a $500 bottle of 25 year scotch and then drink it all myself while sitting on the ladder, what business of it of yours?
Troll.
I think you’re missing the point. They aren’t saying you can’t own a ladder. No one is telling you what you can or can’t own. This is more for someone like myself that lives in a small apartment and doesn’t have room for such things like power tools and work tables. Say I buy a used dresser and want to sand and re-paint it. Instead of buying an electric sander that I may never use again, I could check out one at the tool share. There is also the issue of where I would sand said dresser. I don’t have a garage to work on a project like this.. I would love it if they got a permanent space and I would absolutely be willing to pay for it. This works for me and tons of other people who live in high-density areas!
Before you go criticizing people trying to create a good thing, maybe put just the smallest amount of thought into it instead of going off on crap like “tool sharing is communism.” It only makes you sound like a completely self-absorbed jerk. Just a little FYI to help you out in future human interaction…
There are tool rental companies that provide the same thing for a fee. There were also companies that provided work spaces and tools, again for a fee.
…”No one is telling you what you can or can’t own.”…
Yes, Hicks did.
She isn’t telling you what you can or can’t own. She’s saying not everyone has to own these things. There is a difference between “Can’t own” and “Don’t have to own”. Seeing as how you want to get all semantic.
Yes, there are companies that do this and there are also people who get together and create groups like toolshare. It would depend on how much the fee is, location and cost of space. I might support a company who does this, but maybe I won’t because I don’t care for the company or they aren’t near me.
The point it, you’re being completely critical of an idea that doesn’t affect you in any way if you choose not to involve yourself. While others, like myself, find it to be in an interesting idea and might like to try it. I’m not afraid of trying new ideas. You might be surprised. Sometimes ideas work.
Seattle as a whole has about a hundred year history with progressive “new ideas”. The tool share idea is not new.
However, you’ve identified a business case for setting up a small business to provide a service to the local community. Why don’t you (or anyone reading this) make a 5 to 7 year business plan and see if it’s feasible or not to attempt? If you can make the numbers work, but don’t have enough funds to cover startup costs, stick “green” in the company name and start making rounds at the multiple angel investment clubs in the area. If they’ll give $150K to a startup company that makes bacon flavored hard candy, they’d invest in a “green” tool/workspace rental. Not only would you be providing a service, you would likely need to hire employees thereby giving back even more to the local community.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go back to being a completely self-absorbed jerk, sitting on my ivory ladder whilest sipping scotch.
Trolls be trollin’ hard today. Please ignore the idiot with the computer.
I’m for this. Before I moved to the hill I used to live in a house with an extensive amount of tools. I unfortunately had to sell most of them due to space. I miss my air compressor the most but had no room to store it.
Yes!! I am so excited for this! after moving from W. Seattle and being part of the tool library over there, I can’t wait for this to get up and going over here. I can’t even tell you how useful it is to have this as part of the community. Sewing machines, sanders, lawn mowers- you name it, the tool library probably has it. I know I’ll probably be a regular volunteer here! Yay for sustainable communities!
You’re quite welcome to do that. I’m done too.
Nice. Berkeley has had one for yonks, very handy, run through the book library (I think).
I am all for this. A community work-space would be even better, but tool library alone is a great, great start. I am happy to contribute some amount to help cover costs. This would improve our lives immediately!