Claremont Sawtooth Building Welcomes New Usage

A vacant Claremont mill building is now one-step closer to receiving a major facelift after the city’s Planning Board approved to subdivide the property as to not include an attached parking garage in the sale.

The city can now go forward in transferring the half-acre parcel to TwinState MakerSpaces – a non-profit company with ambitions of turning the building into an open wood- and metal-working shop.

Last month, MakerSpace received a $250,000 dollar economic development grant from the Northern Borders Regional Commission which the company plans to use to purchase machinery. From there, the idea is to create a shared space for professionals and hobbyists to use that machinery for professional or amateur work, and also create a classroom to teach trades.

MakerSpaces will continue designing architectural plans for the building, while also bidding out construction work and obtaining necessary permits. Still, the company has said it hopes to be operational by early next year.