As I shared at the July Board Meeting, in our 25th Anniversary year the Board has been working hard toward growth and sustainability for the CSPC as an organization. In addition to working toward hiring a full-time Operations Manager to lead much of the administrative work that keeps the Center running smoothly, we have been actively continuing our search for a space to expand our services as a sex-positive community center as originally envisioned and operated for the CSPC’s first 17 years.
The CSPC Board is seeking community input related to the organization's search for a 24/7 space and the need for additional volunteer bandwidth to support our continued activities at Gallery Erato and a new expansion location.
The Building Committee has located a space in the Northup neighborhood in Bellevue that the CSPC can occupy 24/7 to expand our current party structure to include additional parties and many other kinds of community events — potluck munches, game nights, dedicated tasting nights, in-person discussion groups, skill shares, workshops, vendor fairs and more — IN ADDITION TO maintaining our current events at Gallery Erato.
This space meets many, but not all, of the priority specifications established for a new space:
This space is the lowest level of an office building owned by a cooperative dedicated to creating queer spaces who intentionally sought out the CSPC as a potential tenant. There is plentiful free parking surrounding the building and an elevator for ADA access. There are many bathrooms, including one with a shower, and the property owner has agreed to add laundry and kitchen facilities to our specifications so that we can wash our own sheets and host events that involve food service. There is one very large space with hardwood floors previously used as a karate dojo, plus several smaller spaces on the same level.
However, this space is not easily accessible via public transit, and the standard-height ceilings will limit the use of longer whips. We also have no guarantee that the city of Bellevue will approve our specific use at this location; we must sign a conditional lease before the city will consider a business license application (this is true of all potential new locations).
The decision to submit a non-binding Letter of Intent to sign a lease (and then sign a lease) is a big one. It is a big financial commitment, and the Board is still working through the numbers related to how many events and other activities will be required to break even and whether the time required to ramp up to those numbers can be supported by other resources.
It is also a big commitment by the community. Hosting more parties and other activities at a second space will require many more volunteers, including volunteers who are not currently active with our community. We need previous members, current members, and local sex-positive folx who are not yet members to consider whether this is a space they would support by attending events and by volunteering to make those events happen.
Laundry facilities don’t matter if nobody is adding soap and bleach and pushing that hot water button, and it’s not safe to host events without a full complement of volunteers. Even in our current space, we often have important roles unfilled or filled at the last minute by Board members dedicated to keeping our doors open for members. We are currently considering a new event cancellation policy for events that don’t have essential roles filled at least 48 hours prior to the event time to ensure that we can maintain the CSPC’s standards for safety.
Please respond to the 2024 Community Survey here to share your thoughts about this opportunity, your ability and willingness to contribute as a community volunteer, and on our efforts to expand in general. This survey is widely available, with one response per email address possible to ensure that we avoid duplication (you must sign in with an email address to respond).
Please complete this survey and share with your local partners and friends. The CSPC is an organization by and for its members, and it is critical that we have the membership’s support in this decision. The link for sharing this survey is: https://forms.gle/68ePF4PwUUVYWQB28
Thank you all for all the ways you contribute to helping our community thrive. Here’s to our next 25 years! <3
