Fishers Parks announced on Tuesday it plans to move its headquarters from the Brooks School Road office to the Hub & Spoke building, located at 8100 E. 106th St. Fishers Parks will hold a grand opening celebration from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 22. The new headquarters will also feature a 15,000 square-foot community makerspace called Maker Playground. The Maker Playground will offer hands-on maker programs, STEAM-based programming, day passes, and annual memberships for the public.
Sandquist
“We are thrilled to relocate our headquarters to create a space that is open for the community to create, tinker, collaborate,” said Fishers Parks director Sarah Sandquist. “We hope this new home along the Nickel Plate Trail will introduce more people to all we offer and expand opportunities for all ages to explore a playground of creativity with the Maker Playground.”
Fishers Parks Headquarters
The Fishers Parks Headquarters provides a central collaboration space for the Fishers Parks department, along with spaces for community meetings and programs. The office is open to the public for customer service from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Fishers Maker Playground
The Fishers Parks Maker Playground is a makerspace for all – whether you want to tinker on projects, have a small business idea, or want to learn more about skilled trades. The Maker Playground offers tools and tinkering to create without limits. The Maker Playground features several zones throughout the space including a community workshop, metal shop, 3D printing space, welding, CNC routers, a laser cutter, and more.
Complementing this space are four classrooms for S.T.E.A.M. experiential learning and a large gathering and collaboration space.
- The Maker Lab– Housed along with the Fishers Parks office, guests will find four Maker Lab classrooms to teach, train, and inspire makers to craft their next project.
- The Think Tank– A space dedicated for members to map out the beginning stages of their idea. With a library of materials to read, fidget, and draft, several tables will be available to imagine, collaborate, and create the blueprint of your design.
- The Wood Shop– Whether constructing, cutting, or crafting, the wood shop is where members will find any tools needed to create with wood materials, including a table saw, chop saw, CNC router, sander, plainer, hand tools, lathe, and more.
- The Metal Shop– Located at the back of the Maker Playground is the Metal Shop, where makers can weld, bend, cut, drill, grind, and roll their designs from metal. In this area, you’ll find welders, metal lathe, machining center, grinder, bender, roller, metal cutting saw, and more.
- CNC Row – Members have access toCNC (computer numerical controlled) routing machines for precision project work. Training and assistance will be available to hone in makers’ skillsets.
- 3D Printing –Members have access to 3D printers to model prototypes, create small projects, and test different materials.
Membership or day passes are required to access the Fishers Maker Playground. A basic membership starts at $50 per month for residents, Young Entrepreneur (ages 16-21) memberships start at $25 per month for residents, and professional memberships starts at $100 per month for Fishers residents. Annual memberships are available for a 10 percent discount. Members must be 16 years of age or older.
Grand Opening
The grand opening event will welcome members of the community to explore the Fishers Parks and Maker Playground with hands-on demonstrations, entertainment, and more family fun. Attendees will get the chance to experience:
- Maker Lab classrooms take-home projects
- 3D printing with first Makerspace
- Engineering and building projects with Snapology
- Assemble a community mural with High Frequency Arts
- Robotics showcase in Project Alley from the Fishers Robotics Club
- Skateboard at Fishers Parks’ mobile skate park
- Watch StudioM craft a modern bench structure outside
- Race through a remote-control car track built by students at Riverside Intermediate
- Music, food trucks, and more
For more information about the Fishers Maker Playground, visit fishersmpg.com, or follow @FishersMakerPlayground on Facebook and @maker_playground on Instagram.