District Office now located in the Orange Hub

District 5370 has a new home.

At the beginning of October, the District office moved to the Orange Hub, a building which previously housed the fine arts programs of MacEwan University.

The building at 10045 156 Street NW is now owned by the City of Edmonton, which describes it on its website as “a centre for non-profit groups that offer programs and services in the arts, recreation, wellness and learning.” 

The District Office is located in room 402.

Prior to the move, the District rented from the Boys and Girls Club, which will be moving its offices into the space vacated by the District.

Donna Nicoll (RC of Edmonton Northeast), who as the District’s administration chair co-ordinated the move, is pleased with the new office space.

“It is bright and clean,” she says. “The staff at the Orange Hub have been great to work with.”

Preparing for the move involved sorting through material accumulated over 10 years in the previous location.

“As with all moves, there was way more stuff in those cupboards than we ever expected there to be,” Donna says. “We purged and purged and purged.”

Donna arranged for the space to be painted and new carpet installed before furniture was moved in.

“We brought over a few things, such as the boardroom table and chairs,” Donna says. The District also purchased a few pieces of furniture, but benefited from the university’s decision to leave furniture in the space, which formerly was occupied by the dean’s office.

“This saved us thousands of dollars,” Donna says.

Office manager Rene Cavanagh, who is also a member of the Rotary Club of Edmonton, feels her new work space is “fabulous.”

She says, “I’m excited about being here. It’s a better working atmosphere. More professional.”

Rene believes there are many positives resulting from the move. Being in the Orange Hub will raise the profile of Rotary. “There seem to be some key non-profit groups here.”

She also will never find herself the only person working in the building, as was the case at times in the previous location. 

“I have been able to meet some of the other tenants in the building,” she says. Many of these people will be in the building every day.

Another advantage of being in the Orange Hub is that office is now accessible to all. An elevator is located just outside the District office.

It’s now easier to travel to the office, too. The building is on or near several city bus routes and eventually the west extension of the Valley LRT line will pass by the building.

There’s lots of parking, both for free on the street and paid in a parkade.