From a grocery store to innovative community center and watershed restoration headquarters, the Panamnik Building is getting renovated!

Some of the Panamnik Building Story…

Present

The Panamnik Building in downtown Orleans, CA (population 700) houses the local post office, as well as the MKWC office headquarters and a community center in a place where there are otherwise few viable options for people to gather. Currently the building is closed for renovations, but when it’s open it provides a venue for monthly community dinners, playgroups for young children, exercise and yoga classes, and distribution of county services such as food and library books. The space also serves as an information distribution center during wildfires and an incident command center during our annual Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) events. And the building offers a needed space for local agencies and NGOs to hold meetings, workshops and trainings.

Past

Constructed in the 1950s, the Panamnik Building was partly underwater during the 1964 Flood, and has had some wear over time. We have worked to maintain and improve the function of the building as resources have allowed, and laid the groundwork for some future projects. The latest vital fix has been our roof, which we hired a local contractor to repair this summer after years of moving buckets around to catch leaks as they sprung up. To finish the new roof, we used money we raised and saved, plus took out a loan. Now, we’re forging ahead with the third and final phase of the project. MKWC has secured permits and contracted several architects (one of them pro-bono) to develop the design for these renovations.

Future

The third (and final) phase of the project is the most exciting, including an outdoor amphitheater between the building and the Klamath River, multiple community-led art installations, a modernized facility including a new and better-equipped kitchen and upgraded bathrooms. The renovated space will also include more spacious and higher-functioning MKWC offices, and a renovated central space dedicated entirely to community use.

Here’s How You Can Help!

We’ve made some major improvements so far and is exciting and inspiring to be a part of this transformation. Many local people have invested countless hours and diverse expertise in this project. Now, we need your help to get to the finish line by 2026. Specifically, we need to raise more funds to complete the Panamnik Building renovation our community envisions and better meet the needs of local communities. So much happens here every day of the year—from launching field work and outdoor education to feeding and training people and building common ground on issues that have historically divided our communities.  Your support will help build a better future for our community and the land that feeds it.

Please consider supporting the project in one of these ways:

1) Give a donation—any amount helps, but big donations are more efficient and help us secure other donations and generate momentum for this project. Got an extra $100, $1,000, $10,000 or $100,000 to help move us forward? Let us know and we’ll honor your generosity publicly and permanently in our newly renovated space, or not, as you wish.  Naming opportunities are available for those who want them and can contribute $500 or more to the Panamnik Building Capital Campaign.

2) Make an in-kind donation of materials, supplies, labor or expertise! This goes a long ways! We’ll be looking for this type of help as we demolish our old office space, landscape around the property, and at other key points along the way. Get in touch with us and we’ll coordinate according to abilities and needs.

3) Tell your friends and family about our project, and help put us in touch with other people who might like to own a piece of this project. We’re stronger together, and your willingness to invite others to be a part of this project or champion Panamnik Building renovations and improvements makes a huge difference!