Since its founding in 2013, the Mancos Common Press (MCP) has served as a center dedicated to the printer’s art while restoring and reusing the historic Mancos Times building as a new facility for community, students and artists, and to become a focal point for print artists of the southwest. MCP functions as a graphic arts studio, holds classes in historic letterpress printing, silk screen, etch printing and silkscreen, provides studio space for print artists and students from all over the Southwest, and educates many visiting tourists on the historic role of newspapers in the West.

MCP has prioritized maximizing sustainability and reducing climate impact while expanding accessibility and use to its community in the new Mancos Commons building. The FCI Implementation Grant will support installation of rooftop solar totaling 20.8kw. The sixty-two American-made SILSAB solar panels and related equipment and connections will connect to the grid directly. Estimates from power supplier Empire Electric Association, and the solar contractor, Shaw Solar Corporation estimate $149,000 in savings over at least twenty-five years. This will allow for pursuit of net zero energy emissions and more predictable operating costs due to the offset from the solar.