Unless they have another armory … I don’t see it. Very unique circumstance.
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It sounds great but the location was poor for most of our current volunteers
Since we draw quite a few folks from the mid cities and Ft Worth we could
not depend on them, We would have needed to develop a new membership
base. To that quickly, we would have needed to have a lot of equipment in place,
early, Here we grew over time, and as membership and interests grew. It would have been
a lot harder to do that there.
I would not have been surprised for the city to require a non resident user fee, that is common in many
city owned facilities and would have been an additional cost to our members.
We would have had to front the costs of setting it up and repairing a building that had been closed for over
a decade, I am sure that we would have needed it tested for hazardous waste. I keep thinking about the
issues the City of Dallas is having with the Navy over Hansley field
What bothers me and some others is that most of the information of this only came out because
someone posted on FB that we would fund a Garland Maker s space. It was done behind the scenes
without full disclosure and it seemed that folks where moving in a big hurry to get something
??? done, before the members learned about it hence the money spend on the roof inspection.
What we were told was the that the Mayor and some members and maybe some coundilmen wanted to meet with us
and get ou our input on making a successful Makerspace. I don t remember any thing being said aout
them wanting us to fund, build or even staff their makerspace
I would love to see exactly what was said in the calendar listing for it
It looks bad, sort of like a boss having his young secretary eat a room service dinner
in his hotel room, at a conference It can be totally innocent but it isn t a good idea
In which case I stand by what I said and add: Contacting Mayor Athas to express our gratitude is the right thing to do from all perspectives.
And, thank you and @Tapper for the first drafts above.
That and a phone call. Do not underestimate the power of a simple “thank you” actually spoken to someone.
Which council member(s) were also in favour of DMS creating a satellite?
Just a little sanity check the first location Dallas Makerspace ever occupied was
11020 Audelia Rd Suite C103
Dallas, TX 75243
Which while in Dallas could not have been more than 1-2 blocks away from Garland city limits.
Also did not start with the infrastructure we do now, back in those days it was OpenOffice and GNUcash. we have helped other makerspaces and I feel like the makerspace movement is absolutely in a good place and growing rapidly.
I have no doubt it would have been a thriving makerspace. But that dream is gone and we have to look for a new place for expansion. I absolutely have no regrets on the entire experience and learned alot throughout the process and feel good about working with other citys and organizations. I want to thank the entire Garland community who assisted along the way and I do hope the community of Garland get’s the makerspace they want! Texas Made Here!
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Appreciate you guys working so hard on this. The Maker movement is so important and even though the armory might not have worked out it is great that the city is now showing an interest in a Makerspace. That is a huge win IMHO.
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And how many of those folks are still active ?
That was a lot closer to a freeway also it looks like
There were what less than 400 members at Ladybird Now
I know it was cramped and we had a lot less tools there, but
we really started to grow when we moved in here. Location is
a huge part of it. A friend of mine is a fairly new member, she works in Ft Worth,
3 days a week, she can manage to make a 7:00 class here, If we were in Garland,
she couldnt
Years ago the Gilbert and Sullivan DIG of North Texas Mensa rented the very nice theater
that Galand has near downtown. We had folks that could not make the rehearsals we had there
because of the time it takes to get there. The SCA holds and Arts and Sciences meeting there
once a month at a church and there classes that some would love to take, but they can t get
there for them Years ago we had the same problem with dog club meeting out there,
There are other areas wit the same issue, parts of north Carrollton for one Location is important
If we are serious about looking at satellite locations, then we need to develop a method for growing
a membership base in that area, Folks in both Ft Worth and the Deep Ellum/North Oak Cliff
area have been interested enough to explore the concept. That type of interest would be good source
to build a satellite space
I wonder if latter on we could investigate the idea of having up some Pop Up Makerspaces
in other area. Very limited on tools, but something that help build interest, We would need to
look for those that would help us, maybe in connection with something they are hosting
inte
for a business
Now or at some point?
We weren’t even looking for a satellite location. This fell in our lap and the uniqueness of it was such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we felt we had to at least examine the possibility.
Our initial assessments were we needed to see what the potential costs were and if that was even in the realm of feasibility. We didn’t get much beyond some initial estimates for the roof and the fire suppression requirements before it was decided by the city council to tear it down. That pretty much ended it.
Like Robert said, we learned a lot. It did start us thinking about our hoped for move at the end of this lease. We wanted a more systematic approach and what our options and considerations should be. Thus we decided to tap into the expertise that does exist within our community, thus the item on the agenda about forming an advisory group.
This gets more ideas, opinions, and expertise from the membership and gets the membership involved. Yes, there are some specific skills and talents we are looking for, thus 5 of the 8 members had specific qualifications plus 3 “at large” members. The group is structured so they can allow as much additional member involvement as they see fit while accomplishing their mission. But by having a limited number of official members the group can get things done.
This is meant to be a fact finding group, we want them to generate facts and estimates. No a philosophical debate of the nature of DMS and makerdom. If we move, what are estimated costs, what considerations should be taken into consideration that impact the members. How far from present site. What are costs in various directions. An analysis of of where our membership is, what is their average drive time. Lease vs build to suit. What about satellite locations: where would be best sites, estimated costs, etc. This is to prepare us so we armed with knowledge when we actually start actively looking for a site. Not to decide where.
What are the demographics of various areas - how do they compare with ours (this is hard the only real data points we have are age & sex based on waivers, and whether you are getting a reduced rate), other demographics have been considered irrelevant: Do you want to be Maker? We don’t care about age, education, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation: do you want to become part of this community - the rest isn’t relevant to becoming a member.
This is honestly the most diverse, eclectic, and creative group of people I’ve ever been around. All of those items above just aren’t even important but it is also what gives the place the energy it does, but it is also a self-selected group: we want to be here.
Our intense screening process to being admitted is: Are you at least 18 (or 16 if your parent is a member), have you signed our waiver and did your payment clear? If yes, here’s your RFID badge and welcome to the DMS community!
We also realize we need to pay much more attention to zoning laws, EPA rules, what will be allowed in the site we choose, what are we allowed to modify in the building such as roof and wall penetrations. The things we want to do in future in terms of capabilities.
We are becoming more sophisticated - we need to be.
People interested in taking part should let the BoD know.
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I am leaning towards “soon”. I cannot think of a benefit to waiting.
I will let you know when “Righty” (the right hemisphere of my brain) comes to a decision. 
Don’t worry. I really am not certifiable.
One comment on the proposed board resolutions…
If you find yourself typing “would like to” then stop. Just delete that phrase. It changes what you are writing from passive voice to active voice.
The Dallas Makerspace Board of Directors would like to thank Mayor Athas, …
…versus…
The Dallas Makerspace Board of Directors thanks Mayor Athas, …
Much better.
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Mistakes were made…
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I’ll confess that I find it mildly disconcerting that 2x board members agree this is a good summary when, to my recollection, the assertion was that there would NOT be DMS expenditure (the inspection being an exception), and that the facebook post that broke this news was purely erroneous on that point, up to that point. This makes it sound as though we WERE planning to fund it, not as though there might be some expenditures/sponsorships agreements to come out of the discussions.
I would leave out the part about the Armory proposal altogether. If it has truly failed, why rub salt in the wound? It might still be a going concern, in which case, you do not want to prematurely declare it failed.
Also, not a fan of “regards” because it seems insincere, but it IS popular these days…
You can find anecdotes to support most sides in an argument…
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Sometimes personal anecdotes are all someone has to argue/debate with. For some, it is ALL they have (i.e.everything seems to somehow be about them).
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As a citizen of Garland I feel like I’m ok with that particular politician making an exit even if I don’t agree with the catalyst
So it’s funny that this happened across my FB.
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God, I really hate politicians.
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Thanks for the update. It is a lesson for those who think DMS politics is fierce.
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The the more I hear of this, it seems that we almost got drawn into a political
fight/nightmarre
that should be “I hate CAREER politicians”
Term limits are the way to go
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Dallas Morning News had article on this. Funny how in all the “news” out there on this, the makerspace option was never mentioned. Pooch park versus makerspace. Shows where priorities are.
Time to start voting incumbents out of office at all levels. Problem - nobody better to replace them with…
As we talk about term limits, voting out incumbents, and lack of a bench of qualified candidates, it is important to talk about the role of the electorate (you and me) and how it serves as a check and balance on power.
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Voting. By that, I mean voting in every type: general, joint, uniform, local, primaries, specials, run-offs, plus voting at local and state party conventions. The most powerful individual voter is the one who shows up to all elections. Showing up once every 4 years to vote in a presidential election is not a check on power. One cannot vote out incumbents without a bench of candidates elected down ballot. One cannot get quality candidates within the party system without participating in party conventions. Elected officials do not fear constituents who show up once every 2-4 years. Your voting record - how often you appear at the polls, not who you vote for - is public record and believe me, the admin assistants to local officials verify yours when you call in with an issue. Those with limited voting history get the polite, but cold, shoulder. Those with complete records get taken seriously. The largest voting block is the Don’t Vote/Stay Home voters - they have zero leverage with elected officials, yet determine every election by virtue of sitting out, i.e. don’t ever blame 3rd party candidates for an outcome when 40-80% of voters are no-shows.
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Activism. In between elections, the electorate holds its officials accountable through engagement: staying informed on the issues through a variety of news sources, talking about issues with other voters, building coalitions by finding common ground, attending town halls, calling official’s office to get your support or disagreement on record, letters to official, letters to editor, attending sessions of legislature/city council/board of trustees/etc, protesting in person, registering voters, donating to campaigns. Staying silent is not a check on power. Reading only news sources that you agree with is not staying informed; it’s called siloing in and is not a check on power. Talking about issues with only people you agree with is not a check on power; again, siloing in. America is an oligarchy in which the donors control the levers of power. Don’t leave the donor class to the wealthy. Large numbers of voters making small donations become a check on wealthy donors.
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Running for office. Running and winning is a check on power. Running and losing is a check on power. One of the most powerful elected positions is counter-intuitive. The smallest geographical unit with an elected representative is the voting precinct. (fyi…this does vary from state-to-state, party-to-party, and even rural-to-urban within a state, but I’m sticking with TX’s model). Every two years is a party primary. It’s helpful to think of a voting precinct as roughly equivalent to a neighborhood. Neighbors vote on their elected representative to their chosen party. That representative is called a Precinct Chair. I can’t speak for the TX GOP model. I do know that in the TX Democratic Party the Precinct Chairs form the county Executive Committee, which meets 4x/year. Each chair has access to the party’s voter database for their precinct. A good precinct chair gets to know her neighbors and their concerns by going door-to-door weekly and having meaningful conversations for 20minutes or more. A bad precinct chair rallies voters a week before an election or is largely unknown to her neighbors and just wants her picture taken at fundraisers. A good precinct chair takes her neighbors’ wishlist for a candidate to the Executive Committee meetings and says, “Don’t send us anything less” - this is grassroots. A bad precinct chair tells her neighbors to conform to the party’s wishes - this is top-down politics or “team colors”. A good chair builds trust with her neighbors and can influence them to stand down or stand up at the polls. She teaches them how to build and maintain their voter history record, while undervoting in unacceptable races. In other words, she works for the people. Her neighbors are her constituents. A bad precinct chair sees the party as her constituents. A good chair is a formidable check on power and can tip elections at the low-turnout, non-partisan local level.
We are not as powerless as some would have us think.
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If there ever happens to be a push to open a DMS satellite in Garland again, plz make sure I’m aware. I graduated 2nd in my class of ~450 from South Garland High School, and social ties in Garland run deep through schools and churches. People from Garland that know me, know I’m kind of a smart fella, and if I were to go campaigning to the handful of influential and popular people I knew about the coming rise of Makerspaces and their importance for education, community, and economy… I think I’d have a decent shot of cascading a small movement to put pressure on the city council.
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