That’s why item #8 is there. Get an hourly count of people in case they drove in when the garage doors were opened. As for wood unloading, leave that question to the Woodshop.
Yes, all emergency exit doors can be opened from the inside even when locked on the outside. To exit from the Front Door Lobby door, if locked, you will have to rotate the deadbolt lock to exit. Once again, item #8 will account for those people that leave by other doors.
I could see potential issues such as:
I can see any of these issues (and many more) having a non zero percentage of risk attached. The result of any one of those happening could potentially result in penalties/fines/lawsuits/closure, and just the accusation or additional required restrictions and/or enforcement required because of such violations would cause additional monetary and man hour expenditures.
One must consider the potential liability to the space. Any of those results would affect the DMS as a whole (i.e. the entire membership), and not just individual members (and their personal values/ethics).
The job of the BoD in this specific set of circumstances is to protect the organization, not the individual members. They are doing their job by being cautious and not opening up at the very first theoretical opportunity, as the risk to the organization trumps the risks/inconveniences to individual member(s). The subset of membership that theoretically relies so heavily on access to the DMS for their livelihood will be even more inconvenienced by it being weakened by avoidable fines, additional regulation, or in the worst case scenario ceasing to exist entirely.
I agree with what you are saying, however given the state of torts in our country, that doesn’t apply. It’s not the person that made the decision to come to the space and subsequently died that files the suit. It’s the family member that lost the loved one that states that the board should have known better. Remember, they have the fact that the person died to support their point. And don’t talk to me about signing release of liability. They may offer some degree of protection, but they are no guarantee, it’s up to the jury. Even if you don’t lose a suit, they are expensive and a pain in the tush. Not to mention a blow to ones ego.
I value the concept of simplicity, however, what about the angry member outside pounding on the foot yelling let me in. You are putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the person at the door. You won’t see me volunteering to be that person, and I see service to our community as a major positive part of the maker space experience.
This simple system was suggested as a means to open up as soon as the Board of Directors approves it. Yes, it is not a perfect solution but could get us by on a limited basis. Maybe not 24/7 access but limited hours. If one were to wait until be have a fully automated 24/7 head count system via; key fob entry and exit, image recognition software with our spy-in-the-sky cameras, or whatever process that has been previously proposed…you will be waiting a very long time. It would take several months to get an automated system implemented by our volunteers. Home Depot, Lowes, and scores of other companies have a physical person at the entrance and exit that counts people in and out, they have even limited their hours of operation. We could do the same thing.
This isn’t a proposal of how to reopen dms, this is just a really cool practical idea.
I don’t think it would go over as easily in the US as everyone has the right to refuse. However, as far as quickly acquiring the data needed - this is the way. Now processing the data - that’s another story.
But hey patient x was in the store within 2 hours of a,b, c ok send out texts to them to tell them they’ve been potentially exposed.
Rich -
You’ve hit my proposal pretty much dead on.
As folks may know, I spend hours at the Space on FB. It would be no hardship for me to volunteer to be there from 1 pm to 1 am Friday through Wednesday (not Thursday).
Masks will be required. Members will be lectured about cleaning equipment. I can get bleach and paper towels if our vendors don’t have them. I might be able to get masks. There are 3 places on Harry Hines advertising masks.(Electronics- and masks! Rugs - and masks)
It sounds like there will only be a minimal need to deny access, although it will be necessary to keep track of which machines are being used. Clearly there can’t be 40 people using the lasers and 40 people in woodshop. Social distancing may bring the allowed number lower than our 25%.
We should probably aim for some consensus on how long a turn is. I know Laser has a max allowed turn if people are waiting. Is that an hour? Would that be fair for Woodshop as well? 2 hour turns?
Is there a way to create a reservation system. Maybe use the class sign up software. We could create 2 or 3 hour classes for each section like laser and we could limit the classes to the appropriate number of people for that space. For example 3 people in wood shop at a time. Maybe classes could even be set to automatically regenerate, I do not know the software. This way a door attendant could check people in for each class, we could stagger the classes so everyone is not arriving at the same time. This would also give the door attendant time to go make sure everyone from the previous class has left. I would be willing to volunteer to help create the classes in the system.
I would imagine this would keep a lot of people from being angry that they drove from Arlington to wait in their car for 3 hrs to get in to the space.
Yes. I had been considering that. Putting something up on the calendar would be a good way of letting folks know when what is available. Not everyone reads Talk. I am also thinking of making the "classes’ approval-only. That way everybody gets a chance.
Members who want to work should be required to take a turn at the door before they can work.
Maybe the Door Monitor list could begin with the members who have been clamoring the loudest to re-open, and the length of their shifts (before they’re allowed in to work) could be proportional to their persistence in posting on talk, emailing, calling or texting the board.
My kneejerk feeling on this is “fox, meet henhouse”…
We would need a couple of other simple rules like if you are a vulnerable group with comorbidities or in close contact with the same; don’t show up. Maybe a non-contact temperature check at the door for the lawyers in the group.
This is a long topic so I hope I haven’t missed something. There are a lot of ideas. Many of them vigorously defended and equally vigorously decried. But this is DMS so what else would we expect. What I am not hearing is the board’s plan to open. And what I am afraid I am hearing is that we are going to wait until we have an opening date and then they will propose a plan. This seems exactly backwards. I can’t help but think that the boards planning is getting pretty solid. I think the members deserve to have a plan put forward and discussed. If the opening orders require us to modify then we can do it. Surely the plan isn’t to throw something together at the last minute.
I realize that we are pretty paranoid about the potential for problems, but I have been to the grocery store and Walmart. They have a system set up. For instance, I seemed to be the only person who even noticed that the aisles were supposed to be one-way.
I think we will be fine if we set up some social distancing guidelines, give folks a lecture, and let them go. That said, I would like to give the people who want some distance some pushback against the ddon’t-cares.
We, the board, have answered multiple times, it’s just spread across several answers, so l will try and consolidate here. our barriers to reopening are as follows:
The bottom line is we are actively working towards reopening, and we are reading this thread to work out the plan. There are some good suggestions here and we are taking them into account. There are also valid concerns here, that we have to consider to protect the members and the business. We are also talking directly with the city of Carrollton and considering their guidance as well.
You are right about this, the changes will likely not be easy at first, but I think we will be able to adapt. Social distance rules may mean no classes or groups for a while, sanitation and hygien rules may become very strict, but hopefully as a community we can come together and make it work.
To that end I hope to keep this thread active with the input and feedback from members. Sure there are some crazy and improbable solutions, but there are also valuable ones that will contribute to the process of returning to normal.
My offer to man one door and monitor activities 1 pm to 1 am Friday through Wednesday stands. That would give us a substantial chunk of usability. Would it make everyone happy? No. But it would help a lot of us out.
I should add that it wouldn’t be safe for people who are in the danger zones or who are going home to people in the danger zones. But then, that’s true of going anywhere that isn’t your bunker.
You don’t need to have a plan to reopen, but if the question is “what’s our plan to reopen” you haven’t answered it, at least not in your consolidation.
No – the answer is: We don’t have a plan, as we don’t know what we’ll be required to do.
Which is why they’re perfectly happy to watch us spin our ideas. Maybe one or two of our ideas will actually work for whatever requirements come down from the gummint.
Richtx said he hadn’t seen a plan to reopen. James’ response doesn’t change that.
See – this is why you get in trouble. “There is no plan” is a perfectly valid response to “where’s the plan”.
If there is no plan, there won’t be a plan to be seen. Asking for a plan doesn’t make one appear out of nowhere.
For reasonable people, “we’re waiting for the government before issuing a plan” is adequate. That’s what I got out of @mrjimmy 's post. Sure, we’d all like to see a plan. But – there really isn’t a good reason to spend a lot of time spinning our wheels about a plan if whatever we’re told would dump that plan in the garbage. I know I have plenty of time to spin and foment plans, but that’s just me.
There may be some tentative plans, but I certainly wouldn’t be posting one if I were an official person. You know somebody would be expecting it tomorrow if there were even a hint of an official plan, regardless of how future-looking said plan was. It saves a lot of grief to just say “there is no plan”.