`my second big question is, how do you address the sometimes troublesome realities of allowing open access to the shop on a 24-hour basis? if i understand the reporting in the isthums correctly, you allow members who have completed a one-month provisional period open access to the shop and presumably the equipment and materials therein?

speaking strictly from a practicality standpoint, how do you do this? what prevents someone from just backing a U-Haul up to the warehouse door at 3AM and carting everything off for salvage?

is there a security system in place to prevent this? do you pay staff to be on site 24-hours a day, seven days a week? [i kinda hate using the term "24/7"... i cringe every time i hear it] are raw materials freely available or is there some sort of inventory system in place to prevent people from using "more than their fair share"? what about tools - do you have a problem with tools being misplaced or just taken? i'm not suggesting the people involved in your project aren't trust-worthy or decent people; i'm just asking questions i know our board of directors would ask if i suggested even a small maker's component be included in our deconstruction enterprise - the mention of the small gardening beds in the isthums article was what prompted this, since a community garden/farmers market component is definitely something i'd like to include, mainly so we could explore composting/humanure recycling and have a built-in use for the end product. but, honestly, the larger community-centered and educational aspects of open-use are very interesting as well.