2020 FAQ

2020 is a challenging but exciting year for all of us! This page is to help address concerns and questions about our move status, new building, COVID-19 response, and plans for the future.

To summarize:

1. We bought a new building this year!
2. The new building required some upgrades to meet requirements to be a makerspace
3. Construction work slowed down significantly due to COVID-19
4. As of July, we are back to letting ALL members help out. Visit us Tuesday nights at 7pm. The more help we get, the sooner we can open!
5. For more detailed updates on progress and what's next, visit our forum: https://talk.makeict.org/c/News/booth-building-updates/44
   

Where is MakeICT Located?

MakeICT is located at 5920 E Mt Vernon St. March 2020 was our last month paying rent at 1500 E Douglas. Thanks to the help of our most loyal volunteers we were able to move out and clean up on schedule!

Is MakeICT open?

Our new building is not quite ready yet, we do not have the certificates of occupancy necessary to be a makerspace. We have had to work on our projects in small groups to preserve social distancing. Once we are open, we may not be able to hold large public events due to COVID-19 restrictions, but hope to be available for member projects. The more help we get, the sooner we can open.

Is MakeICT creating masks and face shields to prevent COVID-19 spread?

Yes - but in our own homes. We are also actively working with other groups and makerspaces to make masks and face shields.

Are member dues still being charged?

Yes. MakeICT is a community. Last year, as a community, we voted to purchase a new building. Our mortgage, utilities and insurance are paid by our members whether we can hold our normal events or not.

What is our financial situation?

This is a very hard time for MakeICT and we could really use your support! For the last seven years MakeICT has been a healthy, growing, financial stable organization. We've been fiscally conservative and saved up a lot for our new building. We did NOT plan for a global pandemic to happen on top of it!

• We cannot hold our popular open house tour nights, where 30-50 people would come visit the space and consider membership. Maker Mondays were our primary means of attracting new members. Even if people do hear about us online they do not see the value in joining yet because they can't come make things.
• We have lost members. The good news is that in our financial projections, we actually DID plan to lose members in the move - and we have not lost as many as we thought! The bad news is that the members we've lost had to stop paying due to their own financial constraints and lost work, not because of our move. These are hard economic times affecting thousands of people, including some of our loyal members.
• There is no class revenue coming in. Classes accounted for a significant portion of our income, and they are all put on hold right now.

For those reasons, we could really use your help right now. Donate to MakeICT at http://makeict.org/donate

You can still join! Your membership means a lot to us. http://makeict.org/join

If you or someone you know might want to join someday, buy a gift card now! http://makeict.org/gift-memberships/

If you know of grant opportunities, contact fundraising@makeict.org

Are we finished setting up our new makerspace?

Not quite. Permits are required to be a makerspace, and we've had to modify our building to meet those requirements. Construction is still going on. The status and activities around the mods change very quickly, so visit our forum to stay up to date: https://talk.makeict.org/c/News/booth-building-updates/44

How can I help?

Please come to 5920 E Mt. Vernon Tuesday evenings at 7pm to help out. Masks are required! Special skills are not... we can use anybody's help. We will maintain social distancing while working, there is plenty of space.

What is left to be done before we can receive our Certificate of Occupancy?

The Certificate of Occupancy (CO) will be based on inspections by the Wichita Fire Department and Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD). We need fire walls and doors for the metal and woodshop, ADA restrooms, emergency egress safety, HVAC and electrical work.

Can I join MakeICT?

Yes! Please visit http://makeict.org/join to become a member. As a member you will be able to apply for a key once we can open our new building to be our makerspace!

You can also buy a gift membership at http://makeict.org/gift-memberships/ with a print-at-home instruction sheet to redeem later. It would help us a lot!

I am already a member with a key, does my key badge work at the new building yet?

The doors can be unlocked with badges, but not every member is active, only those members who have been helping with construction. We are working on new orientation requirements. To be among the first members to gain access, join us and help with construction!