Locations

Prospective Locations for the Bloomington Hackerspace

So lets collect some locations that may meet our potential needs. If possible post a google-maps reference. Also we can post info on commercial real-estate agents.

Basic Requirements:

• Needs to be inside or close to Bloomington
  • being close to a bus line is a big benefit. I won't say its a requirement, but it will definitely attract more students who don't have their own transportation.
• Cheap rent
• further items as discussed

Other things to consider about location:

• Probably want something industrial - lower rent and no noise restrictions
• At least basic parking accommodations, hopefully enough for at least 5-10 cars, more is better
• Garage entrance might be nice, but certainly not required (allows more ventilation, also car hacking)
• A restroom may not be mandatory but should be considered
• A place to put up Ham radio antennas and/or free-to-air dishes outdoors might be nice
• A fixer-upper might also be in order, up for discussion based on locations found

Important things to inspect when checking out locations

• verify the roof does not leak, look for freshly repaired ceilings/walls
• verify utilities available (power, water, trash, restroom a plus, net access)
• does it have 3-phase power available? Any other types of power? (2phase, current capacity)
• also apparently industrial power areas can have higher power rates, need to verify with agent or power company
• who are the neighbors? any problems with burglary or vandalism in the area?
• do they care if we install outdoor antennas or dishes?

Potential Locations

The order of the listing presently does not indicate order of preference.

• BHS Candidates on a shared Google map
• Fountain Square - Central, basement offices are cheap (like $200/month, includes utils), proximity to other things like Game Preserve, resturants. Smithville has talked about wiring the building with ethernet jacks before. Downtown may make it easier to get others involved.