Posted on by ted@thebrickyard.org

A Year Later…

On September 9th, last year (2017), I had this exchange on Facebook:

– “dude

let’s start up an incubator maker space STEAM thing in lynn”

– “I can set up a meeting…”

(…with Jaime Figueroa)

In case you weren’t able to make our Maker Meetup this past weekend, here’s where we’re at today:

Board Members:

  • Tia Cole
  • Mitch Ahern
  • Kristal Morfa
  • Karen Chacon
  • Claudio Martinez – Advisory

Michael Satterwhite – Attorney

Zhen Wu – Architect

Instructors:

  • Tia Cole -Soap
  • Sarah Bennett – Barefoot Gardening
  • Mitch Ahern – Letterpress
  • Teresa Dillard – Basic Bread
  • Keica Rideout – Knitting
  • Ted Dillard – Bike Repair/Photo Lighting

Volunteers:

  • Jon Justian
  • Sam Bryant
  • Lisa Neville
  • Jobeth Williams
  • Hannah Colbert

Jane Schafer, Bill Wendell – The Carriage House

Jocelyn Almy-Testa: RePurpose

Design, production:

  • Jennifer Adler – Survival by Design
  • Seth Albaum – Sound, LynnHappens
  • Stephen Foley – video

Jeff Wheden – LHAND

Special Thanks:

  • Jaime Figueroa
  • Lisa Wallace
  • Emily Jodoin
  • Peter Kramer

Partners/Collaborators

  • LaVita Scholars
  • KIPP Academy
  • The Haven Project
  • The Lynn Public Library/QuaranTEENs program (BattleBots event)

Current Status

501(c)3 Non-profit status established in March.

7 Active workshops:

  • Introduction to Letterpress
  • Repair Clinic: Bicycles
  • Barefoot in the Vegetable Garden
  • Basic Bread Baking
  • How To Make Soap (Without Melting Your Face)
  • Learn to Knit
  • Photo/Video Lighting: Understanding the Secrets of Lighting

12 interested members, one couple from the Worcester area makerspace community, one from the Lawrence community.

Grant Awards:

Grassroots Fund: $500

Community Development Block Grant: HUD $5000

In process:

MassDevelopment Collaborative Workspace Program: $50k

Mass DEP Sustainable Materials Recovery Program: $73K

Cummings Foundation: $33K

 

Facilities, Equipment:

Currently negotiating space: 6500 sq feet, open warehouse/light manufacturing space with 25’ ceilings, garage door and deck-height dock access (fork truck included for tenants’ use) for a 3-year lease.

Over $30k of equipment currently in storage:

  • Imaging – 3 full darkrooms, 1 complete photo/video studio, 1 high-resolution DSLR, 2 additional DSLRs, Epson color photo printer, scanner, workstation.
  • Video/Sound – GoPro cameras, Marantz PMD671 w/mikes
  • Complete wood shop: table saw, drill press, band saw, surface planer, compound mitre saw
  • Metal shop – band/hacksaw, South Bend 10” lathe, press, compressor, grinders, tooling
  • Finishing, Electronics, Robotics/RC

Donations through WorcShop (pending):

Welder, kilns, furnaces, milling and fabrication equipment

 

A few memories from the past year: