June 2020 Updates
June 29, 2020
Warehouse Visits Postponed
Visits to our new 2016 Johanna Drive warehouse are temporarily postponed due to public gathering restrictions by Harris County authorities. We are monitoring public announcements from the Harris County Health website, and will update here when it is determined safe for proceed with limited, social-distancing gatherings.
Board Member Update
We thank our resigning Board Member, Kristin Kring, and wish her the best in her future endeavors. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Kristin in the greater Houston Burner community activation.
If you have any questions about the Board recruitment process, please reach out to us at board@houstonburners.org.
June 1, 2020
New Warehouse!!!
WELL HOWDY DOODY, Y’ALL
The New Houston Burner Warehouse is LIVE! Kind of...with COVID-19 preparations happening and micro meetups getting scheduled...and a big financial reimbursement due soon!
Here’s the current plan and will change when needed to reflect community needs and health concerns in the Houston area. Check it out!
WAREHOUSE VISITS
There’s going to be a 6 person max micro meetup several days each week led by one board member. Come to one so you can see what we’ve got to work with, to imagine the possibilities, and to get you thinking about what we want to make happen in our new digs. The place lends itself to a few obvious ideas, but all ideas are on the table. Let’s make the space great together!
And as for coronavirus preparations, we as burners are especially equipped to be radically inclusive with cautionary actions to ensure the safety of our diverse participants. RESPECT:
- Consent matters- Ask, rather than assume, if it is OK to hug, touch, or be in someone’s space
- Max of 6 people inside the warehouse at any time
- Wear your face mask! to protect others who may be at high risk
- Maintain 6’ physical distance throughout the meetup
- Distanced street parking leaves more space on the “patio” to talk outside and make some plans
- Best practices include:
- Signs to remind everyone
- Floor markers to help with traffic flow and direction
- Disinfection of spaces before and after small gatherings
- A collaborative intention to keep everyone safe
- If you feel unsafe, say so and find a way to make it better for everyone
WAREHOUSE FINANCIALS
We also have a lot of help with our new setup due to the eminent domain ouster from the old warehouse space on Winston. That’s really good news and will soften the blow of our organization’s financial crisis due to our inevitable rent increase -- Winston was cheaper than the market rates by a lot! -- coupled with the financial hit of cancelling UBS 2020. Here’s what will be included in the reimbursements from HUD (Dept of Housing & Urban Development):
- Expenses incurred while searching for a replacement location
- Moving expenses: out of the old space, to storage, and into the new space
- Storage for a period not to exceed 12 months
- 12 months of rental assistance covering the rental increase: so basically our rent stays the same
- 12 months of utility assistance covering any increases in utility fees: utilities stay the same
- Repairs and improvements as required by law and as necessary to accommodate the organization up to a cap of $25k
Lack of warehouse rent from Jan to Jun, plus reimbursements of moving expenses, plus reimbursements of up to $25k for buildout will carry us strongly through this year of crisis. And it will allow us to keep building and funding art.
What do you have in mind?
What can we do for the Houston community to further our mission of collaborative art during coronavirus?
FOR NOW:
- Board members all have keys and will be the leads on the micro meetups this month
- Sign up for a micro meetup HERE!
- Bring a face covering and wash your hands!
- Check out the attached drawing of the space/floorplan (we’ll have a grid plan soon!)
- See some photos of the space below
- Get to thinking about how you can contribute and how to make it great!
S E E Y ‘ A L L T H E R E ! ! ! !
PAST ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you're looking for info from announcements over the past year, please visit our archival page > Past Announcements.
