The Standing Rules

The Bodgery is a shared workspace and educational environment with many active users. Bodgery members volunteer considerable time for the benefit of all members. Every change to the space has an impact on others. Your behavior has a direct influence on people around you, and an indirect effect on the many other people who use the shop and keep The Bodgery useful, kind, and fun.

These are the policies that we operate under. Guests must also follow these guidelines, even if they are unknown - they will be made aware of any mistakes, and if they refuse to abide by them they will be asked to leave. Members agree to follow these rules at all times upon signing up for membership.

It is the responsibility of the members to come to amicable agreements of disputes over tools, space or other shop resources.

Leave things better than when you arrived. If you make dust/chips/liquid/etc messes, it’s your responsibility to clean them up. If you change the settings on a tool/machine, return them to the original settings. If you pulled out hand tools to use, return them. If you break or damage something, let the Area Captain know.

This is a shared space, not your personal workshop. When you leave, take anything of yours with you - don’t leave your projects, tools, or materials anywhere outside of your shelf or an official “project parking area” with a permit attached.

Talk to the Area Captain before using their respective area, even if you aren’t using Bodgery tools. Some areas require an area checkoff.

No sleeping / living in the space. Naps are okay.

Keep interactions civil and respectful, whether in person or by email, Slack or social media:

• Treat others as you would like to be treated.
• Keep criticism constructive.
• Refrain from name-calling or derogatory statements.
• Do not discriminate based on gender identity, race, sexual orientation or religion.
• Do not engage in harassment:
  • Harassment includes offensive verbal comments or actions related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
• No photography, video, or audio recording is allowed without explicit permission of the person whose work or person is being photographed or recorded
• If asked to stop harassing or other negative behavior, comply immediately.

Any conduct that the Board determines to be offensive will be addressed and acted upon as needed per the Discipline Policy below.

Harassment should be reported to the Board via board@thebodgery.org. People wishing to report anonymously are encouraged to use an anonymous remailer like http://sendanonymousemail.net/ or https://anonymousemail.me/

Safety is the top responsibility of every member and guest.

• All members and guests are required to use appropriate personal protective equipment.
• It is the responsibility of every member and guest to understand the safe use of any tool or equipment before using it.
• [Red-tag] tools are for members (or students supervised by an instructor), and require a class or personal instruction by the Area Captain or their approved designee before use.
• [Yellow-tag] tools require a checkout from an Area Captain or Area Captain approved designee before use, or use during a class while supervised by an instructor.
• Members or guests in an affected work area should be made aware of safety rules if they are not following them (e.g. a request to put on safety equipment or relocate to avoid breathing fumes), and are expected to be complied with immediately. Failure to do so will be brought to the Area Captain(s) and/or board, and disciplinary action is possible.
• Members must not allow unsafe practices by any guest or other member - it is their responsibility to speak up.
• EJECTION: If necessary, any member, though preferably with the assistance of a board member or area captain, may temporarily eject a member from the space in order to resolve any immediate health, safety, or harassment issues.

3.1 Firearms Policy

• Firearm: Any device designed to expel a projectile by means of an explosion
• Nonfunctioning Firearm: A firearm that is inoperable or unable to discharge a projectile.
• Concealed Firearm: A firearm that is carried on a person in such a manner as to not be discernible by the ordinary observation of others.

• Only nonfunctioning firearms are allowed at The Bodgery for repair purposes.
• Members and guests are prohibited from bringing live ammunition into The Bodgery.
• Members and guests must abide by all local, state, and federal firearms laws.
• The carrying of concealed firearms by members and guests is prohibited while on the premises of The Bodgery.
• Members and guests must immediately inform the Board of Directors if they believe a firearm is functioning or if any other safety concerns arise.
• Members and guests who violate this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, including termination of membership.

3.2 Aerosols (Spray Finishes)

Use of aerosols (spray painting or any other spray finish) indoors is NOT permitted under any circumstances. Spray painting may be done outdoors (away from exits, vents and exhausts) with appropriate precautions to cover the ground with paper or tarp. Any over spray is expected to be cleaned by the member and is subject to disciplinary action if left uncleaned.

3.3 Animals and Pets

For multiple reasons, no animals, except trained service dogs, are allowed at the Bodgery.

Minors that are 16 or 17 years old may be members. They must have parent/guardian consent. They have all the privileges and requirements of any other member.

Children are considered guests but need extra supervision. See Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.

Any guest must be hosted by a member, whether this is a personal guest or random visitor. If the hosting member needs to leave, they must pass off their responsibility as host to another member, or ask the guest(s) to leave. No member is under obligation to host guests. Any member may host up to ten guests in the space. Two or more members may host an unlimited number of guests. The woodshop area has a limit of one guest per member.

In all cases, the member(s) hosting one or more guests are responsible for:

• Verifying that each guest has signed in on the kiosk computer in the main entry area
• Making sure guests understand the guidelines under which we operate
• Cleaning up after guests if they fail to do it themselves

If any of the following are true, the person is not allowed in the space and must leave:

• The person is a minor and a parent/guardian of the guest has not filled out the Young Guest Waiver on his or her behalf
• A member or guest behaving inappropriately (including but not limited to violation of these rules or the bylaws) may be asked to leave by another member. In case of a dispute in the matter, any board member may mediate.

5.1 Bringing Property to The Bodgery

• Do not leave any property at the Bodgery that does not fit on your member storage plot/shelf (See section 6).
  • Unless you fill out a “parking permit” and place it in the designated Project Parking area. (See 6.3)
• If you want to donate/lend tools to the Bodgery, you must get prior approval from the relevant Area Captain(s) or board (see 5.3 and 5.4).
• Any property not meeting the Storage requirements below will be considered abandoned. The Board of Directors reserves the right to dispense with said property in whatever manner they see fit (see 5.2).

5.2 Handling Abandoned Property at The Bodgery

Because The Bodgery must actively defend itself from clutter and unwanted property, abandoned property is treated as though the owner places no value on it and will not return to claim it. In the interest of the members of The Bodgery and their need for a clean, safe workshop, the Board of Directors will thus use or dispose of the abandoned property however it sees fit. Property is considered abandoned if it meets at least one of the following criteria:

• The property is neither shared nor donated, violates the safe storage rules, or has no valid Parking Permit attached
• The property is in member storage and is either stored unsafely or exceeds the owning member’s plot
• The property is owned by a former member and has not been collected within thirty days of that person’s departure from The Bodgery
• Any other criteria defined in section 6 (Storage).

The following may or may not occur, at the discretion of the board and if volunteer time and Bodgery space is available:

• The member may be contacted about the abandoned property (but only if labeled with a name and/or phone number)
• The abandoned property may be relocated to a designated area for a limited amount of time

Abandoned property will first be offered to area captains and then either donated, recycled or thrown in the trash.

Note: It is wise to label with your name anything personal you bring to and use in the space. Accidents happen and everyone forgets things occasionally. To maintain ownership of your property, please label appropriately, in a way that will not easily wear off or fall off. Items with labels that have fallen or worn off may be disposed of as abandoned property.

5.3 Donated property

• Definition: The property is brought to The Bodgery by a member or guest who wants The Bodgery to become the new owner of the property.
• Process: Contact an Area Captain or the Board and receive approval PRIOR to bringing it.

5.4 Shared property

• Definition: The property is brought to The Bodgery by a member (not a guest) who wants to share its usage, but not ownership of the property. The member retains ownership of the property. Bodgery ownership by donation or purchase is preferred over shared property.
• Process: Contact the Board or Area Captain and receive approval PRIOR to bringing it. Members removing their personally-owned shared property from The Bodgery are highly encouraged to notify the Area Captain(s) or Board that the property is being removed. This is both a courtesy to others and a safeguard against apparent theft.

6.1 Safe Respectful Storage All property at The Bodgery must be stored in a way that is safe and shows respect for members and guests in the space. Property that meets any of the following criteria will NOT be considered properly stored.

• Property left on a work surface after the member or guest using it cannot be found and is presumed to have left, except as allowed using Assembly Permits in the extended woodshop area
• Property left on the floor, especially when it creates a trip hazard and/or obstructs a door or walkway
• Property on a shelf, including a member storage shelf, that protrudes more than 4”
• Property not in a designated area. Example designated areas are: project parking, assembly table with attached assembly permit, member storage, member studio.
• Property left leaning against a wall, beam, member shelves, etc.
• Property stored below and surrounding member shelves
• Property containing fuel. Engines are OK but must have the fuel tank drained, the engine run dry, then the fuel tank vented (open) outdoors for at least fifteen minutes.
• For property in the outside back parking area…
  • You must request and receive Board approval prior to leaving any items/projects (including vehicles and trailers) in the outside back parking area for more than 24 hours. Board approval can be sought by emailing the Board (board@thebodgery.org) or messaging the Slack #ask-the-board channel. Any items/projects left for more than 24 hours without approval or past the expiration of the Board’s approval can be removed at the member’s expense or disposed of by a Board member (see also 5.2 abandoned property).
  • Any member working in the outside back area (or any area of the Bodgery) is required to clean up their mess. If painting, staining, or doing any type of work that will leave a stain on the pavement, please put something down on the ground to prevent stains. The dumpster often has boxes that can be used or you can use brown paper from the clean room for this. If you accidentally or purposely leave a stain please clean it up immediately. If you are not able to clean it up immediately, please notify the Board to discuss clean up.

6.2 Member Storage

Each member may use the following in the member storage area(s) with no extra charge:

• One shelf spot approximately two-feet wide, OR
• One locker

Additional shelf spots or lockers, as well as other storage options, may be rented using the Bodgery membership website.

Each member must label their shelf/locker with their name and telephone number in case they need to be contacted and in order to know whether it’s available or abandoned. Material without a label on the shelf/locker is considered Abandoned Property (see 5.2). Member property must be stored per Safe Respectful Storage (6.1)

Properly labeled but empty member storage may be reclaimed by the Bodgery Operations Manager or designee for use by other members if it remains empty for four weeks.

6.3 Parking Permits

If a member has a personal project that is difficult to transport back and forth from home and won't fit in their member storage plot, they may fill out a “Parking Permit” (found in a holder in the main project parking area). The project can be stored in a designated shared project parking area for up to 14 days with an option for a 14 day extension. This is to allow for paint/glue drying, time required to acquire sustenance, or taking short breaks between working on it. Space at the Bodgery is a valuable and limited resource, so please be considerate of others and do not store items for extended periods of time.

The stored item must have a completed “Parking Permit” physically attached to it in a visible location. The parking permit must be filled out with the owner's name, contact phone/email and the date the permit expires. When the Parking Permit expires, the member must either extend the permit by updating the expiration date or immediately remove the property from the Bodgery.

Items that have been stored more than 30 days, have expired permits, are not stored safely, not properly labeled or not in an appropriate area are both dangerous and disrespectful and will be considered abandoned (see 5.2).

Each member is responsible for maintaining the security of his or her own key fob or card. If you suspect that your key fob or card has been copied, please see the Board or designee about replacing or changing it.

Key fobs or cards may be temporarily entrusted to another person (trustee) for limited purposes, such as picking up or dropping off items or people at the space. Such trustees are not considered members and are not allowed to use tools, host guests, store their personal property at The Bodgery, or exercise other benefits of membership simply for possessing access. Sharing or loaning access outside these limits is grounds for member termination.

8.1 Signatories

Signatory responsibility for the Bodgery’s bank accounts resides in the Board President and Treasurer. Checks and purchase cards for the Bodgery’s financial accounts shall be issued only to the President and Treasurer for their exclusive use, and will be surrendered to the Board or destroyed upon their leaving office.

8.2 Purchase Authority

Purchases and expenditures made on behalf of the Bodgery must be made within the scope defined by the Board. The Treasurer must be notified after purchase with a valid receipt. Expenditures must have approval in the manner of the first qualifying item in this list:

1. Expenditures that the board finds are necessary to the safety and security of the Bodgery and its members (such as liability insurance premiums, fire suppression equipment, security cameras, etc.) require a majority vote of the Board to be granted approval.
2. Expenditures more than $1,000 require a majority vote of the Board and a plurality vote (i.e. a majority of the votes cast) of the membership to be granted approval. The board must re-approve the expenditure if it is not made within a year of the initial board approval.
3. Expenditures made by Area Captains, Machine Captains or their designee, up to the amount in their area balance, do not require prior approval.
4. Expenditures more than $200 (but not more than $1000) require a majority vote of the Board to be granted approval. The board must re-approve the expenditure if it is not made within a year of the initial approval.
5. The Board may delegate purchase authority to any member, ad-hoc group of members, or committee. The nature and amount of expenditures, the members to whom the purchase authority is delegated, and the time frame for expenditures must be approved by a majority vote of the board.
6. Expenditures less than or equal to $200 that are to be made by any member on the Bodgery’s behalf require prior written approval from either the Treasurer or President.

8.3 Reimbursements

Any member requesting reimbursement for a purchase or expenditure should send an email or Slack DM to the Treasurer with their full name, the amount requested, the date of the purchase and an attached copy of the receipt. Reimbursements will be made by PayPal unless other arrangements are made beforehand.

Upon receipt, the Treasurer shall confirm that the purchase was made according to the procedures outlined above. Upon confirmation, the Treasurer shall issue a reimbursement to the requesting member.

8.4 Financial transparency

• The Treasurer should provide the Board with a complete and accurate financial picture of the Bodgery’s accounts at least once a month.
• The Treasurer should provide the Bodgery’s membership with an up-to-date financial report at least once per calendar year. This report should include:
  • A summary of the Bodgery’s income broken down by month and category
  • A summary of the Bodgery’s expenditures broken down by month and category

8.5 Transition process

After election of a new Board, or upon the resignation of the Treasurer or President, the Board shall pass a corporate resolution transferring signatory authority for the Bodgery’s accounts to the new President and Treasurer. This resolution must be signed by all members of the Board.

The outgoing President and/or Treasurer, President-elect, and Treasurer-elect must then take the signed corporate resolution and a copy of the meeting minutes from the meeting at which the resolution was passed to any and all institutions at which the Bodgery maintains accounts in order to complete the transfer of signatory authority.

Until this transition is complete, the outgoing President and Treasurer shall maintain responsibility for financial concerns, but are required to inform the new officers and the Board of all transactions that take place and their outcome.

9.1 Shop Areas

Shop area budgets are defined as a monthly allowance of funds taken from the Bodgery’s general available funds to be used towards maintenance, repair, and improvement of a specific area of the shop. The monthly area budget accumulates as an area balance. The money in the area balance may be spent by Area Captains per the Purchase Authority. If the board decides that the available general funds are not sufficient to provide area budgets, then either no distribution will be made or the amount available will be distributed proportionally among the allocated budget amounts.

Area budgets may be created, modified or eliminated by a majority vote of the board. The amount of a budget will be determined by the board’s best judgement, which may include but is not limited to historical repair/maintenance costs, frequency of space utilization, availability of funds, and fairness of distribution.

9.2 Machine Fee Areas

Machines with a machine-specific fee may be administered by a Machine Captain rather than an Area Captain. Because Machine Captains have purchase authority, they must be approved by the board or the corresponding Area Captain, if any.

9.3 Purchase Requests

Assigned Agents (including but not limited to Board Members and Area Captains) may make purchases or bring requests for purchases to the board.

Members with purchase requests/suggestions should first bring the topic to the appropriate Area Captain(s), or Assigned Agent(s) if it doesn’t fall under a shop area’s purview.

If members disagree with their Area Captain(s) or Assigned Agent(s) regarding the necessity of a requested purchase, they may bring the request directly to the board during the ‘member comments’ section. In addition to the above purchasing guidelines, the Board will consider the request on the additional guidelines of sufficient member support, and should seek input from the Area Captain(s) or Assigned Agents(s) as to why they initially declined to pursue the purchase.

The board may terminate membership immediately if a member:

• Commits a crime
• Takes something from someone or The Bodgery without permission
• Intentionally endangers someone, threatens someone or otherwise makes others feel unsafe (including unwanted sexual attention, aggressive body posture, or a pattern of microaggressive, degrading, sexist, or racist speech)
• Acts in a similarly serious negative way, as determined by the Board

If a member violates a Bodgery rule, including the Bodgery’s first rule (“Don’t be a jerk”), and the board believes the event rises to the level of a serious infraction, the “Three Strikes” process can be initiated or continued.

A board member should communicate with the member about what happened to get their side of the story. Ideally, this happens in person, but it may also happen over the phone, by video chat, or as a last resort by email or Slack DM. The conversation is relayed back to the full board, who then vote on whether to issue a Strike 1. If a strike is issued, it should be documented in a Google doc on the board-only section of the shared drive, and the member notified of the decision.

After Strike 1, and upon the occurrence of another event that the Board determines could warrant a strike, the member can be provided the option of pursuing either:

• The strike process outlined above, with the option of a different investigative board member if preferred.
• a restorative justice process. The restorative justice process would look different based on the circumstance, but at its core the process would include mediation, the member acknowledging responsibility, and the member undertaking actions to address whatever harm was caused. Two to three board members could be involved, with the President as a standing restorative justice participant and the remaining slots filled on a rotating basis and depending on the circumstances. If the restorative justice process is pursued and the board members determine that the member undertook the process in good faith, the strike process could be bypassed – the restorative justice process replaces Strike 2 but does not eliminate the results of Strike 1; however, if the member did not partake in the restorative justice process or did not act in good faith, then the board could move to issue Strike 2.
• If there is a victim, the board can, at its discretion, determine that the restorative justice model is not appropriate or reach out to the victim to determine whether they believe the model is appropriate.

If a third event occurs, a board member would reach out to the member, get their side of the story, and relay that back to the full board. The board then votes. A Strike 3 vote passing results in member termination and also gets documented and communicated to the member.

Strikes expiring:

• Strike 1: will expire 6 months after the date the strike was issued, provided Strike 2 has not been issued in that period of time. If Strike 2 has been issued in that 6 month period, Strike 1 expiration period will not commence until the date Strike 2 decays.
• Strike 2: will expire 9 months after the date the strike was issued. Once Strike 2 expires, the expiration period for Strike 1 commences.
• Strike 3: will not expire. Eventual re-admittance would be at the discretion of the board.

If a membership is terminated, the member should have 72 hours to collect their personal items if doing so does not endanger people or property. No refund of unused membership dues will be refunded, except by vote of the board. Terminated members deemed a threat to members and/or guests may have identifying information posted (e.g. a photo, description, name), to aid members in identifying the person no longer welcome on the property. Any member that encounters a terminated member should report it to the Bodgery board immediately. The board reserves the right to refer persons to law enforcement. Member termination is permanent unless the board votes for a time limit or votes at a later time to readmit the person.

All board votes in this process require a simple majority to pass.

• The Board of Directors (“board”) is bound by The Bodgery Bylaws.
• The board is elected by The Bodgery membership once per year for a July 1 start date.
• The board may vote to remove a fellow board member for abuse or neglect of their office, or violation of their membership agreement, as specified by the Bodgery Bylaws. The person's membership to the Bodgery shall not be considered as part of this vote.
• The board may remove a fellow board member from an office by a two-thirds vote.
• The membership of the Bodgery may also initiate a recall vote of a board member from office with a plurality vote (majority of the cast votes).

• Area Captains are a key part of leadership. They are put in place by a vote of the board. Area Captains are removed by resigning, by stopping their membership, or by a vote of the board.
• Area Captains may not add Area Captains to their area without a board vote, but they may assign other area roles (area crew members, trainers, etc.).
• The board delegates Area Captains with wide latitude in control of their shop area. In the unlikely event of disagreement, the board may override an Area Captain decision.

The Bodgery is meant to be a learning environment. Mistakes happen and they shouldn’t be financially devastating.

For accidents causing damage to Bodgery equipment or property, the person or persons responsible shall be liable for $100 or 5% of the cost of the damages, whichever is greater. General funds pay for any difference.

For accident-prone members (an excess of 2 or 3 property damaging accidents, and for egregious intent), the board may decide what the responsible members are liable for outside of this guideline.

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These policies have been approved by The Bodgery Board of Directors.

These policies may be modified by The Bodgery Board at any time through due process.