[kwlug-disc] Meeting Location Shortlist

Paul Nijjar paul_nijjar at yahoo.ca
Thu Aug 24 22:42:55 EDT 2023 

It is still the August doldrums, but I will offer a report anyways.
John and I visited both locations. We learned things about each:

- The UW location has some free parking at the edge of Waterloo Park,
  just beside the Laurier-Waterloo Park ION station. It is still a bit
  of a walk to the library from there, however.

- The Garment St location does have tables with power receptacles in
  them. So I was wrong in my response to Cranky earlier.

John can add his thoughts if he wishes, but my opinion is that
although either location could work (and if only one was offered we
would choose it) I am inclined to go with the UW space. It is
unambigiously more spacious, and unambigiously better set up as a
classroom/lecture area. It has a good projector and sound system
already, and would not require much additional set-up prior to the
meetings. We will not need access controls to get into the space, and
the directions for getting there are more straightforward. 

In fairness, I will also confess some biases: I am more comfortable at
a university setting than in a condo, and logistically it is much
easier for me to get to the UW space after work. (On the other hand,
I suspect it will be much more difficult for Andrew.) 

There are definite downsides to the location: parking will be the one
most people will be grumpy about, and also universities packed with
students can be intimidating. 

I can see three options going forward:

- Just start holding meetings at the UW location and see how it goes.
  The downside here is that people might be unhappy and then silently
  leave the group instead of saying something.

- Try a meeting or two at the library and a meeting or two at the
  condo location. I expect people will be in favour of this, but there
  are downsides: some people will get confused and go to the wrong
  location, and also we will have to secure equipment (very likely a
  projector unless we want to use a TV) in order to use the Garment St
  location. 

  A variant of this is to hold the first meeting at UW and then decide
  whether to try the Garment St location afterwards.

- Acknowledge that the end of August is not the right time to be
  making such decisions and defer. Hold the September meeting
  online-only and figure out what to do for October. The downside is
  that people might still withhold their opinions, and also that other
  people seem eager to be back in person.


I had hoped that by writing this out I would find clarity on what
decision to make. I am not sure I have that. I think I am leaning
towards having the initial in-person meeting at UW and taking things
from there.

What do you think?

If you have other questions about the spaces we can also try to answer
them in this thread.

- Paul

On Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 09:39:39PM -0400, Paul Nijjar via kwlug-disc wrote:
> To other LUG members: we will be meeting at 100 Garment St this
> Thursday, also at 6:30pm.
> 
> If you want to join us then please RSVP to me by Wednesday at 6:30pm.
> The space is controlled-entry, so you need special instructions to get
> in.
> 
> Also: does anybody have a projector that we could test with?
> 
> - Paul
> 
> 
> On Wed, Aug 16, 2023 at 08:19:26AM -0400, Paul Nijjar via kwlug-disc wrote:
> > 
> > To other LUG members; we will be meeting at the UW LIB 329 space on
> > Thursday at 6;30pm.
> > 
> > There won't be any formal meeting there, but if
> > you want to see what the space looks like and how you would get there,
> > you are welcome to drop by. We have the space booked until 8pm but I
> > doubt we will be there that long. I am thinking 30 minutes to an hour
> > at most?
> > 
> > Note that the campus will be very very quiet, because it is the tail
> > end of their summer exam period and many students have fled.
> > September/October will be quite different.
> > 
> > If people want a similar field trip to the Garment St location then
> > let me know and I will try to arrange something.
> > 
> > - Paul
> > 
> > On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 09:31:14PM -0400, John Steel wrote:
> > > Would it be possible to do a test call in the Dana Porter location sometime in the next couple weeks to see what it would be like? I can bring a tripod, webcam and Jabra puck microphone. 
> > > 
> > > On Wed, Aug 2, 2023, at 9:36 AM, Paul Nijjar via kwlug-disc wrote:
> > > > At this point we have two potential meeting locations. Thanks to the
> > > > KWLUG members who offered them. I am trying to keep their identities
> > > > confidential, but they can out themselves if they wish.
> > > > 
> > > > Now the question is which (if either) we choose, and how we make that
> > > > decision. As a first step I am posting a writeup below, in the hopes
> > > > it will provoke some discussion and opinions. I also have
> > > > some pictures, but I have not posted them anywhere. If there are
> > > > particular things you want to see then let me know.
> > > > 
> > > > If you have thoughts/preferences/opinions you can post them here or
> > > > send them directly to me. In a week I will summarize what I heard.
> > > > 
> > > > August's meeting will be online. September is up in the air, but it is
> > > > plausible that could be the first in-person (or hybrid?) meeting. 
> > > > 
> > > > - Paul
> > > > 
> > > > KWLUG Meeting Locations
> > > > =======================
> > > > 
> > > > 100 Garment Street
> > > > ------------------
> > > > 
> > > > This is a community meeting room on the third floor of a condo. A
> > > > KWLUG member lives in the building and has agreed to host us each
> > > > month.
> > > > 
> > > > The building is a 5-10 minute walk from Victoria and King in
> > > > Kitchener, so is close to downtown.
> > > > 
> > > > Capacity: 15 people comfortably, 20 at most. The space is pretty small
> > > > and there is furniture there we cannot move.
> > > > 
> > > > Availability: There is no formal booking system, so there is some
> > > > chance we could be displaced. However, the host thinks this is not
> > > > likely. 
> > > > 
> > > > Reliability: We are reliant on the host to be present for every
> > > > meeting.
> > > > 
> > > > Access: The building is wheelchair accessible. To get to the meeting
> > > > room one has to be let in the door (there is controlled access) and go
> > > > up an elevator. It is not clear whether we can put up signs on meeting
> > > > nights, but the host thinks it may be possible.
> > > > 
> > > > Internet: There is public wifi, and possibly a second wifi we can use for
> > > > streaming. There is no wired internet available.
> > > > 
> > > > Parking: Parking onsite is expensive. There is an underground parking
> > > > garage which costs $2.50 for 30 minutes, so the average KWLUG attendee
> > > > can expect to pay $12.50 per meeting. There is a small amount of
> > > > on-street parking on Oak Street, and some parking available in
> > > > downtown Kitchener.
> > > > 
> > > > Transit: there is an LRT station at Victoria and King St.
> > > > 
> > > > Streaming/Equipment: We would have to provide a projector, and
> > > > whatever equipment we want to use for streaming. The host may be able
> > > > to store some equipment at their condo, but maybe not a lot.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > University of Waterloo Dana Porter Library
> > > > ------------------------------------------
> > > > 
> > > > This is a classroom space in the Dana Porter library ("the sugar
> > > > cube") at the University of Waterloo. The specific space is LIB 329.
> > > > It is being offered by a KWLUG member who works at the university.
> > > > 
> > > > Capacity: 30+ people. It is a full classroom with row seating.
> > > > 
> > > > Availability: It should be fairly reliably available, although there
> > > > is no booking system. There are other classrooms we might be able to
> > > > use if we are displaced.
> > > > 
> > > > Reliability: Unclear. We are probably reliant on a UW employee to host
> > > > us. The proposing host has offered to host us, or help look for
> > > > replacements if they are unable to attend. There are a few other
> > > > people who work at UW. 
> > > > 
> > > > Access: The building is wheelchair accessible. There are elevators to
> > > > the space. We will probably not be able to put up signs. 
> > > > 
> > > > Internet: There is wifi available that requires a name and email to use.
> > > > People who are affiliated with a university can use Eduroam.
> > > > There may be some chance of getting our own SSID but this is unlikely.
> > > > Wired network for streaming might be possible, but is not arranged.
> > > > 
> > > > Parking: There is no free parking anywhere near UW. There are paid
> > > > parking lots for $5/evening.
> > > > 
> > > > Transit: there is an LRT station at the university. 
> > > > 
> > > > Streaming/Equipment: There is a projector with HDMI input. We would
> > > > have to provide other streaming equipment, and carry it back and forth
> > > > to meetings.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > Unlikely Locations
> > > > ------------------
> > > > 
> > > > ### Community Hub at St John's the Evangelist
> > > > 
> > > > This is not available Monday evenings. It could be a possibility if 
> > > > we were willing to switch meeting nights.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ### SDG Hub in Downtown Kitchener
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > This is a new space. The booking fee for the large room is $400/hour.
> > > > There is a smaller room for less, but they currently do not do evening
> > > > bookings.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ### Public library spaces
> > > > 
> > > > These may be available but not reliability. Prices vary from $50 at
> > > > some remote libraries in Kitchener (eg Forest Heights), to $150 for
> > > > two hours at the Waterloo Public Library.
> > > > 
> > > > ### Churches, Public Schools
> > > > 
> > > > In addition to a booking fee we would need to purchase liability
> > > > insurance. This may be possible but it seemed frustrating the last
> > > > time we looked because we are not a registered organization.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ### KWartzlab
> > > > 
> > > > The space is inaccessible (on the second floor) and there are no large
> > > > meeting spaces (maybe 15 people at most?). A KWartzlab member would
> > > > have to host.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > Other Places to Investigate
> > > > ---------------------------
> > > > 
> > > > ### Workhaus or other coworking spaces
> > > > 
> > > > This would likely be expensive, but may be worth investigating.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ### Restaurants
> > > > 
> > > > This is likely not reliable, and there would be an expectation that
> > > > people purchase food and drink.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ### The Working Centre
> > > > 
> > > > The Queen St Commons building has hosted a few events since the end of
> > > > the pandemic, but Paul no longer has strong connections there. The
> > > > space is also somewhat inaccessible, although there are ramps at the
> > > > back.
> > > > 
> > > > St John's Kitchen is probably out of the question. 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > -- 
> > > > Events: https://feeds.off-topic.kwlug.org 
> > > > Housing: https://unionsd.coop
> > > > Blog: http://pnijjar.freeshell.org
> > > > 
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> > 
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> > 
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