-PDBM/FXT HACKER DOJO Continued from page 5
“We were excited at that point,� said David Weekly, one of the Dojo’s directors, of the expansion. “It made us the largest hacker space in the world.� “We had a small celebration, but it wasn’t a big, crazy celebration� Weekly said. “That kind of pushed them over the line. They were starting to see us as a commercial event space.� Then the city began stepping up the enforcement of its codes, he said. Not wanting it to occupy more space without building permits, the city ordered the Dojo to vacate the new spaces, which the Dojo is now looking to sublet. The city also began pressing for more codes to be met. Weekly rattled off what appear to be significant costs: $150,000 to make three bathrooms compliant with the American Disabilities Act, $130,000 for fire sprinklers, and potentially thousands more in building permit fees and other improvements. The Dojo also lacks a required fire alarm, which could cost $15,000. Without one, city officials say they’ll seek the closure of the Dojo by the end of the month. “They want us to commit to a traffic study, build concrete
walls around the dumpster and have the landlord re-slope the driveways,� Weekly said. City staff said that it hasn’t been determined whether the building has adequate exits and parking. “We were told we wouldn’t have to install fire sprinklers and we could get a variance on ADA bathrooms — basically we could continue to run the place as is,� Weekly said. “They could exert some leniency, but they ran out of patience.� City officials say code enforcement officers saw the Dojo advertising events online that would exceed the Dojo’s 49-person occupancy limit for a building without fire sprinklers. “These are statewide building and fire codes we are implementing here,� said Ellis Berns, saying that safety is the city’s primary concern. The Dojo has had to cancel numerous money-raising events and classes that easily attract more than 49 people. “Our membership is down considerably� without the classes, said Weekly. “We lost dozens of members. We had classes on machine learning and Android programming.� Also cancelled was a job fair in which employers and job seekers switch roles: programmers sit at tables presenting their work to potential employers who make
the rounds. “We’ve gotten dozens of people hired from these,� Weekly said. The event brings in up to 150 people and “raises a good chunk of change. But we can’t run it this year and these people can’t get hired.� Weekly said that a former mayor and city staffers attended a previous job fair, despite the fire code violations. “They attended, they were huge fans,� Weekly said. “This is all part of a feeling that the city has changed its mind� about the Dojo. Berns has spent a lot of time speaking with Dojo directors about the issues, as it is his job to bring in and retain new businesses in the city. But Berns said it’s nearly gotten to the point that “it’s out of my hands, it goes to the code enforcement department.� City Attorney Jannie Quinn, who runs the city’s code enforcement department, said that at the very least, the Dojo needs a fire alarm and to commit to a plan for obtaining building permits by the end of the month. The fire department and police department also may respond if there are more than 49 people in the building and “figure out whether or not to cite them or take some other enforcement action against them.� “They don’t have permission to conduct the use that they are
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now,� Quinn said. “They just didn’t have planning approval or building permits to allow such a use.� City officials caution others who might find themselves in a pickle with the city when moving into a building. “If they would have come into the city and said, ‘Here’s what were proposing to do,’ we would say, ‘Here’s the kinds of things you need to do to comply with the building code,’� Berns said. “We don’t want to be in these situations, we want businesses to succeed,� he said. “But we cannot compromise on health and safety. We are really encouraging them to move forward with this and to just get through this.� But with the pressure to meet all the other costly requirements, Weekly said the situation seemed “frustrating and hopeless.� Weekly said the Dojo has enough money — $15,00 — to put in fire alarms. “We just wish they would take into account the reality of the situation,� he said. “What I don’t think they realize is this is a volunteer-run nonprofit. We don’t have millions of dollars coming out of our ears because we are affiliated with numerous computer-related things.� Email Daniel DeBolt at ddebolt@mv-voice.com
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U.S.S. Macon. The interior has been gutted, and work to reduce the hangar to a bare frame is scheduled for completion this September. In a unique agreement that allows use of the federal airfield for personal flights, the Google executives’ planes have been stored in Hangar 211 at Moffett since 2007 under a $1.3 million-a-year lease agreement that allows use of the aircraft for NASA’s scientific work. The offer to restore and replace the siding on the hangar is in exchange for a long-term lease for a fleet of eight aircraft overseen by Google’s H211 LLC. While the Navy is overseeing the environmental cleanup to remove the siding and other toxins from Hangar One, NASA is responsible for footing the bill for the restoration. Eshoo, who was at Moffett Field last week for a medal ceremony for World War II veteran Carl Clark, said she made sure to point out the half-stripped hangar to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus when he arrived at Hangar 651. Eshoo said her tenacious nature hasn’t gone unnoticed by Mabus. “He said to me, ‘Anna, you’re like gum stuck to my shoe,’� she said. V
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hands in his pockets and refused to comply with officers’ commands. The police ultimately forced Quintero to the ground, discovered a screwdriver and a wrench in his pockets, which police believe he used to force his way into the garage, Wylie said. Police believe Quintero is the
same person who broke into the garage of a house on Jane Lane on Dec. 21, Wylie said. Both times, it is believed that he was in search of women’s undergarments. “This is very strange for us,� Wylie said. “It’s not common that we have this kind of thing happen.� Police do not believe that any other homes have been burglarized by Quintero at this time.
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â– MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE â– JANUARY 27, 2012