by Tom Lassiter, Membership Secretary
Have you visited our newly expanded facilities? By the time this Magazine is printed we will be moving toward occupation of an additional 3,300 square feet of space during April or May.
We moved our headquarters offices and resource center to the present location in February 1997, increasing from about 3,500 to almost 8,000 square feet. Under the terms of our new lease we have the right of first refusal on adjacent vacant space. In Dece mber a tenant wanted to lease that space. Your Board of Directors, recognizing the expanding needs of HAL-PC, felt compelled to lease that space for our own needs, giving us a total of about 11,000 square feet.
The Board approved, in February, the build-out of the added space, after a number of space-planning designs were considered. Special consideration was given to the growing needs of the daytime classes, gaming activity, HALNet, and the Saturday equipment workshops.
Two new computer labs, somewhat larger than the existing Lab I, are being provided at the east end of the suite. Also included is a snack room with tables, replacing the hallway coffee machine and refrigerator. It is hoped members will use this area rath er than carrying, and dropping, food throughout the other rooms. Some alterations are being made to the former office area to better serve those needs as well.
If you have been attending SIGs in Rooms A & B regularly, you should have noticed some recent improvements in them. Apart from the new space work, David Pausky, our VP-SIGs, has worked to upgrade the projection, lighting, and audio systems in the SIG roo ms. For the first time in my membership we now have proper lighting and audio controls (and marked switches no less) in our major meeting rooms. SIG rooms A & B are also wired for dual simultaneous projection and audio off a single PC and microphone, to accommodate meetings of 150-200 people, as originally conceived in the planning. Equipment in SIG C and LAB I have also been improved.
Carla Cawlfield, former President and current VP-Communications, is our resident designer and worked on the new additions as well as the original HAL-PC decorating. Our volunteers can do anything – join them and “enjoy the ride”.
Come on by and take a tour. You’ll be proud of it, and LOVE it! After all, it is YOUR HAL-PC.
Tom Lassiter can be contacted at jamesl@hal-pc.org .
E-mail me at webmaster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.