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Proposed Policy: Storage Policies

Storage space is limited at ENTS. This policy outlines how members are expected to store their items and projects at ENTS.

1. General

  1. All items and projects must be stored in accordance with Alberta OHS laws and regulations.
  2. Hazardous materials, as defined by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety require written approval from the Board of Directors before they can be stored.
    1. Where approved, hazardous materials must be stored in accordance with Occupational Health and Safety guidelines.
  3. Food is not permitted to be kept overnight.
  4. Food must be stored safely.
  5. Anything which affects the edibility of other food cannot be stored in a fridge or freezer unless that fridge or freezer is designated for storing such items.
    1. If the facility has both food and non-food cold storage, all fridges and freezers must be clearly labeled with their purpose.
    2. Fridges and freezers are by default for food only for the purposes of Article 1.5.1.
  6. All items and projects must be safe for the Board of Directors and the Society's committees to handle.

2. Designated storage

  1. The Board of Directors may designate areas on a per-studio basis as storage areas for a specific type of item or project.
    1. The Board of Directors may set rules for how and what may be stored in the designated storage area. 
      1. Where restrictions are placed on containers in a designated storage area, the Society must make reasonable efforts to provide members that container at either no cost or lower cost than the Society paid for the container itself to the member.
  2. Members in Good Standing may use one unit of each designated storage area on a per-studio basis as part of their membership. 
    1. The member's first and last name or member ID must be clearly visible on each unit used by the member.
  3. Where permitted by a designated storage area, Members in Good Standing may use additional units of designated storage areas on a per-studio basis upon paying the standard monthly fee, as defined by Article 4 of this policy, set for that storage area.

3. Overflow storage

  1. The Board of Directors may specify "overflow" storage areas on a per-studio basis to store projects which do not fit in a designated storage area.
  2. The Board of Directors may set a standard monthly fee, as defined by Article 4 of this policy, to use overflow storage areas.

4. Fees

  1. Fees are non-refundable, cannot be discounted, and are charged in Canadian Dollars.
  2. Fees are collected monthly by the Treasurer. 
  3. Fees may be $0.00 (free) and cannot be negative.
  4. When non-free, the current rate must be posted near the storage area.
  5. Changes or introductions to fees take effect immediately for members who are not currently using the storage area, and take effect 1 month after written notice is provided to members using the storage area at the time of the change or introduction.
    1. Fee removals do not require notification.
  6. Fees are set by the Board of Directors.
  7. Fee rates should be set exclusively to discourage accumulation. In general, this means using a rate that is no more than the Gross Rent used by the unit of storage in the storage area.

5. Abandoned items and projects

  1. Upon a member no longer being in Good Standing, that member's items and projects are eligible to be considered abandoned.
    1. This does not apply when the member has temporarily suspended their membership while deferring Membership Dues.
    2. This does not apply if the member pays a standard monthly fee, as defined by Article 4 of this policy, while not in Good Standing.
  2. Projects which are not covered by a non-free Article 4 fee and which are not making notable progress for more than one month are eligible to be considered abandoned.
    1. Reasonable efforts must be made by the Board of Directors to contact owners which have their projects considered abandoned.
  3. Abandoned items and projects are moved to specific "abandoned items" areas by the Board of Directors or the relevant studio-specific committee for retrieval by their owners.
  4. One month after reasonable efforts have been made by the Board of Directors to contact the owner of an item or project in the abandoned items area, that item or project becomes eligible to become a donation to the Society.
  5. For greater clarity, items and projects considered abandoned under Article 5.1 and Article 5.2 become un-abandoned if their respective conditions no longer hold true. For example, when a member renews their membership their items are no longer abandoned. 
  6. Members which fail to activate Article 5.1 and have not visited the space in more than 6 months may have their items and projects moved to other units of a designated storage area by the Board of Directors or the relevant studio-specific committee.
    1. This is intended to be used only to free up "prime" storage space for members actively using the space.

6. Pottery-specific

  1. Storage areas for pieces unloaded from a kiln or rejected from firing consider pieces abandoned after 1 week.
  2. Pieces stored in areas for kiln loading, unloading, and rejection can have the member's registered maker's mark in place of their name or ID.
    1. For the purposes of Article 2, these designated storage areas have a "unit" consistent with normal usage. Members cannot consume large amounts of space in these areas.
    2. Maker's marks must be registered with the Board of Directors or Pottery Committee.
  3. If the studio has "in-progress" shelves or storage areas, Article 5.2 does not apply to pieces on those areas provided the member's first and last name or member ID is clearly visible.
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