TinkerMill in Longmont suffered from a burglary on June 16. Executive Director Erin Hoard said the group is now using a sense of community to prevent it from happening again.
On June 16, four people broke into TinkerMill — a makerspace located at 1840 Deleware Place — stealing what has now been estimated to be over $60,000 worth of items and materials, Hoard said. The Longmont Police Department is still investigating the burglary.
The makerspace has been in operation for almost 10 years, working under a model that members have 24-hour access through the use of a key fob.
After entering the premises through a back entrance, the four people searched most of the offices and shops stealing several things, including a key fob, Hoard said.
Hoard added that the suspects used a small car which limited what they could take. The suspects left items misplaced throughout the building as they traded them for other things.
“It’s scary when someone invades your space,” Hoard said. “It’s kind of terrorizing. It’s disheartening to a community that is so open and that’s who we are.”
Despite the break-in, TinkerMill never closed its doors to its members or the public. It did, however, begin changing some of its security policies.
To begin with, the members decided to form a security committee that would take a quarterly inventory of the makerspace’s security features and assess if something needs to be added or changed.
Additionally, TinkerMill also is fortifying what they have but upgrading locks, camera system and other security equipment.
“We don’t want to be a closed-off community, we aren’t Fort Knox. We want to be an open place. We are here for the community,” Hoard said.
With that in mind, Hoard believes one of the best ways to amp up security is to build a better community at TinkerMill. She is encouraging all members to actively welcome new faces and to get to know one another.
Also, Hoard is inviting the community to participate by approaching TinkerMill members as they come in.
“It was a rough hit … everybody is stepping up for each other … We are just taking measures to be more safe,” Hoard said.
As a way to create a more robust community, Hoard and the TinkerMill members are looking for new ways to engage the Longmont community, including offering classes on general repairs and classes to older adults and children.
We are “looking at how we can help different groups with what we have to offer that can really boost a person and help them to get to that next part of life,” Hoard said.
