Milwaukee Makerspace Wiki

Meeting Time: 7:00pm

Location: Craft Lab

Board Members Present: Vishal R., DL, Tom Gr., Dan J., Carl S., Lance L.

Board Members Absent: Joe R.

Treasurer's Report

• Joe emailed the report to the board
  • Utilities are lower the usual. $928 instead of approximately $1,300
  • Carl has questioned by a member how the donation box and allocation money is spend
  • Lance clarified that we don't monitor the that money goes in and out of the donation bin
  • We don't have a system for tracking this spending
  • Lance said that we need to start sharing how much money each area has from the member allocation
  • Carl asked about IRS reporting for purchasing blades and whatnot
  • Dan and Tom said that we just need to report in broad categories

• Previous Action Item: Joe will talk to WE energies about our utility rates
  • No Update

• Previous Action Item: Dan to review Paypal accounts and what fees we can use now that we're a non profit - waiting on Paypal Customer Service
• No Update

Wild Apricot Transition:

• Change/re-define funding areas
  • Building Purchase → Building Fund
    • Lance asked if we were clear on what “Building Fund” means
    • Vishal thinks it is infrastructure funds
    • DL thinks it means O&M funds
    • Dan thinks the redefinition doesn't help reduce the board voting frequency
    • Vishal asked if we can leave it unallocated
    • Dan said that we already have an excess for an O&M budget so we don't need to redefine it
    • DL thinks we can add a category for building maintenance
    • Tom said we already have a fund for building maintenance
    • DL said that some people suggested that we could have a category for cleaning or whatnot
    • Tom suggested sending an email to members for more categories
    • Lance suggested that maybe a fund for new carpet would be fine but not carpet O&M. O&M is necessary and non-negotiable for the space
    • Vishal suggested that we remind people about allocation every Tuesday
    • DL suggested that when we sign up new members, we should have them allocate funds
    • Vote- Change the default Wild Apricot allocation option from building purchase to building fund - (2) yes (Lance L.,DL), (4) no (Vishal R., Dan J., Tom Gr., Carl S.), (1) abstain (Joe R.)
  • CNC Area? How does this relate to the wood shop?
    • Steve, who is the champion of both areas, doesn't see the wood shop be the space as the CNC area. He would prefer them as (2) different entities
    • Lance wants to get clarification on what the CNC area is (bridgeport. plasma cutter)
    • Tom think CNC area with confuse people. We should call it the CNC Router Area
    • Vote- Add a category for CNC Router Area to Wild Apricot allocation (6)yes, (1)abstain (Joe R.)
  • Do we add metal finishing as a category?
    • Dan thinks we can add it and let the funds accrue till we have an area champion
    • Lance suggest that we add call for area champions
    • Vote- Add a category for metal finishing area to Wild Apricot allocation (6)yes, (1)abstain (Joe R.)

Building ownership/purchasing shares progress

• Lawyer has ordered a title search
• Won't be a problem closing by the end of the month
• Tom asked if we would like to throw a closing party.
• Vote- Allocate $200 for a building purchase party on Jan 1st, 2016. (6) yes, (1) abstain (Joe R.)

• Matt N. extra storage space
  • He's off the floor
  • He doesn't use the CNC machine very much
  • DL said that she will talk to Matt

• New camera system - what is the status?
  • Scott needs a diagram for wiring and current locations. He has the cameras in his living room.

• 4×8 CNC Plasma Cutter
  • Previous estimated date for completion: October 2015
    • No Updates. Joe is absent from the meeting

• Kuka
  • Previous action item: Joe will send a certified letter to the previous Kuka owner
    • No Updates

• Induction Furnace
  • Previous estimated date for completion: October 2015
    • Furnace melted itself. Need a new transformer.

• Dust collection system
  • Tom may have a lead for ducting
  • DL said that there is a blower up for grabs
  • Brant is making cyclone dust collector

• Wolfgang is building a kick wheel potter's wheel

• Updated name of this section to add “communications”
• Should we make a new tri-fold for the 'space?
  • Carl said he would do that but questions if it will be an effective tool
  • Tom said that the tri folds will be effective at craft fairs, etc. which happen atleast once a month
  • Carl questions if a tri-fold is the best way to communicate. Maybe a display is better/
  • Vishal said that it should be easy to carry
  • Action Item- Carl will work on tri-fold
  • Action Item- Vishal will add a FAQ wordpress page

• Monthly newsletter?
  • Carl will be using Mailchimp to develop the newsletter
  • The newsletter will be targeted towards members but other people can choose to receive it

• Space improvement day
  • Not having an official one this month doe to the holidays

• New member orientation
  • Previous action item from DL, Lance, and Tom: Plan a new member orientation video
    • Carl and Lance will be filming a 30 minute video