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boardmeetingagenda:2016-06-16

Milwaukee Makerspace Board of Directors Meeting - June 16, 2016

Held at the Milwaukee Makerspace craft lab

Attendees

Present
  • Lance Lamont
  • Adrian Volden
  • Harvey Matyas
  • DL Swanson
  • Keith McMillan
  • Dan Jonke
Absent
  • Carl Stevens
Guests
  • Steffanie Maher
  • Tom Gr
  • Tony

Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 7:04 by Lance.

Review and approval of the Minutes of the previous meeting

The meeting minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Reports of Boards and Standing Committees

Treasurers Report

  • We had 255 members last month, a new record
  • Area champions need to start spending their money
  • YTD net income still - $6,000, but this includes the $40,000 building purchase down payment
  • May expenditures $6,400 on income of $14,000 but this figure includes the Tormach contributions
  • Cash on hand $45,000 in the bank, which includes $10,000 in Tormach funds. An additional $15,000 is in Paypal
  • We are have on our ideal reserve of 6 months ($35,000)

New Equipment/Donations

  • Space Equipment Inventory
    • Previous status
      • DL has barcode software, Harvey has offered to help inventory
    • No progress
  • New donations from previous Kuka owner
    • Previous status
      • Adrian to contact Gerry and get more details on items, or visit and determine what we can use
    • Adrian to follow up with Gerry

Building Maintenance/Issues

  • Roof Flashing
    • Previous status
      • Add to space improvement day list if the weather is good
    • Tom Gr has caulked the holes
    • Keith to add this to space improvement day list, and no further board action after that
  • Dumpster Pad needs repair
    • Previous status
      • DL will call Advanced about moving the dumpster to the South end of the alley
      • Lance suggests we make the current spot into a parking space
    • DL trying to set up a time to have Advance come out and move the dumpster
    • Tom suggests we determine if we can add additional parking spots
    • Tom and DL suggest the ramp and bollards be looked at when this is done
    • Tom will get some quotes on having the concrete done
  • Welding wall and power drops
    • Tom got the metal studs for the wall for free
    • “Mini space improvement day” this Saturday and Sunday to do power, gas and welding wall work
    • We discussed a suitable recognition for Tri-Star Recycling who contributed the metal studs - Keith suggested a plaque cut on the lasers
    • Lance suggested a blog post too

Reports of Special (Select) Committees

Space Projects Update

4x8 CNC Plasma Cutter

  • Current target for completion is End of August
  • Previous status
    • Steve and Marc to meet on Sunday 5/22 and do some preliminary work on the cutter, and will come up with an estimated date of completion. Steve's current thinking is end of August.
  • Steve and Marc making progress, need slats from one of the metal shops in town
  • Board will continue to monitor progress

Kuka

  • Previous status
    • Previous owner wants the pendant, and possibly a board from the cabinet back if we dispose of the Kuka.
    • Jake is using the Kuka until August for his project
    • Lance told Jake that he needs to pay for the floorspace. Jake is paying $10/month for the space.
    • Vishal needs the space for his Maker Faire project
    • Lance to follow up with Jake and reinforce that he needs to take up the smallest footprint when he's not using the robot.

Vacuum Former

  • Previous status
    • Keith will send an email asking about member interest
  • Inter-meeting update
    • Mail sent, significant member interest and trainers identified
  • The board voted to keep the vacuum former

Poster design contest

  • Previous status The board approved a competition to create a new poster for the space, with a cash prize of $25 - Lance to lead
  • No update

Wood shop dust collection

  • Previous status
    • Steve Pilon is working on a plan and will be sending it to the board, estimating less than $2,000
  • Steve and Brant coordinating on getting discount materials for the system

Unfinished Business

Building Insurance

  • Previous Status
    • Dan needed one more contact with the insurance agent to confirm this has been done
  • Property Insurance has been confirmed as transitioned to the space, instead of the old owners

Property tax exemption

  • Previous Status
    • Tom Gr. provided the forms to the board
    • Dan to review the forms and provide feedback to Tom
  • Dan is reviewing, but the code is complicated
  • Keith suggested we talk with a “pro” such as the alderman
  • Dan and Tom suggest perhaps having the lawyer review, after the board reviews
  • Keith to review as well

Utility rates

  • Previous Status
    • Lance has the forms done and will be faxing to WE Energies this week
  • Inter-meeting update
    • Tax exemption secured
  • Lance to pursue getting past sales tax back from State of WI

New camera system

  • Previous Status
    • Two cable drops moved from the back vault hall to the CNC room and over the Jewelry area for camera hook up
    • CNC room camera operational
    • Additional drop pulled from behind the leatherworking area and moved to the East end of the vault hallway
    • Fourth drop pulled from the vault hallway currently unused on top of the vaults - could be used to replace short run to the current camera that's dangling from the ceiling in the vault hallway
    • Inter-meeting Update
      • Three drops run to the Southeast corner of East room
      • Two drops run to the Northeast corner of the East room (will need to await departure of Willy's boat to get at the final location)
      • Four additional drops run to the vault hallway, available for exterior cameras outside Vault door
      • One drop moved to Northwest corner of the West room
      • One drop run to the Northeast corner of the West room
      • Remaining drops to run:
        • Two to the meeting room
        • One to the Cooties hall
        • One to the craft lab
        • One to outside Door 1
    • DL to put up the signs letting people know they are on camera

Start maintaining a petty cash box in the building

  • Previous status
    • Box installed, Dan to provide keys to the board members
  • Inter-meeting update
    • Keys provided to board members
  • Item done

MMS Webpage

  • Previous Status
    • The board voted to approve Chris' proposal to move our hosting to a new provider, so long as it's not a long-term contract
    • Chris is renting the new server and the transition has started
  • Inter-meeting update
    • Hosting moved
  • Item done

911 service at the 'space

  • Previous status
    • 911 phone is now mounted at the front desk
    • Keith will follow up with Shane on getting a phone to install by each door
  • Inter-meeting update
    • Keith has all the phones from Shane
    • Adrian will be bringing in more of the boxes for mounting phones during space improvement day
    • Still a space improvement project
    • Lance to follow up with police and see if we can register the phones as being at the space address

Discuss Schedule for Rotating Board Members at front desk on Tuesdays.

  • Previous status
    • DL will put together a sign up sheet on the bulletin board
    • DL will do this, and new member orientation too
  • The board decided not to pursue this because things have been going well

Willy's Boat

  • Previous status
    • The board will continue to request updates and monitor the progress
    • Lance says Willy expects to be done before August
  • DL spoke with Willy and he hopes to be done in July

Situation about membership of Jay Carver

  • Previous status
    • DL will provide a draft communication for the board to review
    • DL to try to do this in the next week
    • Still an action item for DL

Changes to space rental policy w.r.t. late payments

  • Previous status
    • DL will send out the draft of the new policy for review before next meeting
    • Still an action item for next meeting

Changes to bylaws and member handbook w.r.t. illegal activities undertaken by members

  • Previous status
    • Keith stated there seemed to be evenly divided opinion on whether the board or the membership should do this. The easiest solution would be to not revise the bylaws, but allow the board to immediately suspend a member if there was reasonable suspicion of illegal activities. Keith also proposed that violence or threats of violence also be cause for immediate suspension.
    • Keith will revise the code of conduct to allow for immediate suspension in these cases, and provide a draft to the board for review
  • Inter-meeting update
    • Draft provided, limited feedback received
  • Online vote to be held this week

Member Survey

  • Previous status
    • Lance will coordinate a new member survey
    • Lance will ping Brant
  • No update

Signs & Awnings Outside

  • Previous status
    • DL will ask Tom Gr to check into ordinances and requirements for awnings and signage
  • No update

Improvements to Entryways & Meeting area

  • Previous status
    • Tom Gr provided some new chairs for the meeting areas
    • Deferred until Carl is available next meeting

Update Web Site

  • Previous status
    • Deferred until Carl is available

Socialize Area Champions Responsibilities?

  • Previous status
    • Keith will send out the responsibilities to the current champions and ask for input
  • Inter-meeting update
    • Email sent - very limited feedback received
  • No further action

Appoint Co-treasurer(s) from outside BOD

  • Previous status
    • Keith proposed an amendment to the bylaws to allow named board members to appoint support committees, subject to a veto by a majority of the board
    • Board agreed with the draft, we will bundle along with any other proposed amendments to present to membership
  • Board discussed how to do a special meeting to discuss - targeting 7/12 for the initial discussion of revisions, followed by a vote from 7/19 thru 7/26

Revisions to bylaws to account for family membership

Tabled for a meeting specifically on bylaws

Revisions to bylaws to allow hardship suspension of membership

Tabled for a meeting specifically on bylaws

Cintas Service vs Cost - Dan J.

  • Previous status
    • The board voted to move to once a month on mats
  • Done

Craft Lab II: Trade Craft!

  • Previous status
    • The board discussed possibly making a larger area comprised of some of the smaller current areas.
    • DL suggested maybe not allowing more than one shelf for a single member, or making the top shelves available for this
    • DL will send out an announcement to the membership on our plans to reorganize the smaller areas into a larger one on June 5 Space Improvement Day. This will include Daleks, Leather / Candle area, screen printing and possibly others
  • Daleks moved from the East room
  • Hal organized the screen printing area
  • Powerwheels have taken over the spot in the East room vacated by the Daleks, until July, when Maker Faire gets it

Area champions listing

  • Previous status
  • Plugin installed - Keith to fix this now

New Business

  • Tom Gr asks for end-of-year balances for the accountant - Dan to provide
  • Adrian suggested we should be setting aside a budget for large building expenditures
  • Adrian to send out a survey to determine if we are going to fund Maker Faire, and at what level
  • Vishal sign wave
    • He will need 2 weeks of clear space to finish the project, when will Jake's Kuka be moved?
    • He can start working on it anytime after July 10. - see items earlier on the Kuka

Domain Name Renewals

  • The three domain names for MMS (milwaukeemakerspace.{com,org,net}) are set to renew on 9/22/16.

Each domain will cost ~$15/year to renew. So, to renew all three domains for one year will cost approximately $45. There are not price discounts for longer periods of time. Please consider how many years the BOD would like to renew the domain for, and let Chris know what the decision is.

  • The board voted to renew for 3 years - Keith to tell Chris

Member Free Storage Space

  • Inventory done by DL, needs to sync with Dan on some people who she can't reconcile
  • There are open spaces, DL to update with “EMPTY” stickers and send an email
  • Board to re-evaluate storage space at next meeting

Good of the Space

  • Calendars are a challenge, only board members can update the GCal, the groups aren't well suited to signing up for classes, not everyone has access to update the Wiki (or the knowledge about how to do so)
    • DL mentions Wild Apricot might work for events for this
    • Carl is digging into the Google APIs and we might be able to automate posting to the calendar
  • Would the maker space like to have an open house Saturday night the week of Maker Faire
    • Adrian to send an email asking the membership for a champion
  • Lance mentions that some vaults don't seem to have any activity, and there seems to be very low turnover. Perhaps we should find a way to inquire if they are being used. The board agreed Lance should put notes under the door of the vaults and ask for “are you using this vault”?

Announcements

Close

The meeting was adjourned at 8:47

boardmeetingagenda/2016-06-16.txt · Last modified: 2016/06/17 01:48 by keithm