Minutes:16 Mar 2015 Board Meeting Agenda
- Meeting attendees: Ken L., Nate Y., Zach S., Larry W., Nick R., John H., Aaron B.
- Meeting starts at: 7:00
- Meeting ends at:
(15 min) Open For All!
Old Business
Action Item Status
- Updated Membership Forms for Household membership (Draft created) - Larry
- Inventory Status - Nate Y.
- about 1/3 done, electronics, loud room, and craft area need to be done.
- Need to finish sales tax by end of Feb - Zach
- Sales tax filing done, we owe nothing.
- Comcast and DTE now autopayment - Zach
- Done
- Lease scanned into Google Drive - Zach
- Done
Standing Committee Reports
(10 min) Financial - Zach S.
- February 2015 P&L - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vwdj-7eWq4HJnyRgNn2EsVXO68Qn-0pU9aED2RG8gfM/edit?usp=sharing
- We're breaking even thanks to donations
- Should we consider downgrading Comcast?
- Comcast seems a little high, probably two months' worth. Zach is going to check the invoice to make sure it's not super expensive.
- What were the Amazon purchases?
- Larry bought soldering equipment.
- AMF Nano Situation
- Need to start working on income tax filing (due May)
(20 min) Governance - Ken
- Membership Update (Larry W.)
- Gained 8 members since February!
- AMF given two weeks to pay balance or vacate.
- Review Updated Membership Forms
- Major change is household member-related, updates to the process to use Monthly Task List.
- Elections coming up in April
- Important dates: 3/23 - Board nomination period starts, 4/13 - Board nomination period ends, 4/23 - Board Elections
- A couple of membership behavior issues have been officially resolved.
(10 min) Facilities - Nick
- Working on the urinal!
- Missing a part still, doesn't really flush.
- Laser cable guide lubed so it doesn't bump against the lid
- Comcast cable outside iced over and broke off, Comcast fixed a couple weeks ago.
- Still have sewer smell in the space, no present ideas to resolve it from building maintenance.
- Kossel 3D printer needs more fine-tuning, can only print cubes accurately.
- Matt (friend of Valdes) donated a seat of NX 10, so we have some more CAD software now.
- Intermittant leaks still happening from upstairs.
- "New" computers (2 desktops, 2 laptops)
- Nick provides a list of space laptops and their status. We have three or four, depending on power supply availability. We also received a Pentium IV donation from Gyll.
- Improvement Projects (small laser cutter, redo front desk, kitchen improvement, sand blaster)
(10 min) Staff - Larry
- Updated Staff Training Documents
- Done!
- Th-Sa Shifts are now fully staffed.
- Almost all staff trained (Isaac B., Michelle S., Nick S. remaining)
- Larry is training the remaining staff as they are available.
(10 min) Fundraising - Larry
- Encore sold another piece of equipment
- Sold the analog oscilloscope!
- BYB Grant - what it would mean...
- The goal is to provide a place where neuroscientists could be trained to build their own equipment. Two weeks a year there would be scientists working down at AHA. The equipment from the grant would be owned by BYB, but the equipment would remain for use by AHA members.
(15 min) Outreach - Larry
- Class Schedule - having trouble keeping up to date and promoting
- Larry made a schedule for March, but apparently Google Ate It.
- Silvia Lindtner UMSI - no contact this year (sent email yesterday)
- Larry is going to go visit and see what's up with the UMSI plans.
- Barry Belmont - no response re. BioMed team usage of AHA (sent email yesterday)
- We were too expensive for the BioMed team.
- Ann Arbor Film Fest 3/24-25 - not this year, no gaming computer for OR2 but there will be Oculus at a Satellite exhibit
- Craig Albert is taking over since he has computers powerful enough to run the Oculus Rift 2nd gens.
New Business
LASER CUTTER RATES
- Propose 2 Tier Flat Rates (Member - ??, General Public - $1/min.?)
- Roger S. offered his opinion that $2.50/minute is way too expensive (most people agree with this). i3 started charging $.15/minute recently, down from $.50/minute.
- The Board decides that $0.50/minute is reasonable cost for members, $0.75/minute for non-members.
- Nick reminds us that we should put up a list of prohibited materials near the laser cutter.
ANNUAL EVENTS - How do we get people interested and committed in helping out?
- FoolMoon - 4/11 Dusk to Midnight
- FestiFools - 4/12 4pm-5pm
- GameStart Spring Festival - 4/18 10am-2pm
- Penguicon - 4/24-26 (no soldering support that we're aware of this year)
- AAHOM TechTwilite - 5/15 6:30pm-9pm
- A2 MiniMaker Faire - Saturday 6/6 10am-4pm
- Detroit Maker Faire - July 25-26 9:30am-6pm
FORMAL EVENT REQUESTS
- Emily Canosta - Japan Week - requesting Cosplayers (in costume) to attend Animania screening event (6/16-20)
- Zach Alexander - Makerspace Development Blogger has contacted AHA for positive storyline.
- Daniel Dugan (past member?) contacted us on behalf of Penguicon - wants to borrow 3D printers for Enabling the Future.
- Amanda Paige - Exposing Inner City Kids to Engineering/Making at the U of M Natural History Museum (day/time TBD)
SURVEY REQUEST - from Make: Media
- 10 minute survey about AHA's Maker/Hacker activities.