Regular Member Meeting 2015 11 10

Time and Location

Date

Called to order at 8:20 pm by Julia

Members present: Tom, Phil, Julia, Dan, Mirage, Bobby, and Nick

Members remote: ubuntourist, Dumpster Diver, Hunter and sitown

Others present: Alex

Quorum

Quorum met?

Yes

Recognition

• ITechGeek - Crucial help diagnosing new core router configuration, restoring internet connectivity for the entire building's complex network.
• Bobby, Julia, others. - Lots of help finishing construction around the space. The electronics workstation and shelf reinforcement looks amazing.

Director Reports

Vice President's Report

Church Core Router went down for a day due to a couple hardware failures. Replaced after many hours of work. Many, many thanks to ITechGeek for providing vital information, testing, configuration, and advice. Without his peer review, guidance, and historical perspective, we would not have this working now.

In other news, continuing to colloborate with Makersmiths. Having access to both their and HacDC's tools will quickly go a long way to commissioning everything at both spaces. Have also learned some tricks from the members there, such as endmills with reduced cooling/lubrication requirements.

Our recent experience keeping up with our service-level-agreement in our lease provides a graphic example of the inevitable costs of unattractive elements at the space. Without Julia's help, 20-22 hour days over the weekend were barely sufficient to restore most functionality in time. Had the core router failure occurred mid-week, or I been unavailable, we would have an expensive, public catastrophe on our hands. Further, the actions of one member have had some noticeable cost. Doing better is possible, and pays for itself.

Time to get serious. While some of the concerns that have been raised toward that approach are completely understandable, a safe space with reasonable rules is a well proven model for success, and should be a desirable goal.

Treasurer's Report

• Current Paypal balance: $2352.10

• Dwolla ballance: $2565.00

• BBT Balance: $1747.60

• Bitcoin:

Rent check for Oct, Nov, and part of Dec has cleared.

Paypal income from dues for sept: $750. Dwolla income from dues for sept: $750.

Donations: $170

Mirage's reimbursements have not been paid out.

Secretary's Report

• Unfortunately HacDC didn't attend the CFC fundraising / advertising event at NRL that we were invited to. It was pushed back due to weather with two days notice and the members who had volunteered to do it could not change their plans. Attendees had to be cleared two weeks in advance, so no substitutions were possible.

• The check from EventBrite for the lockpicks is MIA; it was for $400. I've contacted EventBrite about the issue. They still haven't replied.

• The Trash pile is huge and the Outgoing pile has several bulky items also. I can't haul all this stuff myself, not even close. Note that we have a policy of compensating a member up to $60 for taking care of the Trash pile. We should consider doing that this month.

• Newark / Element 14 wants a wishlist of equipment we would accept as a sponsorship. I'm not sure who wants what. The current working wishlist is here: http://wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/Category:NewarkElement14_Wishlist

• The bitcoin wallet has something close to $75 in it, FYI. I'll try to transfer this account to the treasurer.

• I'll reiterate that we need more members involved in running the space. We need to run events, teach classes, raise funds, advertise stuff and do longer-term things like revisit our bylaws, clean up the wiki and have a decent inventory. If a 'committee' or 'working group' designation and structure is useful, fine. If the board of directors is expected to do all that and deal with unexpected problems as they come up, some stuff will never get done.

Project Awesome Reports

Project SUPPLIES

No expenditures.

Project EXPANSION

No expenditures.

Member Reports

mirage335

Taz_Mega is now an operational CNC mill.

Enrique

• Hosted an Email Encryption Workshop with help from Nick, Ben, Tom and others.
• Collaborating with High School Tech meetup organizer to host an event at HacDC November 18. Possibly more to come.
• Began labeling the basement shelves (top right shelf being A1 through A6, for example) so we can make an inventory and fix where things ought to be.
• Brought in some equipment on loan to HacDC (labeled as mine): Pyrometer, Sound level (decibel) meter, 30 gram digital scale and a 30kg hang-style digital scale also useful for tensile strength tests as mirage pointed out. They are in my storage area in the basement, I think shelf B1. Use'em but leave the labels on and put them back.
• Ordered a ($3) USB-to-ParallelPort adapter so we can have a reliable laser printer in the classroom instead of two or three non-working inkjets.
• I started a measley attempt at an inventory by shelf, at least of things that don't move often, in the basement.
• Helped Julia and volunteer Matt rearrange some basement tools and shelving.
• Cleaned up a bunch of shit in the basement. Cleaning would be easier with a smooth floor. Tiles, Vinyl, Paint, something. Screwed in the missing light bulbs. (One. It takes one of me to do that).

New Business

• Proposal: Allocate up to $500 for improved flooring in the basement front room. Our access to the basement is from the outdoors so dirt gets tracked in all the time. It occasionally floods, which brings in more grime and spreads it around. The current floor is rough cement which is difficult to sweep, mop or generally keep clean and doesn't make for a very good workshop area. I propose we allocate $500 from the general fund to purchase and install improved workshop flooring. We do have to sort out and/or address the flooding at the same time. This price range is for vinyl flooring but we could just paint it (like garage or shop floor paint) as long as the occasional water doesn't ruin it.

• Proposal: Allow the HacDC BoD to take and accept a bid from a certified pest control company to perform bed bug remediation, especially chemical spraying, in the classroom and basement/shop areas of HacDC.

• Selection of Audit Committee Members: According to Article VI of the bylaws, the members shall nominate a committee of three members to audit the business of the corporation. Three members are seeking to form a committee.

• Bylaws Amendment

"For substantial cause, the Board of Directors may indefinitely suspend a member's access to the space by a 2/3 majority vote of the board. By voting at an official meeting with quorum, members may reinstate or suspend, access or membership, for any member whose access has been suspended by the board. The board may suspend the access of no more than two members per month via this procedure. Access to the space may not be re-suspended by the Board of Directors for the same actions or incidents. Explanation of such suspensions must be submitted electronically to all members."

Actually passing this will subsequently require obtaining signatures from 3/4ths of the members.

New Members

- Grenville - Alex Kuck

Adjournment

Adjourned by at xxx by xxx