BoardMeeting201504

Board Meeting: April 26, 2015

Time & Location

3:00pm - 5:00pm Tech 20/20 Board Room

Attendees

All Board members except Jondale were present

Minutes

Issac was tasked with getting pricing on reordering business cards.

The 3D printing SME role has been revisited and it has been discussed that progress is being made. Parts have been ordered for Bumblebee.

A 3D printing interest group to meet at the space has been slated to be revisited at the next Board meeting.

The Tech Director position and the Secretary position will be revisited at the next Board meeting and throughout the month to make sure the tasks associated with both are fulfilled.

Doug updated the Board with an update on the move to a new space. Further progress is reliant on codes enforcement and whatever the tenant coordinator and city can or is willing to do to help us move past obstacles with codes enforcement. We have issues related to the current bathrooms as codes enforcement is currently insisting we must have two ADA compliant bathrooms, that our zone criteria makes us a factory due to the tools we have, and that our sprinkler heads should be closer together. The Board discussed working sessions coming up to help Doug iron out details here.

Also related to the upcoming move, the Board discussed the need for help with the move. James has been tasked with finding outlets for general volunteers who can help with basic tasks like demolition, moving, and "gopher" or grunt work. The Board is still considering options for help with specialist work or work that should be done by an experienced crew.

Sam has submitted the 990N form.

The present Board unanimously approved Sam's decision to move to QuickBooks. Sam will capture financials from 2014 to present in QuickBooks.

Makhan is investigating informational or QR placards to place next to power tools, special tools, and SME areas with resources about use and reporting issues. The Board will look at converting the current trouble ticket system into a publicly accessible ticket system so that anyone can access and understand current issues of repair that are needed. The Board discussed implementing a dynamic ticket system that can be integrated into the new website.

Doug and James will be attending Bsides with Issac's soldering kits.

Sam will be co leading the Blont County Public Library MaKey MaKey Day with Becca Baker.

Sam has reached out and declined participation in the Steampunk Carnivale, CodeStock, and the Adult Summer Reading program.

For future outreach including upcoming Mini MakerFaires, the Board will stay open to future exhibits but may reduce activity here while best practices and other priorities are sorted out. Issac has offered that unique art exhibits and installations made by Knox Makers members could be useful to explore for some events.

James and Sam discussed the current state of library outreach. Becca Baker at Blount County Public Library has been in contact with a state coordinator for professional development at the Tennessee state archives. Our library outreach team and partners are looking at ways to help guide the state coordinator in securing tech carts for all nine regional library systems in the state for the 211 libraries within their reach modeled after our own tech outreach cart that is being developed. The Board discussed potential awareness and social credit for Knox Makers that can be secured as well as fundraising dollars. James reported that a possibility could be paid design and assembly of the final carts as a fundraiser, a career development day where librarians would be invited to familiarize with all the tech where a grant could supplement our efforts here, and a web resource that addresses career development related to the carts where, again, a grant could potentially supplement our efforts. James and Sam will update as the program develops.

The Board will revisit the Nashville and Chattanoga Mini MakerFaires and the Atlanta MakerFaire.

Doug and Issac will be applying for the Creative Placemaking grant, due July 17th, with an intent to develop arts and craft studio space as incubator space for studio artists and art teachers. The goal will be to pursue the maximum amount of $8,000.00 using a 1:4 ratio matching funds of $2,000.00 of planned remodel of the new space.

The Board will talk throughout April and May about the ABC grant and will revisit the ABC grant at the May Board meeting.

James talked with the Space Federation, who has offered that we may qualify for collective grants between multiple Hackerspaces through the Space Federation. The Board decided to revisit these potential collective grants only if they are enticing and not entirely useless or unfairly profitable for the Space Federation.

The Board discussed the UTK Business School report. The Board will continue to independently review the Final Report presented by the UTK Business School MBA students throughout the month. The Board discussed initial takeaways, including communication issues, website redesign, and actionable items. The Board discussed that multiple communication items need to be improved further, including communication between Board members, communication to members, and communication to the general public. The Board will look at weekly working meetings at the space with the intent to identify our requirements for a website redesign, including a dynamic tie in to a new public trouble ticket system. Otherwise, actionable items include to talk throughout the month about the Final Report and revisit this at the next Board Meeting; to track down more groups such as IEEE that we can present to about Knox Makers and our upcoming needs; and to come back to assign actionable items. It was also decided to revisit the concept of paid employees and an executive director position at a much later date when Knox Makers has transitioned to a greater growth period.

The Board has unainmously decided to open Board meetings to the membership and general public in the spirit of transparency and more effective communication as well as engagement.

Agenda Items

• Follow-up with 3D printing SME
• Revisit 3D printing interest group - Meetup?
• Tech Director Transition
• Space Move Update
• Financial Review
  • 990N Submitted - Sam submitted after discussion in last board meeting and we have received our approval
• Outreach
  • BSides
  • BCPL Makey Makey Day Demo (5/30)
  • Steampunk Carnivale (6/6) Sam already reached out and declined after discussion in last board meeting.
  • CodeStock (Free sponsor table, 7/10-11) Sam already reached out and declined after discussion in last board meeting.
  • BCPL Adult Summer Reading Program (7/11 1-4 PM, need someone to ping Becca with decision, and if we commit, to run point) Sam already reached out and declined after discussion in last board meeting.
  • Outreach tech cart tool share (MaKey kits, Circuit Scribe, etc)
  • Nashville MMF (Sept 12)
  • Chattanooga Mini Makerfaire (Sept 19)
  • Maker Faire Atlanta (Oct 4 & 5)

• Grant Opportunities
  • Creative Placemaking [[1]]

• UTK Business School Report Review
  • Take out actionable times and assign owners