BOTLab members meeting 28th July 2015

Date/time and location: 7pm, Wed 25 March 2015 at the Hackspace

1. Apologies:
2. Action points from previous meeting
3. BV Studios improvements update
4. Monthly workshop update
5. Health and Safety, cleanliness and tidyness
6. Insurance
7. Purchasing proposal: Laser cutter
8. Methods of collecting funds (if approved).
9. Induction process

Committee: Matt V, David H, David W (minute-taker), Russell D

BOTLab members: Jon D, John D, John W, John M, Tom G, Tarim, Ed R, Ian S, Ross M, Arthur A, Mike T, Toby S

• Apologies: Steph T
• Action points from previous meeting
  • All acted on or covered in other points to be raised
• G10 improvements update
  • Mains sockets: TS has made a plan, MV has talked to building manager - next step is to show plan to building manager as it stands - Action MV to send plan as-is to building manager
  • Fire:
    • MV: committee and JW have worked on this - actions have included fire extinguishers, first-aid improvements, material storage
    • Action: JW to put risk assessment on wiki
    • Action: RD to order fire blankets and put up in both rooms
  • Workshop improvements:
    • JW: inventoried tools, over 400 available
    • Next steps: risk assessments for machine tools, standard induction scripts
    • Would like more help with Monday evening sessions
    • Need similar approach for this
• Monthly workshop update (MV)
  • All workshops have sold out since second one
  • Next one is Shonkbot build, in preparation for Mini Maker Faire
  • Action: MV to post full programme on website/wiki
  • Other forthcoming ones: Mead making in October, Christmas present making in December with vinyl cutter
  • All slots filled until New Year! but MV still looking for leaders in 2016
• Health and Safety, cleanliness and tidyness
  • JW: would be useful to have a clear desk policy - all work in progress put away
  • Sign on the door to remind people to
  • MV: more important to have a culture of good behaviour - members should not be afraid to challenge people who are not respecting the space
  • JW: can we stop referring to G10 as the “Messy space”?
  • AA: trialling RFID system for logging usage of tools with MV's stuff -
  • RD: we should not use the sink in G11 for food or drink - need to replace the sign over it! - Action: DH
• Insurance
  • MV: insurance lapsed last October, need to develop committee approach to make sure these things don't lapse
  • Has posted email dialogue with Hencilla Canworth on mailing list, thanks to MV for doing this
  • First priority is public liability insurance to protect members
  • JW: Are we looking at other insurance? Directors', office insurance, member to member insurance - risk of injury to one member caused by another
  • Action: MV to ask Hencilla Canworth if member-to-member insurance is covered by their proposal
  • RD: Brings up question of what is membership? Situation not clear - MV: discuss later
• Laser cutter purchasing proposal
  • Laser cutter proposal 2 ("Alternative funding model")
  • DW read through Formulate plan
  • Requests for clarification on the proposal:
    • RM: length of time for which the purchased hours last? DH: 1 year as defined on wiki but wanted to , £5/hr,
    • ER: does proposal define size of laser cutter? DH: depends on how much money we raise.
    • TG: will need to monitor usage and revisit fees in at most a year.
    • IS: if donations are offered by outside people/organisations who are not hackspace members, what happens to the hours they're given in exchange? DH: could treat it as a pure donation. MT: could restrict usage of tools to only hackspace members. DH: maybe that would work, that members of that organisation who are also hackspace members can use those hours - e.g. for Pervasive Media Studios. People from that organisation should be encouraged to join and use hours, subject to fair use policy. JonD: In general people have to be hackspace members to use it. In general we aren't opposed to altruistic donations, could even give a “trophy” to those people and/or plaque stating donors to lasercutter.
    • TG: What does an hour mean? An hour of laser cutting time or computer usage time? DH: laser cutting time. RM: don't want to occupy cutter with non-usage time. Need better booking system/calendar.
    • MV: good thing about having our own cutter is we'd be able to open it up and modify e.g. add usage logging. MT: don't want to void warranty.
    • IS: use this list of questions as a start for resolving how to *run* the laser cutter!
    • IS: want a clear short paragraph as summary of proposal to send out to mailing list. Action: IS volunteers to help craft this paragraph.
  • Vote!
    • AA proxy vote for Steph T, Lee W and Nic M
    • Unianimously passed!
    • Total 4 committee, 12 members present + 3 proxy votes
    • MV observes that out of the total Hackspace membership of ~75 only 16 people have attended the meeting to vote
  • Raises definition of membership
• Method for collecting funds for proposals (if approved)
  • DH: option to use Paypal but people have negative opinions on it.
  • AA: only 2 methods don't take a cut: cash, bank transfer, cheque
  • Bank transfer route is slightly difficult to administer because not everyone follows the process
  • Separate bank account? for large purchases, or for laser cutter specifically? feasibility unknown of opening a new account with Unity in Botlab's name
  • Treasurer to decide how to do this - Action: DW to define the payment collection method and send to IS
  • MT: would
  • DW: collect pledges
• Induction process: postponed to next meeting
• AOB
  • Definitions of membership: postponed to next meeting
  • Treasurer