Agenda

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March 20th, 2018

Special Meeting Agenda

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- Initialization

Brian opens the meeting at 7PM

HVAC repair is up to us. It will be new so not a big problem.

Asbestos is up to Scrap Exchange regardless of what is

Opens Q and A

Can we afford to move there- At the first part- yes. In a year the rent will go up. There are option. It's an LOI. Scrap wants us there as part of the community but not part of Scrap. Ann Wood is willing to help us fundraise to stay there or find grants. Consequences are the same as for loss of lease there and here.

Dawn- We have 10,000 in bank so we have some money in reserve.

We pay for 17 but have 18. 3400 at #24. Plus 900 on the second floor that needs fixing up.

How does the rent compare? One year promotional period $8 ft there. $856 more every month in the start. We can do it the first year. The location can give us more members than this location. Pick up visibility.

Ann will be working with us on Fundraising.

Jon- Need to do a huge opening to get going when we move.

On the table for raising funds. Infrastructure ect for increasing membership. Our traffic here is steady but at DIY Bio has sent in several walk in. As a group we would be able to give classes for small fee to encourage attendance. We use a lot of volunteers and perhaps we should be compensated for our efforts.

Security deposit one month rent.

UDI rent is up in May. The one month security deposit might all come back.

Volunteers only or hire or rent. Trucks are covered. Must be out of UDI by the 30th of May. Theorhetically can start moving over once we sign the LOI. Don't want to get rushed.

A no vote does not preclude us moving into Scrap Exchange. We would have to ask for another extention to the lease which they may or may not give us. They believe we are moving. If we needed more time, didn't like the space. When we are ready to move they could have spaces in the theater. We need to ok the #24 space to hold it for us.

Move out plan- do we know everything we need to do over there to move in.

Chris B. Electrical- HVAC some but the rest is about $2000 for electrical. Peter R has contact for funds. We do have the fund to move in. We will have very little margin.

We are makers. How much of it can we do ourselves. Electrical we can't do. Licesnec electrician hooks up and pulls wire. We can mount boxes and conduits and he oks it. It depends on who we get to be electrician. Brian has a line on a cheap electrician. We should get credit for making the space better.

Some of the concern is that there is a lot of work to be done there. Speculation on the grant and being helped on the rent. Cost a lot of money with potentials for offsetting the cost. Dipping into the fund of our reserve for about a year.

The cost to move in will not cost 1/2 of our reserve in the course of six months.

DIY Bio has been there since August. We can move in before this stuff is fixed. Put a partion to keep the front 1,000 square feet the better it is. The back and the upstairs in marginal. Even 1/2 of that space is more than we have here.

Internet network? Is there a provider in mind? Spectrum will move with us. Network internally is up already. A WIFI subnet. Infrastucture will move over and plug in.

Space in their theater building. Walls will need to be built and a lot of other work. A long time in the future. Someone may buy all the theater building. This option will need to be taken or the theater location is eventually open we can move. The relationship with Scrap is set but the intent is to work with them. We may not stay in that space but it remains to be seen. Initially where we go may not be where we end up.

Ann is not the only word on that. There is a board and a responsibiliy to Self Help. Very well monitored.

RAD Lab- what happens to RAD Lab when we move? Tri DIY Bio will become intergrated with Splat again.

Scrap has its wood shop. If we move to this location will we have shared tool areas vs private. Scrap wants help managing the wood shop and other areas than they used to. Scrap is art. Splat is Science. How Splat and Scraps evolves there is no firm answer yet. Will happen in the move. We have been invited to work out the details on how their artist maker studios will or will not integrate. We are invited to partner to them and all will be brought to the membership for a vote.

  1. 24 is Splat Space with our own space. With the theater we will be more integrated

If we move into #24 how will be collaborate? Two elements to address. 1- Making equipment over in the main building. Will we have responsibilities for that at all. 2- Will the equipment be at #24? There is a concern with safety. We have to work that out. There will be non Splat Space users that we will have to train.

  1. 24 Is past El Centro and Freeman's Creative and is just past that.

Currently paying only utilites on the Space. Shows the intent of Scrap. Relationship will be overseeing the equipment? That will have to be worked out.

Shaw- Sign lease. #24. Not obligated to help Scrap with anything else.

We don't accept this lease and relationship sours. Scrap starts makerspace. A competing makerspace with more money and connections might make us obsolete. There is also a talent pool of artist at Scrap and Splat more electronics. There is a new makerspace opened up for $200 a month.

We are unique in the maker world. They were businesses that want money for equipment. We reach out to the community. We have sub groups within Splat. We just pay our bills. Because of that the membership will grow. The visibility will help us grow.

Desire to move and grow with more members? To improve? In order to self sustain in that location we need to put effort towards it as a group. Reading the mission statement is- We do go to fairs and other things but don't maintain.We are at a point where we stop taking members and stay as we are. Or we grow and get more people participating. The activities that people want to be more part of the community.

This group is about collaboration.This is a chance for us to grow with more artist group from STEM to STEAM.

Durham revitalized and now becoming artsy and looking for artsy places to create. This is a potential growth opportunity for the Splat community and broaden our tech to arts.

If we don't do it someone else will.

Do we want to grow? Phil- Part of the reason is that we are out of room here. We have no room for new equipment and no room. Scrap today has spaces for welding which we don't have but can use right across the road.

Jeff- With TechShop Durham to RDU. with Carolina Fab Lab. Spalt Space before. Need and engaged and intelligent membership. Must need a stable place with reasonable rent. Lost all of out leverage with these owner of the property. There is a place for us to go where there is a landlord who understands us. There will be one. There is a huge market but not big enough for 2 maker spaces.

Some people may want to grow. Very relaxed toward recruiting new members. Need to move to new location. New members are irrelevant to the need to move to the new location.

Observation- this is a corporation but run by volunteers without pay. Important 1- Have dedicated people take their time and effort to make it work 2- Do not have professional management makes Splat a start up of many years. May need professional growth at this point. Scrap as a professional organization is willing to help us with many of the things that we lack.

Jon V- We do a lot of community outreach. Not focused on traditional advertizing. I would like to help lead some of the advertizing.

Would have to be open to the general public and how would be accomplished? Interacting with the public will be the same as the way we deal with the public now. Will work out specific times to have host like a Meetup at Splat. You don't have to entertain guest if you don't want to. Not planning to do anything different.

Vote yes will we have a lease in a few weeks. Will we have something binding. No real answer but the whole thing is in Scrap's court.

Any more questions?

- Review of LOI from Scrap Exchange


- Information on repairs needed for Number 24 Lakewood location.


- Information on Financials for UDI location vs Number 24 Lakewood location


- Special Vote on Moving to #24. Current member roll call.

Mark C- Yes Daniel T- Aaron- Yes Kiesol- O LaTonya- Yes Tony B- No Pete Soper- No Chris- O Claude- Yes Eliz L- yes Brian L- Yes Tom R- Yes Shannnon T- yes Ryan P- O Graham- pass heather f- yes Kyle P- yes Phil R- Yead Ryan B- Yes Sarah- Yes Shaw- Yes Victoria - O Allan B- O Anastasia- O Daniel R- Yes Edward- Yes Garry- O Jack H- yes Jack S- yes Jonathan- yes Josh -yes lenoir- yes matt p- yes michelle G- O Mike P- Yes Nathan G- O Peter R- Yes Scott H- Yes ALex W- O Anthony A- Yes Dan S- Yes Dawn T-Yes Jeff C- Yes Jo B- O Tony G-yes Brent- yes Megan- yes Tony - yes Helen H- Yes Cate G- Yes Allie G- Yes Martin- yes Jon V- yes Peter E- O


Vote is clearly Yes.

Peter S- It's a bad idea because the opportunity to genuinely connect with Scrap. Being in a seperate building will just delay that. When we met as a board a week ago. I thought this will be a stepping stone to connect with Scrap. I don't think this will happen. We will be a seperate emntity. I am pessimistic about engaging with them for 2-4 years and it's still us and them. I wanted a vote last week on moving and then on #24 or main building. Circumstances change with Scrap in a holding pattern and then we have to move immediately. It puts the whole thing at a disadvantage.

The goal is to be closer to Scrap.

It's very heartening the number of people who voted. A lot with Dawn and Peter R getting DIY Bio into #24. It's not over yet and we still have an evolution to make sure we have a good relationship.

One member hopes we don't get closer to Scrap because we are our own entity. Hopefully will enter into a contract and be just tenants. Not to be beholded to them to take care of their equipment.

Still a member driven association and this is how we will run the group.

- Annoucement

Need more people for RARSFest. Need to fill 2 tables. Please help. $8 a ticket. Please come.

- Adjournment

Adjourned 8:15

Adjournment