O/D Meeting 5/19/2020

Minutes

May 19, 2020 LVL1 board meeting, via Zoom

attendees: Charles The Hat, Danielle, Jim, Tiffany, Madeline, Raj, Paul G, Jose, Andy, Locadoc.

begin approximately 9:02 pm; begin recording moments later than that, already in progress [Sec'y's note: meaning I missed the very beginning of the meeting.]

[Discussion regarding the welder recently being broken, and whether LVL1 should purchase our own welder and give Patrick's back.]

Danielle: Well, that's the next step.

Charles: We do have very explicit guidelines on spending money.

[Discussion about starting the meeting, an informal agenda sent by email.]

Charles: So do we have a resolution on the welder issue?

Danielle: M-hm.

Charles: All right. Usually we do finance and member stuff first. I saw the email from Jim, and thank you for the blurb in there about the current situation; that was very well put.

Jim: Thank you. There are a few people down there, aren't there?

Charles: There were about six here last time I poked my head out. I'm in the classroom right now because my internet is broken at home.

Raj: So apparently I missed some of the discussion. What is the resolution on the welder?

Jim: We're going to buy one so that we don't have somebody else's property on loan and have to feel that we're responsible.

Paul G: We're going to ask members to FAP for it.

Jim: Move toward a LVL1 welder.

[Discussion about discussing the resolution with [member].]

Jose: One of the things we normally bring up during the financial thing, how many members do we have.

Jim: I'm counting 81.

Jose: So we're still above the number that our budget requires?

Jim: People are sticking with us. The only people that I know that I've communicated with are people that lost their jobs and such. And we've got a few whose payments didn't go through.

[Discussion regarding payments and suspended members.]

Danielle: Kevin has gone down to the space at all hours, and there are people there using the space, so that's good. It's active.

Jose: And there's been no FAP since Covid; correct?

Jim: Yes. And there's nobody on the makership.

Jose: Okay. And we haven't been paying for events. So it's basically been straight utilities?

Jim: M-hm. And that's down for May. We were at about 1,000 even, and now we're down to $739 for the next bill. So we're doing pretty good. Kevin used to go back and look at the information on the bill and calculate stuff. I think the window insulation in the back did us a lot of good, but I can't prove it.

Everything is stable. Money is coming in and the bills are about the same. We're not buying a whole lot of supplies and equipment, though. Things are not getting broken or not getting used up or something.

[Discussion regarding masks in the woodshop/metalshop and whether LVL1 will provide masks for people due to Covid, to come up later in the meeting.]

Jose: Was there anything unusual about the financial report?

Jim: No. We're all okay and in good shape. Tiffany is on the chat; Steff bought a box of masks. As far as financials, we're sitting pretty good. We can pay the bills for the year without any problems.

[Discussion regarding one member's dues, check fraud and negotiable instruments.]

Jose: Aren't a bunch of things going to change mid-year, insurance and rent and such?

Jim: Yes, they're supposed to, but insurance companies are on the TV saying they're not raising rates and lowering rates during this time.

[Discussion regarding potential rent increase and that it's likely not to happen due to Covid, and that the landlords are very good to us and how we appreciate them.]

Jose: Do we have any software subscriptions that we have to pay or are going to increase?

Andy: Vcarve, Pike13, and Simplify3D, I just found out, is coming out with version 5.0 in the next few months. It's going to be a significant upgrade and we will have to pay another $149 to get another license. That's a one-time shot; it will last three or four years.

Jose: Before Covid, did our paperwork that needed to be filed with state, did that get done?

[Discussion about filing of paperwork with the state, that it was done right after elections in January, that Brian Wagner did it, and that it was $20.]

Danielle: Also, when are our taxes being done? Have taxes been done already for the year?

Jim: I have them ready to file. I've met with Kevin and discussed them some, and met with Small Paul, who gave me the skinny on everything down to the details. He logged online and found our tax filing with the IRS; since we're a non-profit organization, we're online. He saw our taxes, and we went through them, and it had all the annotations that the IRS people put on there about, "let's do this," and "you should have done that." That was amazing.

Danielle: Very helpful. All right.

Jim: But he got me straight on what I needed to do. Basically it's five years of returns, and the last one falls off and the new one goes in, so it's not a big deal other than gathering all the information. So I think we're good on that.

Danielle: All right. Excellent. Anything else?

Jim: I've set up the spreadsheet with extra money held back so that people don't go crazy. So, we have the emergency fund and we also have a good chunk of the available money held back in reserve. That's something I did to keep funds available for the bills; if we need it right now, we'd have it.

Charles: Would this be a good time to consider replenishing or augmenting the rainy day fund? Because that's basically [inaudible] exactly that.

Jim: I'm sending out the books and everybody sees it and they see the big money, and some of it is dedicated.

Charles: So the [inaudible] fund would have to be a FAP.

Danielle: Yes.

Charles: So that would be a way we could officially say, "Hey, we have this unusual time of low expenses, and this is what we want to do with it."

Raj: Jim, real quick, to go back on the taxes, is that just the form 990 that you're filling out?

Jim: No, there are other forms to go with it, too. There's 8366 or something like that; I don't remember what it is. I'm filling out the same forms that Kevin filled out last year.

Raj: And when are those due; do you know?

Jim: I thought they said they had extended it to July. They extended everybody's due date.

[Discussion regarding taxes.]

Raj: Yes, it's July 15th; I looked it up.

Jim: Any other questions on the money?

Danielle: Thank you for taking the time to do those, Jim; we appreciate it.

[Discussion about the tedium of doing the books and how we appreciate Jim for doing it so well, and how it took the place of his sorting bolts and screws [laughter], then he thanks Kevin for his help, and that having someone to push some of the work onto would be helpful.]

Charles: The next thing on the informal agenda that I put out the windows or any other kind of winterizing or summerizing or utility control.

Jim: We were going to go ahead and do the other windows.

[Discussion about doing the windows; that it was a fun day; the work is appreciated; about the other windows being on hold for now due to Covid; that there will be curtains in the ones in the front of the space.]

[Discussion regarding how many people are still using the space, whether they're social distancing, mask usage.]

Jim: The windows will be a one- or a two-person job when we do it. I'm not sure how important it is during summer as opposed to winter when the heat bills are just ridiculous.

Andy: Well, it will keep the AC in, too, though.

Jim: Yeah, but the urgency is --

Andy: I'd wait until it's safe.

[Discussion regarding the air conditioning project for the bunker, and whether any of the work has been done yet, Virgil is working on the stand for it, and we need manpower for lifting the air conditioner into place; discuss using Flex Seal to seal the AC in after taking the window out to retain the good seal that was put on.]

[Discussion about the blower fan in the metal shop which needs replaced which is the exhaust for welding and painting; there may already be a blower and motor procured, but assistance is needed for installation.]

[Discussion regarding the member shelving that was added, and making sure any projects which were begun but halted due to Covid get completed when we get back.]

Jose: The cameras and the video stuff is all working now? You're muted, Bill.

Locadoc: -- been there since March. I was going to set it up so that we could monitor it, but that was never discussed.

[Further discussion that the security system is fully operational and that he added two 3 terabyte drives to it.]

Charles: What's our retention on that right now?

Locadoc: No clue because I haven't looked at it since I installed it and that is highly dependent upon the type of cameras that we use and the frame rate we're set at, to see how much data it stores.

Charles: Wild guess. What we had it before --

Locadoc: We had 8 days before; so I'd say we've got 2 1/2 to 3 weeks, at least. No way to tell until it's at capacity, and I haven't been back since I installed it.

Danielle: Next on the agenda, Mr. Grand Moff?

Charles: So, that was space upgrades. The last thing that was on the informal agenda was an update on the Kenneth situation.

Danielle: Okay.

Raj: I spoke to the attorney two days ago.

[Discussion about our initial attorney, how new and unpracticed she was, and that she wasn't taking the right approach, and that the new attorney thought it was not the correct approach, and that the new approach should be more straightforward, "This is our place, you're not welcome, please leave"; and that we don't want to send the letter until it's necessary, so as not to remind him we're here.]

[Further discussion about his property, and a strategy to take once we're able to reopen and get people in there again; send him a letter and say basically, "You have 7 to 10 days to make arrangements to get your property; if not, we are disposing of it as we see fit." That is lawful and it is our discretion to do that.]

Jose: And there are no other issues outstanding concerning him?

Raj: No, the only other thing is the fee for the letter. He wanted $300, and I negotiated it down to 225.

[Discussion about how it's paid for, and that legal defense is provided for in the emergency fund verbiage in the bylaws, and a board simple majority vote has the ability to authorize.]

Charles: Discussed by some or most of the board a couple of months ago.

[Overlapping discussion remembering that.]

Charles: I don't remember if it was in an open meeting or not, but it was discussed by the board.

Jose: Okay. I just wanted to know what part of the budget it was going to.

Raj: Yeah, so it's emergency fund, legal defense. So, that's it.

Jose: Are there any other membership issues?

Charles: We've had one person email to the directors about becoming a member. But for the members, I think no one has messed with the keycard system since this started.

[Discussion about keycards, the new member before the outbreak who needed a card made, and for people who have suspended their membership, we're not deactivating their cards until the whole thing is over because we can't really tell them, "You need to come and clean your shelf off," or anything like that. That's where that is until things are some state of open again.

[Long discussion contemplating when that might be, whether allowing more people in, and complying with Kentucky guidelines, like wear masks and take temperatures, what our policy should be regarding the public, how many people should be allowed into the space, keeping our members safe, types of masks we should wear and provide. We looked at the regulations and determined that we need to procure a thermometer, some hand sanitizer, masks, cleaner and provide those things by the front door; discussed encouraging social distancing within the space; that people have to take personal responsibility for the safety of every member who uses the space.]

Charles: I walked in the space tonight to get internet for the board meeting. Apparently I walked right past a box of masks; I did not see them.

Tiffany: They're there.

Charles: I did not know they were there. I did not look on top of the safe for a box of masks when I came in the door.

Jose: As members, when you come to the space, until further notice, the expectation is that you wear masks, and masks are available at X, and then we make sure we have X located with masks available.

[Discussion regarding members must use masks, hand sanitizer, temperature; whatever we have to buy, buy it, so it's available; do our best to enforce social distancing. We have to have our compliance be visible. Need to put signs up at all three of our entrances.]

[Discussion regarding the younger and less-mature members being non-compliant in the space, it might cause other members to not show up; if we don't do anything about it, then we're allowing that to be the standard. Discussion regarding having wipes and bleach readily available, masks so that people use them when the come in the door, putting signs up to let members know what's expected. Discussion regarding percentage of capacity allowed in the space.]

Charles: Raj, you said you could bring in some bleach wipes?

Raj: Yes.

Charles: Who is familiar with the current Covid regulations?

Danielle: They're on the website. We're not opening up; we don't quite need them yet.

Raj: Well, if we're having people there now, then we have to have that there; we have to have masks; have to have the temperature check; the social distancing; we have to do all of that, starting now.

Danielle: Would you say that it counts, essentially, if we're open as a business, then we should be -- okay.

Raj: It will be as a business, and we have to have that now.

[Discussion regarding procuring these supplies.]

[Discussion about the liability of members not social distancing within the space, and needing to implement these regulations as of today, about printing the regulation from the state of Kentucky and posting that official statement on all three entrances, and that Madeline will take responsibility for printing out the signs and posting them to the LVL1 doors tomorrow after work.]

[Discussion about what the signs say, and which should be posted. Charles is at the space and if he can get them to print tonight, he will post them to all the doors before he leaves tonight.]

Danielle: Who wants to craft the email to the members?

[Discussion about what the email should include, whether it should include a sign as an attachment, verbiage, compliance.]

Jim: Two things. Our other entrances, other than the front entrance, are technically not entrances at this point. The only people that can get into the Pointe can get into the other two doors, because the front door has a keyfob lock on it now and it's not open to anybody other than employees.

[Discussion about the Pointe being locked and their-keyfob entry only, and that we do have one of those keyfobs, but it doesn't seem to work anymore.]

Charles: Okay, so printing successful, so. . .

Danielle: So, are you going to draft the email? Did you want me to draft something or do you?

Charles: Raj, are you. . .

Raj: Yeah, that's fine; I'll draft it.

Jim: What about groups that we have opened the space to, like the cosplay people and the soundbuilders and the Code Louisville? That's one step removed from us because we're just offering them the space.

[Discussion about those groups and that the last thing said is that we're not having events; reiterate this in the email.]

[Discussion about the pace and timing of reopening, and that it can be discussed by email or in the Tuesday regular meetings.]

[Discussion about Covid heroes, hero pay, the hero jobs, that Danielle is getting buff.]

Raj: I have a question for Charles. Since you're there, can you make sure that the masks that we do have are near the door and find out how many we have for now? And number two, do we have a digital no-contact thermometer at the space? Because we need to put that near the door, too.

Charles: I'm sure we have one, but it was stated earlier that we need to get one that's designed for people use and not whatever.

Jim: Those are hard to find. We've been out on the internet looking for them; they're hard to find.

Jose: And they're not cheap either. We can't Harbor Freight this one.

Jim: No, they're not. Everybody that has got them has jacked the prices up.

Raj: So are we certain that those for industry don't work on people? Is that for certain?

Jose: I'm pretty sure I read the disclaimers on the boxes that come with those things.

Charles: They work on people; other people are not comfortable with the liability of saying that this thing is calibrated to giving that accurately.

Locadoc: The medical ones are designed to be calibrated with a 10-degree frame; but the Harbor Freight one has a 100-degree, and that would be highly inaccurate to the points; 97.7 would be totally different on a Harbor Freight one.

Paul G: Also, the industrial ones, you can set the [inaudible] constant different for different metals and different materials, so you have to set it properly.

[Discussion regarding using the different types of thermometers.]

Raj: We need to get one of those ASAP. The ones on Amazon, they're not shipping until June.

[Discussion about finding a thermometer any sooner than that.]

Charles: The box of masks here is a box of 50 and it is almost full.

[Discussion about getting the masks in view where people will use them, and mentioning that the supply is for LVL1 use only, and that we should order a couple more boxes tonight. Further discussion about supplies we need to order and provide to the membership, and links are posted to the chat to use to get the things.]

Raj: And I'll bring by a full bottle of bleach and some rubbing alcohol.

[Lively discussion about uses for bleach.]

Charles: All right. Is there anything else we need to address on this subject? All right. Is there any other new business anyone has? Because we've been here two hours. All right. Going once, going twice, we're done.

Meeting adjourned, 10:49pm