Meeting Notes 9/25/2009
Agendar: Money Upcoming Governance Meeting Patagonia Grant Further specializing recycling Organizing the space Spending Priority: Tools, lighting, heating, signage, back rent, Susan, recycling Scheduling
==Money==
$400 in the bank, $300 in dresser, $300-500 in house Rent is good. We're slowly building up a reserve.
Eads: Shorebank adding some electronic banking system, so it'll be much more useful for us
==Spending Priorities== Tools seem okay-- Newcum bought some new #2 philips today. Eads: Given the amount of money we'd need to recycle everything, we should spend out meagre accruals on small capital improvements. Newcum: Home Depot has cheap cheap lights ($6). We should stock up.
What about back rent?
Eads: A line item in the moving budget. (see below). It's about $1000 and it grows a bit every month. Taylor: Should we just pay a back month? We're in good shape.
Eads: After next deposit, we'll set aside $100 for capital improvements (lights, tools) and whatever's left we'll put towards back rent.
(Agreed.)
==Patagonia Grant==
Taytay: Should it go towards recycling, a move, paid staff, or general budget? Eads: Move and recycle would be AWESOME. Taylor: Avg. grant is about $4000, so we should be thinking around that total. Eads: Patagonia grants are done by store, with retail staff vote on grant proposals. We should invite staff to come down to lobby them... Newcum: PAid staff and a move both change the game. Eads: If we have a storefront space and a loading dock, we're better set for paid staff in the future. We'll see an ROI (return on investment) immediately. Taylor: Less future dependence on grants. Eads: Getting donations in and sending recycling out more easily would be incredible.
Taylor: What would this look like? $200-300 for a truck for a couple days A WHOLE LOT OF WORK rebuilding around the space. Recycle everything in the space: $1500 2 build days properly sorting recycling and deciding what should go and what we keep. Security deposit and rent at a new space: (WE HAVE NO IDEA)
Taylor: Where? Eads: Not too far from where we are. Close to public trans. (ie the el) South side would be sweet
Newcum: further for staff, but closer to volunteers and cheaper.
Taylor: So are we agreed? We should target the grant at a move and recycling? The winter is going to suck, we'll lose momentum that we have, and we are already approaching being confined by the amount of space we have.
Eads: Doing this doesn't preclude paying staff... We look better, more appealing to donors and grants. Our lease is up in December, Jerry is going to increase rent, and he hasn't been so great to us.
HOMEWORK: Do a little digging into spaces, rent... A viability study. So: coming up with a move budget (truck rental costs, potential rent, recycling costs). Each find 3 locations.
Taylor: Are there spaces that donate a home to community-oriented organizations? We have a little leverage now that we have our 501(c)(3)-- we can offer landlords of vacant storefronts a tax deduction.[
Newcum: There's a danger that we'd get saddled with an infeasible rent after recession, and/ or have to move again.
Eads: Check into many various locations-- Albany Park, Rogers Park, South Side. Logan Square has no indigenous need for such a program...
==Upcoming Governance Meeting==
Eads: Will change proposal. Initially, I was thinking we'll do half governance meeting and half community council. Taylor: We also need to check eligibility before a first community council meeting to determine whether interested parties can do it. Eads: Changes we need to make: reducing term lengths; lower participation requirements a bit (but not a lot). Check how these go with everyone. And after that, we'll set a two-week or one-month staff/ supervolunteer schedule, including setting the first community council meeting. Taylor: Would supervolunteers occupy these 4, too? Eads: Ideally, half staff, half supervolunteer. Taylor: What about Fridays? Eads: Maybe no roles, but 2 staff, 1 supervolunteer? Or 2 and 2? Taylor: Talk about it on Friday.
All: Jeremy has been shining. Good people skills, a willing and eager educator, responsible and trustworthy. Newcum: But hasn't met participation requirements. Eads: But we could grandfather people in under the proposal. Newcum/ Eads: We need staff! We don't have the luxury of denying an interested party! So we'll write exceptions.
==Specializing Recycling==
Taylor: What should we be doing? Eads: Dunno. We need to find out. Newcum: Should we scrap our steel? Taylor: If we are scrapping aluminum, wire, and copper, yeah. Just use the extra truck space. Newcum: Strip pcb off of hard drives. Taylor: Why don't we just email him and ask what we can/ should do? Eads: I'll email and ask. I'll also take on as homework looking into this myself.
Taylor: I'll also get at the recycling companies/ refineries and see what we can use them for, rates, etc. Eads: Vancouver ships to a refinery in Washington state-- probably cheaper to ship from Chicago to their facility. We should find out about that. Finding a local refinery would be better. Michigan or Wisconsin, probably.
==Organizing the Space==
Newcum: I bought uniform-sized boxes (25). Organize: *CD-ROMs and floppies *printers *scanners
Taylor Homework: Make criteria for keeping these, set a volunteer at it.
==Schedule==
Eads: I will be around this week, not at all next week (10/2-10/4) Taylor: I will be going to Tenn/ NC in mid-to-late Oct. I'll also be gone Thanksgiving...
Next meetings will be set at the meeting on Sunday. Staff meetings 2x a month, community council 1x a month.
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