05-20-2021
Member’s Meeting Notes 20 May 2021
Announcements
Reminder: lawn needs to be mowed. This is part of our rental agreement.
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Topic 1
Discuss proposed membership vote: Increase the occupancy limit from 3 members to 20. Adopt the following guidelines.
Members should stay home if they are feeling sick.
RCL recommends that everyone be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before attending events.
RCL will not turn members away based on their vaccination status.
Please be aware of other's personal space and comfort level before approaching them.
Discussion
With vaccination rates on the rise and infection rates on the decline, it is time to start rebuilding the community at RCL by hosting build nights and classes again
Members are generally supportive of the increased occupancy limit
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Topic 2
Discuss proposed membership vote: Allow optional masking for those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, effective July 1, 2021. Adopt the following guidelines.
Masks are optional for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Masks remain mandatory for those who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
RCL will operate on the honor system and will not check vaccination cards unless a Code of Conduct complaint is filed with the Board of Directors and there is reasonable suspicion that a violation occurred.
Discussion
Many other Makerspaces are maintaining masking rules until everyone is vaccinated
What is the punishment for violating the “honor system”? Answer: Code of Conduct violation under "unacceptable behavior" clause.
Some members feel it is too soon to lift the mask requirement, and would not feel comfortable being with a group of people not wearing masks.
Proposal rejected: when multiple members are at the space and they would like to go maskless, all members who are present must agree before masks are removed
Compromise proposed and adopted: hold the vote this month, but add wording that would make the optional masking effective July 1st, 2021 rather than being effective immediately.
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Topic 3
Discuss proposed membership vote: Allow non-members to visit the space.
Discussion
Officers have been giving limited tours since the beginning of the year. This would formalize the practice. And make it so that RCL is no longer “closed to the public”
Limit scope of this question to just whether or not we should allow non-members back into the space
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Topic 4
Discuss survey question: Reconfigure open house nights to occur only once per month instead of every Thursday.
Discussion
This is an issue that predates Covid-19, officers spent the entirety of their Thursday nights giving tours instead of working on projects or engaging with other members
Make question about reconfiguring open-house night a survey question rather than a binding member vote
Joe has many ideas for how open-house nights and tours could be run and organized.
Proposal to hold a separate meeting to discuss the topic
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Topic 5
Discuss proposed membership vote: Make the following changes to the bylaws (changes in red)
Section: Meetings
Subsection: Notice of Meetings
Notice of all meetings of Members, including regular meetings and the annual meeting, must be sent at least 5 days in advance. Notice shall be sent electronically to all members, either to the e-mail addresses they have on file with the corporation and through a posting on a communication platform that is accessible by all members. Notice of meetings shall also be posted at the corporation’s registered location. Meetings shall also be posted on the website at least 5 days in advance.
Section: Voting
Subsection: Votes of the Membership
Paragraph: Notice
Notice of all issues properly submitted for vote by the membership shall be given to all members no later than 5 days before the meeting at which they will be voted on. Notice shall be sent electronically, either to the e-mail address that members have provided to the corporation and through a posting on a communication platform that is accessible by all members. Notice of all issues to be voted on shall be consolidated with the notice of the member meeting at which the issues will be voted on. The Board of Directors is responsible for sending out the notice of the meeting, with the agenda of timely submitted issues to be considered.
Section: Voting
Subsection: Votes of the Directors
Paragraph: Notice
Notice of all issues properly submitted for vote by the board of directors shall be given to all directors no later than 5 days before the meeting at which they will be voted on. Notice shall be sent electronically, either to the e-mail address that each director has provided to the corporation or through a posting on a communication platform that is accessible by all members. Remote Attendance votes by the Directors may not be made by proxy. Directors must attend the meeting of the Board of Directors, either in person or remotely through teleconference methods arranged with the Board before the meeting, in order to vote on matters placed before the Board of Directors.
Section: Directors
Subsection: Meetings
The Board of Directors shall have an annual meeting, as required by Illinois law. The annual meeting of the board of directors shall be on the third Tuesday in January. Notice of this annual meeting shall be provided electronically to all directors and members of the organization, either at the e-mail address provided to the corporation or through a posting on a communication platform that is accessible by all members, at least 5 days in advance. Notice shall also be posted at the corporation’s registered address. The Board of Directors may also call special meetings other than the annual meeting, as necessary. Notice of any special meeting shall be provided electronically to all directors and members of the organization, either at the e-mail address provided to the corporation or through a posting on a communication platform that is accessible by all members, at least 5 days in advance. Notice shall also be posted at the corporation’s registered address. All full members may attend any meeting of the board of directors.
Discussion
Notifications have not been sent by email in some time. Update would allow for notifications to be sent using Slack, making the bylaws consistent with current practices.
Some members do not use Slack, or do not check it that often. Proposal to change to "email and Slack" instead of "email or Slack"
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Topic 6
Discuss proposed membership vote: Make the following changes to the bylaws (changes in red)
Section: Voting
Subsection: Votes of the Membership
Paragraph: Voting by Proxy
Members may vote by proxy. The proxy vote must come from the members e-mail address on file. The email must state the member’s intention that he shall vote by proxy, state which issues he intends to vote on by proxy, and state how he intends to vote on each issue. Alternatively, an online survey platform may be used to collect proxy votes. In order for a survey response to be considered a valid proxy vote, an e-mail address must be collected in order to verify the identity and eligibility of the proxy voter. If a survey platform is used to collect proxy votes, members must be able to cast votes starting at least 48 hours prior to the date and time the vote is scheduled to happen. All proxy votes (email or otherwise) must be received 1 hour before the date and time the vote is scheduled to happen. Proper proxy statements shall count as attendance at the meeting for the purposes of calculating the quorum.
Discussion
Proxy votes have been collected using Google Forms for awhile now. Technically this is not allowed by the bylaws. This update would allow for proxy voting through survey tools like Google Forms, making the bylaws consistent with current practices.
Should we specify a timeframe for an online proxy vote? When does it open for access and when does it close? Or just a general how long will it be open once it is opened?
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Topic 7
Discuss proposal to parallel-path short term fixes on BFL-1 while BFL-2 is being designed and fabricated or purchased.
Discussion
Current BFL: laser tube connected to main frame, mirrors connected to carriage frame, Paul thinks this is a root cause of the misalignment problems
Josh and Joe to tackle short term fixes of BFL-1
Do we buy a replacement for BFL or build one?
From Joe: as far as BFL-2, Chinese lasers are significantly cheaper than when the BFL was purchased. The best way forward would be to buy a laser such as an OMtech, or White/Blue from AutomationTechnologies that is both fix-able and a solid base point while being affordable.
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Topic 8
Discuss replacement welder for the metal shop.
Discussion
Do we spend extra money and get a brand name, or cash on the Harbor Freight with Alan's discount and trade-in? Group consensus leaning toward Harbor Freight welder, but there is concern about the limited warranty available (90 days standard, up to 2 years extended warranty available)
Jeep to write vote proposal to be submitted for vote this month
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General Discussion
Suggested discussions for next month
Roger Wheeler - getting a spot welder for building battery packs
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Members in Attendance
1. Wes Thill
2. Fred Bliss
3. Sam Mahadevan
4. Jeep Johnson
5. Josh Malavolti
6. Roger Wheeler
7. Cody Webster
8. Joe Spanier
9. Patrick Gudat
10. Andy Meinert
11. Chris Papach
12. Al Jolly
13. Paul Prest
14. Karen Raab
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