Board Meeting Minutes Summary: February 25th

Relocation and Facility Needs

* **Lease Overlap:** The organization prefers not to pay two leases for extended periods, ideally for no more than two months of overlap, with one month needed for moving.
* **Location Preference:** The preference is to stay in Richardson, ideally within the Innovation Quarter (IQ) area (roughly 75 to Jupiter and Campbell, back to Apollo), due to a good relationship with the city and accessibility to public transit and members from Plano.
* **Space Requirements:**
    * The current space is a little over 3,000 sq ft, but the organization doesn't necessarily need that much.
    * The possibility of expanding the footprint over time is ideal; it's better to secure more space upfront than to relocate again for expansion.
    * The layout and usability of the space are crucial.
* **Classroom/Meeting Space:** The organization needs a highly functional classroom space that can also accommodate tools along one wall when not in use for classes.
    * Currently, there are two "half spaces" (the main room and atrium) that can be used for classes, but neither is ideal, and they duplicate square footage without being used concurrently. A single, larger, functional space is preferred.

Financial and Operational Considerations for Relocation

* **Rent and Costs:** The organization needs to understand the rent per square foot for potential new spaces.
* **Utilities:** Information on electricity and water costs for potential spaces is needed.
* **Internet:** Fiber internet access is a requirement, and the cost should be clarified.
* **Roll-up Door:** A roll-up door is a preferred amenity.
* **Sublease Options:** Inquire if the new landlord offers subleasing options.
* **Contact Persons:** Leadership@thelab.com, Jordan's phone number, and the contact for the new rental are suggested contacts.
* **Electronic Signatures:** Electronic signatures (DocuSign) are preferred.

Electronics Area and Classes

* **Mechatronics:** The electronics area has been renamed "Mechatronics" to better reflect its scope, which includes hobby-grade robots and microcontrollers.
* **Electronics Classes:** There is an emphasis on offering electronics classes, acknowledging that this area is essential for a makerspace but has lacked an active area host for a long time. The goal is to provide accessible, "project of the week/month" style classes that help beginners learn fundamental concepts, such as attaching components or understanding angles.
* **Skill Sharing:** Experienced members are encouraged to share their skill sets, even if it's not their primary area of expertise.

EPICS Program and Access Control

* **Student Team Performance:** The EPICS student team has performed well this semester.
* **Access Control System:** The new class is focusing on the access control system due to previous COVID-related disruptions.
    * A custom access control board is being designed using RS485 communication, allowing up to 32 endpoints on a single pair of wires.
    * This system will support various authentication methods, including NFC, 125kHz chips, fingerprint readers, and phone-based access.
    * The integration between the software and hardware components seems robust, with the back-end system (likely Jordan's work) being well-configured to communicate with the access points.
    * The system should be able to integrate with existing badging (USB readers) and appears largely ready for deployment with some manual work required.

Digital Displays and Information Systems

* **Kiosks:** The student-developed kiosks are functional.
* **External Feed Integration:** The kiosks can point to any photo source and subscribe to multiple RSS feeds (currently up to five) for displaying information.