Health and Safety:
* Rising sickness trends in neighboring counties.
* Emphasized staying home if sick and masking up.
* Request for N95 mask donations (two dollars for a five-pack online).
* Encouraged workers to consistently re-wear masks.
* Donated masks should remain in the space, not taken home.
Facilities Update:
* X-Tool: Closer ride for the X-Tool is both “awesome” and “sucks,” with ongoing efforts to improve it. It has a built-in fan.
* Bags: Top shelf has trash bags, and one shelf below should have quart-size bags. If not, more are in a car.
* 3D Printing: Plans to fix the X-Tool first, then move the rest of 3D printing in. Movement of 3D printing is paused due to the mess of working on the X-Tool. New XL setup is in place.
* Community Room: Working on knitting machines. Vinyl will relocate to the atrium wall once 3D prints are out. Donated laser, vinyl, and rolling plate engraver are at the back of the classroom.
* Kiosks: Student-developed kiosks are functional, auto-updated, and intended to be interactive tools for answering common questions about the facility and processes. More software development may involve an international team or be finished in-house.
Finances:
* Current balance: Approximately $21,000.
* Outstanding: $250 to the landlord due to banking issues with auto-pay changes.
* Now paying for an external internet circuit with Spectrum.
* Previous discrepancies in past due rent were clarified ($5,000 difference from $500 x 10 months and $2,400 from $250 x 12 months).
* At a six-month financial threshold, hesitant to purchase large tools ($5,000-$7,000) unless membership increases to 150-175 members. A $1,000 tool at 150 members would be acceptable.
* Current membership is around 130-140.
* Discussion on annual rate discounts: They hurt cash flow and reliable income. Long-term members (3-5 years) are not leaving. Board needs to change the annual discount. Monthly rates ($40 retail, $20 discounts) are not changing. May need to revisit family rates from $15 to $20, but hesitant to do so if annual discounts are fixed.
EPICS Project (Access Controller Board):
* Developing a custom access controller board to overcome limitations of generic Amazon boards (which are limited to four actuations).
* New design uses RS485 protocol, allowing for 32 endpoints on one set of wires. It's slow but sufficient for ID numbers.
* Initial team meeting is January 18th at 4 PM. Registration link will be shared in Discord.
* Goal is hardware agnosticism for authentication (NFC, 125kHz chips, fingerprint readers, etc.). This allows makerspaces to choose authentication methods.
* The project aims to make it easier for members to use their smartphones for access instead of key fobs.
* Cameron will no longer be the primary contact for EPICS but will still assist; main contact for hardware design. Looking for more assistance with EPICS.
* Project involves basic circuit design (one or two-layer boards) to teach practical skills.
Upcoming Events:
* Archive Demo: Went well on December 2nd.
* Fin Con:
* Virtual digital scavenger hunt planned by Jordan and the speaker.
* Will use QR codes and NFC tags for an exploratory game themed around makerspaces and technologies.
* Different point levels for easy vs. hard-to-find items.
* Call for volunteers for testing in a couple of weeks.
* Awards: Custom aluminum business cards and potentially larger items like dice towers.
* Discussion about membership coupons for Fin Con attendees; past attempts (free month) were unsuccessful, but willing to try again on the new platform.
* Fin Con is now at the Galleria, making it closer.
* Olivia will be showcasing her own items in the dealer's room.
* Hannah may not be available due to finals.
* Need help with Friday load-in for Fin Con. Speaker will handle Friday morning load-in.
* Possibility of bringing sewing machines donated by DMS.
Other Business:
* City of Richardson Grant: Needs to be followed up on. Email sent about IQS, no response received yet. This is a high priority for income amendment.
* Lathe Training: No immediate plans for intro classes in the next six weeks; schedule doesn't allow until after Renaissance Faire.
* New Hosts/Coordinators: Lot of Lena for sublimation, Doug Freeman for Shipoko, and Chris as Facilities Coordinator.
* Board Elections: Elections are in June. Members in good standing for six months are eligible to run. Need to confirm cutoff date for eligibility. The new system may be able to provide a list of eligible members.
* Treasurer Role: Need a new treasurer as the current one is not effective with bills.
* Banking Issues: Issues with the current business bank's interface and inability to change names on institutional logins. Need to find a different business bank.
* Power Cords: Purchased five new power cords that are flush to the wall.
* Meeting Schedule: Discussing moving the board meeting to the first Tuesday following the first X of the month to allow for financials to clear.
* Tours and New Members: Had a very good week for tours and gained several new members, including two large donation members. Thanks to those learning to give tours.
* Website Update: Tim is working on improving the website to be more functional and visually appealing for visitors and members. Goal is to have it ready before Fin Con. A new member joined specifically to review the website.