September 19th 2024

AGENDA

Opening and Mission Statement

• The regular monthly meeting of the MakeICT board of directors convenes on Thursday, September 19 at 7:00 pm in the MakeICT building.
• MakeICT is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is operated entirely by volunteers. It’s our mission to innovate, learn, and build community at the intersection of art, technology, science, and culture.

Quote for Today:

“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” - Writer and philosopher Elbert Hubbard

Roll Call:

Board Members:

• President: Gretchen Koch
• Vice President: Dean Day
• Secretary: Paul Shackelford
• Treasurer: Aaron Grindstaff
• Director At Large: Matthew Cleary
• Director At Large: Eric Manda - absent
• Director At Large: Aaron Norton
• Director at Large: Serena Oden-Powers - absent

Members:

• LaDeana Dockery
• Mike Barushok
• James Lancaster
• Rustin Atkeisson

Thanks and Recognition

Thanks and recognition go to:

• Rustin Atkeisson for spearheading organization of volunteers to assist with ICT Comic Con and the Great Plains Renaissance Festival
• Aaron Grindstaff, LaDeana Dockery, Matthew Cleary, Tricia Cortes, Rustin Atkeisson, Gretchen Koch, Dean Day who helped out at Comic Con
• Aaron Rivers (Woodshop and Director of Operations) for his service to MakeICT
• Larry Meeks (Metalshop) for his service to MakeICT
• Mike Atherton (Security) for his service to MakeICT
• Rustin Atkeisson, Dave Hanson, James Lancaster, Matt Cleary, and Gretchen Koch for volunteering to design and build a new castle facade for the ren faire tent

Old Business

Communications - Newsletter

The next newsletter will come out on the first of October. Please send blurbs to communications@makeict.org.

• Please send in current photos we can use anywhere (website, newsletter, social media, etc)!
• Teachers of classes - please take pictures and send them to us

Guidelines:

• Be positive and forward-looking with articles.
• If asked to submit an article, you are allowed to say "No," with the exception of the President and VP, who will have to submit make-up articles the following month.
• Leads and Directors are encouraged to submit articles.
• Deadlines for submissions are on the 25th of each month.
• Newsletter will be published on the first of the month.
• Members are also encouraged to take photos of activities at MakeICT and submit them for the newsletter.
• Please make sure that photos are properly credited with who is in it and who took it.

First Thursday Board Workshop

The Board Workshop is an opportunity for members of MakeICT to get together and talk about /plans and goals for MakeICT in an informal setting, outside of an official board meeting.

Details:

• Every First Thursday of the month
• Workshop to address issues from members 7-8pm
• Closed executive session as needed for the Board 8-9pm

Area Reports

• Member meeting to cover area reports for this month

Treasurer’s Report

• Income: 13500
• Utilities insight: 3400
• Instructor pay: 1300
• Area expenses: 3100
  • Total expenses: 10500
• Cash Positive by: 3000

• Still working with CPA to file the tax abatement that may be retroactive to more than the start of the year. (got feedback, have a little more work, but so far, sounds good for abating back to 2019)
• Still working to take care of refinancing the mortgage on the building (have all the paperwork read)
• Sales tax paid for this quarter

• In Work Projects
  • $3,500 spent of $6,000 from the Collins grant to improve ventilation in the metals shops and wood shops.
• Pledge drive for Keyacast Successful - all pledges received, Aaron Grindstaff to pick up 9/20 to save $500 on shipping
• Operation Grant Submitted, also working to get it from last year – Aaron G met with them on 9/19 for questions (e.g. how donations are handled, do we in fact have an all-volunteer staff, etc.). We haven’t yet received the grant funding from last year because we didn’t submit an invoice. Aaron did that and is prepared to submit one for the next grant (assuming we receive it).
• IRS 990 Form– we had an automatic extension last year and submitted it in November. Need to submit by 11/15.

Reminders:

• Don’t open windows in a shop if the AC unit is turned on.
• When leaving a shop:
  • Make sure all windows are closed and locked
  • Make sure no AC units are on
  • Turn off the lights (except if one room’s lights are left on for security reasons)
  • Drain portable units

New Business

Approval of Previous Minutes

8/15/2024: https://wiki.makeict.org/wiki/August 15th_2024

Motion: Gretchen moves to approve the minutes as stated.

Seconded by: Aaron Norton

• Dean votes: Yes
• Paul votes: Yes
• Aaron G votes: Yes
• Matthew votes: Yes
• Aaron N votes: Yes

Result: Motion passes.

@DECISION: 8/15/24 minutes are approved

Letterpress Area

This item was voted at the August 15th 2024 board meeting to be tabled until this meeting.

Update from last meeting: some repairs have been completed on Heidelberg

(Now former) Director of Operations Aaron Rivers advises disbanding the Letterpress area for the following reasons:

• The area has not met any meaningful measure of its operational capacity.
• The greater part of the area’s machinery has been nonoperational for years.
• The area is bereft of any access policy.
• The letterpress is of little practical interest, and then only to an extreme minority of the MakeICT membership.
• The machine requires a level of expertise and maintenance that is beyond our current means.

If sufficient interest exists in the letterpress process, Aaron recommends that MakeICT may still well be served by a smaller, safer, and more manageable machine that could be housed and maintained by the Visual Arts Area whose Lead, Kris Paxton, has expressed an interest in doing.

Aaron further recommends the sale of the machinery, and that it be repaired to maximize value prior to sale. The paper cutter (which is the only regularly used equipment in the area) and the laminating machine (which is used but effectively homeless) be a dedicated space where the cutter is presently installed, and the remainder of the Letterpress floor-space be granted to facilities which is overfull and badly in need of it.

Letterpress area includes:

• Letterpress (Heidelberg)
• Three hole punch
• Book binding machine
• Paper cutter
• Laminating machine
• Letters (type)
• Etcher

Motion: Aaron G moves that we keep the letterpress area as a letterpress area, but get rid of the Heidelberg in favor of a smaller letterpress.

Seconded by: None

Result: Motion fails.

@DECISION: Motion to keep letterpress as a smaller area fails.

Motion: Dean moves that we disband the letterpress area and remove the Heidelberg from the area.

Seconded by: Gretchen

• Dean votes: Yes
• Paul votes: Yes
• Aaron G votes: No
• Matthew votes: Yes
• Aaron N votes: Yes

Result: Motion passes.

@DECISION: Letterpress is disbanded; Heidelberg to be removed from the area.

• We will wait one month to sell (until the next board meeting) per committees policy
• Dean to check with a couple contacts to determine if they have interest in the Heidelberg
• Remainder of letterpress items to be left as-is pending offers to other areas. If still without a home, will be removed during purge week

Doug Wilson as Woodshop Lead

Aaron Rivers has stepped down as Woodshop Lead. He recommended that Doug Wilson fill out the role for the remainder of the year. Doug has previously held the position and is also currently serving as Screenprinting Lead.

Motion: Paul moves to approve Doug Wilson as Woodshop Lead.

Seconded by: Aaron G

• Dean votes: Yes
• Paul votes: Yes
• Aaron G votes: Yes
• Matthew votes: Yes
• Aaron N votes: Yes

Result: Motion passes

@DECISION: Doug Wilson is now Woodshop Lead.

Bill Oden as Security Lead

Mike Atherton has stepped down as Security Lead. He recommended that Bill Oden fill the role. Bill is a standing member of the security committee.

Motion: Matthew moves we appoint Bill Oden to Security Lead.

Seconded by: Dean

• Dean votes: Yes
• Paul votes: Yes
• Aaron G votes: Yes
• Matthew votes: Yes
• Aaron N votes: Yes

Result: Motion passes.

@DECISION: Bill Oden is now Security Lead.

Metal Shop Lead Vacancy

• Larry Meeks has stepped down, and we need people to teach metal shop classes. Steve McCue may be willing to teach safety classes in addition to powder coating, but has not (yet) accepted the role as lead – he wants to discuss with the board first.
• Rustin taught a safety class this evening but is stretched too thin to be more active as an instructor
• Candidates to teach classes include:
  • Nick Whitehead for CNC and welding
  • Larry may be willing to help on one-on-one basis
  • Rustin is willing to authorize on Tormach for specific cases

Rustin and Gretchen will confer with Steve this Saturday on what he needs re: lead position and sandblaster equipment (does it need a new nozzle or no?)

Board “Wish List”

At a special meeting following Brunch with the Board last Saturday, the board reviewed possible goals to accomplish during our term and came up with the following list of items that we considered to be either SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goals or potential SMART goals.

We’ll be discussing these goals in board workshops going forward, and members are invited to attend those workshops to help make this stuff happen!

• Website updates (both MakeICT.org and the wiki)
• Fix the hallway ceilings
• Formalize operational committees (security, IT, forum moderation) and document procedures/permissions
• Review existing policies for necessary changes and approve them
• Formulate a long-term plan for HVAC
• Create a publicly-available classroom reservation list
• Signage to show of each area (like Ceramics and Woodshop have already done)
• Signage out on Mt. Vernon (or the LED thing that's in ERP)
• Explore collaborations! Work with places to send volunteers to us and have tasks for them to do
• Bicycle storage policy and bike rack(s)
• Fix "barn door" handicap bathroom doors to be lighter/easier to move
• Fix entryway dip to be level
• Look at purchasing higher-grade tools instead of hobbyist grade
• Purge Week - to be discussed at October board workshop; we should invite Tricia
• Spring Maker Market
• Add a well-ventilated structure for powder coating, staining, VOCs, etc.
• Create a system to maintain volunteer time and grant/donation data
• Plan some new recurring events for MakeICT members and their friends-- something like design competitions
• Start doing yearly murals or something on the classroom wing so it's not just all a blank canvas.
• Revamp Maker Monday and New Member Orientation presentations with videos to show off the areas

South Wichita History talk by the WSU local and community history program

Mostly per email from Dr. Jay Price (with some additions):

On Friday November 15, 2024, the WSU local and community history program will sponsor a community talk about South Wichita History that will take place at 6:30 pm with guests arriving at 6:00 pm. The goal will be to have food and drink. This may tentatively involve food trucks but that is in the works. The community history program will:

• Provide the content and presentations.
• Create advertising for the event and identify venues to advertise it.
• Work on arranging food issues.
• Be there for clean up.

MakeICT will provide:

• A location and venue - may be a walking tour if weather cooperates?
• Powerpoint projectors and screens (computer for presentations would be ideal as well)

Unknown:

• Who provides cups and serving materials?
• Who pays for food and drink?

Kayacast Update

It’s funded! Picking it up tomorrow.

Quarterly Membership Meeting

Sunday, September 22, 7pm - 8pm

MSDS (hazardous materials) Guide

Moving it to the Welcome Center from the Admin office so that it’s accessible to all.