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2019-11-24

Hackspace Manchester Board Meeting Minutes

24th November 2019 @ 19.30

Present Members

Ross, Ellan, Laura, Jason, Mark (20.05)

Meeting Starts 20.00 - Chaired by Ross

AGENDA

  1. Appointment of Co-Chairs & Areas of responsibility
  2. Governance & Finance
  3. Membership / Teams / SubCommittees
  4. Member Items Raised
  5. Any Other Relevant Business

1. Appointment of Co-Chairs & Areas of responsibility

With a new board composition new co-chairs are required. Ross expressed interest in the role and Jason also volunteered. There was agreement and no dissent.

20.05 Mark joined the call. Jason briefed him on events so far.

The following areas of responsibility were discussed and the named board members agreed to nurture their development.

  • Outreach - Laura
  • Infrastructure - Mark
  • Health & Safety - Ellan
  • Finance - Jason
  • Membership - Ross

2. Governance & Finance

The following items were discussed; - Appointment of new directors - Ross is awaiting information for this to be completed. - Bank Mandate / Finance SubComittee - It is a concern to the board that historic board members are on the bank mandate. Jason is giving this his attention. - A fresh Hacman Finance chat has been set up by Jason to liase and work with members interested in Hacman financial affairs. - Annual Accounts - The board note that these are normally due by 31st December but currently there is an extension until the end of March 2021. - Board Development Session - The board will hold it's annual strategy and planning session on Sunday January 3rd (Venue TBC) - Insurance - The board note that insurance is due for renewal by March 12th 2021. - Laura will be looking into this.

3. Membership / Teams / SubCommittees

NEW EQUIPMENT FUND

The board reviewed written proposals from the Visual Arts & Woody Dusty teams;

VISUAL ARTS - All Items Approved

  • Heat Press
  • Acrylic Bending Tool
  • Resin Printer
  • Screen Printing Supplies

WOODY DUSTY - Initially over budget £320

  • 10" Bandsaw
  • Oscillating / Bobbin Sander
  • Dust Extraction
  • Kitchen Unit Workbench
  • 3 Items Removed - Brings the proposal to budget

Jason complained that it was not fair for a team to overspend their allocated budget. Mark as a member of the Woody Dusty team amended the proposal to bring it within budget then the board approved it. There was no further dissent.

METAL & ELECTRONICS - No proposal presented.

The board have agreed that teams will have until the next scheduled board meeting (January 3rd 2021) to submit a written proposal. If this is not completed then the board will allocate the new equipment funds as they deem appropriate.

BOARD to notify teams and advise of deadlines / consequences.

MEMBERSHIP

The following membership items were discussed and agreed upon; - Re-opening - This is under constant review as information becomes available to the board and will be communicated through various means. - New Members - The board is open to new members so long as we are upfront about our offering and limitations at the time of joining.

The board have assigned the following items to be looked into by the membership subcommittee;

  • Existing Member Incentives
  • Discounted Memberships
  • Student Incentives

STORAGE

The following points were discussed; - Members storing large (volumes or quantities) in the space will be required by the board to identify if items outside of members storage are member's property or offered to the space as donations (Anything offered to be donated to the space remains the responsibility of the original owner until the board agrees to the donation). - Where the items are member's property they will be required ot remove or appropriately store them or the board will take action to remove them with notice. - The possibility of selling equipment that is not required (redundant / obsolete) should be organised by teams with final approval from the board. - Large Members Storage - An area for members to store large projects is under construction by the infrastructure team. - Further guidance / fair usage rules to be agreed upon and disseminated in due course.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure work is ongoing at the space to improve the area for all members. The following items were discussed; - Sprinkler modifications - Fire alarm modifications - Accessibility of the toilet facilites

HEALTH & SAFETY

The following items were discussed; - Tool risk assessments - General Hacman risk assessment - Fire risk assessment - Inductions

4. Member Items Raised

> No member submitted items were raised for consideration.

5. Any Other Relevant Business

Laura suggested sending an email to the membership introducing / welcoming the new board and to thank members for their continued engagement and support throughout the current abnormal times.

Jason suggested the board thank the outgoing former board members for their efforts in their previous role.

> MEETING CONCLUDED AT 21.30