Time and Location:

7pm ET Virtual Meeting https://meet.google.com/ica-fdvh-jje

Call to Order:

Meeting called to order by Jonathan White at 7:01pm.

Consent Agenda

No items this month

Approval of Prior Minutes

2023-09-27 Meeting of the Board of Directors

Vote: Meeting minutes approved by voice vote

Officer Reports

Chairperson:

No update this month

Secretary:

• 10/5/2023 - Nomination Forms Released
• 10/15/2023 - Nomination Deadline
  • Two nominees - Bo Wernick and Jennifer Chu
  • WildApricot report for registered voters complete
• 11/1/2023 - Next Regular meeting
  • Each nominee will be given an opportunity to address the membership
• 11/1/2023 - Voting Opens
  • We will be using OpaVote
  • Each voting member will receive an invite (specific to them) to vote online
  • Paper ballots will also be available upon request if accommodations are needed
• 11/8/2023 - Voting Closes
  • Providing Members 1 week for online voting
  • Quorum will be confirmed (from proxy forms) – 1/3 of voting members
  • Voting will be closed and votes will be tallied
  • New Board Member will be announced, duties to commence immediately

Treasurer:

Verbal report

President:

No report this month

Committee Reports:

Membership Committee (Mark Milsap)

Marketing Committee (Jason Gilligan)

No report

Website Committee (Maggie Toth)

Minor maintenance performed

Leesburg Facility Committee (Jessee Maloney)

• Member storage continues to be an issue (plenty of notice given, will be cleared involuntarily at this point)
• Preparing for new laser to be installed
• Awaiting update on front door repair
• Electrical work being planned

Purcellville Facility Committee (Dave Painter)

• New business items relate to repairs/upgrades

Scheduling Committee (Jennifer Chu)

No report

Newsletter Committee (Melissa Kowalski)

IT Committee (Scott Silvers)

• Working on requests for next month related to aging computers and firewall
• Investigating potential funding sources for IT related equipment

Maintenance Committee (Dave Painter)

STEM Committee (Diane Painter)

• Grant report raised by Jonathan White
• Only needs Treasurer review on the financial aspect

Standing Rules Committee (Jonathan White)

• Suggested redlines received from counsel, awaiting review
• Meeting will be scheduled for committee review/discussion (targeted for November 2023)

Unfinished Business

None this month

New Business

NB1: Metal Shop Update (Brad Hess)

Issue:  The metal shop in Leesburg has limited utilization due to it having dated tools and equipment and poor workspaces, layout.

Solution:  Update the metal shop to include the following capabilities
1. Polishing and Buffing
2. Anodization
3. Powder Coating
4. Injection Molding
5. Jewelry Making
6. Mini-Tormach

The spreadsheet outlines the costs to update the room.  This includes cost breakdowns for each new functionality and an overall room update to have workbenches and pegboards around the perimeter of the room.  A drawing is available to show the proposed room layout.
We are already in the process of moving the lathe, vertical mill and horizontal mill to Purcellville which will free up the space the room to make the proposed changes.

Relevance to Tax Exempt Status:  None

Motion:   Move to allocate $2,200 from the facilities reserve to improve the room (Workbenches, pegboard, etc.) and $1,900 from the equipment reserve for a total of $4,100.

Vote: Motion carries by voice vote

NB2: Purcellville Facility Repair and Tool Update (Jonathan White)

Issue:  

Makersmiths Purcellville has some facility repair and tool update needs over the next few years which are detailed in the attached document. This document provides the asks for 2023 as well as expected asks in 2024, with figures for 2024 still being finalized and will be brought in a separate motion. In summary, the asks for 2023 are:

Solution:  Allocate funding from the Building Reserve and Equipment Reserve to cover needed repairs and improvements.

Relevance to Tax Exempt Status:  None

Motion: Move to approve the spend of $8,820 to come from the Building Reserve and $3,175 from the Equipment Reserve to complete the projects as outlined on the October 2023 slide of the Purcellville Capital Plans presentation. 

Vote: Motion carries by voice vote

NB3: Sell Excess Fume Extractors (Jonathan White)

Issue:  Makersmiths was the recipient of a generous donation from Lincoln Electric. Two of the four fume extractors are surplus to requirements – i.e. they take up more space than we have available and do not get used often enough to warrant the space they take up. The two L1653-5 Lincoln Electric Prism Mobile Fume Extractors with MERV 16 filters retail for between $5,000-$7,000K. Replacement filters for these machines are $1,000 each. The re-sale market for these machines is limited, however the welding shop steward believes we should be able to get $3,000 for each of them. After the sale, the welding shop will still have two fume extractors for use.

Solution:  Authorize the Welding Shop Steward to sell two L1653-5 Lincoln Electric Prism Mobile Fume Extractors.

Relevance to Tax Exempt Status:  None

Motion:  Move to authorize Jim Waldron to sell two L1653-5 Lincoln Electric Prism Mobile Fume Extractors from the Purcellville Welding Shop.

Vote: Motion carries by voice vote

NB4:  Machine Use Charge for Oliver Sander (Jonathan White)

Issue: The Oliver 37” sander gets used for work that is more appropriate to be done on the smaller drum sander where the sandpaper costs less and where there are fewer maintenance issues. The 37” sander belts are not cheap ($50-$70), and people abuse them trying to thickness plane material (which it is not designed for), remove glue, sand down epoxy, and other uses that wear the belts out quickly. Parts have been hard to come by, the hard rubber roller has a chunk missing from it due to misuse, and it is one of the highest maintenance machines at Purcellville. Members can bring their own sandpaper (~$10 or less per roll) to use on the 16/32 Jet Drum Sander (also available in the Purcellville woodshop) at no machine time charge.

Solution: Authorize a machine use charge to use the Oliver 37” belt sander. This would be the only time based chargeable tool in Purcellville to date. The lasercutter being added to Pville will be the second.

Relevance to Tax Exempt Status: None

Motion: Move to add a $10 charge for up to 30 minutes use of the 37” belt sander, and $10 for each additional half hour or any part thereof.

Vote: Motion carries by voice vote

NB5:  Consumable Inventory (Jonathan White)

Issue: Some of the tools in Purcellville (metal shop, woodshop, welding bay) require consumables that can be hard to get in small quantities (spindle sandpaper in all sizes) or can benefit from cost reductions through purchasing in larger quantities (16/32 sandpaper rolls). To support Members’ use of the tools, the woodshop steward would like to setup a kiosk/cabinet and make some of these consumables available for Members to purchase onsite. We would post prices for the items and operate on the honor system.

Solution: Authorize the Purcellville facility steward to setup a kiosk with shop supplies available for Members to purchase.

Relevance to Tax Exempt Status: None

Motion: Move to authorize the Purcellville Facility Steward to setup a kiosk of shop supplies with an up-front cost of $200 to be recouped through the sale of consumables at no less than a 25% margin added to items for sale. An inventory and true-up will be completed quarterly.

Vote: Motion carries by voice vote

Open Discussion

Need to work on capital planning, draft operating budget in progress

Planning on timing for December Board meeting

Adjournment

Meeting adjourned by Jonathan White at 8:28pm