Notes from July Member Meeting

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Brad Freese

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Aug 6, 2025, 5:37:03 PMAug 6
to Area515 - Des Moines Maker Space

For all those who don't know, the notes from all board and member meetings can be found on our website:  https://legal.area515.org/#meeting-minutes

July 19, 2025 - Member Meeting

Total Number of Full Members Attending (including proxy votes): 13

Quorum required 12 Full members and was reached.

Board of Directors Attending:

  • President: Dave

  • Secretary: Brad

  • Director: Matt

  • Director: John

Financials
  • We need to find the login info to renew our Benevity eligibility.

Current Members: 85
  • The board has started emailing members directly on important items like Space Work Nights. Fewer people seem to respond to posts on the Google group or Slack nowadays.

  • Attendance at the last Space Work Night was better than the last few months.

    • Kudos to member Caleb who spent a bunch of time taking down spider webs in the Wood Shop!

  • Tool Stewards should still submit ideas for projects that Space Work Nights can help with.

  • To help with cleaning, Jake is working on a public whiteboard members can use to track their individual cleaning contributions.

  • Matt is also working on updating the door so it logs all the keys that are used. The plan is to compare the key log to the cleaning log so we know who isn't pulling their weight.

    • We can also use this to help with marketing since we can track how much the space is used.

Ideas to Increase Member Engagement
  • Some people have felt that there's been less of this lately, so the floor was opened to ideas that could increase it.

  • The idea of a CNC Workshop day was suggested. Apparently a lot of members are interested in using it but find it too intimidating. Holding a class on how to use it might generate more involvement.

  • The last few times the space has held classes for the general public they haven't been well attended. For instance, zero people came for the last soldering class, and before the pandemic turnout for that was great.

  • The idea of moving Space Work Nights to start an hour before Open House was suggested. Several members expressed support for this.

    • Some members have difficulty getting their work done on Open House nights as it is, since they often stop what they are doing to chat with potential new members.

  • Jason said he plans to do a leather class for a group of 4H girls.

  • The idea of a rocket building class was suggested. Perhaps the kids' rocket club could teach it.

  • It was also suggested that a message be sent to all our members asking if any of them would be open to teaching a class.

  • Brad recently visited a new establishment called the Rook Room. He floated the idea of the space doing a " game night" there, and perhaps we could hold a Dice Tower making class at our place. Several members expressed support for this as well.

  • Des Moines is setting up an indoor business incubator and invited us to collaborate.

  • John requested more members send photos of their projects to him so he can post them on social media.

Miscellaneous Updates
  • Still no word yet from Prairie Meadows regarding our new laser grant.

Vote to Upgrade Supporting Members to Full
  • No members requested upgrading

Next Member Meeting
  • Oct 18th, 3:00pm

Meeting Adjourned
  • Let the record show that when the vote to adjourn was called, Don voted "no." (He was outvoted)

  • The Secretary finds it kind of amazing that "nowadays" is actually a word.


Tommy

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Aug 7, 2025, 9:39:38 AMAug 7
to Area515 - Des Moines Maker Space
To the Secretary:

Apparently 'nowadays' has been in usages since at least the late 14 Century. Although thenadays it was the Middle English phrase 'nou adayes' and overtime evolved into the single modern English word it is nowadays.

Words are indeed amazing. As well as their history.

Brad Freese

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Aug 7, 2025, 3:52:39 PMAug 7
to dsmhack...@googlegroups.com
I am so going to start using the word “thenadays”

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Jeff Hagerman

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Aug 8, 2025, 10:55:05 AMAug 8
to Area515 (Woodworking Shop)
I agree!!
...and thanks for the history. 

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