Public Board Meeting Minutes

[SM Newstead]

6:47 - meeting called to order

Board reports

Treasurer: 

We do not want to publish our exact financial situation online for anyone to see, but you can always receive a financial update at HYH or email treasurer at heatsynclabs dot org. We are being cautious, but not secretive. 

However, the deficit is less than what was mentioned at HYH, making our savings last for 2.5 years at the current rate. 

Operations: 

There is a good team working on door access and the members' database. The doors are now logging again. Servers will be upgraded to new hardware provided by Nate Plamondon. Eventually in the future, we will look at a new door system, altogether.

We are working towards independence of systems so that when one thing goes wrong, nothing else does in addition to it. 

The laser printer is working with no more lines and smears. The HSL laptops have been repaired, and the AV/media station has a new computer. 

Champion 1 (Darrell): 

The AC is working now, but its longevity is up in the air still. The duct work needs repairs, as it was too small for the 10 ton unit before. 

We are doing early research on new buildings. In addition to looking and calling, we are figuring out lease types, zoning and location accessibility. 

Champion 2 (Jot): 

We are looking at a pilot program for the next sixth months by reinstating the previously-existing "table membership" for $150 per month. Two more tables will be placed in the woodshop area. Three tables will be eligible for table membership, and all tables must remain well-maintained on top, around, and underneath. Tables not eligible for table membership must be cleaned at the end of each visit to allow the next person the ability to use it.

We are instituting a "parking lot" and "impound lot." Green-tagged items can stay in the parking lot, while red-tagged items will move to the impound lot. 

Secretary:

I am contacting lawyers regarding various aspects of the building situation, which will not be disclosed publicly. Please email me at smpn at heatsynclabs dot org if you would like to know more. I am happy to share. 

We are currently talking to Tempe again about possibly moving there. Updates will be given to the community as they occur. 

Community comments/questions:

Luis:

I am trying to add Tuesday members' hours. I was told to email "events." Why is this extra bureaucracy necessary? Why do I need permission? It was clarified that permission is indeed not needed, but it helps us track the events in the spreadsheet and makes us better able to post the events to different locations for marketing purposes. 

I am also writing code for the membership database.

Nate C: 

Perhaps having a card for everyone that is active at certain times is easier than a select few cards for just some people. The feasibility and effectiveness of this methodology will be explored on the operations committee.

Votes:

1) Institute a six-month pilot program of table membership, which existed previously, for $150 per month, with three eligible tables, which must be kept in good order both atop and below. All other tables will be kept empty atop and below. 

2) Scholarship attainment will be altered such that a member wanting a scholarship to fill out a private form, requesting the scholarship, and why they deserve one. This furthermore alters the by-laws to change the scholarship period from three months to six months. 

1) motion carried unanimously

2) motion carried unanimously

Meeting adjourned at 7:28

[David S Flores]

Why was the rental of table space not a regular proposal? 

It takes away community space and makes it private. Seems like something the community should have voted on.

[Cprossu]

I'll be blunt, it was because people were treating the art tables, the coworking tables, the electronics tables in the back, and anywhere they could stash stuff as a dumping ground, doing so in an amazingly messy way, and they were using your table and the ER2 electronics/donation table as an example and excuse to do so.

It was bad enough people came to me very upset about not having a place to work and not knowing which tools left out were the labs or were personal tools. People were using the lasering table to put their projects on because the one near the tools they wanted to use were full. There were schoolyard politics occurring with people being passive aggressive and clearing cluttered work tables of other people's projects, often causing damage, and backlash from people who moved things or used things off of tables that were a part of someone's personal project, but not labeled or indicated as so. The issue is not the fact that this proposal takes away community space from the lab, it's the fact that community spaces were already being taken away and being made private by individuals, and there is no way to ask each one individually to clean up and a lot of detective work has to be done just to track even one of the offenders down! It just doesn't work! There has to be some kind of incentive, there have to be clear lines drawn in the sand, and it cannot play to favorites or everyone starts acting immature about it.

I will say we did discuss a "Table Scholarship" too in order to make it fair to those who would not be able to afford it, but you know, the same rules of card membership would apply. It's just a test run and I think we're fully within bounds to try an experiment to see how it could go, and if it would make any difference, then bring the results of that to form a permanent proposal out of.

Let me know if I am out of bounds here.

[David S Flores]

Nothing said here addresses the "Why this was NOT a regular proposal". 

Proposals don't have to be permanent. They can be temporary. They can even be conditional based on some criteria. 

We have had all three types of proposals in the recent past. (Nothing new or revolutionary...)

All tables in the lab, if needed, could be cleared for a big event. If someone is renting a table, that will NOT be the case. 

This was a "perfect proposal" for the community to discuss and vote on. (I still would not like it because it might bring up too many issues and negative discussions and very little benefit. But that is just my opinion.)

Yet all Board members unanimously voted on this without any community input and no information released prior to the meeting. (Look very sketchy...)

No one even thought to ask:

• "Is this the right thing to do?" 
• "Should we be doing this?"
• "Shouldn't the community be involved?"
• or even ponder: "If this looks like a targeted attack against one or two members, we, the board, will look like a group of backstabbing assholes... Maybe instead, we should be helping out with the planning of how to attract more members, encourage people to help out by hosting open hours, or having events/classes. We could do so much good! We could help HeatSync Labs grow and make it an even more super cool place! And as a super duper idea maybe we should make sure we thank, encourage, and offer to help the very few members who have been, planning, hosting, and keeping the place running day after day."

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "HeatSync Labs" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/heatsynclabs/LoHO-UiK02U/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to heatsynclabs...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/heatsynclabs/4773ebed-26b6-405b-b73b-c49482c71a7an%40googlegroups.com.

[SM Newstead]

I am very pleased with how much you want the community to make decisions now and want the board to be transparent. That is quite the change from when you were on the board. I seem to remember you not saying anything when the last board passed a bylaws change without even notifying the community. The agenda did state we were discussing messes and that there would be votes. Perhaps I should have phrased it better. If so, I apologize. The discussion happened during the meeting, and enough interest had to be drawn up to even initiate a vote. The community was invited to the public meeting two weeks in advance, and only three people showed up, not including you. 

You were also warned, by me, as a courtesy, many weeks ago that the table issue would be addressed by the board, at which time you used ableist language against our code of conduct, but expressed your understanding, and then saw an agenda mentioning messes and votes and did not think to ask if you were confused about this? Why did you not tidy your area then? Furthermore, I posted here on July 22 that the board would have a public meeting that would include discussions about increasing income and rules and expectations of HSL members. You already knew a board majority voted at HYH to increase member dues, so it cannot be a surprise to you what "increasing income" might mean. We did not change it so people have to pay more without a community vote. We made a couple tables rentable for a short time so we can afford to keep HSL alive. As for "rules and expectations," you know full well you are in violation of our rules; you helped vote to remove someone who was doing something similar to you now. Except you were monopolizing community tools that people had to search for to be able to use.

One person who was "targeted" by this was present at the meeting, contributed valuable information and will be an integral part of helping us reorganize things so that everyone can be valued. I, myself, was "targeted," also, due to the untidy nature of the biochem lab. I am very grateful for some of our current members helping in a situation that sort of got out of hand, like the ones who act instead of telling others what to do. I welcome change and the opportunity to be my best self, especially for the community. You should, too, as you have been quite valuable to HeatSync. It is important for someone like you to set a good example.

I really hope for this to be a positive action, and people's projects and items will be respected, including yours. You may be correct that this would have been better as a community proposal, but based on the unpleasant aggression of some members, we sought to reduce undue drama, catastrophization and negativity about moving furniture. The board has a duty to protect people from verbal abuse and people have the right to not be intimidated into changing their votes. Because there is precedent for this level of membership, and it is for a trial period, besides that the board has the right to vote on by-laws changes, in addition to the fact there was an agenda, and a community announcement and invitation two weeks prior, I think we did our due diligence to engage the community in these decisions. Additionally, we are turning the existing privatization of community space into income for our space. 

I request we stop arguing online, particularly with inflammatory language, as it makes us look like a dysfunctional organization. You are more than welcome to make a proposal for HYH, which is your prerogative and right as a member of HeatSync Labs, like anyone else. If you simply wish to discuss this, feel free to email me or the board, or else show up at HYH on Thursday, but do so respectfully, if you please. Thank you for your valuable feedback. I hope we can come to a compromise that makes HSL as efficient as possible, while still facilitating your dreams. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/heatsynclabs/CAHoEYdgSkEtx98z3CXr2oFQ-b3Rnx9rJ2O-sZc_TDXUAYh1b%3DQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nate Plamondon]

I've been a wallflower for a while now, so take my feedback how you will.

This kind of situation and the aggressive, attacking communication is a large part of why thinking of returning to HSL makes me physically ill.

We need to be better than this, David. HSL is a community and this kind of behavior isn't acceptable.

I miss my lab and my community. I look forward to the day I feel welcome again.

--
Nate Plamondon

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "HeatSync Labs" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to heatsynclabs...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/heatsynclabs/CAGmYP1TxuOuNM2ix1MQx39Fu0%2Bgi5XaKjm5B_o%3D4LGAr2LgCNw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Gabriel Finke]

I'm also kinda in the back seat at the moment. I agree with Nate P on this. I really want to see the lab as productive as possible. I will admit I haven't always practiced what I preach. I hope we can come to some kind of agreement on these important issues. 

Thank you, 

Gabe

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/heatsynclabs/CAMkKC248t%2B%2BUdDKgobGoqa-hmfmLbRToKv9P_DN-1P6hBtF%3Dkw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Antonio Contrisciani]

Chiming in with my two cents.

There has been a table problem with the lab since I started coming. Not just tables being misused or monopolized but also not knowing where I can and can't put my projects when working on them, where I can put a project that might have to remain overnight while a glue or paint dries, how projects that have overstayed their welcome should be handled, etc.

I personally had a project that I invested without exaggeration over a hundred man hours and close to a thousand printing hours, not to mention hundreds of dollars of materials, get irreparably damaged and miss my deadline because of the looseness of regulations regarding table space. This is something that needed to be addressed, and considering the problem has persisted for over two years at least, the community was not going to address it. 

I am happy to see the board step up and address this issue. It was something that needed to be done, no one was willing to address it, so they did the best they could with the situation. That's the very definition of the boards duties in this space. They do what no one else is willing or able to do, even if that means making an unpopular decision. 

If anything I feel the board hasn't made enough of an encompassing decision here and there's room for more exploration of parking lots and extended project space outside of table usage.

I also agree that if you disagree with a board decision thats what hyh is for. If you feel this is something that should be voted on then submit a proposal and put it to a vote. But bickering, especially targeted, ad hominem bickering, in a public forum is not the way to progress the lab, issues at hand, or solve our problems. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/heatsynclabs/CAEhD0o-VBqN5UARaDx_yNM%2BMn0tqg6c3BkKM_bJnt1wm92U1Jw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Mike Wolfson]

I strongly support the board on this issue. The problem of personal projects monopolizing community table space has been a challenge for a long time, and I am happy to see progress towards a solution.  

Regarding the process: this policy was socialized ahead of time. A few of the board members discussed this with me ahead of the vote, and it was clearly publicized ahead of the meeting. The members who will be directly effected were directly communicated with ahead of time.  Public attacks on the board are unfounded, and extremely problematic (bickering and targeted attacks do not help our community come together).

I want to publicly thank the board for doing this. Being on the board is so difficult and thankless, and we should show them support when they do things to help move our community forward.

I am very supportive of the actions of the board to keep our shared space organized and available for everyone to use. 

Peace and making,

-Mike

[Robert Bushman]

I agree with what Mike said regarding being a board member. It is a
difficult and often thankless task. They have to make timely decisions
with imperfect information about what the community wants. They are
tasked with helping to solve the budget shortfall, have final authority
on policy decisions, and have been given conflicting messages; to do
more and to use a lighter touch. That is difficult. I appreciate their
effort and that they are doing their best in a difficult situation.

But we lose something by closing our eyes to causes other than one
member's inappropriate incitement of rancor.

"it was clearly publicized ahead of the meeting."

The two posts I saw that included agenda information, included below, do
not state clearly that table rental was on the agenda.

"""
Agendas will be handed out at the meeting, but will include discussions
about:
Turning off unpaid cards
Board updates to the community
Increasing membership
Increasing income to meet debts
Rules and expectations of HSL participants
Facilities, including A/C and doors
"""

"""
Time Duration Topic
18:30 18:35 0:05:00 Meeting goals, updates
18:35 18:45 0:10:00 Financial report, formal
18:45 18:50 0:05:00 Website/database update
18:50 18:55 0:05:00 Makerspace etiquette, storage
18:55 19:05 0:10:00 HVAC/building update
19:05 19:10 0:05:00 Legal, communications update
19:10 19:20 0:10:00 Community questions, statements
19:20 19:30 0:10:00 Board votes
"""

[SM Newstead]

As stated before, I apologize if I could have been clearer. The fact is that this was not a planned proposal. We were brainstorming ways to deal with inappropriate behavior during the board discussion just prior to the meeting. We cannot publish something saying we are dealing with just a few people; that is not fair. It is an abuse of power to publicly accuse someone of misconduct in an official agenda, without giving them recourse to defend themselves. We came up with this idea, along with several others, then we had a vote. That's why they're labeled as discussions and not proposals. If people didn't take advantage of the situation and hoard items and power, this would never have happened. In fact, this still would have been private if not for the public responses of one of the people affected by this making it about himself, being overly critical and negative as always. This member has demonstrated more inappropriate and aggressive behavior over the years than most other members put together. The board is finally trying to deal with it, and, given the history, I think we are being more than magnanimous. 

Furthermore, if people demonstrated civic interest, it would have been clear as day at the public board meeting, and they would have had ample opportunity to speak their minds. It feels a little unfair that I spent time planning this meeting and no one cared until after the meeting. I feel like I wasted my time posting anything at all, since the board will still be accused of lack of transparency even as we're trying our best. But the member in question who would be affected by this was warned weeks ahead of time that something would be done about it, so I will not take responsibility for certain members forcing us to act. I think it is really not a big deal. If the board overstepped its bounds, then make a proposal to the community, anyone. Better yet, run for the board so I don't have to put in a fifth year of being blamed for everything that happens around here. 

For now, I am finished with these threads, because they take up a lot of time and emotional energy. I am much more inclined to work on something than talk about it, and we are working on Monday. You're all welcome to come if you won't be disruptive or abusive. For the record, I appreciate all of the responses here, and I am not upset with anyone. These things happen, change is hard, and we will get through this like we get through everything. Let us not stop being friends and colleagues over such silly trifles. Be part of the solutions and all will be okay. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "HeatSync Labs" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/heatsynclabs/LoHO-UiK02U/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to heatsynclabs...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/heatsynclabs/352ef083-aa80-af80-6b83-ba288c36a51e%40traxel.com.

[David S Flores]

There have been too many issues with this "proposal".

The board should call it null and void. 

Let's all learn something from this and move on.

Please submit this through the normal "Proposal" process.

[Robert Bushman]

This is a late response to Shaundra's message, below.

It's pretty clear from the ongoing discussion that I lack the history
and context to fully understand this issue.

It was not my intent to make anyone on the board feel criticized. I was
exploring possible root causes. Between HSL and Bike Saviours, I'm
trying to learn how volunteer-operated orgs work so I can help. Probing
disagreements is important to learning about the difficult bits. I will
try to be more sensitive in my approach.

I wasn't at the meeting because I had a conflicting board meeting with
Bike Saviours. And now I'm in Joplin, MO and driving east, so I couldn't
be there today. My inability to participate in the decision is part of
the reason I have said I want to be supportive of the trial despite my
misgivings.

As I said elsewhere, the fact that this place is still around - through
COVID, rent, and A/C issues - is testament to the people who have been
leading it. I'm not questioning to criticize, I'm questioning, and
documenting, to learn.

On 8/7/22 11:18, SM Newstead wrote:
> As stated before, I apologize if I could have been clearer. The fact is

> that this was *not *a planned proposal. We were brainstorming ways to
> deal with inappropriate behavior /during /the board discussion just

> prior to the meeting. We cannot publish something saying we are dealing
> with just a few people; that is not fair. It is an abuse of power to
> publicly accuse someone of misconduct in an official agenda, without
> giving them recourse to defend themselves. We came up with this idea,
> along with several others, then we had a vote. That's why they're
> labeled as discussions and not proposals. If people didn't take
> advantage of the situation and hoard items and power, this would never
> have happened. In fact, this still would have been private if not for
> the public responses of one of the people affected by this making it
> about himself, being overly critical and negative as always. This member
> has demonstrated more inappropriate and aggressive behavior over the
> years than most other members put together. The board is finally trying
> to deal with it, and, given the history, I think we are being more than
> magnanimous.
>
> Furthermore, if people demonstrated civic interest, it would have been

> clear as day at the *public *board meeting, and they would have had

> ample opportunity to speak their minds. It feels a little unfair that I

> spent time planning this meeting and no one cared until /after /the

> meeting. I feel like I wasted my time posting anything at all, since the
> board will still be accused of lack of transparency even as we're trying
> our best. But the member in question who would be affected by this was
> warned weeks ahead of time that something would be done about it, so I
> will not take responsibility for certain members forcing us to act. I
> think it is really not a big deal. If the board overstepped its bounds,
> then make a proposal to the community, anyone. Better yet, run for the

> board so I don't have to put in a /fifth year /of being blamed for
> everything that happens around here/. /

[SM Newstead]

Your feedback was valuable. I was at no time offended. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "HeatSync Labs" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/heatsynclabs/LoHO-UiK02U/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to heatsynclabs...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/heatsynclabs/e46add88-e132-b409-6923-89b77f5bb8bd%40traxel.com.

[sherman mohler]

I really do enjoy hosting, but I need to travel for work in September. Just hoping someone can cover the first and third Tuesdays, and I'll hopefully be able to get back on track the fourth Tuesday.

Cheers,

-- Sherman Mohler, MBA, PMP, CSM, TOGAF

 

[sherman mohler]

I've been traveling for work, but will be able to get back to hosting on Tuesdays starting this Tuesday 9/27. I had already used the "signup genius" to document I'd host on that night, but I recall seeing another email (which I now cannot find) that we are going to move once again... maybe to a google form or something?

Just let me know what I am supposed to do moving forward.

Cheers,

-- Sherman Mohler, MBA, PMP, CSM

President, Southwest Paleontological Society
Cell 602-206-0476

[Eric Ose]

Tha is Sherman. I resent you the link.

Anyone else wanting to help host or co-host the link is in our slack #hosting channel or reach out to me and I can send it.

I'm going to limit where it can be posted since anyone can edit it and it could suffer from bots posting nonsense.

Eric Ose (Robot Ambassador)
HeatSync Labs volunteer
Southwest Maker Fest Chair

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "HeatSync Labs Events" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to events+un...@heatsynclabs.org.