BOTLab Quarterly Members' meeting Q3 2024
Bristol Open Technology Lab C.I.C general meeting
Date/time: 19:00, 23rd July 2024.
Location: Bristol Hackspace, with online option.
Agenda
Trustees report
Charity process
Financial update
Committee report
Incidents and complaints review
Open proposals
Moving the craft bench
AOB
Survey results
Discuss the survey results and see if there's anything we want to focus on
Open evenings
Change to the Open Evening schedule and can you help (Can no longer make the meeting so see forum Announcements for information.)
Hack Help threads
Regular forum threads to summarise what needs doing in the Hackspace and help members who want to volunteer find tasks they'll enjoy. The threads will also be a summary and thank you for what has been achieved.
Our portable dust extractor is currently dead. We have a few options which could benefit from a discussion:
Buy replacement parts and repair the extractor
Get a new portable extractor
Connect our main extractor to the island via a drop from the ceiling
Some other option or combination of the above
Meeting Record
Total 24 members present, including 8 proxies.
Trustee report
Charity process. Felix: still not a charity, they’ve updated the base articles since we’ve applied so we may need to redo that, but not a no yet. No estimates on time. More updates when there’s an update.
Financial update. Felix: Nick not present but Felix has looked through the banking and we are fine. A bit of surplus in the last quarter.
Committee report
Incidents and complaints
Open proposals
Move the craft bench
Hack wood storage to be moved to craft storage area to make it less of a junk storage space that are of no use – no opposition to this, generally thought of as a very good idea to move the hack wood storage area to nearer the woodshop and other wood storage areas. This would also keep the door area clear of large pieces of wood. Hopefully minimise junk wood/laser skeletons being kept, especially if the new hack wood storage rack is similar to the short term wood storage rack.
Generally the members at the meeting were opposed to a sofa, some were for it being for socialising rather than working. But overall the need for cleaning or people sleeping overnight was a risk.
Reuse of the lab bench top in the kitchen sink area.
Consumables/craft storage area – similar to the consumables storage cabinet another would be useful for the craft storage items to prevent dust and light getting to them
New tables layout – suggested to have it less like a hot desk area and more social working together area, meeting decide to trial different layouts. 4 tables together and 4 for hot desk type approach.
Craft table may need more legs and a removeable board rather than permanent.
May need more sockets or extension leads.
There was a vote for a maximum budget of £200 for any supplies needed for the above. Any extras will require a separate proposal. This vote passed unanimously.
AOB
Survey results
Sam P went through the survey results. For brevity they won't be repeated here. See the forum for details.
There was a discussion on whether to hire a cleaner, but no solid conclusions.
Lab/biohack
Stefan and Kat to work together to safely dispose of chemicals from the lab/biohack area. In the future COSHH and releated procedures should be followed for chemical storage and usage.
CNC room filament
Suggestion of a communal filament drier space beneath the 3D printers. Suggestion for hackspace projects thread.
Ways of engaging people more in the community of the space were considered. Along with is this even a problem? Out of ~480 members there are only a around 10% that are actively responding in the forum or to the survey etc. Is this a problem or just standard for any large group. It was eventually decided that this was reasonable and expected for a group this large.
Ways to monitor usage and people in the space may need to be considered due to issues with cleanliness and lack of people contributing to the space for the number of people.
Reminders to be put out about social evenings on Thursday that are not open evenings to encourage members to turn up.
Access control systems
Work is on going, some teething issues that Sam P is looking into. A further suggestion/ issue was that equipment was being left on i.e. people forgetting to log out and so untrained/uninducted people may inadvertently have access, suggestion to add a timeout timer when there is a low power draw (to avoid turning off the machine while in use).
Shutter door
Access for fob system on the shutter and make it motorised to increase accessibility of the space. This is to go on hackspace projects (see below) – main starting point was to get a quote for motorised security shutter as it has been attempted to be done manually before and this has not gone anywhere
Tidy up
Tidy up this Thursday 25th July to make the hackspace look presentable for insurance quotes and to just have a big tidy up after the survey responses
Table rearrangements
As a suggestion to may the space more communal, moving some of the desks together and some separate. There may be issues with people taking up too much space with large projects so this will need to be consider and may results in small desk spaces again.
Open evenings
Change to the Open Evening schedule and can you help (Can no longer make the meeting so see forum Announcements for information.)
https://bristolhackspace.discourse.group/t/change-to-the-open-evenings-in-order-to-prevent-overcrowding/3138
Fraser not present Marsh summarising – changes to open evenings are super popular and many people are joining
Reaching max number of users for the space. i.e. Too little space, cleanliness etc has been more of an issue
See forum post for details
Monthly open evenings – 18 tickets a night spread across two tours ~ 14 members a month should stay in equilibrium to match the number of people leaving
May change in future if more or less people joining.
Marsh stepping done from Committee
Marsh is stepping down from Social Committee member
Position is now open – no one stepped up during the meeting
Marsh will be in the position for the interim before a new person is elected
It was discussed that maybe the position could be filled better by two people rather than one?
Hackspace projects
(note: at the meeting this was called hack help, but was renamed to hackspace projects to avoid confusion).
Regular forum threads to summarise what needs doing in the Hackspace and help members who want to volunteer find tasks they'll enjoy. The threads will also be a summary and thank you for what has been achieved.
Sam P to run maybe
Mixture of big and smaller projects that need doing
See if anybody wants to put their name towards anything
Semi-regular check ins
Dedicated hackspace projects category on discourse – sort by area and this months priorities
Initially committee decides on what the priorities are
Recognition for the people that work on things
Our portable dust extractor is currently dead. We have a few options which could benefit from a discussion:
Buy replacement parts and repair the extractor
Get a new portable extractor
Connect our main extractor to the island via a drop from the ceiling
Some other option or combination of the above
After a discussion, agreed to connect our main extractor to the island. Felix gave verbal directors approval for H&S spend.
Insurance
Due for renewal 17th August
Tidy up for this Thursday 25th July
Other hackspace/makerspace has had incidents leading to increased insurance requirements and restrictions to what can be done when you are lone working
One of the insurers is no longer supporting makerspace
No unattended 3D printing – fit fancy fire suppression systems potentially
Insurance is currently around £750 a year