Minutes:Board Meeting Minutes 20251118
Minutes for 2025-11-18
Meeting Location
Meeting was Called to Order At: 19:37
i3 Detroit 1481A Wordsworth St. Ferndale, MI 48220
Or
Virtual
Pre-Meeting Preparation
- If you'd like to be included in the attendance, please add your name to the thread in the #meetings slack channel.
- Check mailbox for mail (bills, letters, etc.)
Virtual Meeting Etiquette
- Be excellent.
- Attendance and voting can be found in the #meetings slack channel.
- Please show up early if you are concerned about your audio.
- If there is no one waiting to speak feel free to do so at the next opportunity.
- If there is someone waiting to speak, please say that you are raising your hand in the google call chat. (This will be demonstrated)
- Please refrain from other side conversations, these can be distracting for the rest of the meeting and make it difficult for the chair to keep track of what's going on.
Officer Reports
Treasurer & Budget
| Bank balance EOM | (includes $25,000 Grant in April 24, 2024) |
| Oct | $24,432.28 Net $14,409.87. |
| Nov | $21,519.24 Net $11,672.21. Two rent checks (~5300) hitting in same month due to transition to EFT for rent payments |
| Dec | $22,826.76 Net $13,306.28. |
| Jan 2025 | $22,607.51 Net $13,087.03. |
| Feb 2025 | $24,771.69 Net $15,251.21. |
| Mar 2025 | $30,289.94 Net $20,769.46. |
| Apr 2025 | $30,915.44 Net $21,394.96. |
| May 2025 | $31,492.38 Net $21,971.90. |
| June 2025 | $22,114.92 |
| July 2025 | $21,805.41 |
| August 2025 | $25,082.21 |
| September 2025 | $31,970.90 |
| October 2025 | $39,729.55 |
| Savings Balance | $19,574.36 |
| COD due 1Jan2026 | $45,000 |
- Bank balances continue trending higher.
- Zone funds updated as of 3Q25
- FY2026 Budget and Zone Funds discussion
- November decision on Investment budget amount, prioritization and review criteria and begin solicitation of budget requests.
- Estimating operating surplus 30-40k
- Suggestion to see what the zones are doing to see what zones are interested in doing
- Tim suggests starting an investment committee of at least one board member and one active member. Also having a tiered approval level. $500 should be simple but over $500 needs to have itemization.
- Jeff feels that maybe member meetings could be used for this instead of this being operated as its own committee. Tim says they wouldn't approve. Board will ultimately approve. It's just less requirements for documentation support.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1q9tzcQMMhlwQMhrtNlG_1EzvDejfI1jkszzP8A7pxEY/edit?usp=sharing
Secretary
President
Senior Vice President
- Intends to run for president!
- Would like to get insurance quotes from insurance companies
- Daniel can help if he needs somebody to bounce ideas off of
VP of Membership
~220 Active members
9 new members moved through Phase 1 since last meeting 2 moved into Phase 2 and have been invited to memberfication this Thursday 2 scholarships tentatively approved but they need to complete Phase 1 and 2 1 member moved to Hiatus
HC Migration Update: Total Users in HC: 229 Number with valid membership: 90 Number to go: 139
We can make the key fob only work if somebody has an active membership in HC. If somebody decides not to migrate, they can keep their billing in the old system, but their key fob would not work
- It was suggested that January 1st is the deadline for this. After that, people's billing would stay in the old system but their key fob will not work to get in.
- We could also motivate people by only allowing booking of equipment (i.e auto lift) via HC
VP of Activities & Classes
18 Nov 2025 Board meeting
20 Nov 2025 Intro into theromography
22 Nov 2025 Buildout
22 Nov 2025 Cutting Board Class
22 Nov 2025 i3Detroit Ideation Night: Join AJ for a night to use design thinking to think of ways to improve the space to bring to the board
25 Nov 2025 Member Meeting N/A
27 Nov 2025 Kicad PCB Workshop 29 Nov 2025 Buildout
13 Dec 2025 Potluck/maintenance 11AM-5PM.
13 Dec 2025 Potluck/ social hour 5:00PM-8:00PM- For fun if people want: Festivus traditions include displaying an unadorned aluminum pole, holding a Festivus dinner, and participating in the "airing of grievances" where people express their frustrations with each other
Member Advocate
None in attendance
Pulse Check
This is a reminder to check if any officer provided no report in three consecutive board meetings. If so, at this point in the Board meeting, we add an item to the subsequent Member Meeting agenda, to call for nominations or volunteers for the Board to appoint to that office at next month's Board meeting.
Committee Reports
- (Jeremy G.) Fire extinguishers have been re-certified. An updated map needs to be created.
- Do we want to revise thsi part of the agenda moving forward?
Old Business
Prior Minutes
- Motion:
Motion to approve last months minutes
Moved by Frank; Seconded by Tim
7 Ayes / Nays Nays
Result: Pass
Camera Review Review
- Tim and Frank completed review of Machine Shop for failure to clean up. This was announced.
Summary of Board List/Slack Discussions since last meeting
- Email vote completed to formally make Andrew Youmans member advocate
Nominating Andrew Youmans to the role of Member Advocate
Moved by AJ, Seconded by Jeff
5 Ayes / 2 Nays
Result: PASS
- Aj sent out an email to all Officers and ZCs regarding their roles (~27Oct)
- 19 / 30 have responded. Details in this sheet on the Board drive (note: Board access only)
- Emerson is stepping down from Commons ZC
- Kevin Flory needs help with budgeting for Craft Zone for next year -- Paul, he mentioned you previously offered to help, would you still be willing to help with this?
- Discussion on having guests at i3 and what appropriate guest policy is
- Do we need to update our rules / policy to make it more clear on what is / isn't allowed? Ex: A guest and their host have to both be authorized on tools the guest wants to use
- Discussion on combining Commons with another Zone, or making Classroom ZC and VP of Activities and Classes the same person
- Commons is already too big, do not combine with another Zone
- Discussion on Classroom and VP of Activities and Classes tabled. Will need to be continued
Based on a pattern of inability to understand and follow rules, a member was put on probation beginning the day after this measure is passed. The member is required to remove all personal property for the duration of their probation. One or more Board directors or officers will make themselves available to accompany the member to remove property for up to seven days after this measure is passed, after which property not removed will be disposed of. The probation will lift thirty days after this measure is passed.
7 Ayes / 0 Nays
Result: PASS
- A member has been placed on probation -- virtual meeting with this member held on 2Nov. Notes in #board-and-advocates channel
- For members banned or placed on probation for Zone-related reasons: do we want to revoke equipment authorizations?
- Issue with Zones having too many ZCs listed. Board needs to nominate ZCs, ZCs cannot add Co-Coordinators themselves, they must make a proposal to the Board
- Aj sent an email out to membership to ask if anyone has any interest in Board-nominated roles (~11Nov)
- Interest is also included on previously linked spreadsheet
- Discussion on a standard of participation for Zone Coordinators -- do we want this?
- Ask every ZC to provide a check in every 3 months (check in can be "no updates", any classes / workshops that ran, any equipment or tools that needed repair / maintenance... etc.)
- Would need some way to automate checking this
- Discussion on upcoming budget planning (which will be reviewed in this meeting)
Outstanding action items
CRM Update
- Currently 131 members have registered. 90 members have memberships.
- Plan to have everyone over by end of year and then archive old CRM. That means anyone who hasn't migrated by that time will have key access turned off.
- Reminder invitations and emails will be sent out every 3 weeks or so.
- Migration status update sent out through wiki and through googlegroup email.
- A few signup problems with members overlapping with duplicate payments across both CRM systems. This is due to timing of setting up the membership. This is easily corrected.
- Possible solution to help migration: Once the new CRM starts syncing door data, anyone not migrated will need to setup the new CRM to have an active key.
- We should start migrating storage locations. HC has ability to assign timeline for renewal.
Storage Update for CRM (Aj)
- Need to figure out solution -- members cannot see custom fields set for storage, members cannot request a plot / "hireable"
- Only thing I can think of is setting up a google form and having people request plots that way, then manually assigning... this would fall apart if I'm ever away or too busy to help
- Program to check plot availability and allow people to claim it if it's open? Could we integrate something like that?
Insurance Quotes
- Aj is adding this based on an email from Jeremy to the board. Does this need to be an action item?
New Business
Proposals
- Point of contact and person to lead preparation for City of Ferndale's 2025 Business of the Year Award, Thurs, Dec 11.
Name Aj as Commons Zone Coordinator until a replacement can be found.
Moved by Frank, Seconded by Matt
7 Ayes / 0 Nays
Result: Pass
Add the lockers under the dark brown tabletop to Storage Zone so Aj can number them and they can be used (Tom would like to use one for the thermal imaging camera)
Moved by Paul, Seconded by AJ
7 Ayes / 0 Nays
Result: Pass
Formally declare Alex Zurowski as Glass Zone Coordinator.
Moved by AJ, Seconded by Jeff
7 Ayes / 0 Nays
Result: Pass
Matt: there has always been ideas of selling the glass zone's equipment. Matt is asking about commitments as far as timeline goes. Alex: once CNC/Plasma is done, start inventory of glass zone and what it needs to run. Needs a table and proper flooring. Would like to have proposal out by the end of the year. Expecting $500-600 but the minimum investment is tables. If the board would like to come up with a deadline, that would be fine. Alex would like to commit. It is expensive to repurchase glass zone equipment.
Jeff asks to be kept in the loop on the inventory list to see if we can run it by somebody who runs a glass shop.
Frank: is there demand for the glass zone? Matt says he has a friend that asks about it a lot. We don't have a number. There seem to be multiple people. Frank woul like to see the proposal for multiple stages if possible.
Alex doesn't foresee the B side entrance being an impediment.
Make Alex Zurowski Laser Zone Co-Coordinator alongside Lew
Moved by Matt, Seconded by AJ
7 Ayes / 0 Nays
Result: Pass
Lew has asked Alex to help with the zones.
Appoint Jeremy Glogower as President.
Moved by Jeff, Seconded by Frank
7 Ayes / 0 Nays
Result: PASS
Jeremy resigns as Vice President.
Discussions of Officer Appointments
- Private session with Board and Secretary
- Ben expressed interest in a couple zones
- Florian expressed interest in a zone
- Paul Lee expressed interest in multiple zones
- Anybody that wants to have a role, let's have them come in and talk to us. Reach out to them about having a meeting with the board. Have a private meeting with the people.
Expectations for ZCs
- People need to show up with a plan
- Request all ZCs to find time to meet with a board (perhaps in #ask-the-board) to approach the board with a written proposal for their plan for the zone.
COWBELL
Action Item Summary
| Action Item | POC |
|---|---|
| Research getting new doors for the space | NA |
| Will write something out to send tomorrow | Jeff B |
Proposal Summary
| Proposal | Moved By | Seconded By | Aye | Nay | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appoint Jeremy Glogower as President. | Jeff | Frank | 7 | 0 | PASS |
| Formally declare Alex Zurowski as Glass Zone Coordinator. | AJ | Jeff | 7 | 0 | Pass |
| Add the lockers under the dark brown tabletop to Storage Zone so Aj can number them and they can be used (Tom would like to use one for the thermal imaging camera) | Paul | AJ | 7 | 0 | Pass |
| Nominating Andrew Youmans to the role of Member Advocate | AJ | Jeff | 5 | 2 | PASS |
| Make Alex Zurowski Laser Zone Co-Coordinator alongside Lew | Matt | AJ | 7 | 0 | Pass |
| Name Aj as Commons Zone Coordinator until a replacement can be found. | Frank | Matt | 7 | 0 | Pass |
| Based on a pattern of inability to understand and follow rules, a member was put on probation beginning the day after this measure is passed. The member is required to remove all personal property for the duration of their probation. One or more Board directors or officers will make themselves available to accompany the member to remove property for up to seven days after this measure is passed, after which property not removed will be disposed of. The probation will lift thirty days after this measure is passed. | No Mover! | No Seconder! | 7 | 0 | PASS |
Meeting Metrics
- Time completed: 21:28
- Funds appropriated:0
- Attendees: 10
Attendance
- Chair: Matt
- Secretary: Daniel
- Paul A
- Jan H
- Thomas
- Florian
- David Henry
- Jeff B
- AJ
- Sid
- Jeremy Glogower
- Tim C
- Frank A
| Previous Meeting | Next Meeting |
|---|---|
| Board Meeting Minutes 20251021 | Board Meeting Minutes 20251216 |