The meeting was called to order at 7:08pm by the DACS President, David Green.
In attendance were Board members Richard Corzo, Dick Gingras, Bert Goff, David Green (President), and Andy Woodruff. Also present were Jon Gatrell, Mike Kaltschnee, and Jim Scheef. The minutes were taken by Richard Teasdale.
(Names in italics denote responsibilities for actions.)
The Minutes of the 1/31/2018 Board Meeting were accepted.
Reports
- Treasurer’s Report:
- Bert presented the February Treasurer’s report. No dues were collected during February. The next 3 months owed to the Security company for the Resource Center have been paid. Bert reported that the Security contract can be terminated without penalty when we vacate the space. The member obligation to repay prorated dues is estimated at $974 if done on April 1, or $783 if done on May 1. Repayments could be done by check or via PayPal. Bert explained that we might have to pay for new checks if all the repayments are done by that method. Several people mentioned from experience that repayments by PayPal will work fine. Bert estimated that approximately $1,000 will remain after the repayments have been made.
- The Membership Report was received from Jim Scheef.
- 75 paid-up members and 17 in-grace, for a total of 92. 19 people attended the March general meeting. Jim will distribute an updated spreadsheet that includes the February meeting attendance numbers.
- Press Coverage Report:
- David reported that the Press Release for the March general meeting was distributed to the usual CiviCRM recipients.
- Mike and Jim will develop a Press Release about the changes to DACS, to be issued on a date to be determined.
- Webmaster’s Report:
- Richard recommended that the Join/Renew page on the website be replaced with a “Join our Meetup” page. The Board agreed, and Richard will make the change.
Officer Elections
- President:
- Bert nominated Jim Scheef and Andy seconded. No other nominations were made.
- A vote was taken and Jim was elected unanimously.
- Secretary & Treasurer:
- Dick nominated Bert Goff and Richard seconded. No other nominations were made.
- A vote was taken and Bert was elected unanimously.
- Bert moved that Jim be appointed to the Board, and Richard seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion was carried unanimously.
Old Business
- Programs:
- April: Topics suggested were Blockchain, and an Intelligent Assistants “shootout”. Mike mentioned that two people at the Hackerspace might be available to speak about Blockchain, and he offered to approach them. Andy will ask John Patrick for possible speaker names, as a backup.
- Preview: Jim.
- Review: Richard.
- May: John Patrick will speak about Home Automation. Dick will add missing contacts to CiviCRM in order to maximize press coverage of the event. Mike will help publicize the meeting.
- Preview: Bert.
- Review: Andy.
- June: Brian Jackson will speak on the subject of Net Neutrality.
- April: Topics suggested were Blockchain, and an Intelligent Assistants “shootout”. Mike mentioned that two people at the Hackerspace might be available to speak about Blockchain, and he offered to approach them. Andy will ask John Patrick for possible speaker names, as a backup.
- Renovation of the Resource Center (RC):
- Discussion about Renovation of the Resource Center was cancelled.
- Andy pointed out that plans need to be made for disposition of the space and of the furniture.
- Renewal of the Bluehost web hosting account:
- Jim reported that the renewal is due in about 2 weeks. A one-year renewal is estimated to cost about $375, including hosting, the static IP address, and the SSL certificate. Without the SSL, the cost would be about $311. Bert and Jim will work separately to determine whether any break on the price can be obtained, and then process the renewal.
New Business
- Snacks for General Meetings:
- Richard T will provide snacks for April, and David will bring beverages.
- Mike reported that fund-raising for the new Hackerspace building is under way. He recommended that general meetings at the Hospital continue to be planned through the end of 2018.
- David reminded the Board that the Hospital auditorium will not be available for the June general meeting. David will contact the Hospital to arrange for the Robilotti room instead.
- Membership Termination:
- Richard proposed a motion that all active DACS memberships be ended on March 31 (out of fairness to those whose membership terms have not yet expired) and that unused membership dues be refunded. The motion was seconded by Andy. A vote was taken, and the motion was approved unanimously.
- The March edition of the newsletter was the last one to be printed.
- It was agreed that there is no longer a need to delay online publication of the newsletter by 3 months.
- The membership terminations will be announced to members by e-mail.
- Dissolution of DACS Corporation:
- The Board agreed that some time will be required to plan the dissolution.
- Help will be sought from the attorney who advises the Hackerspace pro bono. Mike suggested that the way to use his time most efficiently would be to draft a list of questions and e-mail it to him.
- Disposition of DACS Website:
- Mike explained that he would like to see the DACS website continue in operation for historical purposes. Andy suggested that in the future, money could be saved by using a single hosting account for both the Hackerspace and DACS.
- Andy will look for APCUG e-mail(s), to determine who they tried to contact at DACS.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:27 pm.