• 1 Agenda
• 2 Minutes
• 2.1 Committee Reportbacks
• 2.1.1 Programming committee:
• 2.1.2 Finance:
• 2.1.3 Communication:
• 2.1.4 Shop:
• 2.2 Winter Issues:
• 2.2.1 Winter Hours:
• 2.2.2 Shop work:
• 2.2.2.1 Priorities
• 2.2.2.2 Planning and Execution:
• 2.2.2.3 Timeframe:
• 2.2.3 EAB:
• 2.3 Caroline’s letter (bikes across borders):
• 2.4 501 3c
• 2.5 Additional comments:
• 2.5.1 More thoughts on email lists and the like
• 2.5.2 Promotion of classes
• 2.5.3 Benefit party Reportback
• 2.5.4 Bike Dragon Thingy

Agenda¶

• Committee report-backs
  • Communications committee (see last week’s notes)
• Winter Issues
  • Winter hours
  • Shop work
    • Priorities
    • Planning and execution
    • Timeframe
  • EAB entry provision?
• Build-a-thon bikes
• Bikes across borders (per email from Caroline, see attached)
• 501 3 c Status

Minutes¶

Attending: Rachel, Amy, Will, Jill, Mark, Chris, Scott, and Jessica for the last bit of the meeting.

Committee Reportbacks¶

Programming committee:¶

Jill said the only program of note is “Positive Spin”, but there is no teacher available so it’s not happening right now.

Scott updated that NPR got a grant for the summer and wants to have budget discussions. FreeRide could be looking at a six week program, working with 40 kids. Taking them on trail rides – I didn’t catch what else.

Scott also added that while the Hill program isn’t happening, they will be hooking up with a boys and girls program and would like FR to do a kids EAB. This would be a couple times a month from 4:30 – 6:00 on Tuesdays in Lawrenceville.

Rachel says that Chattham wants a girls’ skills workshop for 10-13 year olds, maybe we could send two women from FR to teach. (I believe most of these programs are for the summer, not 100% sure.)

Finance:¶

Rachel said she has just one more deposit to make and that all the invoices are paid except two of Scott’s. We are short a little over $1,000, which she feels is probably an accounting glitch somewhere. She’ll be looking into it with Katie, may try to meet by early June.

Communication:¶

Chris has been looking into the idea of an electronic database that will keep track of things like people using the shop etc. San Francisco Bike Kitchen has a setup like this, which looks like a good place to start: it’s online and free, so we could use it as a trial system. Chris called lots of co-ops about this. Bike City in Cleveland is working on a grant (10K?) – FR would have the option of having our name on the grant. The money would go to programing people in Ohio, and the project would address many co-ops’ needs. (There are lots of systems addressing the needs of one particular co-op per system, so this would be a broader project.) Chris says we would keep our paper system in place as a back up even if we go forward with this.

Will talked about having a separate email list for each committee. Options on how to do thiw include using groups like Yahoo or Google, or using our webhost (pair networks). Will may set this up. Chris is trying to create a list of people in the different committees. There was support for the idea of cleaning up the remnants of committees lying around on crabgrass, and consolidating what’s there, like getting rid of “open shop committee” since we have “shop committee”.

Chris wanted to know where the best way to organize this information might be.

Scott suggested that it might not be nec/feasible to try to keep these lists updated, since they’ll constantly change.

Current Committee Affiliations:

• Wildcats
  • Rachael Dingfelder (treasurer)
• Programming
  • Scott Gibson (point person)
  • Caroline Savery
  • Jillian Nintze
• Communications
  • Will Wedler
  • Chris Black
  • Massimo Cenciarini
  • Caroline Savery
• Shop
  • Will Wedler

Shop:¶

Will will discuss shop issues within the winter subject heading instead of just giving a reportback.

Winter Issues:¶

Winter Hours:¶

The new hours that have been set didn’t meet with any complaints: Sat 1-5, with the (approximately every other) sunday 1-4 from the list of dates Massi submitted for volunteer sessions.

We need a legible door sign. At least we need to get rid of what’s there now, maybe put something temporary up. Shaun offered to redo our vinyl – Rachel will contact him.

Scott can give out priveleges to edit the calendar on the website to whomever needs them.

Hours are also needed on Brown Car – Rachel will do this.

Shop work:¶

Will: The committee wants to rewire the place for lighting. Also to work on bins for small parts. Some parts have nowhere to go, and some containers are cracking, etc. Need to decide where to put the computer, think about making better use of space, shelves, etc.

Mark: We have to get rid of the build-a-thon bikes first. (Despair, to some degree, fell over the group as people realized that the pile of bikes is still there.) We need to give “Keep it Real” a deadline. 1 week seemed appropriate since Christmas is coming fast. If they don’t take the bikes, Mark will look at splitting them up, on a first-come-first-served basis to a couple other organizations.

Rachel wanted to know if we might get rid of some of the stuff in the shop (for example, sort out the derailleurs, get rid of the lower quality ones). Will had more of a focus on making better use of the space that we have.

Will brought up the issue of really tearing the place down, leaving it unusable for about a week (to do the wiring and some of the reorganization). This seemed fine since we’re only open one day a week (plus the approximately alternating sundays.)

Priorities¶

The first priority needs to be to get rid of the pile of bikes (build-a-thon/kids’ stuff plus all the scrap bikes in the middle of the shop).

Then we can move on to lighting, etc.

Planning and Execution:¶

Will: We’re looking at changes that affect lots of people. We want to keep the scale low/manageable. We will need funds for some of these projects. What kind of a process should we adopt for addressing this subject?

Rachel suggested sending an email with a vision or the plans, what needs to be bought, etc. Will asked how this would be approved. Rachel asked if we were thinking of requiring consensus. Jill said that if someone feels strongly about these issues, they’re welcome to attend shop committee meetings (so really there’s no need to get consensus later). Everyone seemed on board with that, so Will suggested that the committee would make a plan, present the plan in order to create awareness, seek advice, and allow for involvement and input. Then the task force (I think this is the same as the shop committee) will make a final decision.

Jill: this is another opportunity for volunteers.

Rachel requested that we keep the color coding system for parts in place.

Timeframe:¶

Will: What kind of goals should we have?

Rachel: CJ hasn’t given a timeframe on the LEED Certification – probably in the next couple years. Keep in mind our eventual move. She thinks the changes will be transferable to the new location.

Jill: Winter is the timeframe. Goals should be chosen based on that. Longer term goals: try to choose so they translate into different spaces.

EAB:¶

We will have a winter special. Three hours of volunteer work gets you into the earn-a-bike program while there are no classes to take. classes will resume March 27th.

Will: should we purge the EAB records more than we’ve been doing? Look at bikes, look at the paperwork, (Scott:) only call if they’ve invested some volunteer work into the project.

Caroline’s letter (bikes across borders):¶

Chris: Uhaul would be the easiest way to transport a large quantity of bikes. He might be up for it.

Jill has time around Christmas, a truck and enthusiasm.

We should email Caroline. How many bikes do they need?

Driving a truck to Texas might not be the best use of resources. We’d be passing lots of bike co-ops on the way down there. (A fantasy of picking up bikes as we go started to develop, but we got quickly back on track.)

If we have any interest in working with this organization (Bikes across Borders?) we should probably contact them directly, given that Caroline was passing through there only briefly.

Scott: If we wanted to pursue this, we should draw up a budget. spending a couple hundred dollars felt ok, but not into the thousands.

Can we help them in other ways with their goals/mission?

Chris: We should consider what kind of footprint we’re leaving. To help someone start a collective, it feels potentially justified. For something less it doesn’t.

Other questions we should probably ask are “what condition do the bikes need to be in?” “What kind of bikes?” “Do they also need parts?”

501 3c¶

Rachel talked to Morgan. Scott B sent an email about two lawyers who would help for free. Morgan is working with the law school, but it’s slow. There is concern that with a new term starting up we’ll be looking at a new batch of students and be back at square one. Rachel and Morgan will work on the bylaws.

Additional comments:¶

(Note taker running out of steam. The result looks like a blow-by-blow, but none of what follows are actually direct quotes.)

Jill pitched to Pgh Center for the Arts (and the pitch passed: they’ll plug FR in their programming!) She has a kinetic sculpting program that uses hubs and cranks. There’s an engineering aspect, plus an artistic one. It’s a week long, 9-3, maybe a co-teaching opportunity for someone here. Probably need parts to help it happen. More details on this later.

More thoughts on email lists and the like¶

Jessica: (in response to a question about the council email list) Who’s on it and who’s not is actually not all that well defined. The Com Committee can take that issue up.

Scott sees value in the idea of a third list. Volunteers get hit with lots of volume, many may be expecting just to get announcements.

Jessica: A general announcement list already exists. Digests could happen there. Having more lists is alot of work to maintain. Moving people, etc.

Scott: what if it’s self-administered?

Will: People can set up filters, so the volume issue may not be too serious.

Jessica: Not that many people have actually complained/ requested to be unsubscribed

(Amy’s adding this upon typing up the notes – didn’t mention it during the committee: you can actually unsubscribe yourself from the volunteer list. I originally signed up under one email address and decided later that I wanted to use another instead. I was able to sign on with the password they gave me and get off the first one. Not sure if people know you can do this or not.)

Will: having an actual newsletter is a potential project.

Rachel is into the idea of doing that, maybe with WordPress, maybe starting in March.

Mark: A shop re-opening newsletter would be great.

Jess: We could use the names off recent EAB’s.

Promotion of classes¶

Scott has scheduled sunday classes, but not the drop-ins yet. Looking at different options. He’ll make a suggestion and send it via email. Feels this should be done soon and posted for people to look forward to it, improve attendance.

Jess: Is adding more drop-ins that have a poor attendance record a financial issue?

Scott: Good promotion should solve that problem.

We need a flier that can go out.

Rachel talked about putting together a facebook page for FR

Amy talked about getting the flier to bike shops if they’ll have it. Pro Bikes gets customers (not sure how many) asking if they teach bike mechanic classes, which they don’t. I was recently corrected: actually they do, or have, but not often and not regularly.

Kraynick’s would surely talk us up if he knew what we were doing. Amy will go tell him about our plans for the Spring once they’re in order.

Benefit party Reportback¶

Jill: The Benefit went well (Prince, G-20, lots of sparkles, you know the one.) Nothing was lost except for some lights we took down that seemed to then get absorbed into CJ’s stuff. This seemed to go well enough that we can think positively about future proposals.

Bike Dragon Thingy¶

Jill has a dragon made out of bike stuff that could hang over the entrance and hold a sign.

Will: Great for after the reorganization.