Minutes for September 15, 2015

We met at Davis Makerspace building. Rob called the meeting to order at 5:14 pm.

Present (8): Mike Adams, Bill Buchanan, Sheila Evans, Jim Frame, Anne Hance, Jan Meizel, Robert Nickerson, Braden Pellett

Absent(3): Teri Greenfield, Steve McMahon, Bill Wagman

Quorum (Quorum is 6)

Agenda -- approved with the amendment that a Finance Statement agenda item be added to every board meeting; accepted 5:16 p.m.

Public Comment none

Approval of Minutes from August approved

Update on MOU with the City (Jim)

Jim explained that while Deputy City Manager Kelly Stachowicz had agreed in principle that the City would fund DCN at $1,000/mo, including retroactive payments, she has not responded to his most recent email. He will contact her again. If that is unsuccessful he suggests a follow up with the city council member Robb Davis, our previous contact on this subject.

Financial Report

Sheila provided the board with a report showing income and expense for the months of July and August. The report was critiqued by the board, and it was agreed that for clarity the ending bank balance and notes about pending bills should appear on the report, as well as any notes needed to explain any unusual conditions (such as non-monthly receipts or expenditures).

It was clarified that DavisGig receipts and expenses would be reflected in separate line items. Sheila was thanked for her work.

DCN Fund Raising (5:33)

Mike distributed a document outlining possible concerns for the fundraising committee, among them the DCN brand. Anne pointed out that much work had previously been done on the DCN brand and that she would locate and distribute the work. There was some discussion of revisiting the mission and refocusing the web site, to eliminate broken links and decide what is best to keep and enhance.

Mike proposed moving forward first with a direct appeal to community individuals, starting with creating a database of potential donors gleaned from people we have worked with and with each board member contributing five names.

Rob expressed concern that we get to the point of actually fundraising, and suggested that we should proceed with contacting First Northern Bank as the first among many possible local businesses. Even if unsuccessful it would provide a foundation for moving forward.

Jan stressed that from her experience with grant seeking it was critical to be specific about what the funds sought would accomplish, and that grants often came with reporting requirements about how and when funds were spent.

Bill B added that the fundraising would be from the board on DCN letterhead, not just individual appeals. Ann suggested that among the possible contributors we contact former board members. Bill B moved that:

We apply for the First Northern Bank of Dixon grant, and at the same time devise a letter that all members of the board can sign that solicits donations and explains our reasons for doing so. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Mike will draft a fundraising letter and also work with Sheila and Rob on the supporting documents needed for the FNB application.

DavisGig Update (by Rob at 5:52)

Rob detailed his discussion with DavisGig activists about whether they should create their own organizational structure or function as a subcommittee of DCN. Ultimately only 3 votes were cast and all were for being a DCN subcommittee, operating under its npo status.

Rob described the meeting with Fujitsu Networks held on September 4th at the Pollinate Davis site. The meeting was well attended by both City and University representatives, as well as DavisGig activists. The presence of Fujitsu, which offers a complete design, build and operate solution with private financing, appeared to legitimate the concept of a fiber network to the City and University. The model provided would have Davis own the network at the conclusion of the process, and that a wholesaler representing the City would negotiate access with third parties providers. An estimate of $3000 per location/household was given as a possible cost figure, though a lower figure seems plausible with different assumptions and financing. Because current providers often lower existing plan charges when a competing plan is developed, there was enthusiasm for proceeding quickly to see what benefits for current customers could result. Rob reported his expenses and was encouraged by the board to submit receipts for reimbursement.

Rob added that the City is looking to put together a citizens task force, and that DCN/DavisGig should be well represented. The board talked about what role it might play moving forward and it was generally agreed that the actual RFP would come from the City, but that we could provide input on technical aspects and desired policy outcomes.

Rob has arranged for the production of lawn signs which initially be distributed to folks making $20 donations. There was some discussion of developing a social media strategy for getting out the word on Next Door, Facebook, Twitter, and other media.

Rob met with the DJUSD Director of Instructional Technology (Marcia Bernard) getting her up to date on the project, and making sure he understood that the district’s current Internet infrastructure was owned/controlled by Comcast. He also mentioned an upcoming luncheon presentation to the Soroptomists.

Jim made the motion that we implement a 5% overhead on all DavisGig donations and that Sheila will come up an implementation strategy. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Committee Reports (Jan/Anne, Steve)

Jan reported that a notice describing the services that DCN offered area nonprofits and groups and providing the DCN web address had been sent to the Davis Enterprise and was expected to be published a few times in the next few days.

Rob speaking for the web committee reported a problem with the lists that were being used by PTA’s at the beginning of the school year. The list server was flooded with a Denial of Service attack attempting to make a large number of bogus signups. Steve working with Rob and other Omsoft personnel were able to foil the attack.

NEXT BOARD MEETING: October  20, 2015, Location TBA

Adjournment 6:15