Event:2024/09/20 Delegates

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 19 Sep 2024 7pm-9pm

Meeting Details

• Talk at https://omnicommons.org/meet or 515-428-1108 (PIN: 465814905)
• Type at https://omnicommons.org/notes
• Send proposals to consensus@lists.omnicommons.org prior to the meeting
• Someone should go check incoming mail RIGHT NOW.

Roles

• Facilitator/s:
• Stacktaker:
• Timekeeper:
• Notetaker/s: Paige
• Next meeting's facilitator(s):

Delegates

• CCL: Patrik
• FNB: Toan
• LL: Anka
• SMAC: Ruby
• SM: Daniel
• SR: William
• Quorum (2/3 of active groups):

intros

BRIEF INTROS MAY INCLUDE: name, pronouns, groups you're in, land you're on, if you're a delegate, unmet access needs, meeting roles you'd like to help with, discussion topics or proposals to add to agenda, announcements/updates/report-backs from your groups, safe space issues or updates PROMPT people to share contact info in the chat, so we can stay in touch

• Valerie - Property Manager, community owner at EB PREC

Check for mail for Omni

Who volunteers to go check if there's mail for Omni right now? This agenda item is part of the meeting notes template.

Property Manager Q&A

• Valerie - this has been my first week, I have a background forming a CLT, in education, and organizing. CLT work put me in the orbit of EB PREC, decommodifying land and housing. EB PREC’s affiliate nonprofit CALLI is housing the property, that is Omni. The names are used somewhat interchangeably for now. Please keep me in mind if anything comes up, if not hearing back from folks. Will be on site mostly on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 10-6. Happy to tap in other times as relevant, i.e. for events. Focus right now is preparing for a fire inspection Wednesday. Don't know what that all entails. I have looked at notes from those in the past, and what I have done so far is: one couch downstairs has been removed, now in the main space to take out of the building. I've collected loose clothing left around the building, currently in a black bag labeled lost and found, in the entrance hall near the restroom. If there are things you are all aware of, i.e. flammables kept in the wrong spot, things in the hallways, I highly encourage you to move those items to their correct location. I will also touch base with Philip.
  • Patrik - Another common issue is extension cords, and things stored within two feet of the ceiling.
  • Anka - in the basement, theres a pile near paint supplies that is piled to the ceiling level
  • Toan - are the fire extinguishers all up to date?
  • Valerie - some are listed Oct 2024. Curious to hear if there is a process here - what would you all do in the past?
  • Paige - mostly discussed over email, task list made online then different people volunteer to do things. Used to be building working group.
  • Toan - communication shared within the collectives
• Paige - wondering about the fire evac maps. We have got different information about whether or not those need to be updated for inspections - any update?
• Patrik - Seems to depend on the inspector. One requested that map orientation matches the direction person reading the map is facing. Valerie, have you gotten in contact with David K? He has done a lot of work in the building, has a lot of knowledge of the codes
  • Valerie - no not yet
  • Patrik - okay, I will share contact with him and Sarah.
• Contact info? valerie@ebprec.org

• timeline for roof repairs etc?
  • Valerie - other members of the team got bids for the roof. Capital improvement #1. Discussion tomorrow on the agenda, but do not have a timeline yet.
  • Patrik - solar attachments?
  • Valerie - that has come up in conversation. There’s no approval for solar yet but have heard that it’s desired to have those attachments either way in case it is approved.

• Relationship w EB PREC? Should we become EB PREC members to have a say in how the building is run?
  • Valerie - folks are always welcome to join EB PREC. They do have a homeowner designation, but in terms of housing. Is there a desire generally for collectives to have an ownership stake?
• Patrik - just an unknown, because it went to CALLI. No structure set in place at CALLI.
  • Valerie - Yes there’s not a process for this, new territory. But if there are meetings you want to join, there’s definitely a process for that.
  • Paige - We are talking here about what to do with Omni nonprofit discussion. At least it will need to provide fiscal sponsorship for Free Store and LL (+ SMAC for short term). Another option proposed was to have members of all groups at omni + community members somehow still involved.
  • Patrik - could just exist to fiscally sponsor groups, or could be a group to be involved in building management
  • Yar - my sense, it will take some time. In the meantime it seems like we all don't want to step on each other’s toes. Personally, I don't see a rush to figure it out. Only rush is the roof.

• Toan - How are bans going to go through?
  • Valerie - I want to be part of that conversation. I suggest some sort of formation of who wants to tackle this, at a more frequent pace of this delegate group. I'm new and don't know the dynamics, but if it encroaches on safety, needs asap attention. Culture of care.
  • Patrik - could start a mailing list or Slack.
  • Yar - that does like an urgent item - who is responsible for safety in a building, where it's somewhat no man's land? I.e. entrance hall, ballroom
  • Valerie - I didn't get guidance, but I was under the impression we were closed for the first 2 weeks. This is tricky during the Free Store hours, since then the whole building is open.
  • Patrik - leases have changes in terms of operating hours that get triggered once we get side door access. So could change things such that you could lock off the front hall.
  • Valerie - I understand that's critical, but I do not know the timeline. Easy fix for CCL and SR. But tricky for Wood St, Free Store, FNB, basement. Creates security for a couple groups but not everyone.
  • Valerie - I have read PSA, leases, but have not found any list indicating relationship or orientation to a collective. I'm trying to get to know everyone, but the list will be important. Also trueing it with the collectives, knowing their process for volunteers and collectives.
  • Yar - closest thing we have to a member list is the key card list
• Paige - Are there going to be new building rules? Do we default to the Omni ones right now?
  • Valerie - let's not make changes til next week. MY understanding is that the building is closed, to prepare for fire inspections. I also would like to know how the wiki is handled. I could flag some pages to highlight
  • Paige - we got notice on pause of events... like East Bay Fusion. But there hasn't been an update on normal tenant usage.
  • Valerie - ok, that might be right, I’ll get more info
  • Yar - so I think you are saying that the new owner will honor old omni rules in the meantime of new building rules being established
• Anka - I like the idea of closing the building, to clean stuff up, give some people some space who need to take space

conflict

• Toan - Non-member who has been in the space a lot was asked to leave. We have not seen the person since Sunday, when they were asked to leave. I asked them to communicate with the collective they were visiting. Don’t see need to do a ban given they have not returned since

• Other ban initiated by FNB is within FNB. Ban of this person from Omni was suggested by FNB.
  • [From email - Jenny brought up under Omni rules, a safe space ban within one collective automatically makes a building ban. Should that apply here now with new ownership?]

Finances

• Have Sudo & CCL security deposits been transferred / refunded?
  • Not yet?
• Beneficial bank accounts closed yet?
  • No - Yar will contact one of the old signers on the account
• Philip Bell's invoice still needs to be refunded
  • SL said not enough money on Omni accounts right now?
• Paige - from email from Sarah, SMAC ended up not owing the rent in question, and actually Omni owes them money.
• Ruby - SMAC is looking for a different fiscal sponsor. At this point we are feeling better about things with Sarah. We cannot move the money to an individual for tax reasons, so we need to find a new sponsor. Want to do that ASAP but do not want to rush into something
  • Paige - would SMAC want to be on board if Omni were to just become the container for fiscally sponsored groups?
  • Ruby - I think yes, to keep foot in the door
• Patrik - Sarah should have some idea of what are the continuing costs for omni, and will come up with a reasonable division. Omni delegates should make that final decision.
• Paige - Philip Macdonald?
  • Toan - I believe it was a one time thing, based off the grant, but not clearly communicated.
  • Ruby is going to ask Silver about it
• Yar - can Free Store make a sub account in Unify?
  • Yes

Omni nonprofit restructuring

• Patrik - Omni nonprofit could be a mixture of board members of FS and board members assigned by prior board members. Comes down to what the mission of the Omni nonprofit will be. Purely to provide fiscal sponsorship, or a continuing role of grouping the community here in the building in some way? Maybe to do joint fundraising in some way. I don't know if that is sufficient justification.
  • Ruby - relationships between collectives, seems like a good opportunity to benefit everyone.
• Patrik - Could also be to have organizational structure for dealing with conflict between lease holders. Don't know if we need a nonprofit for that. Could be through CALLI
• William - I don't think we need the nonprofit for dealing with conflicts. We can just contact our landlords. I think it's better to talk to someone before you talk to your landlord - in place we have a system in place for tenant organizing ourselves. Agreeing with all these suggestions. We could just plan to have a point person for all these tasks, don't have as frequent of meetings. It might make sense to make Omni as limited as possible until we find some people inspired to run these projects.
• Ruby - I would say, SMAC may have some initial interested in staying involved, but I foresee us not being involved soon.
• Patrik - I would say the same for CCL. No reason we have to be involved in Omni nonprofit [but still will stay in the building]
• Patrik - broader conversation needed to determine the mission for the omni nonprofit going forwards
• Yar - Free Store would love to take the nonprofit.
• Anka - LL is fiscally sponsored so depend on it too. What are the minimum requirements to still have Omni nonprofit
  • Patrik - board, officers, file paperwork.
• Anka - does it make sense to continue omni name for these two projects?
• Paige - no guarantee that role we will play, but we will at least be in community with CALLI given the building. I feel like it just makes sense to let the nonprofit eventually go to Free Store and LL. Then just continue to build community with CALLI and EB PREC, see what happens.
• Yar - I think we should give CALLI the name, Omni Commons. Press release included the name. They are being coy about it, but I want them to feel okay saying they own Omni Commons as an entity, as a project. This ties into the conversation that Omni Commons as is should eventually become something else
• Anka - will take time, right now overwhelming, 10 years of things happening here, website, wiki everything.

End of Meeting

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