[kwlug-disc] New meeting location possibly needed

[Paul Nijjar]

Okay. Here is a plan. I am sure it will make nobody happy, but at
least we will have a meeting. 

For January, we will meet at St John's Kitchen. I have not been able
to resolve the situation with KWIC, and I do not want to promise
that we can meet there only to be turned away at the last minute. I
have permission from SJK to meet there, and it is close to KWIC so
people who go to the wrong place accidentally will still be able to
get to our meeting. 

For February and beyond, we will very likely meet someplace else: 

- If KWIC is willing to let us meet for free, we will continue that.

- A few people are looking into other locations. If one of those
  materializes as a good stable location then we can meet there. 

- If we do not have a good location for free, then I will book KWIC
  for a year. (I hope the offer of $450 will still hold.) KWLUG
  members have been very generous in their offers, so we can afford it
  for now. If the price jumps significantly then we will have to
  re-evaluate. 

I am arbitrarily choosing a deadline of January 20 at noon to make a
decision. If you are looking at a different place then we need to have
solid plans by then. If we do not have a different meeting place lined
up then on the 21st or 22nd I will get us booked at KWIC for a year. 

If you are looking into alternative locations then let me know ASAP.
We prefer gratis, but a good place that costs some money may be
possible. 

Why not just pay the $450 now? Firstly I have not been able to get a
hold of my contact in time. Secondly I do not want us to lock in for a
year if something else is imminent. Thirdly I am not certain that KWIC
will remain stable for the medium term -- it seems to be under some
flux. Fourthly I am not sure what we do for future years. People have
been very generous now, and a few people have offered multi-year
support. Can we expect sufficient support indefinitely?

Also note that I do not have moral opposition to paying money for a
space, provided that we do not have to get into the hassle of
incorporating, or charging member fees, and provided that the burden
of paying for the space does not end up on the shoulders of one or two
people. 

Sorry for all of this drama, and for the long email. 

- Paul




On Wed, Jan 02, 2019 at 05:11:15PM -0500, Paul Nijjar via kwlug-disc wrote:
> Here we go again. There have been some changes at our meeting space
> (KWIC) and it sounds as if we will no longer be able to use the space
> for free. I am in conversation with them to see whether our old
> understanding still holds, but I am not optimistic. 
> 
> At this point, they would like $75 per three-hour meeting slot, or
> $450 for 12 months. 
> 
> Here are our options: 
> 
> - We find that we are allowed to use the space for free again. This is
>   possible but I suspect not likely. 
> 
> - We pay them $450 to book the space, understanding that maybe things
>   will be in flux again and there is no guarantee we will get the
>   space for 12 months. This kicks the can down the road, but buys us a
>   year. 
> 
> - I make arrangements for us to meet at St John's Kitchen again for
>   the short or medium term. This is also not a long-term solution
>   because it depends on me continuing to have access to the building
>   (or a Working Centre staff member who does have access being willing
>   to host). 
> 
> - We find a different meeting space, probably at some company's
>   office. Then we are depending on that company's charity in the same
>   way we were depending on the Working Centre before, but then I am
>   not the bottleneck. 
> 
> - We look at spaces that charge money. $450 for 12 months works out to
>   about $40 per meeting, so unless the space is very good and we can
>   raise the money I am not enthusiastic about going higher than that.
>   I do not think there are many places that will rent to us for less,
>   especially since we have no official structure.
> 
> I do not think it is worth spending $75 to meet this month. 
> 
> I am sending this out before I have an answer from KWIC because I want
> to see what resources we have. Here are my questions: 
> 
> - Are there people who are willing to contribute towards the $450
>   booking fee? In principle I guess I could pay it all but I don't
>   want to. If you are willing to contribute money to this (and are
>   good for your word) then contact me offlist and let me know what you
>   can contribute. 
> 
> - Are there other meeting spaces that are open to us? Making
>   arrangements for January will be short notice, but if you know of a
>   place (or work for a company that could sponsor) for February onward
>   that would be useful information. 
> 
> 
> I will try to contact the Working Centre and the Google space to see
> whether they can accomodate us for the short term. 
> 
> 
> -- 
> http://pnijjar.freeshell.org
> 
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