July 2014 Sumac Minutes

Minutes from 7th July 2014

Present: Jack, Rosie H, Tom H, Andrew, Tom G
Apologies: Pat, Tasha & Dom

*Big Ups
*Regular cleaners, new cleaning cupboard.

*Qualms
*Condition of Sumac after Foodbank, kitchen often being left in a mess throughout the week.

_*Matters Arising*_

*New Locks
*Matt W is away but has said he will fit them when he is back.
Veggies will buy one lock and 5 keys roughly 1/3 of total cost. Bar and Sumac will also pay a 1/3 each. Bar will front this and Sumac will pay them back. Bar was going to cover entire cost, but finances are not as healthy as they were when they offered initially.

*Wall
*James T**is about again – *Jack* to ask him when work is likely to continue.

*Pile of fabric etc. on stage*
Not Sallie’s or freeshops. – ask if *Sallie* wants it otherwise chuck it.

*Remit for being core member of Radical Routes Social Centres Working Group*
Tom H has sent out – no responses.

*Letter to user groups asking for donations* – *Matt*?

*Laminate sign and put up *- *Rosie*?

*Fire Extinguishers need servicing and PAT testing* – *Pat

East Midlands Co-ops AGM
**Dom *& *Pat* to contact about doing a talk about Sumac and Radical Routes

*Chairs
*No decision yet. Dean S proposed simple plastic “school chairs” which are cheap and practical.
*Rosie* & *Tom* will send out a firm proposal – but also empowered them to make a decision themselves e.g. if they went to Cattle Market. Noted that we need new tables too – *Jack* will look.

*Hosting February Radical Routes Gathering* – see below

*Proposal for group tenancy and payment of rent (residents)* – Tom H proposed it but at signs of friction decided not to push it.

*First Aid Kits* – *Jack*

*Doodle for cleaning rotas – Camille*

*_Feedback from Collectives_

Bar
*Changing Taddy Lager to Sovereign Bitter.
Not making enough to increase rent – suggested to not increase rent but instead focus on creating the flexibility to make donations.
We have a new key safe for the safe key. That’s right. Only bar collective members know code.

*Peoples Kitchen
*No report. Chrissy is very keen that Veggies stuff is not borrowed and used upstairs in Sumac kitchen as too much of her stuff has been ruined or lost.
*
Residents
*Rosie has moved in.

*Garden
*Compost has been turned – well done!
All going well but still some empty plots. Jack and Rosie up for taking one each on.

*Finance
*Most of collective away so no meeting this month and no official report.
In general finances are healthy.

*Foodbank
*Coming up to 2 year anniversary! – Hosting PK fundraiser 26th July 2014
Dom has talked to Abdul about leftover food.
Rosie has taken on dealing with fresh stuff and requested to foodbank that they take away as much cardboard as possible.

*ESOL
*Successful year. Session ended 23rd June and dormant over summer. Starting again with classes in October. Looking for more volunteers. 40 or so individuals have attended averaging 15 per session. Hoping to widen access to more asylum seekers and refugees who have no recourse to public funds.

*Veggies
*See report in email from Patrick.

*Youth Club
*See report in email from Dom.
Tom G has taken on role of contact point for Youth Club while Dom is away.
Noted it is worth Sumac users checking with the kids themselves and other adults in the building what the score is before phoning someone from Youth Club – the kids might have been welcomed in and be under supervision.

*Radical Routes
**Tom H* to send out proposal that Neds and Sumac host gathering in February. Planned to use Hyson Green Youth Club but some controversy recently about them evicting Blue Mountain Women’s Group Library.
Noted that if Sumac is going to offer this and put its name to it then it requires that volunteers from Sumac put work into organising and hosting the gathering. Last time it ended up being a very small number of women from Ned’s doing a large portion of the work.
*Tom H* to ask Laura and Sarah G if they would mind writing out a brief from their experience of what it takes to organise a gathering.

*Discussion of 3 proposals made by Sumac Youth Club*:

*Cupboard for Youth Club Stuff *- Fine with this. Jack proposed to remove desk and build a set of cupboards that could be designated to user groups that need them, Youth Club being first in line, and perhaps adding a filing cabinet.
*Jack* to talk to Dom about building storage.

*Booking Sumac for use during Summer* – We didn’t feel very well equipped to make a decision on this because it is likely to have an impact on a lot of the volunteers/collectives/user groups and only 5 of us being present in meeting and with many user groups/collectives not represented.
However we did comment that Mondays to Thursdays 1pm – 5pm are generally times that the Sumac goes unused, except by Veggies, Residents and odd volunteers.
Decided we need to hear back from all the groups within the Sumac – *Tom G *to send out emails to all user groups to ask what times they think they need the space – to be fed back to Admin group and Youth Club.

*Using Sumac Yard for play sessions* – Noted that a lot of the rubble is being used to re-build the wall. Concerns raised that the yard is a busy thoroughfare and working area – residents, Abdul, Veggies – particularly being a very busy few weeks coming up for Veggies (this alone would be likely to increase friction between SYC and Veggies.) Also noted that there is no precedent or method for booking the yard and the feeling in this meeting was that there could be no certain guarantee made by this meeting of making it a private booking.
Questions – Is this being thought of as an open session or a closed session? How will access be managed e.g. for residents, Veggies, Abdul, etc? When is James going to finish the wall? What about Bob’s van?
Seeing as the main parties relevant to these questions are: Abdul, Veggies, Residents and SYC – suggested that these four parties meet up to negotiate the proposal originally made, these questions and any others that may arise.

*Safer Space Policy
*There is a working document but nothing adopted formally or agreed.
Proposed and agreed to adopt this as a working document with a commitment to continue the process of creating a safer space policy that can be finalised.
Anyone who has comments or ideas can email or come along to an admin meeting to discuss there.
Proposed that each user group considers adopting this document or something similar themselves.

*”Sumac Centre Social Club”* *Facebook page
*No idea who set it up or moderates it – possibly Owen?
Noted that there are a lot of problematic things are posted on this page.
Recent posts have meant that the safety of the Sumac Centre has been brought into question, from both outside and within Sumac.
*Jack* to draft a statement to be posted on this page apologising for our slow response,explain that this facebook page is DIY and not moderated by any of the existing Sumac collectives or volunteers, explain our grievance procedures and to request that this is made a sticky post or put into the about section of the page.
We agreed that, at the same time, it would be a good idea to publish, on the page, the current draft of the Sumac safer spaces policy (drafted by some people, notably Meg, last year) clearly marked as an unfinished working document – *Jack*
Decided that in light of individuals engaging with Henry on the issue of his comments on facebook and to bar volunteers within the space, the admin meeting does need to intervene at this point.

*Stuff Under Fire Escape
*Noted that it has been pointed out in the past by fire officers that nothing should be stored under fire escape because it is a fire risk. Plastic boxes are fast building up there.

*Oven
*Some concerns that one of the hobs is leaking gas.
*Tom G* and *Tom H* to have a look this week.

*Free-Shop Access on Friday
*Rosie would like to regularly access the Free-Shop stuff stored in the outbuildings every Friday for Foodbank.
The outbuildings key is not readily available.
The outbuildings seriously need a clear out.
Animal rights jumble sale stuff – *Tom G *to ask Dean

*Toilets
*Black mould is getting bad in both gents and ladies toilets.
Probably need a mould specialist to have a look as its likely to be a problem with the fabric of the building.

*Music Workshops with young people
*Someone called Nick would like to do music workshops with kids. He has a wide background from instruments to DJing.
Could link up with Youth Club?

*Radical Routes
*Need a rep for next gathering – send out a call out on admin list [*don’t know who was going to do this sorry*]
Radical Rumours – …
*

Social Centres Gathering*
Tom H, Tasha, Tom G and poss Camille, Matt and Alfie are interested in making this happen.
*Tom H* to begin talking with Social Centres Collective about it.

*Cleaning Rotas
*Fri 11th – Jack
Mon 14th – Tom G
Fri 18th –
Mon 21st – Tasha
Fri 25th – Tasha
Mon 28th – Tom H
Fri 1st – Tom H

Summary of the tasks involved in a cleaning shift
– Thurs eve/early Fri morning bins need to be out – half at front (Gladstone) and half at the back Beech) this is included in the Fri cleaning shift duties.
*- *Fri morning before 10.30am – toilets cleaned, main room hoovered and tidied, kitchen cleaned.
– Mon – toilets cleaned, main room hoovered and tidied, kitchen cleaned
Noted that each shift is enough work that it should really be a 2 person job.

*Jack* to draft an email with this rota in and ask for someone to do Fri 18th as well as replacing one of the double shifts some people are doing, and making a general call-out for more people to consider helping to clean the Sumac.

*Events
*Nicole Vosper – would like to hire the Sumac for Reclaim the Fields Gathering 9th – 11th January or another weekend around that time. Would need accommodation for 30-60 people.
*Tom H* to get in touch saying yes providing Neds are on board (to provide bulk of accommodation.)

Community Theatre Company – Booked in Tues 8th afternoon – *Tom H* to let them in building and show them around.

East Midlands Co-ops Gathering – 17th June 10am -2pm

Ends
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