This month we covered some hot topics at the Oven: getting bikes ready to ride (for sale) and finding a way to have more fun in the shop (like old times). Out notes are not very thorough, but they reflect the group decisions we made during the course of the meetings.

winona
harv
j. harv
linda w.
josef b.
sean d.
eddie a.
sixto
veronica j.

1) Project Bikes vs Ready to Ride Bikes - discussion started on the philosophy of keeping the best bikes for projects that folks can build up if the want, verses some volunteers wanting to fix up bikes as ready to ride - needs nothing but buy it and ride it.. Some how the discussion and consensus decision was:

No bikes left overnight at the Oven. Whether its a fixer, or completely ready to ride, etc, you buy it, its yours, You can work on it right then and there, but at closing time you take it home just. as if it was your bike that you brought in to work on. It is now the same thing - you bought it , its yours.

Sounds like there is some flexibility for regular volunteers that already have bike left at the Oven and current Projects finishing up, but no more bikes left overnight. No deposits either - we are not in the space rental business which was discussed but dismissed.

Decided:
no more project bikes
no bike storage (weekly volunteers exempted)

2) Mondays as another Volunteer only night.

Harv: suggested closing on Mondays due to staffing issue
Group: No

Decision - turn Monday nights into a night like B.O.T.T.

Given the limited number of active volunteers and the large amount of clean up and organizing work needed and also that we seem to have more fun on Wednesdays (like the old days) it was suggested and agreed that Mondays would also be closed to the public and be another volunteer only day ( no pizza - it will be bring your own whatever). Of course if other folks show up we still have the option of serving them. Financially we should be OK, as the weekends recently have covered the whole month’s expenses.

3) Develop a “Volunteer” page on the web-site - linda and josef volunteered to work on this together. Mainly collecting previous group decisions and posting them in an easy to read format on the web-site.

4) Tool shrinkage/disappearing, and broken tools

We continue to have a problem with tools “walking out” and being broken due to improper use/ lack of supervision. The more specialized tools should somehow be more controlled - behind the/a counter, in a cabinet, etc. The idea of designated stations where it would be assigned to one person and checked out before they left was discussed. Also the idea of a rolling two sided tool stand was suggested.

Harv and J . Harvey will try working out second workstation as a sample. Estimated could be done for around $50 if buying Harbor Freight and Performance Bike sale stuff. Harv and J. Harv authorized to spend $50 to make a work station

2) Big Art Show in June:

Hector wants us to clear the south wall ( the tool wall ) of all bikes for a big Art show in June. This probably helped push the decision on item #1. At the same time we were planning on reducing the bikes stored at the front over the counter and front desk as they are a pain in the a** to take down/put up, dangerous (we’ve had some fall down), and also we plan on storing the new tires there. So the bike storage on site is probably going to drop by 50% from about 60 bikes and frames to about 30 at the most including the back room storage (frames). We said we would try “thinning the inventory” as we still have stuff that has been around for months. Also a couple of folks may have some garage space for temporary storage in May/June so that we don’t have to turn away any of the potential donations during that time period. We have some time to thin things out, which we would want to do anyway.,

Objections: it will be a pain in the ass

Solution: we’d need to do a major house cleaning; store bikes upstairs (inconvenient); hang bikes from center of ceiling; winona’s garage; clear frames out of back room

Follow-up:
We need to know exactly how much room they need and what we can keep;

6) Free Kiddie Bikes from the Kitchen Give Away Plans:

We still are working on plans for the give- away of the 15 or so Kiddie bikes from the Kitchen. Hathaway House, Optimist Home, and some other places were mentioned. Josef, Steve I and CICLE are taking the lead on this. There will be a need to check out the bikes before they are given away.,

kiddie bike give-away places if plans fall through:
Boys Club, on Daly and Pasadena
Optimist Home on Figueroa
California’s Gold - Huell Howser
a place on Avenue 64 by a church - an orphanage place - Hathaway House?
Boy Scout troop

7) Spoke(n) Art ride this month will feature pinatas and maybe a mobile keg. Josef is taking the lead on this.

Harv Completed his sample Single speed mountain bike conversion and has a posting on Craigslist.

9) Every piece of pizza was polished off.