[Seattle-editorial] Proposal for Moving the IMC Forward

[sheri at speakeasy.org]

Hi everyone,

This is for tonight's meeting.  This proposal was put together after several meetings and with the input of about 8 plus people.  They are the notes of Walt and Benjamin and compiled by me.

Sheri

PROPOSAL FOR CONTINUING AN ACTIVE IMC

This proposal is supportive of moving to a viable and extremely cheap space as part of the process of moving forward and learning from our mistakes and having great community accountability.

The Seattle IMC has been offered the use of the Segway space in Ballard for 12 months at the cost of basically our insurance premiums, which we’ve already paid through August.  We would have 1600 square feet of private office space, which needs some construction to give us access to the main space; and access to the 18,000 square foot space for anything of our choosing, plus collaborating on cosponsored events.  We feel this is a good opportunity for moving forward for multiple reasons.

We also have discussed some of the points in the Draft Strategy Plan that was put together for the CTC grant, which discussed next steps.  These were passed out at the 12/16/03 meeting. These will be developed further as we move forward as they have more to do with process and decision-making and structure and community relations.

13 "Pro" talking points for taking advantage of the Segway

1.	we can put on bigger events and have bigger door receipts
2.	we need to find a suitable storage place and that is challenging with computers;
3.	it offers an easier transition out of 1415 3rd
4.	events at 1415 3rd have a low payoff- little audience/$ for the same prep as a larger event;
5.	Community interest for the use of that space is already there;
6.	We can facilitate bookings by our publicity via and lists;
7.	it offers a 'cheap deal' for others to fundraise and it’s good community relations;
8.	it’s a known location and comes with parking directly in front of the build;
9.	Moving out of the 1415 3rd space will mean a cleaner and more appealing space for possible new tenants;
10.	It can focus us back to peoples' projects and our role of supporting (facilitating media)
11.	classes and training are on our schedule, not at another space with competing schedule demands and a fee for use of space, as is case with 911 media
12.	"Pubic Accessibility" is almost 'required' to be a real organization and have legitimacy as a real org -- WE need office space.  Who would be wiling to pass out his or her house key?
13.	Staying operational means we don't face the possibility of transferring the CTC equip to the city or another non-profit;  Even spaceless and in hibernation, we would have obligations for using the equipment we have in our possession.  Part of the outcome of this CTC grant, is that a lot of our equipment is to be used for certain “CTC purposes” which basically mean making media with it.  If the CTC project were to go into hibernation, the city could ask us to return the computers.  

14.	Having recently learned some lessons on the necessity of effective outreach, we can see how this move can improve outreach; having events where we can demonstrate open publishing is a great advertisement for what we have to offer.  

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS RE MOVING TO SEGWAY FOR NEXT 12 MONTHS

~We can do events at Segway, even before we officially move in.

Reasons:

~Costs~
A)	We don’t have to pay any rent, just have insurance that will cover us.  We’ve paid for our insurance coverage through August 2004.  Joyce has more information on this.
B)	We will need to pay our electricity costs (get a separate meter) as well as any kind of phone/dial-up/DSL costs.

~Classes 
A)	If we want to teach ANY classes besides "how to post on the newswire", it is extremely helpful if we have our own media lab/office/classroom. These classes typically need specific software (like Photoshop for example,) and we can't go around installing software in other people's media labs just to teach classes.  
B)	The main other group doing this is the 911 Media Arts Center, and they charge a fees beyond what is comfortable for many people. So though we CAN collaborate with other groups, it's impractical enough to be a serious concern for teaching classes.

~Meetings
A)	The alternative for Seattle IMC meetings is what, Starbucks? That might sound cool now, but I'm betting it will get old after a few "general meetings." No, getting rid of the space will not terminate the need for general meetings!! 
B)	Other groups (currently not considered to be IMC groups) have used this space for meetings, especially when preparing for local protests. Where are we going to tell them to meet when we don't have any space at all?
C)	As mentioned after the meeting, doing "out reach" will be easier if we have a place to come together and discuss it in person (see A.)

~Public Access
A)	In the public eye, an organization doesn't really exist if we don't have an office they can visit. Not having a space will effect our legitimacy in a negative way, at least at first.

~Office
A)	We have to put our file cabinets and phone number somewhere, and it does not really work in storage.
B)	People say we can have this in someone’s house, something I'll believe when someone passes out keys to their front door at a general meeting. (I believe this is seriously overestimating our level of trust.)

~Computer Lab
A)	We should pretty much count on giving the computer back to the city if we are going to be "in hiatus" intentionally for more than a few months.

~Fund raising
A)	Fund raising without a space is complex.  Specifically who volunteers to do fund raising when we don't have a space? (No volunteers to do this means no fund raising without a space!!) 
B)	Segway provides real fund raising opportunities, and it is ALREADY being used to host venues. Segway can host evens much larger than our current space, AND it has parking. It's probably our best fundraising opportunity for covering our LIHI debts, because in addition to these other reasons, the rent is so low that we will make major profits from events hosted there. ALSO, wee may be able to save money for future expenses.

Disadvantages:

~Segway will only be open for a year:
A)	This means that it's far from a "permanent" solution, but it gives us a space essentially for free where we can work out where to move in a year on a more permanent basis.
B)	This means that any fixtures we install will only have temporary value, so installing any fixtures is problematic if we are not actively fundraising!! 
C)	But this is also and advantage, since we don't have to get into a long term obligation!!

~Segway requires some carpentry
A)	We might have the energy to transfer to a new space, but we need to know how much it will take to make the space at Segway work for us (in terms of carpentry and putting in doors)
B)This does require additional resources and getting people to donate volunteer carpentry, etc.
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Benjamin’s Personal Comments:

Personally, I think there's a lot to the idea of the Seattle IMC becoming a virtual center as opposed to a physical center. If we are going to go with a physical center, we need to have real projects that justify such an expense.  In the case of Segway, we can very intentionally be actively pursing fundraising while we are there - and why with all those square feet and parking spaces, it's a reasonable justification of having a space.

Why have fundraising if we could just cut most of our expenses by going virtual? Because we are already in the Red!! We have expenses even if we totally stop spending money!! That is the REALITY of the situation.

At the Segway space, if we offered a 20% (or what ever % it takes) cut to pay the people who took responsibility for putting the event together, people like Judy could justify spending more time putting events together at Segway.