[?]

Minutes of 2015 Directors' Meetings

Potomac Chapter National Railway Historical Society, Inc.

November 3, 2015

President Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:07 p.m.

Bill Holdsworth distributed copies of the minutes from the September meeting.

Jay Creswell distributed the treasurer’s report.

Directors discussed the August 29 chapter picnic. Thirty people attended, which was the highest attendance in several years.  Perhaps the earlier start time and date were more attractive. Directors agreed that we should repeat the timing, i.e. the last Saturday in August with a 1 p.m. start time.

Bill discussed arrangements for the holiday social.

Jay reported on his progress is preparing the membership renewal notices for the chapter. He gave the directors present their renewal notices.

Rick Davidson reported that the national organization will send an email blast to members to start the renewal process. It’s unclear what their plans are for using postal mail. National is using an online membership management system, Amilia. The cost is $250 per month.

Directors discussed the chapter elections. Voting was postponed at October membership meeting because there was no candidates for some offices. A recruitment effort is needed to fill the open director's position.

Our normal location is not available for the April 19 membership meeting. The county hasn't gotten back to Jay for about the availability of the cafeteria in the Executive Office Building or the auditorium in the County Council Office Building. John Sery will put a tentative hold on the Silver Spring station.

Board members talked about the 2016 banquet. Potential dates are March 12, March 19, and April 3. Directors regard both the Amphora in Herndon and the Golden Bull in Gaithersburg as considered suitable venues. We should solicit feedback about the location at the November membership meeting.

Directors discussed the 2016 chapter picnic. Jay investigated costs at the National Capital Trolley Museum – which are high. The consensus of the board was to keep the picnic in Gaithersburg. August 27 is preferred date.

Rick reported that the national NRHS April 22-23 directors conference will be held in Cumberland. Both Railcamp East at Delaware and Railcamp West in Tacoma were successful. There was less money available for the 2015 heritage grants. The NRHS is considering donating its library collection to a university in Texas. The film collection still resides in Phillipsburg, NJ. The organization has made progress working with college students to digitize 8 mm films.

Bill and John are trying to schedule a date to downsize the storage locker.

Gordy asked for ideas for small grants, where the chapter's donation can have an impact. He encouraged directors to email him with suggestions.

The meeting adjourned at 10 p.m. Two eastbound trains and one westbound train passed during the meeting.

September 1, 2015

President Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:14 p.m.

Bill Holdsworth distributed copies of the minutes from the May meeting.

Jay Creswell distributed the treasurer’s report. He said the picnic had a net cost of $100. Gordy asked for ideas for small grants, where the chapter's donation can have an impact. He encouraged directors to email him with suggestions.

Directors discussed the August 29 chapter picnic. Thirty people attended, which was the highest attendance in several years.  Perhaps the earlier start time and date were more attractive. Directors agreed that we should repeat the timing, i.e. the last Saturday in August with a 1 p.m. start time.

Bill will take the lead on the holiday social.

Directors discussed the upcoming elections. Gordy said that he will recruit the usual suspects for the nominating committee.

Directors approved a motion to direct Bill to pass information on the nominating committee to Clay for publication in the October PRN.

Board members discussed the membership renewal process and publication of a chapter directory. They agreed that the renewal process should start soon and that a followup meeting is needed to work out the details.

Rick reported that the national organization has been able to clarify their financial position, in the aftermath of the termination of Fernley & Fernley's contract. The organization was able to allocate $13,000 to the heritage grant program. The next advisory committee will be in Utica, NY.

Directors discussed the storage locker. Jay reported on the visit that he and Gordon Piscacek made to the storage. Jay said that he wants to reconcile his sale records with the inventory of B&O Steam Finale Volume II. John Sery and Bill reported on their recent efforts to dispose of magazines and newsletters.

Directors agreed that the chapter can move to a smaller storage locker. Gordy appointed Marc Laborde, John, and Bill as a work committee to execute the move at a date of their choosing. The committee is authorized to dispose of a file cabinet and book shelf. They can dispose of material in file cabinets other than chapter records. Jay will send the committte a copy of the official inventory.

Directors approved a motion to empower the committee to use its best judgment to dispose of materials.

Directors approved a motion to authorize any officer on the committee to sign a new rental agreement.

John reported that he and his son Stephen are organizing a digital photo contest. He asked whether associates should be allowed to participate. Directors said, "Yes." He raised the issue of prize money.

Directors approved to motion authorizing the program committee to print ceritficates for winners, but to provide no financial reward.

Board members reviewed recents suggestions for chapter improvement. Bill said that the email news flash capability had failed to gain traction. Carl Franz reported a similar fate for the idea to distribute business card and establish a presence at area train shows.

Marc discussed possibilities for establishing a web cam. Directors encouraged Marc to contact the city of Brunswick to explore the issue further.

Directors agreed to hold the next board meetings November 10 and February 9.

The meeting adjourned at 10 p.m. Two eastbound trains and one westbound train passed during the meeting.

May 5, 2015

President Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:15 p.m.

Bill Holdsworth distributed copies of the minutes from the March meeting. He reported that the chapter's new domain name is http://potomacnrhs.org/

Jay Creswell distributed the treasurer’s report. He estimated that the chapter broke even on the banquet.

Directors discussed the March 28 banquet. They expressed general approval of the Golden Bull. Carl Franz suggested better coordination on the audio/visual setup.

Jay reported that the chapter was offered an advance purchase opportunity for the N&W 611 excursions. He quickly extended the offer to supporters of the chapter. Seven people took advantage of the opportunity to buy tickets.

Directors discussed potential dates for the picnic. August 29, September 19, and October 3 were identified as potential dates. The board also discussed alternative sites as a way to generate more interest in the event. Jay suggested Cabin John Regional Park, which has a train. It would be expensive. Marc Laborde suggested Point of Rocks and Landers, but they may not have cover.

Rick Davidson will email membership files to Bill and Marc, who will evaluate using them for a chapter directory. They will report back at the next meeting.

Directors approved a motion to recommend that the membership lower the dues for Associates ($25/$20) to match those for chapter only members ($15/$7.50). The motion passed 5-4.

Rick said that the national organization are working to clarify their financial position, in the aftermath of the termination of Fernley & Fernley's contract. Grant committee doesn’t know how much money they have to award.

Carl reported on his recent sale of B&O Steam Finale Volume II. The chapter inventory of unsigned copies is virtually gone. Marc has four copies. Bill has two. He will give them to Carl, who has paid Jay. Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has expressed an interest in the books. Marc will contact them.

John Sery and Carl presented their report on the contents of the storage locker. (They submitted a written report.) Directors agreed on a multi-step approach to downsizing the contents:

• The first work session at the locker will dispose of magazines and newsletters. Pre-1960 Trains magazines are the only magazine to be retained in this process.
• Jay will visit the locker to compare the contents against his official inventory.
• The second work session at the locker will determine the disposition of the remaining contents. The chapter will enlist experts to assist in the evaluation of the books and magazines. Jay suggested that the chapter offer potentially valuable books to research libraries. The chapter may be able to move to a smaller locker during this second work session.

The board authorized Jay to dispose of the chapter’s 1990s-vintage personal computer.

Directors agreed to hold the next board meeting July 14.

The meeting adjourned at 10:31 p.m. Two eastbound trains passed during the meeting.

March 11, 2015

President Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:14 p.m.

Bill Holdsworth distributed copies of the minutes from January meeting.

Bill Holdsworth is not optimistic that the chapter can reclaim its domain name, potomac-nrhs.org. He recommended getting a new domain name. Directors agreed to pursue potomacnrhs.org.

Bill conveyed information from Jay Creswell that 20 people have signed up for the March 28 banquet. Bill will ask Clay to send an email reminder.

Bill will return the chapter's digital projector to John Sery, who wants to buy a carrying case.

Rick Davidson reported on the chapter renewals:

Rick is a member of the grants and library committees for the national organization. He recently visited the library.

Directors discussed the B&O Volume II books. Marc Laborde said he has less than 200 copies at his home and that there are about 50 copies in the storage locker. Marc estimated that his eBay sales average about $10 per book. In a recent transaction, one book went for $2.50, the lowest ever. John proposed contacting the Montgomery County library system about donating some copies. Director agreed that was a good idea. Directors approved a motion to authorize Marc to sell 100 books to a private party at the price discussed.

Gordon Piscacek suggested that the chapter celebrate its 45th anniversary. He will contact Clay Moritz about noting that anniversary in the masthead of the newsletter and mentioning it in the program for the banquet.

Bill briefed the board on his research about establishing a news flash email group in Yahoo. He will continue experimenting during the coming week. He will invite other directors to join the group.

Marc has investigated the varieties of web cams – still photos vs. video. One company would “do everything but install it” for about $1,000. There would be a monthly fee that would cover transfer of the files to the Internet. The camera location needs to have power and an broadband internet connection. Marc hopes that the city of Brunswick would cooperate in the establishment of a camera at the station there.

John visited the site for a possible railfan park in Hyattsville. He thinks it is an undeveloped resource.

Directors discussed the Carl Franz' idea to a train-watching/photo event on the "longest day of the year" in June. Bill will follow up with a potential organizer.

The meeting adjourned at 9:49 p.m. One eastbound train passed during the meeting.

January 14, 2015

President Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:13 p.m.

Bill Holdsworth distributed copies of the minutes from November meeting.

Bill Holdsworth reported that we no longer control our domain name, potomac-nrhs.org. Bill failed to renew our registration last spring before it expired. NameSecure won’t release it unless we pay a $100 ransom. To reach our website, people must use http://www.trainweb.org/PotomacNRHS/. Directors tabled a motion to pay the $100. Bill hopes that he can reclaim the domain name this spring. He should notify Clay.

Jay Creswell distributed the treasurer’s report. Directors discussed the bank fees.

Directors discussed the holiday social. Some directors desired a wider variety of food.

Directors discussed the chapter banquet. The banquet speaker, John Hankey, has offered to make a presentation to a local community group. John Sery and Marc Laborde agreed to serve on a committee to develop an event. Jerry Hott is willing to be a liaison with the city of Gaithersburg.

Chapter's new digital projector worked well at the holiday social. Jay purchased an LG BP540 Blu-ray player on Carl Franz’s recommendation. John Sery said they are researching more accessories, particularly a microphone.

Rick Davidson said the chapter renewals are going well. He said the national organization's financial picture is looking brighter. They have settled the lawsuit against the organization. There will be two sessions of RailCamp this year. Rick said that registration information for the 2015 convention is being distributed online. No mailing is planned.

Directors discussed the possibility of lowering dues for Associates to the same level as chapter members. No agreement was reached.

Carl and John are planning to prepare an inventory of the contents of the storage locker. Bill loaned Carl a key. Jay asked that duplicates of the locker keys be made for him. Carl said that he expects Bob Cohen to bring the catalog for the Flack slide collection to the next membership meeting.

Directors approved a motion to downsize the current storage locker by October 31, 2015. 

Directors encouraged Marc to sell B&O Steam Finale Volume II books at a chapter meeting for $5 each.

Directors discussed various ideas to improve the chapter. Among the highlights:

• Directors approved a motion to establish a committee to investigate the option of creating a web cam and presenting recommendations to the board.
• Carl will pursue printing business cards, which can be given to prospective members.
• Directors agreed to start an email group. Bill said he would investigate using Yahoo groups as a tool.

The meeting adjourned at 10:53 p.m. One eastbound train passed during the meeting.