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CFAS Monthly Board Meeting Minutes

CFAS Monthly Board Meeting Minutes

February 6, 2008

Attendees:

Paul Kronenwetter

Frank Gutowski

Walt Hamler

Tony Urzi

Alan Hoffberg

David Tidwell

Derek Demeter

Larry Lurie

Tom Chitty

Guests: None.

  1. President's Call to order. Welcoming remarks.

The meeting was called to order at 7:12pm.

  1. Secretary's Report

Paul requested the board to approve the meeting minutes. Alan moved to approve the minutes as distributed by email. Walt seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously.

  1. Treasurer's Report

Alan briefly discussed the treasurer's report. Dave motioned to accept the report. Walt seconded. The treasurer's report was accepted unanimously.

  1. Agenda Items

    1. Astrofest 3/7-3/9.

      1. Alan proposed the board discuss the cost of door prizes. The proposed expenditures are in excess of what is reasonable for a 501(c)(3) activity such as Astrofest. The fees for these events should be equal to or exceed the costs associated with hosting the event.

      2. Tony proposed bringing down the cost of Astrofest by reducing the items purchased for door prizes. Tom agreed not to purchase various items to bring costs down.

  1. Committee Reports

    1. Membership -

      1. The following new members joined since the last board meeting.

        1. Robert Russo

        2. Tony & Michelle Pietanza

        3. Peter DeLuca

        4. Charter Murray

        5. Don Ratliff

        6. Altagracia “Maggie” Ramierez

        7. Charlie Francisco

Frank moved to accept the new members as listed. Walt seconded, the new members were approved unanimously.

    1. Programs

      1. February – Shadows and Silhouettes – Lunar eclipse on the 21st.

      2. March – Dave may have a conflict and be unable to make this presentation.

      3. April – Messenger Mission to Mercury – Tony Urzi

      4. May – Solar System Toolkit from NNSN

      5. June – History of Solar Exploration

      6. July – Cassini - End of Prime Mission Briefing

      7. August – Cosmic Collisions & something else

      8. September – New Horizons – Passport to Pluto

      9. October – Mars Phoenix Mission

      10. November – NASA's Great Observatory

    1. DSAC/Orlando Science Center

      1. Derek is evaluating a test of new full-cutoff lights being considered to replace on-campus lighting.

      2. The observatory the planetarium was seeking to fund through a grant did not materialize. Derek is looking for another location for an observatory to house the 12” telescope they already own.

    1. Publicity

      1. Dave released a press release today promoting the Lunar eclipse activities jointly sponsored by CFAS and the SCC Planetarium.

      2. Larry suggested a number of items to improve our visibility to the public and our members.

        1. The program chairperson should send an e-mail with a short paragraph of the meeting program topic one week prior to the meeting to stimulate attendance.

        2. He recommended that membership applications and checks be accepted by board members at general meeting.

        3. He also recommended that membership consider viewing programs at local country clubs to stimulate membership.

        4. Public Relations notices should be sent directly to all members, including those that are delinquent in paying their dues, to stimulate their interest.

    1. Library

      1. No update provided

    1. Board Members at Large

      1. No update provided

    1. Observing

      1. 2/11 Holly Hill Middle school – Monday

      2. 2/15 Princeton Elementary – Friday

      3. 2/22 English Estates Elementary – Friday

      4. 3/1 Wiregrass Prairie Preserve – Saturday

    1. Education and Outreach

      1. Potential events:

        1. Clarcona Elementary – Date TBD

        2. South Creek Library – Orange County Library System

        3. Campfire USA – April 18-20.

    1. Robinson

      1. No update provided.

    1. Astrolog Editor

      1. No update provided.

    1. Scientific Committee

      1. No update provided

    1. NASA Night Sky Network

      1. No update provided

    1. Webmaster

      1. Alan suggested that 1”x2” images be supplied for the programs posted on the website. This could add a level of interest.

      2. Alan requested that Paul investigate using PayPal for Astrofest payments.

      3. Dave noted that an on-line community might be fostered by a more dynamic and interactive website. Software to facilitate this, such as e107, is readily available. Paul will investigate.

  1. Old Business

    1. Frank has two flashlights unsold, one of which is reserved for a member who expressed interest. Frank will bring the uncommitted flashlight to the next meeting.

    2. Obtaining a MallinCam is on hold and Tony will research more before returning with a recommendation.

  1. New Business

    1. Tony reminded Paul that the By Laws updates are still outstanding.

    2. Alan requested that statistics/dates concerning our outreach programs and meetings during 2007 be delivered to him before February 15th. This information must be reported on the 2007 IRS Form 990.

  1. Motion to Adjourn

    1. Frank motioned to adjourn the meeting, Walt seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:29pm.

/s/ Paul Kronenwetter – CFAS Secretary