Division members met in-person at the home of Superintendant Bob Johnson near Jefferson, MD. 16 or so were present, including the Superintendent, Paymaster, Newsletter Editor, and Mini-Con Coordinator. After viewing the layout, the Superintendent welcomed everyone to the first in-home meeting since March 2020 at Jay Beckham’s and called the business meeting to order.
22.10–1Paymaster’s Report: Paymaster Ray Price reported the SMD bank balance was $3,457.91 and confirmed that the SMD is still receiving approximately $40 from MER twice a year. He also reported that the SMD account is now with Truist after a merger between BB&T and Suntrust.
22.10-2Clerk’s Report (Meeting Minutes): In the Clerk’s absence, the Superintendent explainedwhy past meeting minutes had not yet been approved.
–March meeting minutes: the Superintendent asked for motion to approve the revised draft March meeting minutes. Ron Polimeni made the following motion (second by Grant Berry):
Motion: That the draft Minutes for the March 2022 meeting be approved as revised. The motion carried.
–May meeting minutes: the Superintendent asked for motion to approve the revised draft Maymeeting minutes. Grant Berry made the following motion (second by Ray Price):
Motion: That the draft Minutes for the May 2022 meeting be approved as revised. The motion carried.
22-10.3The SMD welcomed new member Mark R.
Old Business: There were no items of old business discussed.
New Business:
22-10.4A Planning Meeting held prior to the start of the meeting year. The Superintendent reported that the decision was made to hold the September meeting by Zoom and that the remainder of the meetings would be in-person with the following hosts: Bob Johnson to host October, Paul Mahoney to host November, Jeff Groves to host December, Steve King to host Jan, Pete & Jane Clarke to host February, Andrew Dodge to host March, no confirmed date for Mini-Con, and Rich Randall to host May.
22-10.5Mini-Con 2023: Chair Grant Berry raised the issue of attendance dropping after lunch atpast Mini-Cons and suggested a revised schedule with informal clinics running through until noon followed by a roundtable / panel discussion with guests. He asked for member input on the revised format. A suggestion was made to pre-load the roundtable / panel discussion with starter audience questions determined beforehand.
Another suggestion was made to hold the raffle drawing after the roundtable / panel.
Chair Berry asked for membership to be considerate of Brian Wolfe’s support of the Mini-Con.
Mini-Con Finances: Paymaster Ray Price reported that we earned $150 after expenses on the raffle last year (2022). Normally our only expenditures are the gift card for the raffle and morning coffee + donuts.
Modular Layouts: The consensus was to invite layouts back if they wish to attend.
22-10.6Newsletter (Wheel Report): Editor Alex Polimeni asked for input regarding format of newsletter. He raised the possibility of publishing a larger, more conventional newsletter once or twice a year. The Consensus of the discussion was to move to a monthly format, shrink newsletter size, and focus on highlighting the upcoming month’s events and presenters. Editor Polimeni announced that first issue of new format will be December 2022.
22-10.7Hybrid Meetings: Alex Polimeni requested input. The consensus was that such meetings are doable but difficult. He will investigate and attempt to implement options.
22-10.8Audit: The Superintendent reported that an Audit Commission will be set up at the next officer’s meeting.
Adjournment: The Superintendant accepted a motion to adjourn. The next meeting on November 13, 2022 will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Paul Mahoney’s home in Frederick, MD. It will be an in-person, face-to-face meeting. Members will be reminded by e-mail.
Notes for the Minutes taken by Alex Polimeni and formatted by Clerk Harvey Heyser
Following the meeting, host Bob Johnson presented a clinic on the concept of increasing layout realism by viewing the layout as a series of stages, utilizing concepts such as view blocking, viewing angles, scene exits (exit stage left) and forced perspective.
