Division members met in-person at the home of Jeff Grove near Maugansville, MD. 16 or so were present. After viewing the layout, admiring Jeff’s great models, and socializing, the Superintendant welcomed everyone and called the business meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.
22.12–1 Paymaster’s Report: Paymaster Ray Price reported the SMD bank balance was $3,457.91 (the same as last month).
22.12-2 Clerk’s Report (Meeting Minutes): The attendees dispensed with the reading/summary of the minutes (previously distributed by e-mail): however there was discussion of a necessary revision: the date for the Mini-Con was incorrect and should be changed to April 8 2023. (See item 22-10.5 below.) With that change and per Roberts Rules of Order, the draft minutes, as revised, were approved by acclamation.
22-12.3 SMD Superintendent Bob Johnson thanked Jeff Grove for hosting. Jeff informed attendees that his layout is only 3 years old. He has a crew of guys who come and work on it with him every Wednesday. Jeff says that downsizing to a smaller house was a good, not great, idea and that we should all do it.
22-12.4 A review of the division organization: There are three elected officials. The Superintendent is Bob Johnson. The Paymaster is Ray Price. The Clerk is Harvey Heyser. Other volunteers perform other roles for the division.
Old Business:
22-10.5 Mini-Con 2023: Because of conflicts with the availability of the meeting hall, the Mini-Con date is set for the second Saturday in April – April 8, 2023 – the day before Easter.
22-11.4 SMD Summer Trip in 2023: The Superintendent reported that the Division trip to the EBT will need to be in July due to the tour leaders being out of town in June. The exact date is still to be determined. This visit will include a visit to Robertsdale where the FEBT Museum will be opened for the Division. The walking tour, handcar and, hopefully, railbike rides should all be available. The group will then go to Orbisonia/Rockhill Furnace where activities will include; shop tours, trolley rides and a ride on the EBT. By that time, the EBT should be using steam engine #16 to pull the trains.
New Business:
22-12.4 Annual dues for the NMRA: The new amount of $68 makes you a member at the national, regional, and the divisional levels. SMD members in attendance seemed happy enough with that.
22-12.5 New Monthly Newsletter: Editor Alex Polimeni reported that starting 1/1/23 the newsletter will be emailed to everyone. If you have content, modeling notes, news, announcements etc., please send them to Alex so he can get them into the newsletter. (The implication was that the newsletter will be electronic – not printed or mailed by USPS.)
22–12.6 Membership Roster: In response to a question from the floor, the Superintendent replied that there are plans for that. The first step is for all division members to be contacted to see if they will allow their contact information to appear in such a roster. Once that is established, the roster will be created and sent to the members.
22-12.7 Jay Beckham brought a large number of videos with him to give away – free to any good homes!
Adjournment: The Superintendant accepted a motion to adjourn. The next meeting on Sunday,January 8, 2023 will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Steve King’s home near Fayetteville, PA. Members will be reminded by e-mail.
Notes for the Minutes taken by Pete Clarke and formatted by Clerk Harvey Heyser
Following the meeting, host Jeff Grove spoke in detail on the topic of laser cutting (which he uses to produce his Carolina Craftsmen Kits line of structure kits). The presentation was augmented by Jay Beckham’s comments on his personal experiences with laser cutting.
