Click here for 6/10/17 NMRA POTOMAC DIVISION BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S MEETING
NMRA POTOMAC LOCAL CONVENTION COMMITTEE (LCC) MEETING
June 10, 2017
Meeting called to order at 10 am at Brian Sheron’s house. Present were Brian Sheron, Superintendent, Marshall Abrams, Senior Assistant Superintendent, Ed Rosado, Assistant Superintendent, Tom Brodrick, Paymaster, Bill White, Clerk, Bill Sydow, President of the Prince William Model Railroad Club, and Ernie Little.
Marshall demonstrated what the proposed MER website would look like graphically including the name, dates and logo.
Marshall presented a review of the registrar’s estimates for services at the MER. The hotel will open a web site for hotel registration and set aside rooms after January 18, 2018; no reservations can be made before that date. Marshall also reviewed the budget, which provides that the region takes a $1,200 fee for advertising in the Local and 50% of the bottom-line surplus. Admission fees will be $55 for early registration, $60 regular, $70 same day, $35 single day, $10 extra for non-members.
We need to provide a list of nearby breakfast restaurants since it is expensive at the hotel. Tom will check on menus and prices.
Possible nearby prototypes:
Walkersville Southern
Metro – Ed could check on this
Auto-Train facility
Silver Spring Trolley Museum
For “Made in the MER” there is Custom Model Railroads in Baltimore.
Ed and Brian will work on CMR and other possibilities.
We need someone to work non-rail attractions.
MER items for sale can be t-shirts, mugs, patches, a special boxcar. They should be paid for in advance.
We will seek bids for the job of preprinting the convention guide.
The hotel contract provides for one free room-night for every thirty room-nights sold. We need free rooms for the MER Coordinator (Eric Dirvinis), speaker (Lou Sassi), and the MER president.
Modular club members will be given special registrations with a separately colored badge to access free parking. Tom will check with the hotel on the exact nature of parking arrangements.
We need to find software for the silent auction since commercial software is not appropriate. Marshall contacted Bob Clegg who said he was not planning to attend the MER. Marshall is pursuing several alternatives. Minimum bid is $5 or buy-it-now. PD gets 10% of the proceeds.
Basic information, perhaps in a business card form, will be provided for the Susquehanna convention.
Tom will check easels and bulletin board availability and contact Bill Demas for distribution of layout signs.
Action Items:
Check on modulars, easels, etc, layout signs, hotel food and parking arrangements: Tom
“Made in the MER” tour, registration form, sale items: Ed & Brian
JUNE 10, 2017
Meeting called to order at 1:10 pm at Brian’s Sheron’s house. Present were Brian Sheron, Superintendent, Marshall Abrams, Senior Assistant Superintendent, Ed Rosado, Assistant Superintendent, Tom Brodrick, Paymaster, Bill White, Clerk.
Program Reports
Layout tours: have been scheduled through January, 2018, except for October (because of the MER and the Timonium show). Nick Kalis will advise the Board if he will be ready to host a layout tour in November. Brian and Ed will check on the availability of a nearby layout.
• Achievement Program: Matt Thompson’s MMR package has been forwarded.
• Paymaster: we have $3,643 in our account.
• Flyer: as usual, in excellent shape with at least 29 pages ready.
• Webmaster: Bill Mosteller reported no problems at this time.
• Op Sessions: Bill Mosteller has one possibility, a non-member. Brian will check with NMRA concerning liability insurance.
Old Business
• One Member has not provided more information on the “free freight car shells” contest. Consequently the matter has been dropped.
• We received 60 responses to the membership survey. Ed will analyze the information received for eventual publication on the website.
• A member in another Division has declined an offer to be publisher for 2018.
New Business
None
Next Meeting: September 9 at Tom’s house.
Action Items:
➢ check with NMRA on non-member op-session participation: Brian
➢ analyze member survey response data: Ed