Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting
August 11, 2012

    The Board convened at 1:00 pm at Brian Sheron’s house with Marshall Abrams, Mike White, Marty McGuirk and Bill Day attending from Potomac Division and Tom Casey and Art Boyd attending from Chesapeake Division. During the discussion, it was noted that all emails regarding the convention would also go to Messrs. Casey and Boyd as well as CD Superintendent Kurt Thompson.

C&P Junctions 2013 Business
 Issues concerning C&P Junctions 2013, the mid-East Regional Convention to be held in
Rockville in October, 2013, were discussed in depth. After detailed discussion, the Convention budget was approved and ordered sent to the MER.  Bob Reid will be approached to bethe official photographer for the Convention.

To give the hotel a count for breakfasts, members will be asked to check a box on the registration form.
 

The traditional clinic book will not be issued, nor will the budget cover any printing costs for clinicians.   A CD of clinic presentations will be produced and included in the registration package.    

Prototype tours were discussed. The Baltimore Light Rail Maintenance facility and
the Baltimore and Ohio Museum Branch in Ellicott City were identified, with carpooling recommended.  A  behind-the-scenes tour of the B&O Museum Restoration
facility is being pursued and may be listed as a tentative part of the tour.

A clinics discussion noted that make-and-take clinics are well attended, and Marty McGuirk set aside several double-length sessions with that in mind. Clinic timing was set and early-identification of clinicians noted. The Board agreed that no clinics would be scheduled on Sunday.

Under promotion and advertising, Bill Day recommended a business-card size reminder be handed out in Suffolk, a handout successfully used at Princeton Junction. He also requested three 8x10 glossies of layouts to be featured for an easel on the “Rockville  Information” table at Suffolk. Specifications will be circulated for approval prior to the next board meeting. Bill Day said that an email press kit could be culled from Marty McGuirk’s PowerPoint presentation at Suffolk. The press kit will be sent to all major railroad magazines with a request that they publish a photo.  An announcement has been sent
to the NMRA for its printed 2013 calendar. Early registration forms were suggested to be
available at the Suffolk Convention.

Brian Sheron discussed layout tours during the convention as well as those on the way to and from the convention. Chesapeake Division was asked to identify appropriate tours in their Division.  It was agreed that, when members registered, the Registrar would confirm the reservation and send a package of recommended layout tours for Thursday evening
preceding the Convention.  The package will include maps, suggested sequences for
visitation, and a preliminary badge used to identify the registrant with the convention.

A signup easel for the Operations Callboard (with carpooling forms) was approved.

Potomac Division Business    
The Board turned to Potomac Division issues. Marty McGuirk said that the Flyer deadline for articles and other input was August 31, anticipating publication on October 1.

Bill Day reported on White Flag Extras, noting that Extras in the form of seminars are being tried as an experiment, the first at Marshall Abrams’ house in September. Andrew Dodge is Seminars Chair and will be asked to recommend a schedule of seminars.  The November Extra will schedule Marty McGuirk and another clinician.

 Brian Sheron reported that open houses are currently scheduled for September,
November, and December. He will be contacting people for open houses in 2013.

A critique of the Minicon noted that name tags would have been helpful, that a better venue to permit a two-track clinics schedule, and that better information on election procedures would clarify the process.
    
    The meeting was adjourned at 4:03 pm, setting the next Board meeting for Saturday, September 22, at Marshall Abrams’ house.

Respectfully submitted,
Bill Day, Acting Clerk