Seacoast Division NMRA Annual Meeting
January 6, 2018
First Congregational Church, South Portland, Maine
President Erich Whitney welcomed the group at 10:35 AM. There were 30 members present, making a quorum.
The minutes from the Jan 14, 2017 meeting were posted in the Switch Tower. Chip moved to dispense with the reading and accept them. This motion was seconded and passed.
The Treasurer's report was given by Dave Kotsonis. An updated final report has been sent to all Directors on Jan 8 with an Ending Balance of $5880.31.
The Membership Report was given by Erich. The membership has stayed stable at 184 members, as new members join. Our quarterly meetings continue to have successful clinics and time for socializing. He mentioned that 60% of the members live in NH and 40% in Maine. The meeting locations have worked well to get most members a chance to attend. We try to attract hobbyists through our newsletter, Facebook, and our Quarterly Meetings. The Springfield show attracts 20,000 visitors over 2 days, so there are many more hobbyists out there.
A motion was made to accept the report, seconded. The motion passed.
President's Report- Erich's report is in the Jan 2018 Switch Tower. The Spring Quarterly Meeting is on April 7, 2018 at the Governor's Inn in Rochester, NH. The Summer Meeting is being planned for the Great Falls Model RR Club in Auburn, Maine. The Fall meeting is at the Stratham Fire House.
Erich is stepping down as President today to pursue educational and job advancements. He thanked Tage for organizing the Quarterly Programs.
Derry Fun Night is in its 6th successful season thanks to the hard work of Bruce Robinson.
Erich mentioned how much fun he had attending the NMRA Convention in Florida and the NER Convention in Newport and encouraged others to attend. At the NER Convention Bruce Robinson received the Keith Shoneman Award for his active service in the hobby promoting model railroad operations.
There were no Achievement Program awards given today.
Erich encouraged members to help staff the Seacoast Division booth at train shows. This has helped enlist new members.
Motion to accept the President's Report by Chip, seconded. Motion passed.
Elections- Tom Oxnard of the Nominating Committee stated that there are 3 candidates for 3 Director positions for this year's elections: Chip Faulter, Ralph Brown, and Glenn Mitchell. Their biographies appeared in the January Switch Tower. He asked if there were any other nominations from the members. There were none. A motion was made by Larry to have the Secretary cast one vote for all the candidates, seconded. The motion passed and the 3 candidates were elected for a 3 year term until 2021.
Open Discussion- How do we bring in younger members. The group discussed the value of the Youth Model Railroad group, posting information and our clinics at hobby stores, outreach to kids at the train shows, handouts about us at the Maine Model Railroad Tour, the "Build-a-Kit" success by the HUB Division at their Marlboro Show, having kids run trains at open houses, NMRA -Boy Scout Merit badge program, and invite kids in your neighborhood or town to run trains on your layout. Some members felt that the Division should make a proposal or plan to proceed. The Division understands the need to retain and attract new members but no specific action items were assigned at the meeting.
Someone mentioned that the most Railpasses were passed out at the Greenberg Show where many families attend. Someone mentioned we should develop a relation with the Railfan Museums throughout New Hampshire and Maine.
Chip thanked Erich for his years of service as President.
The Meeting was adjourned at 11:08 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Tom Oxnard, Secretary