Early Winter 2023 President`s Letter
Greetings Seacoast Members,
Summer is almost over and for the first time ever, I didn`t have to water the yard. I`m sure you`ve had a lot of rain as well. It helped the water bill immensely. On the down side, the AC has been on almost non-stop. I don`t even want to see the next electric bill.
Seacoast Division Event Activity
The Seacoast Division Fall Event was a success. Vice President Jay Ehlen organized the event which was held at the Stratham Fire House on November 4, 2023. We apologize for the event date slipping by a week, but the Stratham Fire Chief out-ranked us. Thanks again to Mike Grahame for providing the venue. The attendance was up, 28 members attended in person and 7 more were on Zoom. I apologize for the poor audio quality that was transmitted to the Zoom attendees. We continue to struggle to get an A/V configuration that is stable and repeatable. We will keep working on it. I would like to thank the members that gave clinics. Tage Erickson gave a presentation on his experiences at the Cannonball Express NER Convention. Tage showed his outstanding photos that he took at layouts that he toured and operated on. Mike Grahame gave a presentation on building a lift gate using high-quality drawer slides. I know my layout has at least one location that will need a lift gate like that. Chris Oliver, Seacoast Division’s resident electronics wizard, gave a presentation on practical solutions for coping with short circuits to achieve safe and reliable DCC operations. I would like to thank Tage, Mike and Chris for their informative presentations. We all appreciate the effort that you put forth to educate and entertain the Seacoast members. Several members brought in models that they are working for our “Show, Tell, and Ask” session. After the Event Mike Grahame opened his layout for visitors. I want to thank everyone who contributed to the event.
Seacoast Division Announcements
I would like to thank Will Everett for stepping up and taking on the Seacoast Division Secretary position. This is in addition to Will’s working the A/V equipment at the quarterly events.
Jim Seroskie, the Seacoast Division Treasurer now has all of the accounts under his control. The most recent balances are $6,577.25 in the general fund and $9,814.95 in the Faulter Fund.
Seacoast Division - NER Convention
The Seacoast 2025 NER Convention Committee, led by Tage Erickson, Peter McKinney, and Will Everett, continues to make progress on the 2025 NER Convention hosted by the Seacoast Division in Concord NH. The committee is working out the financial aspects with the NER Convention committee headed up by Dave Insley. We will keep everyone informed on progress to get the venue contract finalized and signed.
Seacoast Division - Upcoming Meetings
The Seacoast Division Winter 2024 Event and Annual Meeting is weeks away and will be held at the Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge Street, Westbrook ME on January 6, 2024 for 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. A key part of the Annual Meeting is the Election of Three Seacoast Division Directors. We currently have three candidates on the slate for the three director positions – Will Everett, John McHugh, and Glenn Mitchell. It is important that as many of you show up in person or on Zoom to insure a quorum for the Annual Meeting. Following the Winter Event, the BOD will hold a short meeting to elect the President and Vice President. More details about the Winter event are forthcoming.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the 2024 Winter Event.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 23 December 2023