Please see the attached documents below for the meeting minutes and amended bylaws.
Minutes from the July 2012 Monthly Meeting and Board Meeting
We sure had a great program tonight! Rocky Togni presented a very interesting slide show covering Newtonian and Dobsonian history. He covered reflector advantages and disadvantages. John Reed demonstrated collimation techniques to obtain the best possible images fromNewtonian reflectors. The lasercollimators which John demonstrated make collimation fairly easy. Rocky showed a slide of different brands of digital setting circles which can make finding objects much easier. Chris Lasley assisted with showing the components of the Dobsonian mount design which revolutionized amateur telescopes.
The treasurer’s report was given. An announcement that the new CAAS T-Shirts have arrived was made.
The members passed a motion to purchase 12 more folding chairs for the club.
Upcoming Public Star Parties
Pinnacle Mountain State Park Visitor Center, Saturday, July 21, 9 PM – 11 PM
Woolly Hollow State Park, Saturday, July 28, 9 PM – 11 PM
Pinnacle Mountain State Park Visitor Center, Saturday, August 18, 9 PM – 11 PM
The next CAAS meeting will be the StarBQ event on Saturday, August 11, 2012. There will be no regular meeting that night. A number of activities are planned. Stay tuned for more details!
Upcoming Possible CAAS Member Dark Sky Outings
Friday, July 20, 8 PM – 11 PM
Saturday, July 21, 8 PM – 11 PM
Friday, August 10, 8 PM – 11 PM
Friday, August 17, 8 PM – 11 PM
Saturday, August 18, 8 PM – 11 PM
CAAS members and guests in attendance: 30
CAAS Members and Guests In Attendance
· Zoe Allison
· Steve Block
· William Bryden
· Luisa Camacho
· T. J. Colvin
· Goncavo Gamboa da Costa
· Jack Dixon
· Jim Dixon
· Danny Flippo
· Karl Freyaldenhoven
· Andrew Hradesky
· Melanie Hradesky
· Greg Hurley
· Jane Hurley
· Jina Ims
· Richard Ims
· Chris Lasley
· Allen Lee
· Don Lewis
· Christina Lynn
· Bruce McMath
· Pat Morris
· Donna Nevin
· Michael Norrell
· John Reed
· Coy Scott
· Rocky Togni
· Eric Walker
· Michael Wilkinson
· Savannah Wilkinson
Board of Directors Meeting
Financing of the new building was discussed. A motion was made by Bruce McMath and seconded by Coy Scott to authorize Chris Lasley and Karl Freyaldenhoven to contact Bob Berrington to discuss two financing options which would use the Berrington trust. The motion passed.
The new building costs were discussed. The cost of the new building is $9,000. Approximately $2,000 has been spent to demolish the old building, remove the old building, move the new building into place, and prepare the new building for use. Some additional work and costs remain to complete the preparation of the new building.
A motion was made by Bruce and seconded by Danny Flippo to use all but $1,000 in the club’s checking account toward paying for the new building. The motion passed.
A motion was made by Bruce, and seconded by Jim Dixon to sell the Meade telescope and Astro Physics mount. The motion passed. Danny will coordinate selling these items for the club.
A motion was made by Eric Walker and seconded by Karl to pass the proposed internet policy. The motion passed. The Internet policy is necessary because the satellite internet account has a data cap (limited amount of data transfer allowed per month). No entertainment videos, or other large non-astronomy related files should be downloaded. The policy specifies the amounts paid by each of the lease holders. Non-lease holders may subscribe to make heavier use of the internet connection. The club is paying part of the monthly cost so that club members can access the internet on meeting days without havingtheir own subscription.
Respectfully Submitted,
Coy Scott
CAAS Secretary
Central Arkansas Astronomical Society Minutes from the June 2012 Monthly Meeting
CAAS’s June meeting was the place to be to get the latest news on light pollution and to find out ways you can help! It was like going to a baseball double-header! First, Jim Fisher gave a presentation entitled “Protecting the Night Environment” to give the latest information on light pollution and the International Dark Sky Association. Then, special guest Arkansas Representative Stephen Meeks spoke to the attendees about his plans to re-introduce the “Arkansas Nighttime Environment Protection Act” legislation in the 2013 session of the General Assembly. All agreed that CAAS members need to support Stephen’s efforts and rally around his legislation. Once the legislation is introduced, Jim and Stephen will draft a model email/letter that all cansend to their representatives and senators.
On a related note, Stephen and Jim have been invited to speak at the Arkansas-Oklahoma Astronomical Society meeting on July 13th to promote Stephen’s legislation.
Constellation of the Month: Jim Fisher gave a presentation on Bootes and its bright star Arcturus.
Business (both old and new):
This week, James Bruce McMath filed the application and supporting documentation with the IRS for reinstatement of CAAS’s 501-c-3 tax exempt status. Thank you Bruce!
- Jim Dixon ordered new CAAS t-shirts based on the outstanding design by William Bryden. Thank you Jim and William!
- Jim Dixon also ordered and installed a new sign for the front drive that reads “Open to the public second Saturday of each month at 7 p.m.” along with the CAAS web site and email contact information. Thank you, Jim!
- All agreed that the CAAS Venus Transit public watch party at Pinnacle Mountain State Park was a huge success. The weather was perfect and a huge crowd of watch party guests turned out. Jim Fisher appeared on KARK on Monday and Rep. Stephen Meeks appeared on KATV during the actual event and promoted the CAAS event. Jim Fisher reported that KARK meteorologist Greg Dee promoted the event on several broadcasts and not just the news broadcast onwhich Jim appeared. An estimated 150 folks turned out. Thank you to the Pinnacle Mountain State Park for hosting the event. By the way, the transit was awesome! Thank you Venus and Sol for the great show.
- Rocky Togni outlined the plans for next month’s Star-B-Que and River Ridge Observatory Open House. Volunteers are needed to help with events and cooking. Events will be aimed at guests and new members. There will be a scavenger hunt with telescopes and an open air planetarium show.
The clouds rolled in soon after dark, but those that stuck around had a great time nevertheless.
(1st time visitors – ALL THREE ABOUT TO BECOME MEMBERS)
Gancalo Gamboa
Thomas Rea
Tajwanna Hudson
Also in attendance
Jim, Jack and Samantha Dixon
Jim Fisher
Danny Flippo
Carl Freyaldenhoven
StephenCaldwell
Roger L. Gudith
Pat and Sandy Morris
John Reed
Rocky and Carol Togni
Greg and Jane Hurley
Stephen Meeks and his 3 year old daughter Rebecca
James McMath
Chris Lasley
Edward, James and John Swaim
WilliamEngberg
Hubble Astrophotography books were won tonight by:
Gancalo Gamboa and Stephen Meeks
Complete List of who have won the Hubble Astrophotography books:
Coy Scott
Jim Dixon
Bill Sanders
Scott Bryden
John Reed
Carolaina Ferren
Gancalo Gamboa
Stephen Meeks
Roger Gudith
Jane Hurley
Chris Lasley
Danny Flippo
David Reynolds
Ray Jeter
Meeting notes by William Engberg, and Jim Fisher
Editing by Coy Scott
Respectfully Submitted,
Coy Scott
CAAS Secretary