Minutes from the July 8, 2019 Membership Meeting President Bernie Han more called the membership meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. at the railroad display site at Pomona Park, Meadville, PA. Attending were Bernie Han more, Ed and Suann Cronin, Carl and Vanessa Timko, Bill McComas, Jack Sheets, John Snyder, Stan Niwa, Nick Ozorak, Al Reibel, Dennis Mead, Terry and Maryann Martin, Rich Roberts, Mike Lynch, Stephanie Franz, Ken, Adam, and Jake Novosel, Charles Webber, Arden Hibbard, Mike Shannon, and Scott Royer. The minutes from the June 10, 2019 meeting were not subjected to a vote to approve because the treasurer's report and its revisions were not submitted in time to be distributed to the board. There also was some discrepancy over the wording regarding the election of officials and directors. The item was reviewed and found no fault in the wording. Treasurer's Report The current financial status was read by Treasurer Ed Cronin (see Membership column). Included in the report were current balances, Restricted Funds, consisting of the Meadville Model Railroad Club and the Meadville Railroad Depot, Unrestricted Funds, expenses and income. Income included a donated annuity and expenses included the employment of Ferguson Financial Services to complete a Form 990EZ. Committee Reports Budget / Financial / Insurance / Compliance Maryann Martin reported the total in grants that have been received as of this meeting. She also noted there are two grant applications pending at this time. She asked the membership to notify her of any grant programs she may not be aware of. Maryann and Bernie Hanmore noted donations for the depot project are still coming in, but more donations are needed. Historical / Archives Several material donations have been made to the FCVRRHS. This information had been inadvertently forgotten, but is being noted here. Thank you to Steve Timko, Jr. for his most recent donations. Membership The organization has some more new members. Welcome aboard, Tim Ladner and Charles and Bonnie Zilhaver. Dues were to be in by June 30, 2019 however, according to Ed Cronin, a lot of members have yet to renew. Those members who have yet to renew, please send your remittance for your renewal either electronically using the website (www.fcvrrhs.org), or by mail to FCVRRHS, P.O. Box 632, Meadville, PA 16335. As of last month's meeting, the organization has a new vice president in Scott Ladner. Al Reibel had been voted to succeed Ed Cronin, but Ed decided to continue as treasurer. Directors Bill McComas, Jack Sheets, and Stan Niwa were reelected at the June meeting. Scott Ladner is the new membership chairman relieving Ed Cronin of the duties. The new by-laws have not been published as yet, but are expected to be published and distributed soon. Nick Ozorak asked that a committees list be republished. Anyone who wishes to be on one or more committees may contact the secretary at blebuddy@yahoo.com. Museum A truckload of building material is expected to arrive Thursday, July 11, 2019 at around 10:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. Members than can help are asked to report at 10 a.m. on Thursday. This will be the first stage of the reconstruction; floors and walls are the top priority. Regular work sessions are on Thursdays and Saturdays, starting at 10 a.m. The sign frame that is along Mead Avenue is to get some attention, as it in need of some repair. Bernie Hanmore and Ed Cronin delivered some material for a new sign to Mark Rhodes of Cochranton. He will sketch up some ideas soon. There are plans to remove a tree near the sign. A definite date has not been set. The roof replacement is expected to commence near the end of July. This will be the most visible work done on the depot until it is opened as a museum. The procedure for members to volunteer at the depot requires them to fill out an exemption form, take it to Brad Roae's office in the Downtown Mall, Meadville, have it notarized and return the form to the depot before starting any work. There is no charge to have it notarized at Mr. Roae's office. Members are advised to wear protective gear when in the depot. Dust masks, safety glasses and gloves should be worn inside to ensure everyone's safety. Property / Equipment The snowplow lettering was applied on June 20, 2019 by Mark Kramer of Designs and Signs. Mike Vickey designed the lettering to match Conrail's font.and supplied the pdf files for the manufacturing of the lettering. A crew is working on the floor inside when the opportunity presents itself. After that, the last task on the snowplow is replacing the glass windows. Jack Sheets says each pane averages to $80 a piece. Members are encouraged to buy a pane to help cut costs. Stan Niwa installed the flashing on the windshield of the snowplow. One job left to do on the boxcar is the small lettering on the doors. Denny Mead intends to take care of the lettering. The Erie Lackawanna caboose was tagged by vandals sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday evening, before the meeting took place. It is planned to remove the graffiti very soon, likely before the reader receives this issue. All of the floodlights at the display site have been converted to LED (light emitting diode). The flagpole now has LED lights to illuminate the flag. There are lamps atop the flagpole as well as below it. Public Relations / Education We need volunteers for the caboose tour on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is preferable to have at least two members tend to the visitors. Please contact Carl Timko if you are available. Carl suggested having the caboose open on Saturdays instead of Sunday, as the traffic flow on Sundays has been minimal. Nick Ozorak agreed and noted visitors may stop at the caboose, if a canopy was set up downtown during the city's Second Saturday event. There would be only two Second Saturdays left in the summer, one in August and one in September. There is not enough time to plan and reserve a spot for July. The idea to open on Saturdays was informally approved, beginning with the August Second Saturday event on August 10th. The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad's 150th anniversary is only three months away. Carl Timko asked at the meeting for any ideas to help celebrate. He contacted Scott Woods, of the Greenville Railroad Park, who said that so far they have a sign in front of their property that advertises the anniversary. Nick Ozorak is interested in helping with the event, which is a great opportunity for the public to visit with the displays. A Railroad Authors' Day is still being planned, which may be incorporated into the anniversary event. Members interested in helping can contact Secretary Carl Timko. Special Events / Programs The next train show in the area is the Jefferson Historical Society's Train Swap and Sale on July 20,2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Jefferson Community Center, located at 11 East Jefferson St., Jefferson, OH. Vanessa and Carl Timko attended the show last year and remarked how this was a great little show. There were nice deals all around and everyone was very friendly. This is where they became involved as extras in the documentary Engineering Tragedy: The Ashtabula Train Disaster. There will be an N scale T-Trak layout as there was last year. Dave Ellis, who is an officer with NMRA Division 12, was part of the crew that operated the layout. Admission is $2.00 for those ages 12 on up; children under 12 years of age do not need a ticket. On July 20 and 21,2019 Greenberg's Great Train Show is at the Monroeville Convention Center, located at 209 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for Saturday and $9 for Sunday, however, the Saturday ticket is good for both days. Children under 11 years of age are admitted free. August 3rd and 4th, 2019 will be the date for the N Scale Weekend. The event is in the Jaffa Shrine Center, located at 2200 Broad Ave., Altoona, PA. Hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $5. There will be 14 large layouts, several small layouts and vendors. The 2019 Summerail Railroad Show and Sale is at the Palace Theatre and May Pavilion, located at 276 W. Center St., Marion, OH. The event showcases an all day seminar and a train show. The seminar takes place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., while the train show is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to all the events is $25. Admission to the train show only is $5. Next Meeting The next meeting will be Monday, August 12, 2019, outside at the Meadville Railroad Depot, located at 136 Mead Ave., Meadville, PA, weather permitting. The interior of the depot is not ready for meeting inside yet. See you there!