Minutes from the March 11, 2019 Meeting President Bernie Hanmore called the membership meeting to order in the conference room of the U.S. Bronze Foundry & Machine, Inc., located at 18649 Brake Shoe Road, Meadville, PA. The attendance of several new members and members who are attending the meeting for the first time necessitated the need for complete introductions. Attending the meeting were Bernie Hanmore, Dennis Mead, Ed Cronin, Carl and Vanessa Timko, Bill McComas, Jack Sheets, John Snyder, Stan Niwa, Ron Stafford, John Nagurney, Nick Ozorak, Al Reibel, Jim Saulsbery, Dave Ellis, Pete Gifford, Chris Manning, Mike Shannon, Dan and Casey Pfeiffer, Charles Webber, Terry and Maryann Martin, Rich Roberts, Dr. Dean Spencer, and guests Melissa Burnett and Jenn Gifford. The minutes of the February 11, 2019 were approved. Treasurer's Report Treasurer Ed Cronin read the monthly financial summary to the crowd, noting balances, income and expenses. Income was from sales at the Erie Train Show and calendars sold before the train show. Funds coming in also were from donations and dues from new members. Expenses were tables at the train show, taxes for the snowplow lot, taxes for the depot and the storm water fee. The treasurer's report was approved by the attending members. Committee Reports Budget/Finance/ Insurance/Compliance Plans to open up a second bank account for the Meadville Depot was discussed. Four authorized check signers were designated. Bernie Hanmore, Ed Cronin, Al Reibel, and John Nagurney will be the only members eligible to sign for the FCVRRHS. Membership The organization welcomes four new members. Gerard Roncolato, Richard Roberts, Dr. Dean Spencer, and Don Porter all recently joined the FCVRRHS. Welcome aboard! A motion to approve the revised by-laws was made, seconded and approved by the attending members. The revisions were covered in the February meeting and in the February Second Section. Members will receive a copy of the new by-laws soon. Bernie explained the importance of all members that have email service to share their email address with the secretary. Sending notices, files, and the Second Section is more cost effective since the U.S. Postal Service raised the price of a stamp from fifty cents to fiftyfive cents. So, if you have not yet submitted your email, please do so. For the time being, members will still receive a hard-copy of the Valley Express. Museum Current tasks at hand at the Meadville Depot are clean-up, demolition and construction. The demolition is of unneeded shelving, walls, flooring and old ceiling tiles, to name a few. Construction is installing new bathrooms, and eventually a kitchen, reception area and the main museum. The plan will be to patch the roof and then do the interior work as funds become available. The roof will be replaced when funds from grants and donations allow the expense. The goal is to complete the front one-third of the building to be able to open it as a museum. The rest of the building will be worked on as funds permit. Work sessions are every Thursday and Saturday starting at 10:00 a.m. Members are encouraged to volunteer to help get the museum open soon. Currently, only members can volunteer at the museum, with the only exception being a group of Allegheny College students that are being recruited by the Davies Program student, Melissa Burnett. They will volunteer their time on Service Saturday, which is April 13. They are able to help because the college has insurance that will cover them in case of any mishap. FCVRRHS members are covered through insurance policies already in place. If anyone that is not a member would like to volunteer, they must become a member. A floorplan drawn up by Bernie Hanmore is being used to help design the museum. The new bathrooms will be handicapped accessible. Meadville's city government is working with the FCVRRHS to help with a zoning variance, which would be instrumental to get a building permit. A.R.E.A. Surveying has been awarded the task of surveying the property of the Depot. Though some donations are being received, a formal fundraising Launch Event is tentatively scheduled for May 1. Press releases will be through the Meadville Tribune, other news media and social media. A flyer will be inserted in the new edition of the Valley Express newsletter, due out soon. Members are asked to donate towards the museum. A Donors Wall will be mounted in place in the museum to acknowledge those that have donated. It is planned to be updated at the end of every year. Property / Equipment Now that the snowplow is on display and the warmer weather is ever closer, plans to complete a few tasks on the snowplow and its grounds are in the works. Lettering will be applied to reflect the Conrail ownership. It will be lettered as Conrail #64658 with a note of the snowplow's heritage in an upper corner. Glass for the windows will need to be purchased and installed. There is a proposal for members to "buy a pane of glass" to help complete the project. Fencing will be installed, beginning with a line between the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad and the snowplow. Some of the fencing will come from what was left with the depot when it was purchased. The floodlights at Pomona Park will need replaced with LED units that, hopefully, will fit in existing fixtures. The LEDs will cost a little more, but will be more cost efficient in the long run. Public Relations/Education The Erie Train Show did fairly well considering not all of the merchandise could make it to the show. Carl and Vanessa Timko thanked Bill McComas and Dave Ellis for stopping by to pick up a load of merchandise to take up to the train show, as they could not make the trip that day. The Davies Community Service Leader Program lets Allegheny College students intern in organizations for the summer or for a year to help the students become more of a partner with the organization they are serving, to help said organization accomplish its goals. Melissa Burnett is one such student and is serving with the Meadville Model Railroad Club. A motion was approved to apply to the program for the model railroad club. Special Events/Programs Train shows in the area for the next few weeks include the following: * March 30 - TCA Lake Erie Chapter Springtime Train Meet at the UAW Hall, 5615 Chevrolet Blvd., Parma, OH. Hours are 10 a.m to 3 p.m.; Admission is $6. * March 31 - Iron & Steel All Gauge Model Train Show & Expo, at the St. Lucy Palermo Banquet Center, located at 394 Tenney Ave., Campbell, OH. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Admission is $5. * April 7 - Medina Railroad & Toy Show, Medina Co. Community Center, 735 Lafayette Rd., Medina, OH. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Admission is $6 * April 7 - Spring Train Show & Sale - Monaca Turners, located at 1700 Old Brodhead Rd., Monaca, PA; Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 pm.; Admission is $5 * April 14 - Youngstown Model Railroad Association Toy and Train Flea Market at the Salem Community Centerplex located at 1098 North Ellsworth Ave., in Salem, Ohio. Train show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and admission is $5. * April 27 - Pittsburgh Model Railroad Jamboree at the York Hall, Robert Morris University, in Moon Township, PA. NMRA members admission is $35, nonmembers admission is $45. The announcement for a definite date of the Launch Event for the Meadville Depot will be forthcoming in your email.