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Latest Minutes
october '08

New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society

Date:  10/11/08
Subject:  Restoration of 2926
Subject:  General Meeting
Call to Order:  9:00 AM

OLD BUSINESS:

Call to Order:  President Mike Hartshorne called the September General Membership Meeting to order at 9:00 AM October 11, 2008 at the restoration site.  Mike indicated that the minutes should be posted on the website.  The secretary emailed out the final draft and left the webmaster off the address list so they were late getting to the website.

Treasurer’s Report:  Ernie Robart had previously e-mailed the treasurer’s report to BoD members, and reported to the membership that the beginning balance for September 13, 2008 was $471.98 with income of $1,501.89 and expenses of $166.71 leaving a balance of $1,807.16 on October 11, 2008.  The savings account balance was $101.08 and an additional $50.00 was in petty cash leaving a total balance of September 13, 2008 of $1,958.24. A motion to approve the report was made by Ed Strebe and seconded by Gail Kirby. The report was approved by voice vote.

Safety Officer Report:  Jon Spargo reported that the flue removal appears to be moving right along without incident. He noted that an Annual Safety Refresher Training is needed and a date needs to be selected for 2008. There are still 16 individuals who have not taken the annual refresher. Once a date is set he said he will post a list of those who need to attend in order to maintain their work status for next year.  A motion to approve the report was made by Ed Strebe and seconded by Gail Kirby. The report was approved by voice vote.

Chief Mechanical Officer Report:  Bob DeGroft reported that progress on flue and tube removal is moving ahead steadily with only 60 tubes remaining in the boiler. The removal has been averaging about 15-25 flues/tubes removed per session. He anticipates that they will all be out in a couple of weeks.  At this point all UT (ultrasound) measurements of the boiler and firebox have been taken except those that must be taken from inside the boiler after flue removal. Once the last tubes are removed, UT measurements can be made of the underside of the boiler from the inside. Gridding of the bottom inside of the boiler will begin as soon as the flues/tubes are out. The report was approved by voice vote.

Fundraising and Centennial Train:  Mike Hartshorne and Bob DeGroft reported on fundraising activity. Recent efforts to get the nature of state support for a Centennial Train better defined were discussed. These included meetings with the Centennial Task Force and Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA).  The Task Force is chaired by the Secretary of DCA and state centennial activities are to be coordinated within DCA.  Society members have also met with other state officials, legislators, and local government officials.  Bob explained that the state’s 2008 budget shortfall of $200-300 million that has been on the news is impacting chances that the Centennial Train, as originally proposed, can rely on significant state funding. Discussion centered on ways to down-scope the Centennial Train and substantially reduce the project cost and alternative funding strategies, including corporate sponsorships.  As a result of the discussion, the consensus was to explore a number of potential funding sources and strategies, including: drastically reduce the project’s scope and cost and focus on the near-term, schedule-driven 2926 restoration costs. But it was clear that the current state budget difficulties and general economic problems would make the search for funding an upstream swim. 

Open House:  Mike Hartshorne reviewed plans and assignments for the open house to be held on-site on October 18.  The Centennial Task Force has been invited to attend. 

New Business:  There was no new business, so the meeting was adjourned.

Next Meeting:  The next membership meeting will be held at 9:00 AM on November 8, 2008 at the restoration site.