NAR Austin Section
Minutes of the First Planning Meeting
On Thursday, July 30, we had our first meeting before the August 15th meeting to organize an NAR section in Austin. The scene was the IHOP at the intersection of Ben White and IH 35. In attendance were:
- James Duffy
- Alan Harrison
- Alisa Harrison
- Lee James
- Tom Kindel
- Mark Scheevel
As always, it was good to have faces to go with names. I was reminded anew why I like our hobby so much...you really do meet the nicest folks in model rocketry!
James Duffy is the first person I 'met' on the list. He e-mailed me about seeing the meeting notice in Jane S. Greig's column in the Austin American-Statesman. Mark and I had meet some months earlier at contests in Houston with the NASA/Houston section. The others I had only known as letters on a CRT. It was good to have time to get to know each other better before we got down to business.
We discussed the proposed bylaws and the duties of the officers. I distributed a list of the names of the currently active NAR sections so we could be thinking about a name that is different than an existing name. We briefly discussed annual and monthly expenses and the need for dues.
While this was a working session, it was primarily a time to get acquainted. We shared experiences and ideas. There is a lot of potential on which we can draw to make our section one of the best in the nation.
There are some action items that were discussed.
We discussed including in the bylaws an article requiring the section to be an insured section. I'll make that change and have copies at our next face-to-face.
I have already distributed posters and flyers for the August 15th meeting to Custom Hobbies in Oak Hill, King's Hobbies on North Lamar, Hobby Town (south and north), Village Hobby on Anderson and the north Hobby Lobby. Others will be distributing some in their areas. I'll do the south Michael's and south Hobby Lobby tomorrow or Sunday. I have National Guard drill this weekend and my time is limited.
We briefly discussed the benefits and logistics of demonstration launches. Launch hardware and demonstration scheduling should be a high priority once the section is officially chartered. This is something to think about and discuss later.
A regular place to launch model rockets is something we need right now. I know you are all looking already. After we have a chartered and insured section we will be more acceptable to land owners. We will still need to know where to look. Keep an eye out for a suitable spot. Remember the safety code and NFPA 1122. We will need an area 500 feet on a side for Ds and 1000 feet on a side for E, F, and G. We need a large area to be able to host contests and hold record trials. Casual sport flying of smaller motors will work very well on a site big enough for Gs. I'm sure this will be a top priority for the Board of Directors.
There are four items which can be discussed here in the list so that we can perhaps come to an agreement before the August 15th meeting: bylaws, dues, section name, and nomination of officers.
First I would like to remind everyone that since we are chartering an NAR section, only NAR members will be able to vote or hold office. If you are not already a current NAR member, I would encourage you to send in your application today, on the web site if possible, so you will be able to fully participate in the August 15th meeting.
If you have any comments on the bylaws, please feel free to post them here. Use the article number as a reference. We can discuss any comments/suggestions at our next face-to-face.
I think we should start with $12/year dues. This will give us enough for the charter fee and section insurance. $1 a month seems reasonable.
If you weren't at the IHOP, take a look at the NAR web site (www.nar.org) and review the existing section names. Our name should have something to do with who we are. It doesn't have to rhyme or be an acronym. It should NOT be something that would reflect poorly on us. This is a bad name: Large Explosive And Dangerous Experimental Rocketry Society. Sure, the acronym is LEADERS, but few land owners would be happy to have explosive and dangerous experiments on their property.
It's not to soon to begin considering nominations of officers. I would suggest that anyone interested in a position on the Board of Directors should post a message stating that interest and describing their experience and qualifications. Remember, if you are elected to a position on the Board of Directors the bylaws require you to be an insured NAR member.
In this way, the list and those who attend the pre-meetings serve as a steering committee, working out details and simplifying the work that will remain to be done on August 15th.