Amateur Astronomers of Jackson Special Meeting, Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The club is going in a new direction for 2009-2010.  The following was discussed at the special meeting held
Tuesday evening, August 11, 2009 at the Hurst Planetarium. 

Discussion Topics:

Meeting Attendance
Meeting Locations
Leadership
Meeting Dates
Future Programs
Club Dues
Club Calendar
Email Notifications

Those in attendance for this meeting were:  Ken Rheault, Chris Dobie, Mark Reed, Bob Frybarger, Jim Herron,
Rodney Sullivan, Jeff Thrush, Leo Nessing, Jeff Hubbard and Don Risner. 

Meeting attendance;  Attendance has been very sporadic over the 2008-2009 calendar years.  As few as 2
individuals have shown up for regular club meetings in the winter months.  Several individuals that drive long
distances to attend meetings have been disappointed by suddenly short meetings, with no topics or planned
presentations. 

Meeting Location;   Meetings at the Planetarium will be limited in the coming months to September, February,
March and May.  Meetings for October and April will be held at Camp McGregor, Check Meeting Dates below
for further details.

Leadership:  We have gone 1 year without a president and have no prospects for the coming year.  There have
been no volunteers or nominees for club officer positions.  We currently plan to operate by committee.  Our
current bylaws do not allow for this type of operation so at the September meeting this will have to be voted
upon to reflect the changes noted here. 

Meeting Dates;  Listed below are the upcoming meeting dates and locations for 2009-2010,
Please note the changes in location and meeting day at the October, March and April Meetings!

September - Meeting at the Planetarium, on 2nd Tuesday of the Month.  Jeff Thrush will discuss Web cam
astro-photography.

October -   There will be no meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of the Month.  Instead we will gather at
Camp McGregor at 7:00 PM Saturday Oct 10th for a brief meeting and evening observing session.

November  – No meeting

December  – No meeting

January     – No meeting

February – There will be no meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of the Month.  The meeting will be held on the
2nd Saturday at 7:00 PM at the Planetarium – No planned topic as of this writing.

March – Meeting will be held on the 2nd Saturday at 7:00 PM at the Planetarium – Topic to be determined.

April – Meeting will be held on the 2nd Tuesday at 7:00 PM at Camp McGregor.  The meeting will be an
observing session and Computer imaging using the 90mm scope in the observatory.

May – Final meeting of the season at the Planetarium, 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM.  Topic to be determined.

June – No Meeting

July – No Meeting

August – No Meeting

Future Programs:  Meeting listed without topics will be discussed and assigned topics at the September
meeting.  Bring your ideas to the September meeting and be prepared to get involved in the process!

Club Dues:  Club dues in September will remain at $10.00 as noted in our bylaws.  This is required to
maintain our membership in the Astronomical League which, in addition to membership, provides insurance
for our public gazes.

Club Calendar:  The club calendar will remain on the web site.  Our regularly scheduled events will be
listed there, such as the Toy House gazes, Hidden Lake Garden gaze, Lake Hudson and Camp McGregor
gazes.  Other noteworthy events will be posted there so be sure to check the website often for updates.

Email Notifications:  Email notifications will continue to all dues paying members.  Special events plus
pre-meeting notices will be sent to remind you of upcoming dates as several locations and days have changed. 

Other topics of the meeting were:

Planet Walk:   The Planet walk along the City and Falling Waters Trail is off to a good start thanks to Mark
Reed.  The planet walk was removed from JCC due to construction of the dorms at the south end of the
complex.  Mark would like the Fred Yost Planet walk installed along the trail where it can be enjoyed by all
Jackson residents and students at the close by Parkside Middle School.   Mark has met with the City, County,
JCC, Jackson Public Schools, Parks and Recreation Dept to get this going and it will soon be a reality. 
Some assistance with the installation may be necessary and we hope you will be able to assist with the
installation in the near future. 

Club Notes:   Treasurer Report - $141.44 in the treasury at this writing.  Chris Dobie has accepted the
Treasurer Position for the 2009-2010 Club Year.  I have volunteered to assist Bob Frybarger in updating the
club web page.  No other offices have been filled...  Either John Domin, the current club secretary, or myself
will provide minutes or notifications for upcoming meetings.

These minutes compiled by Ken Rheault