NSAAC Business Meeting February 06, 2025
President Kathi Freeman called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.
The meeting was held at the new Boxford Community Center at 10 Elm Street in Boxford, as well as via Zoom. There were 31 participants (28 in-person and 3 on Zoom). A quorum of members was present, and the Business Meeting was official.
Guests and new club members were asked to introduce themselves:
Officer Reports:
President – Kathi Freeman:
Kathi called for approval of the January Business Meeting Minutes, which were approved by acclamation.
Kathi noted that the club is looking for an Attorney or someone to help with writing up contracts for things like star parties and other general club questions. If anyone knows any attorneys who might be able to help, please reach out to Kathi.
Vice President – Justin Murray:
April Speaker (Zane Landers of the website Telescopic Watch) reached out noting he can speak about either Deep Sky Observing or Outreach. DSO observing was the preference of the membership by show of hands. Justin will let him know.
Treasurer – Ron Sampson:
Ron reported the Club Insurance has been paid.
Secretary – Tolga Yazicioglu:
Tolga was unable to attend.
Membership Director – John Gall:
John reported that there are currently 155 Members. Of the 155, 13 are Honorary Members and 142 are Regular members. The first set of Membership renewals have gone out.
At Large Board Members – Cyndi Hopping:
Cyndi was unable to attend.
Collins Observatory at Salem State – Dennis Gudzevich:
Dennis provided an update on the Collins Observatory, which has a Meade LX200 12” ACF. The observatory is typically open on clear Mondays 7pm-10pm when school is in session.
Back on 12/1 the main gear on the winch for the observatory broke (again!). Dennis reported that the Observatory is still closed, and will remain closed until the repairs can be made. Trying to work through a solution; the school has no budget for repairs.
Star Parties – Brewster LaMacchia:
Brewster noted that Star Parties are likely to start back up in mid-March. The usual venues have all reached out to engage us for the upcoming season.
Scope Clinic – Bryan Stone & Ron Sampson:
If you have anything on your telescope that you need help with, or if you need help with your telescope, Bryan & Ron can assess your scope, making recommendations, and performing some minor repairs.
Bryan & Ron provided a very brief overview of the Scope Clinic.
Old Business:
Telescope Sales Committee
No updates.
2026 Club Election
Jim Holland provided an update to the Club as Director of the Nominating Committee. A full panel of Board Nominees has been put together. Nominations are open until the club vote at the March monthly meeting.
The current nominees are as follows:
President - Kathi Freeman
Vice President - Justin Murray
Treasurer - Ron Sampson
Secretary - Tolga Yazicioglu
Membership Director - John Gall
We also have Three (3) Member at Large candidates, for the two (2) Member at Large positions:
Rob Braczyk
Matt Bowler
Robert Vincent
New Business:
Lifetime Membership
A Motion was made, seconded, and Approved to provide honorary memberships for anyone who has been an NSAAC member for 30+ years (not required to be continuous).
In Favor of the Motion: 17 (15 In-Person, 2 Online)
Against the Motion: 0
Please reach out to Kathi if you are eligible for the Honorary Membership!
February Board of Directors Meeting
Next Board Meeting is Wednesday 02/11 at 8PM via Zoom. Reach out to Kathi if you’d like to attend.
New Committees
The NSAAC Board proposed to form Committees for both the Young Astronomer Program (YAP) Committee and a Marketing & Social Media Committee.
- YAP Committee will promote the program, read the contest entries, and vote on the winners of this year's prizes - likely an S30 for first prize & binoculars for second prize
- Marketing & Social Media Committee to advertise the club in our communities and advance our Social Media presence
A Motion was made, seconded, and Approved by the general membership. An email will be sent out by the BoD to gage interest in participants.
Business Meeting was Adjourned by President Kathi Freeman at 7:45PM
Following the Business Meeting, we were joined by Lauren Sgro, PhD from the SETI Institute - presenting on Exoplanets.
Respectfully submitted,
Tolga Yazicioglu, Secretary (with support from Justin Murray, VP)