General Membership Meeting
of the
Greater Allentown
Grotto, Inc.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Meeting
Called to Order at 7:10 PM by Chairperson Pat Richard Rosevear.
12 members &
guests were present. Introductions we made for benefits of guests.
Minutes: July 17, 2005 General Membership
Meeting minutes were read by Secretary Michael Spencer and approved without
corrections.
Treasurers Report: Treasurer not present. Lynn Kleina
does not think Doug has written any checks, so the report is probably the
same as before.
It was noted that GAG still
needs to pay Ed & Kim Kehs for the past 3 years of Grotto Picnics. Decided
$50 was fair reimbursement in lieu of receipts. Motion to pay $150 as
reimbursement for past 3 years, seconded and passed.
Newsletter: Editor George Jaegers needs
articles for next newsletter, submissions must be made by October 7th.
Membership: Membership Chair Vince Kappler
reported receiving several inquiries since OTR. Currently we have 56 members
and 4 exchanges. Dues are still $6 per year, paid on a calendar year basis.
Correspondence: Spiritual Leader Dean Snyder
reported receiving a new MAR Breakdown and various newsletters.
Old Business
None
New Business
GAG 25th Anniversary Celebration:
Pat R. asked George J. how we were doing on collecting photos for the
Anniversary CD. George has received 3-4 dozen photos, but still needs more.
He is looking for any GAG related pictures, especially of the earlier days.
Photos must be submitted within the next few weeks. George will bring
computer & project to play slideshow of CD photos in some area of the room
during the evening. Slideshow will be on autoplay.
Vince reported GAG has had a
total of 279 members and we have current addresses for approximately 175.
The cost of the dinner was
discussed, including postage, soda, dinner, appetizers and paying for the
guest speaker and a guest. Rough estimates per person were prepared based
upon the 30 person minimum required by Carmines. Original estimate during
the meeting was $28.80 per person. **Note that the
figures below were revised by the secretary during typing of the minutes to
reflect better math.
Cost Per Person Description
$2.50 Postage ($75/30)
$1.00 Soda & Ice ($30/30)
$17.64 Base cost for Dinner ($14.95 + 18% gratis)
$6.08 Appetizers ($5.15 + 18% gratis)
$1.67 Payment for Guest Speaker ($50/30)
$0.83 Dinner for Speaker & Guest ($24.72/30)
Total:$29.72 per Person
The price was set at $30.00 per
person after some discussion. Summary of action items included:
*
Vince K. will prepare and mail invitations this week.
*
RSVP will be sent to Secretary Mike Spencer
*
Checks will be payable to Greater Allentown Grotto and included with RSVP.
*
RSVP Deadline will be October 15th
*
Soda will be provided by GAG
*
Adult beverages will be BYOB
*
Appetizers start at 5:00 PM, Dinner at 6:00 PM
*
Pat R. will call Kevin Patrick about the program and providing books to buy
& sign.
GAG Website Moved: Webmaster
Mike S. announced that the grotto website has moved to a new add free home
at: GAG.caves.org Mike S. volunteered to pay the fee. Motion made
by Lynn K. for the Grotto to pay yearly fee (approx. $22) seconded and
passed. Mike reminded everyone that they can send in items for the
calendar.
Unofficial GAG Camping Trip: Stephanie
& Mike S. have reserved has reserved two wooded, creek side, camping sites
at Stony Fork Campground in Tioga County, PA. There is plenty of room for
many tents, and adjacent sites can bee added if many people want to come.
This should be a peak Fall weekend for the trees and nearby hiking in the PA
Grand Canyon, canoeing, and horseback riding should ensure that there is
more than enough to do. The creek adjacent to the campsite also has some
great easy to find fossils. Contact Mike Spencer if you are interested in
going.
Lost River Caverns Cleanup: Dean
S. reminded everyone that first cleanup of the season is Saturday,
Oct. 8th. We will meet at the cave at 5:30 PM. Bring a scrub brush (long
handled brushes work best), a bucket, and a helmet with light source. Also,
a pair of old gloves may be helpful. Contact Dean Snyder for more details.
GAG President's Day Weekend at Butler Cave: Pat
R. received an email from Art P. asking if we were going to Thorn Springs
over President's Day weekend again. After a brief discussion, it was
decided that we would no go to Thorn Springs, but go to
Butler Cave in Bath County, VA, instead. Ed Kehs will be the Butler
member present for the weekend. Field house space should be available for up
to 20 people, but camping is available for overflow. The field house has a
wood stove for heat.
Planned cave
trips during the weekend included Butler Cave & Marshall's Cave.
Elections at November Meeting: GAG
elections for the Board of Directors will be held at the November 20th
meeting. Lynn K. nominated the current board of directors and was seconded
by Kim K.
Minutes in Newsletter: Mike
S. mentioned it might be a good idea to start printing the meeting minutes
in the PackRat for the benefit of those who miss the meetings. Idea was well
accepted and Mike S. made a motion that typing the minutes and providing
them to the Editor be made a part of the Secretary's regular duties. Lynn
K. seconded and the motion passed with all in favor.
Trip Reports
Omega Cave: Ed Kehs
Sr. gave a report on his recent trip to Omega Cave in SW Virginia, near the
town of Norton. They mapped about 1 mile of passage. Omega is the deepest
cave this side of the Mississippi River. Ed noted lots of vertically
fractured rock on the trip. Overall it was very physically challenging,
without many formations.
Frazer Cave: Ed
also mentioned he was in 10-15 feet of new passage in Frazer Cave at their
Berks County house due to the low water conditions.
NRO: Vince
K. gave a brief report of his past weekend at NRO. He visited lots of
interesting marble quarries.
Spotted Fever Case: George
J. reported a Jersey caver caught Rocky Mountain Spotted fever at OTR.
NSS Convention: Ed Kehs
Jr. reported his work with the JSS at convention. He had a 3-1/2 year old in
a horizontal cave and a 7 and 9 yr. old repelled in and climbed out a 190 ft
pit by themselves.
New Trips
Commander Cody Fall Get Together:
George J. invited everyone to Commander Cody's Fall event on October 14-16.
They are going to the Snedegars entrance to Friars Hole.
Onyx & Frazer Digs: Ed K.
Sr. invited everyone to come join him on on-going digs in both caves. Call
Ed to arrange times.
Undisclosed Cave Dig: Mike
S. mentioned a local landowner has given us permission to start digging in
their cave. Potential dig is located right at the entrance inside the
cave. Contact
Mike Spencer
for details & scheduling if interested.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:34 PM
Program: Dean S. showed old video titled
Cave Dwellers of the Old Stone Age
Next Month's Program: George J. will show his video "Cave
Signs" presenting different and interesting commercial cave signs through
out the country.
Respectively Submitted,
J. Michael Spencer
Secretary, GAG Inc.
NSS 48165
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Last Updated:
21 June 2006
Greater
Allentown Grotto
Post Office Box 373
Neffs, PA 18065-0373
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1999-2003 GAG, Inc.
