Minutes – 1/28/08 Board Mtg.
Sharon Hall / Penn State Shenango Campus / Sharon, Pa

• Meeting Room – Room #108 was locked so we found another room to meet in.  Aaron will check with the school to find out what happened.

• Banquet Sub-Committee – Aaron reported that the sub-committee has not met yet but a date will be scheduled.  They will discuss various new ideas to get more people at the banquet.

• The minutes were approved as written.

• Budget - Jeff reviewed his budget report ending December 31^st.
• Chapter credit card  - Jeff reviewed the specifics of a business account credit card / ATM card that would serve the chapter well.  He will open the account from the same bank that does our checking account; and a card will be available for Jeff, Nick and Aaron.
• Membership Credit from National TU – Jeff asked for approval to have TU National do an electronic funds transfer into our account.  The funds result from new chapter 216 memberships; we get credit for recruiting new members; the board approved.
• Chapter Memorial Fund – It was decided to place the donated funds in honor of Chapter member Stanley Wojtowiatcz into the Coolspring Fund; that way they will be used for Stream Improvements.
• Mercer County Federation of Sportsman Membership – Pete Anthony discussed the question with our WCO Jeff Giardina who was originally contacted by the MCFS club.  The cost of the membership varies from three to four hundred dollars depending on how many active members we have.  Aaron will contact MCFS to arrange for a representative to attend a future meeting and explain the cost of membership.

A. Watershed Coordinator – Jeff Kremis/Jim Mondok

• Springfield Gulch Surface Mining – Report expected at our next meeting.
• Spring Workday – The date is set for March 29^th at Cool Spring Creek (rainout date is April 26^th).  We will do some stream repairs plus conduct an Adopt-A-Highway cleanup if enough members show up.

B. Nursery – Pete Anthony

• Spring Stocking Schedule – Pete reported that 2000 Browns and 25 Golden Rainbow Trout would be ordered from the Fish Commission for rearing next year. Approximately 1400 trout remain in the nursery to be stocked this spring in Little Neshannock, Wolf Creek, Neshannock NDH, Coolspring NDH, Deer Creek, Little Sandy, Neshannock DHALO, and Coolspring DHALO.  The dates for the stockings are early April until the middle of May.
• Chuck Rohr – Our oldest TU Chapter Member – Pete visited with Chuck and his wife recently.  Chuck is kind of worried that his wife is not doing well.  His son Doug, another long time chapter member, was visiting with them also.  Pete invited Doug to become active with the chapter again.
• Bottles & Cans Collection – Bob Hetz of 3CU is asking the local area chapters to donate bottles and cans to his Steelhead feed fund.  Pete will find out more about it and propose a way that our chapter could help with Bob’s efforts.

C. Reverse Raffle – Tom and Carole Jochman

• Carol gave Nick Loprire a list of prizes that were left over from the Reverse Raffle when it was canceled.  Nick said that many of them would be used at our April Banquet.  Carol will submit a list of the prices she paid for those items at the next meeting.

D. Banquet / Newsletter - Nick Loprire

• April 5, 2008 Banquet – The banquet this year will be held at The Shenango Valley Civic Center in down town Sharon, Pa.  The format for this year’s event will be similar to last year’s with some new wrinkles.  Nick asked the board members to come up with new ideas to advertise and promote the banquet.
• Sub-Committee - The sub-committee comprised of Nick Loprire, Tom & Carol Jochman, Aaron Monroe, Bob Shuey, and Dick & Bonnie Rickert will meet in February.
   
  Members of the board suggested several ideas for them to discuss at the meeting:
   
• 1. Carol Jochman said we should post a list of prizes on our chapter website
  2. Pete Anthony suggested we sell tables to groups of businessman or clubs such as the Lions Club or Kiwanis.  Pete said he would talk to Ben Bisset in Mercer about a table for the Mercer area auto dealers.  Tom and Carol Jochman volunteered to develop a “Table Proposal”.
  3. Nick suggested we visit local clubs such as Lions, Kiwanis, and sportsman’s clubs such as the Grove City Sportsman’s Club, MCFS etc. and give a talk to stimulate interest so that they will attend our banquet.
  4. Bob Shuey suggested we have more prizes at our “ Verbal Auction”.  Bob could bring prizes from his Fly Shop on consignment, and take them back if they do not sell.  That way, our banquet guests would get a look at many more items.
  5. Dick Natoli suggested we sell “Rip-off Tickets” to generate interest during the banquet.  We could buy a package of 500 for example.  We would need to sell all 500 tickets to ensure we make a profit.  Carol Jochman will check on the different ticket packages available at Nannicola Wholesale in Warren, Ohio.
  6. Hold a raffle for the footballs from Ohio State (Jim Tressel’s signature) and from Penn State (Joe Paterno’s signature).  We could sell tickets for $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00, which is what Hubbard Environmental’s group is now doing.
  7. Carol Jochman suggested a weekend getaway package for the Feathered Hook Bed & Breakfast in Colburn, Pa.  She will call for a price.
  8. Possible items for the Giant Bucket Raffle:
  • 3 pc Luggage set
  • Pop-up tent & 2 chairs from Ohio State
  • Propane Gas Grille
  • Penn State Memorabilia

E. Membership – Tom Jochman (Tom was absent)

• Members on Roster - Tom reported that we have 207 members at the present time.  He also said that he would update the board member listing to include Reg McClelland.
• Election of Officers – Aaron questioned the need for a formal vote to re-elect board members.  The group discussed different ways to elect them.

F. Youth Coordinator – Dick Rickert

• 2008 Wolf Creek Fishing Derby – Dick chose April 19^th for this event and most of the planning is complete.  The board discussed different ways to save money on the derby cost, and Pete Anthony suggested using 200 Trout from our Munnell Run Nursery and eliminating the purchased trout from Ed Covert in New Castle.  Dick said if we did that, we could save approximately $300 of the cost of the derby.  Everyone agreed this was a great suggestion, and Dick will implement it.

• Nothing discussed

• Nothing discussed