Update January 4, 2004

Treasury:

Bank - $1,724.60, Petty Cash - $96.00, Total - $1,820.60.

1. Paid monthly phone bill.

2. Made $300 for land payment to Keith Richards.


Observatory Director:

1. Cut down a tree to the north of hill that was blocking Polaris from the new observatory.

2. The Meade 12" declination motor got burned out, so this telescope is out of order. Should be back up running in a week or so.

3. Question was raised about the policy of borrowing the club telescopes. The answer basically was any club member can borrow a telescope, but a couple of these scopes are very big and are not very easy to move. Probably the only practical one that can be borrowed is the 10" Orion Dobsonian.


Director of Observations:

For Bob’s complete observations report please visit the Monthly Sky Calendar on our website.

Due to clouds, not much viewing was done. The main target for those managing to get some viewing in was Saturn.

Editor:

The newest issue of The Valley Skywatcher was mailed out recently.

All members of CVAS and the OTAA are encouraged to contribute ideas, articles, images and observation reports for possible inclusion in future issues of this monthly update and in the quarterly editions of The Valley SkyWatcher.
 

Old Business:

1. Steve Fishman, Larry Boros, and Dan Galdun who had volunteered to teach a group of girls at Mayfield Middle School on the basics of Astronomy in preparation for a competition to be held at Cleveland State on February 28th.  First training class is scheduled for January 8th.

2. Light Pollution - John Gorka had nothing new to report on.

3. Grants - Had another discussion on obtaining grants. The main topic was what to use a grant for. Some ideas were: Getting our own electrical hookup, running water with flush toilets, automating the new 12" Meade remotely, and getting a solar telescope. Larry Boros is to head up a committee to come up with a list of items that we want to go for.

New Business:

1. Went over calendar - The only new date that was set was for March 19th or 20th for a Messier Marathon at the hill.

2.  The next meeting on February 1 at Pen Glen will be in the main building, not the Wildlife Center that we used for the Nov-Jan meetings.

Visitors:

Had 4 visitors who were checking out the club. One joined the club (a teacher from the Hershey Montessori Farm School of Huntsburg) and the 3 others were a family from Madsion were wanted to learn more about the sky. Suggested they come back in the spring when the weather is better and we start doing star parties and having viewing sessions at Indian Hill after the meetings there.