|
76th Annual Meeting Morgantown, PA April 23, 2005 The 76th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology was called to order at 8:05 a.m. with President Paul Raber presiding. The Roll Call showed a quorum of officers and directors. The following chapters were represented: Allegheny, Forks of the Delaware, John Shrader, Ohio Valley, Westmoreland, Bald Eagle, Cumberland Valley, Conejohela, and North Fork. The minutes of the 2004 Annual Meeting were accepted as distributed on a motion by Ed Dlutowski, seconded by Ken Burkett, PASSED. Treasurer’s report and budget from the Board of Directors meeting was presented to the membership. The Elmer Erb Permanent Fund’s inactivity was explained to the membership by the new chairperson, Kurt Carr. Due to illness and the death of a member of the Trustees, reorganization and re-documentation was necessary. A resolution from the Society’s officers will authorize the access of the new Trustees to the accounts of the Permanent Fund. When all transfers are complete the new Trustees will assess the investments and obligations of the Fund and report back to the Society. Committee Reports: Annual Meeting—Mary Alice Graetzer thanked the John Shrader Chapter for hosting the 2005 Annual Meeting. Allegheny Chapter will host the 2006 meeting in the Washington, PA area. Details will follow in the Fall SPA Newsletter along with the Call for Papers. Other chapters need to come forward to host future meetings. Chapters should explore the possibility of co-hosting or sharing duties with larger chapters to make sure everyone takes a turn at hosting an Annual Meeting. Guidelines are available from Mary Alice. Archaeology Month—problems persist with the mailing procedure and timeline for the Archaeology Month packets. Chapters are asked to plan their events and send calendar information to Philip and Valerie Perazio before June 30. The committee members from PAC and SPA will schedule a meeting to help facilitate the planning and hopefully, solve some of the outstanding, persistent problems. A budget will be discussed to pay for using a mailing service to distribute the Archaeology Month packets. Note: the current SPA Archaeology Month Committee members are: Ed Dlutowski, Jim Herbstritt, Amanda Valko-Fritz, and Brian Fritz. Mark McConaughy has been our communications contact with PAC on this project. Awards Committee—Ed Dlutowski reported for Ginger that the awards were ready for presentation at the banquet. However, there were a number of categories that received no nominations. The forms were mailed and published in the SPA Newsletter with little response. Everyone is asked to consider appropriate nominations for the 2006 awards. ESAF Representative—Amanda Valko-Fritz reported on the 2004 ESAF Meeting in Canada. The 2005 meeting is scheduled for November 10-13 in Williamsburg, VA. Information, Call for Papers and registration forms will be available on the ESAF website accessible through the SPA site. Jacob L. Grimm C-14 Award—will be announced at the Banquet (Note: Award went to Bob Oshnock, Westmoreland Chapter for the Consol Site.) PAC Representative—was not present. Other PAC members reported that PAC is embroiled in the same concerns as our Society in regard to the changes in the Commonwealth’s position on archaeological sites. Lost sites and inadequate investigations are the major concern for the archaeological community is Pennsylvania. Members and chapters are urged to contact their legislators and the PHMC. Publications—Bill Tippins reports that he plans to have the journal back on schedule at the end of this year. Manuscripts are needed. Publication guidelines are published in the journal and can be found on the SPA website. Site Survey—Noel Strattan presented the 2004 report. A copy is on file with the Secretary. There were 334 new sites but the overall totals were decreased due to corrected reports and elimination of duplicates. The importance of site recording was emphasized although we know that recording a site is not a guaranteed protection of that site. Recorded sites can be important demographics to be used by local government for planning and zoning decisions. Collections and Curation Committee—a new supply of brochures are available in the bookroom for members and chapters to use for promotional and informational handouts. Please refer any inquiries about collections, curation of artifacts and possible donations to Stephen Warfel at The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Chapter Reports: All active chapters have responded with their annual report. A summary will be published in the Fall SPA Newsletter. A motion was requested to ratify the actions of the Board of Directors of the Society for the past year. The motion was entered by Amanda Valko-Fritz, seconded by Ed Dlutowski, PASSED. Election of Officers: Ballot: Amanda Valko-Fritz President Paul Nevin 1st Vice President Andrew Myers 2nd Vice President Paul Cowin Treasurer Judy Duritsa Secretary Board of Directors for a six-year term Kenneth Burkett Robert Oshnock A motion to close the ballot was made by Ed Dlutowski, seconded by Mary Miles, PASSED. A motion to have the Secretary cast the ballot as presented was made by Ed Dlutowski, seconded by Noel Strattan, PASSED Discussion and Announcements for the good of the Society It was suggested that a questionnaire be compiled to poll the Society’s membership opinions on issues facing the Society. It would be a way to direct the Society according to the wishes of our widespread membership. Perhaps this could be done through the SPA Newsletter or the website. Further discussion of questions and issues to be presented to the membership will occur at the next Board of Directors meeting. The destruction of archaeological sites in the state using the example of the fight for the Bryd Leibhart site and the changing position of the Commonwealth was discussed. Points of discussion: · Many entities are involved in planning and development in Pennsylvania i.e. township supervisors, landowners, preservationists, regulators, etc. · The ideal objective would be to have the townships and planners educated in the value of archaeological resources to their future. · Archaeological resources need to be recognized. The sites need to become part of the “official map” for the townships. · Tourism, education, conservation and preservation goals need to be part of their planning process.It is the duty of the Society, its chapters and members to work toward this recognition. There will be continued discussion of this topic in the future. Deceased Members for 2004-05 were acknowledged: Robert LaBar, Frances B. King, Emil Alam, Ronald A. Thomas, Don Bergmark, Rain Vehik There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Judy M. Duritsa Secretary, SPA
|