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Board of Directors Meeting
Bedford, PA October 23, 2004 The meeting was called to order at 11:10 a.m. with Second Vice President Paul Nevin presiding. A quorum was present. (Attendance attached) The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted as distributed and corrected on a motion by Kenneth Burkett and seconded by Verna Cowin. The treasurer offered a written and verbal report outlining the membership decline and the financial consequents thereof. The Society is solvent—report attached. Membership decline is presented as follows: Year 2001 Membership 546 2002 534 2003 457 2004 422 Discussion summary—timely publications, and membership recruitment need to occur. Membership strategies should be handled statewide and at the chapter level using publicity, Archaeology Month, and education as a basis. Elmer Erb Trustees Report—The committee is still in reorganization. Business is being conducted by conference calls with the most recent transaction being the reinvestment of a certificate of deposit at a 2.96% rate for eleven months. A meeting is planned for the first of next year and a report will be presented at Annual Meeting in 2005. Old Business Financial reports on the Elmer Erb Fund, the James Luhman Fund and grant expenditures were outlined in the treasurer’s report. Paul Raber who is handling the grant applications and reporting is absent due to illness. An email report indicates that the process is on schedule. A full report will follow at the next Board of Directors meeting. The board would like to thank Brian Fritz for the single-handed effort put forth on the National Register project portion of the PHMC grant. Pennsylvania Archaeologist—Editor Bill Tippins reports that Volume 74 (1) is at the printer. It is the Drew Phase Issue. Volume 74 (2) has an anticipated January 2005 release with Volume 75 (1) expected in late spring 2005. This will put the journal back on schedule. Manuscripts may be submitted to the editor according to the guidelines found at the SPA website and published in the journal. A content discussion concerning inclusion of photos of burials (Vs. line drawings, etc.) was left to the discretion of the editor. All inquiries or content concerns should be addressed to the editor. A possible issue or special publication of the Sony Site Report by Christine Davis was also discussed. There are some funds available for publications but funding from an ESAF grant program may be pursued for this purpose. The board would like to see the manuscript developed before making the decision on funding possibilities. The mailing process for the journal was discussed due to the illness of Ken Fischer’s wife. If Ken needs help or needs relieved of this job, Allegheny Chapter will take over. It would be beneficial for others to learn the procedure for bulk mailing for the future. Archaeology Month—The mailing was late again this year. Both PAC and SPA are disturbed by this recurring problem. It was suggested that the SPA write a letter of concern to PAC education committee and that the Archaeology Month committee be reinstated for planning. A paid mailing service should be used and the budget for Archaeology Month should be planned to pay for the mailing. The Archaeology Month Calendar was mailed to SPA members via the SPA Newsletter. Susquehanna Riverlands Preservation Project—Paul Nevin reported that the project is moving forward slowly. A survey will be done. Paul will keep us informed as it progresses. Project Archaeology—Brian Fritz reports via email that he has had no response from his inquiry. If the response comes, we hope to provide a link from our website. Lost Site 36WH1291—Brian Fritz has attempted get answers from the agencies involved without much cooperation. A new contact has been found. Perhaps a recurrence can be prevented if a procedure can be put in place requiring all agencies to contact BHP whether or not a permit is required. Annual Meeting Hosts—John Shrader Chapter 21 is hosting the 76th Annual Meeting in Morgantown, PA, April 23-25, 2005. If anyone would like to volunteer to help with arrangements or on site, contact Catherine Spohn. Allegheny Chapter 1 at a location to be announced will host the 2006 meeting. Hosts are needed for 2007 and beyond. To volunteer your chapter to host a meeting, contact Mary Alice Graetzer. New Business Frankford Museum Society—A petition to form a new chapter of the Society was received from Gary Yanone and Jeff Kotmyer who are working on a site in Cumberland County. A group from the SPA toured the site on a fact-finding mission. The group included: Paul Raber, Rick Geidel, Philip Perazio and Paul Nevin. A report was circulated to the board via email. The board has decided to deny the petition for establishing a new chapter on a motion by Bill Tippins, seconded by Kenneth Burkett. PASSED The following points of discussion should be included in the letter or denial and any subsequent correspondence: · Petition does not meet signature requirements of ten members in good standing · Lack of credible artifacts to support prehistoric site · Presence of an existing, active chapter of the SPA nearby · Museum displays misrepresent scientific or factual evidence · Focus should be on the legitimate historic site · BHP needs to clarify the site recording criteria, i.e. site status on historical data not prehistoric artifacts · Inform supporting organizations of our decision with a copy to all parties, i.e. Cumberland Valley chapter and all township or county groups.The board is in agreement with the President and his committee’s assessment of the site. The president should move forward with his report to the Frankford Museum Society. The Board recommends that this is accomplished in two parts, 1) a denial of the petition for establishing a new chapter of the Society; 2) an expression of concern for the group’s misrepresentation of the site without validation. The board would like to thank the inspection group for undertaking this difficult task. Publicity Committee—Bill Tippins reports that the committee has met with the following recommendations to be passed on to the board and chapters. · Positive news stories or articles on activities are the best promotion for the public. · Increase communication with local newspapers, the Pennsylvania Archaeologist, the SPA Newsletter, the SPA websites to bring better public awareness · Use the local educational systems, adult or youth to increase awareness of the SPA, its chapters and its purpose.Discussion involved the public relations packet developed at the 2003 Annual Meeting at the membership workshop. All chapters should have this information in their possession. If a copy is needed, contact Mary Alice Graetzer or Ginger Dlutowski, workshop coordinators. The packet gives detailed information on promoting events and chapter activities to increase membership. There is a need to develop an informational item such as a bookmark or pamphlet to be used for promotion. The Discover and Preserve brochure is being using for this purpose as well. To obtain the brochure, contact Steve Warfel or Judy Duritsa. The new membership forms can be used for this purpose also. Education Plan—Bill Tippins was in contact with Tony Boldurian at Pitt at Greensburg to discuss the possibility of developing and educational plan to promote archaeology in the schools. No outline of the plan was available. Dr. Boldurian is not a member of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology. It was noted that PAC has an educational committee for this purpose as well as SAA and other resources. Discussion of the topic was inclined toward reinstating the SPA’s Education Committee. The committee could also be the Archaeology Month representatives who would be responsible to meet with the other organizations education committees to better the Archaeology Month process. Further discussion on the topic should come after the present Archaeology Month issues are resolved. Nominating Committee—A committee needs to be appointed to find nominations to fill the regular slate of officers to be elected in 2005. The probable ballot at this point would be as follows President Amanda Valko First Vice President Paul Nevin Second Vice President Vacant Secretary Judy Duritsa Treasurer Paul Cowin 2 Directors Kenneth Burkett (possible) Vacant The Elmer Erb Trustees will be assessed to determine if they have a full committee. The President may appoint a replacement if necessary. Discussion for the Good of the Society Noel Strattan reports that she is responsible for the GIS system at BHP and all site forms. The maps and watersheds are available. No collector information is anywhere. William Engelbrecht from the New York State Archaeological Society contacted the secretary about including in the SPA Newsletter an announcement of the availability of the NYSAA Bulletin issues 1-118 on CD-ROM. Look for the ordering information in the Winter 04-05 edition. SPA Archives materials will be sent to the repository at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Minutes and records as well as Treasurer’s records will be delivered to IUP as soon as arrangements can be made. Our contact at IUP is Phillip Zorich in Library and Media Resources, phone 724-357-3039. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Judy M. Duritsa Secretary, SPA
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