|
|
Board Members present: Al Miller, Rand Hoffman, Doug Sakal, Craig Campbell, Ron Woelfel, Dianne Thomson.
Others present: Steve Pruess, Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
The minutes of December 7, 2010, board meeting were approved.
Al introduced new board members and talked about club's goals and purpose.
Treasurer's Report: Bank balance as of January 1, 2011, was $6,423.75. December financial activities included $275 dues receipts and a $5 refund. The checkbook balance includes $15 petty cash, for a total on hand of $6,438.75. Paid membership was reported as 157 at the end of 2010, compared to 178 at the end of 2009. Books need to be audited prior to turning them over to the new Treasurer, Craig Campbell. Al will ask John Hockemeier to audit the books again this year. New signatures are needed at the bank, reflecting the new Board. The 2011 Secretary will work with the Treasurer to finalize arrangements with the bank.
Education Report: Steve reported that January classes are underway and planning for classes proposed for February are in progress and will be finalized soon.
New Board and Committee Assignments: The board consists of four officers (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer) and two at-large positions. Craig Campbell will act as Treasurer for 2011, and Rand Hoffman will fill the Secretary position. Al Miller will continue as President, and Ron Woelfel as Vice President. At large member Dianne Thomson will continue to handle publicity, and Doug Sakal was given responsibility for Education and Program planning.
January Program: Merlin will not be available to present the Smart Computing program; Al will handle it.
February Program: The date was changed to February 14th, 2011, to accommodate the presenter's schedule. A joint meeting of the Computer Club and Photography Club, it will be held in the Fine Arts room, as usual.
Robson financial support: Ron Darrah needs receipts for computers and monitors purchased during 2010 before issuing any reimbursements. Dirk will do the work to gather receipts together.
New Projector: Merlin presented details on three choices for a new projector for the Club. The Board settled on one solution. Because the amount to be expended exceeds $1,000, members must approve the purchase. The Board will present the recommendation to the general membership at the January 17th meeting for a vote.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, outgoing Secretary
Board Members present: Al Miller, Rand Hoffman, Doug Sakal, Craig Campbell, Ron Woelfel, Dianne Thomson.
Others present: Steve Pruess.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
The minutes of the January 4, 2010, board meeting were approved.
Treasurer's Report: Bank balance as of February 1, 2011, was $6,949. January financial activities included $340 dues receipts and $64 expended on miscellaneous items. Payment is yet to be made for the new projector and screen. Paid membership was reported as 134 at the end of January 2011, compared to 65 at the end of January 2010. Al noted that John Hockemeier had submitted a letter stating that the audit was complete and the books were in order.
Education/Programs Report: Doug is getting up to speed on current class offerings. He would like to pursue the idea of a wiki for QC problem solving and would like to meet with the instructors. Monthly programs are set through this coming May.
Publicity: Dianne reported that testing is underway for the new QC calendar tool. The software seems powerful, yet is also complicated. Ease of use is still to be determined. Initial (alpha) testing will run through February. Up to 20 more clubs will join the testing in March. April is the target for going live.
The Arts and Technology open house was well received. Six membership applications were handed out. Small 'A' frame signs were used and were very effective. The club could use a couple of this type of sign for open labs and meetings.
Discover Quail Creek is scheduled for Saturday, March 12th from 10 to 4. Dianne will coordinate our staffing for a clubhouse table and the lab.
Old Business: The new projector and screen are now installed. It was suggested that the club may want to keep a spare bulb on hand. The lab router failed recently and Merlin installed a new router. It appears that casual guest access for web use is not as straightforward as in the past. This needs to be simplified.
New Business: Al announced that future board meetings would be held in the Gold Room of the clubhouse. This will provide a more business-like setting for the meeting. Steve asked that the club purchase a three pack of Windows 7 Home Premium licenses. It was moved and seconded to spend $125 plus shipping if needed, for the Windows 7 Home Premium three packs. Motion approved.
Al reported that there had been requests for additional Windows 7 classes in the evenings. Merlin will do the classes.
Dianne reported that the Quail Crossing feature, 'News You Can Use', is a good way to gain visibility for the club, especially over the summer months. Articles are due by the 26th of the month. Dianne encouraged all to send her articles or ideas for articles.
Lab keys were discussed as not all officers have a key. Al will check if keys are out that can be returned and follow up with the office for an additional key or two.
Al reported on his meeting with Photography club officers regarding some sort of joint venture/special interest group/collaboration between the two clubs. After some discussion, it was recommended that the Photography club board meet with the QCCC board and present their ideas/proposals.
Projector Cart: Dianne suggested the club acquire a cart for the projector.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:34 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Rand Hoffman, Secretary
Board Members present: Al Miller, Rand Hoffman, Doug Sakal, Craig Campbell, Ron Woelfel, Dianne Thomson.
Other QCCC Members present: Steve Pruess, Merlin Anderson.
Photography Club visitors present: John Strandquist, Bob Aagaard, Nancy Lammers, Carol de Rivera, Gary Friedman, and John Hockemeier.
Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
Photography Club: The Photography Club presented the idea of merging the Photography Club with the Computer Club. Those from the Photography Club felt that a merger of the clubs was preferable to becoming a SIG (significant interest group) within the Computer Club. The Photography Club has approximately 38 members and about $958 in their treasury, having been collecting dues for one year. After some discussion it was agreed to form a working committee with representatives from both clubs. The respective clubs will develop questions/objectives for their representatives to take to the working committee. The goal will be for the clubs to either effect some form of merger or decline a merger not later than January 1, 2012.
Club Merger Discussion: Al asked that the QCCC board members submit questions/input for the working committee by Friday, March 4.
Minutes of February 1, 2011, board meeting were approved.
Treasurer's Report: Bank balance as of March 1, 2011, was $6,633. January financial activities included $270 dues receipts. Paid membership is 150, with 16 joining in February.
Education/Programs Report: Monthly programs are set through this coming May. Topics will be: March-Home Media Streaming, April-Facebook/Social Networks, and May-Gizmos & Gadgets.
Old Business: Discover Quail Creek is scheduled for Saturday, March 12th from 10 to 4.
New Business: Upgrading lab software and hardware was discussed. It was felt the club should have Microsoft Office 2010 on some machines. Al asked that the club consider upgrading monitors to the wide screen flat panels and replacing the old XP machines. Steve will get prices. A motion will be presented at the next business meeting.
Club member Jerry Ashman donated a slide holder for the scanner and offered to share an application for managing personal medical and legacy information. Resident Richard Jackson contacted Al, expressing interest in joining the club and in teaching.
Merlin asked that the club look into a projector cart. Dianne will get prices.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:59 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Rand Hoffman, Secretary
Board members present: Al Miller, Craig Campbell, Ron Woelfel, Doug Sakal, Dianne Thomson. Absent: Rand Hoffman
Others present: Merlin Anderson, Phil Opdenbrouw.
Call to order: 7:10PM.
Treasurer's report: We have 4 new members, for a total of 159. $6,719.16 is our bank balance, with $15 in petty cash, for a total of $6,734.16. We received $70 in dues payments. We have 159 members as of 5-5; at the end of 2010 we had 157 members. Merlin submitted a bill for $112; payment was approved by the board.
Report on Beginner Q&A: Scheduled for the first working day of each month, we had good turnout for several, and at times four instructors were kept busy for the entire two-hour schedule. No one showed up for April, so we canceled the May Q&A. Asking whether we might change the name of the session to be something more inclusive, we considered "Help Desk/Beginner Q&A." In September, we can announce it that way and see if it makes a difference.
New Business: Finishing upgrading the lab hardware and software. We should replace or eliminate Gateways. They may no longer be needed. That would create empty work stations on the lab's tables, which Merlin suggests would be very useful since so many students now bring their own laptops to class. Merlin suggests we retain the old laser printer for backup. We should replace all old monitors with the new HD wide-screen monitors like our newer models. Doug suggests we consider upgrading the lab for better handicap access for visually impaired people, arthritics, etc. We need to put together a list of upgrades with their prices so we can consider asking for budget assistance in the next budget period.
As for software updates, we need to conduct a mini-survey so we have good information on what Office Suite software our members are using - e.g., MS 2007, 2010. We should also consider offering classes on Open Office. Al and Phil said they would work together to create OpenOffice classes.
Dianne wanted the board to consider a "community assistance" program where we could offer help to other QC clubs with computer-related matters such as helping design brochures, create sortable-searchable membership lists based on spreadsheets, etc. We will consider the idea again in the fall.
Phil reported that he had created an Excel macro program to automate updating the Computer Club web site calendar. He also met with Gil Lusk to see if it would be possible to update the new CalendarWiz program using the same information. Gil said he would check on the possibility but was not optimistic.
The Computer Club needs to continue to seek ways of incorporating Apple products into our repertoire of supported products.
Al will not be in Quail Creek for next board meeting, so the meeting will be held in the Computer Lab, not the Gold Room, via Skype. Ron will also be absent, so meeting will be conducted by Dianne.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30PM.
Respectfully submitted by Rand Hoffman, Secretary
Board members present: Al Miller (via Skype), Craig Campbell, Ron Woelfel,
Doug Sakal, Dianne Thomson, Rand Hoffman.
Others present: Steve Pruess, Judy Thut.
Call to order: 7:05 PM
Minutes: Board minutes of April 5, 2011 were approved.
Treasurer's report: Our beginning bank balance was $6,682.91. $42.30 was paid in expenses. Our current bank balance, plus $15 in petty cash, gives us a total of $6,655.61.
Education: Steve reported that of the last 4 classes offered only one has been presented due to insufficient signups. One of the 3 canceled had been requested at the last general meeting. The final class of the month currently has 4 signed up.
Programs/Publicity: Dianne located a resident with an iPad and good Apple experience to be the presenter for the May meeting on Gizmos and Gadgets. Dianne will continue to provide articles to the Quail Crossing for the summer issues.
Programs: Doug is still working on fall program topics. Free software will be one of the programs.
Old Business: Computer Club-Photo Club Merger. Dianne made a motion to end further discussions with the Photo Club regarding merging the clubs given that the QCCC board is in agreement that combining the clubs is not in the best interest of QCCC and its members. Motion carried.
New Business:
POA request for QCCC Requirements for a Room in a New Arts & Technology Building
The board discussed the club's requirements and agreed that a new room would have the
same purpose as the current room - that being a teaching facility/classroom for the presentation
of computer-related classes. Classes would be the most frequent use of the room followed by use
as a technology lab where members and residents can use the computers and other equipment and
receive assistance. Several members will meet with Gil Lusk to communicate the club's
requirements.
Upgrades to the Computer Lab
Several suggestions for Lab upgrades were reviewed. These included a 2TB external hard
drive for computer backups, 3 additional wide screen monitors, a Mac computer & software (also
1 or more iPads), Microsoft Office 2010 upgrades for lab PCs, 4 folding tables and wire management
items. The board agreed to defer the Mac/iPad additions to September board meeting. It was
noted that Robson will pay for tables. It was moved and seconded to spend up to $650 for a 2TB
drive and Office 2010 upgrades. Motion carried.
It was moved and seconded to spend up to $200 for a projector stand. Motion carried. It
was noted that this purchase could be deferred pending timeline information on a new facility.
Meeting adjourned at 7:25 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Rand Hoffman, Secretary
Board members present: Al Miller (via Skype), Craig Campbell, Ron Woelfel, Doug Sakal, Dianne Thomson, Rand Hoffman.
Call to order: 4:55 PM
Treasurer's report: Our bank balance was $6,640.61 in May. $344.97 was expended for MS Office 2010 software which was installed over the summer. Our current bank balance is $6,295. We have 163 members.
Education: Doug reported that he and Steve had met a few weeks ago. Classes were started in September with 3 classes offered. Nine classes are on the calendar for October.
Programs: Doug reported that future program topics include: Email Alternatives, Easy Hardware Changes, Security, Recognizing the Club's 10th Anniversary, Recycling Electronics and Free Software (from May Board Mtg.) Ron and Dianne will assemble information for the recycling program.
Old Business: Lab upgrades were discussed, including the need for a Mac desktop and one or more tablet devices. It was moved and seconded that we plan for, select and make a decision to purchase a Mac, an iPad and a tablet. Motion carried.
Open approvals from last May are:
To spend up to $650 for a 2TB drive & Office 2010 upgrades. [$305.03 remain for the Drive]
To spend up to $200 for a projector stand.
New Business:
Calendar Wiz was discussed along with the need for the Club's activities to be visible & posted.
Craig Campbell agreed to post the Club meetings, classes, etc.
Question: Does the Club have a slot in the Club House? There should be more room as athletic related activities have moved to the new Anza Athletic Club. Al will follow up.
The board election will be in November. Dianne and Ron will not seek an additional term. Al will locate a nominating chair. Dianne will communicate with the membership once a chair is named.
Meeting adjourned at 6:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Rand Hoffman, Secretary
Board members present: Al Miller, Craig Campbell, Doug Sakal, Dianne Thomson & Rand Hoffman.
Others present: Steve Pruess; Bob Pascalar, nominating chair; Val Roehl, open lab chair; Bob Atwater.
Call to order: 7:10 PM.
Minutes: The minutes of the October 4th and May 10th Board Meetings were reviewed and approved.
Merlin Anderson Status: Merlin spoke via Skype from Minnesota. Health issues have delayed his return to Green Valley. Merlin advised he will not be active in the club for a while.
Treasurer's report: Our bank balance was $6,325.64 as of November first. Receipts were $20 in November. Our current bank balance is $6,325.64. Including the $35 petty cash fund, our total funds are $6360.64. We have 163 paid members.
Budget for2012:
The proposed budget for2012 is due by December 31, 2011. Al and Craig will prepare the budget using the
2011 budget as a starting point. The membership in APCUG will not be renewed. It was moved and seconded
to use Microsoft Security Essentials in the lab and to not renew the software licenses for AVG anti-virus.
Motion carried.
Open Labs:
Val reported that she is fine with continuing to do the scheduling for open labs. There are 7 or 8 regular
volunteers. Open Lab use has declined substantially. Some sessions have no visitors. Val recommended we
keep scheduling the open labs through May 2012 while we evaluate the need to continue offering the lab. It
was noted that the Help Desk labs are being utilized and we may want to offer more of these. Al will check
with Ron or Gill to see if Robson has an opinion regarding the labs as useful for sales prospects and preferred
guests.
Education: Steve reported that class use is declining. So far this year we have no new members and new members have been our prime source for students. We want the club to remain relevant and will monitor class use throughout the year.
Publicity: Diane reported that she will be working on membership. We also plan to have our monthly programs listed in the daily 'What's Happening'.
Programs: Doug reported that a future program could be a presentation on the Quail Creek web site with Daryl Laux presenting. Bob suggested we consider offering a Help Desk the week following a monthly program where the Help Desk would focus on the program material.
Board Election: Bob Pascalar reported that he has three board nominees: Al Miller, Dianne Thomson and John Hockemeier.
New Business: The Mac and tablet purchase was discussed. It was agreed the purchase should include a Mac laptop, an Apple iPad and one or two Amazon Kindle Fire tablets. It was suggested we acquire an extra Fire tablet for raffle or door prize at the January meeting. Al and Dianne will firm up the purchase details.
It was decided to have a December meeting and program on the 13th.
Adjournment: It was moved and seconded to adjourn at 9:05 PM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted by Rand Hoffman, Secretary
Board members present: Al Miller, Craig Campbell, Doug Sakal, Ron Woelfel,
John Hockemeier & Rand Hoffman.
Others present: Steve Pruess.
Call to order: 7:33 PM.
Minutes: The minutes of the November 1st board meeting were approved.
Treasurer's report: Our bank balance is $6,725.64 as of December sixth. Dues received were $370. Including the $35 petty cash fund, our total funds are $6760.64. We have 171 paid members with 30 members paid through 2012.
Selection of Officers and Chairs: The following officers were selected: President, Dianne Thomson; Vice President, Al Miller; Secretary, Rand Hoffman; Treasurer, Craig Campbell. Chair assignments are: Publicity, John Hockemeier; Education, Al Miller; Programs, Doug Sakal.
Old Business:
Equipment purchases: a MacBook Pro configuration was selected with an
estimated cost of $1,833.95. Al will place the order. The selection of an iPad raised
the question of when the next version (iPad3) might be available. We will consider this
again in January. Al will order a Kindle Fire and a Nook Color. Al will order the projector stand recommended by Dianne.
December Club Meeting: Doug reported that the program on the QC web site with Daryl Laux is all set.
January Club Meeting: Al asked for volunteers to assist with planning for the club 10-year anniversary program for the 1/17/12 meeting.
APCUG Membership: The APCUG renewal is $50. The AACC (Arizona Association of Computer Clubs) dues are $25 and were not paid this year. In the past we have used AACC for program ideas/speakers. Al will explore whether one or both would be beneficial.
New Business:
Doug suggested we look into some type of summer club activity for our year-round residents.
This will be explored further at the next board meeting. We should also present the idea
at the December meeting to obtain feedback from members.
Adjournment: It was moved and seconded to adjourn at 9:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Rand Hoffman, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller, Nancy Lammers, Dirk Seidel, Dianne Thomson, Don Richards, Ron Woelfel.
Others present: Steve Pruess.
Call to Order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the December 2009 meeting.
Board assignments: Newly-elected board members present who are new to the board were Ron Woelfel and Dianne Thomson. The only board position that needed to be filled was secretary. Dianne Thomson accepted that position. Al Miller will continue as President, Nancy Lammers as Vice President, and Dirk Seidel as Treasurer.
Publicity: It was determined that Nancy Lammers and Dianne Thomson would work together to organize and publicize monthly programs. Nancy and Dianne will also team up to handle other publicity, including monthly articles for the Quail Crossing. Al Miller, Ron Woelfel and Dianne Thomson will seek privileges to update the HOA web site to publicize programs and classes. January 11 deadline for a special edition of What's Happening in Quail Creek: Al had already prepared an article to submit. He will take care of getting it to the web admininstrators. Al Miller's meeting with Ron Darrah about the club's difficulty getting publicity via the HOA web site resulted in Ron Darrah's commitment to help out.
Education: Steve has emailed QCCC members with January classes and has worked with Don Richards on February classes. Currently being considered are these classes: Word III, Word IV, eMail and attachments, File Management I and II, Burning CDs, Quicken I and II, Scanner Basics, Picture it!, PhotoStory 3, MovieMaker, PowerPoint-Multimedia, with consideration being made for teaching Music Files and eBay. Al Miller's wife will demo Mac OS for a class. Dates to be determined. Nancy, who will teach Quicken classes, requested authorization to license Quicken 2009 software for 3 computers, since multiple versions of Quicken are outdated, at least one of which is several years old. With new licenses, students could all use the same version in class. A motion to authorize an amount not to exceed $60 for licenses was made and seconded.
Programs: The January program is already in place. Proposed programs for the remainder of the season are: February - Buying a new computer and recycling the old; March - Free software downloads for new and existing computers; April - Social networking such as FaceBook, with presenters from Sahuarita High School; and May - The year's best hardware and software.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported the bank balance as of 1-1-2010 is $8484.4l and the petty cash balance is $15.00, total available funds are $8499.41. December activity included dues receipts of $335 and expenses of $465.58. This amount does not include the purchase of six new flat-screen monitors, which are back-ordered. Paid membership as of 1/31/2009 was 92; as of 1-1-2010, 21 members had paid. Dirk reminded the board that 2009 books are required to be audited. They were last audited by John Hockemeier, who will be asked to audit the 2009 books as well. The recommendations John made after last year's audit have resulted in a requirement that all receipts submitted for payment be signed by the person submitting the receipt. Checks for dues payments should go first to the Secretary who will record the payment on the membership database. Checks will then be forwarded to the Treasurer for deposit.
New business:
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 8:45, as it was past the bedtimes of at least one board member.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller, Dianne Thomson, Don Richards.
Others present: Steve Pruess.
Call to order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the January 5, 2010, meeting.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel was not present; the Treasurer's Report was read. Bank balance as of 2-1-2010 was $9,167.41. Petty cash balance remained at $15.00. January activity included dues receipts of $770.00, $3.00 usage fee, with expenses totaling $75.00. The cost of new monitors has not been incurred; delivery is expected on Friday, February 5th. As of 1/28/10, there were 65 paid members. New signature cards for the bank checking account have been completed and are on file with the bank.
Education: Classes being considered for March are listed below, subject to finding instructors:
A meeting of all instructors is needed in order to assign classes for the month of March. Al will arrange to have instructors meet with the board each month for the purpose of firming up class schedules. With instructors present, and a list of proposed classes, we can more easily determine which classes can be taught in the coming weeks.
Web site confusion: quailcreekcomputerclub.org is not working. Al will check with Bill Ellis in order to resolve the problem. Meantime, only dot com is usable.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 8:02.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller, Nancy Lammers, Dianne Thomson, Dirk Seidel, Don Richards, Ron Woelfel.
Others present: Steve Pruess, Rand Hoffman.
Call to order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the February 2, 2010, meeting.
Treasurer's Report: Bank balance as of 2-1-2010 was $9,417.41. Petty cash balance remained at $15.00. February activity included dues receipts of $250.00, with expenses totaling $355.22 for supplies and software, and $1038.00 for new monitors. The checks for those expenditures have not yet been cashed. As of 1/28/10, there were 80 paid members, with cash and checks in hand for an additional 8. The Board approved issuing the checks to pay for the above items as well as reimburse for pictures frames and other materials for the Discovering Quail Creek event.
Education: Classes being considered for April and May:
Possible new classes: more Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Premiere Elements (if compatible with Vista), Making a Web Page (using Nvu), Online Photo Sharing.
Repeat other popular classes: CD Burning, E-mail & Attachments.
Publicity: A discussion of publicity problems and opportunities still indicates certain problems. We still cannot get an article in the body of the "What's Happening in Quail Creek" daily email and must settle for a one-line notice at the bottom of the page. The Quail Crossing newsletter arrives in mail boxes in approximately mid-month each month, so that many people get their newsletters after the monthly program. New membership is down from 132 this time a year ago to 88 now. It could be due to publicity or to lack of new programs or operating systems in the lab.
Reliable communication is only possible with emails to our current and recent members, which Steve Pruess handles for us. Included in those emails are program descriptions and upcoming classes being offered. Though there are about 50 people on our email list who have not renewed their membership for 2010, we will leave their names on the list for now, since that is the only widespread communication we have control over.
Programs: The April program will feature "Gizmos & Gadgets," a collection of new-ish technology-related items that are considered of general interest. The November Computer Club survey indicated an interest in such a program. Nancy Lammers and Dianne Thomson will team up to organize the event for our program to be held on April 20. Since the population of Quail Creek has diminished by mid-May, that program may entail a general Q & A. Four subscriptions to SmartComputing Magazine will be awarded as door prizes at the March meeting. The April program is entitled "Gizmos and Gadgets" and will feature new technological items such as Kindle, iPhone, GPSs, digital frames, etc. Planning for fall programs is underway.
New Business: Discovering Quail Creek event is scheduled for March 6. QCCC will have a table in the ballroom and the lab will be open for visitors and demos. Al has scheduled coverage for the event from 10 to 4 in both places.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 8:02.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller, Don Richards, Dianne Thomson, Ron Woelfel.
Others present: Steve Pruess, Rand Hoffman, Merlin Anderson.
Call to order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the March 2, 2010, meeting.
Treasurer's Report: Bank balance as of 4-1-2010 was $8,137.47. Petty cash balance remained at $15.00. March activity included dues receipts of $330.00, with expenses totaling $216.72. Paid memberships as of 3-31 were 100. Receipts and expenses are within budget.
Education: Classes that have been scheduled:
New Business:
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 8:28.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller (by Skype), Nancy Lammers, Dianne Thomson, Dirk Seidel, Ron Woelfel.
Others present: Merlin Anderson
Call to order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the April 5, 2010, meeting.
President's Report: Pleased with membership having approved purchase of six new computers in an amount not to exceed $4,500. The Board discussed recommendations made by Steve Pruess and Merlin Anderson on the specific computer model and configuration that would provide for current and future needs as well as fit within the budgeted amount. Steve and Merlin recommend buying one such configuration to confirm that it behaves as envisioned, before buying and installing all six. Motion was made and seconded to approve the purchase of one computer for testing.
Treasurer's Report: Bank balance as of 5-1-2010 was $8,196.23. Petty cash balance remained at $15.00. April activity included dues receipts of $120.00 and a $40.00 refund from the purchase of monitors, with expenses totaling $101.24. Treasurer currently has unpaid invoices for $78.69 for ink cartridges; a motion was made and seconded to approve the reimbursement. Paid memberships as of 4-30 were 107 compared to 173 at the same time a year ago. Receipts and expenses are within budget.
Programs: Nancy asked whether we want to continue membership in the Arizona Alliance of Computer Clubs. Discussion indicated that the $25 annual cost is small and that we should continue for the time being and will evaluate the subject again after we see what next year's program schedule is. Ideas for the September program are still being evaluated. October will feature Sahuarita Police Dept. officer who will talk about the use of computers in his work - homeland security. We will likely ask Smart Computing for the January program, and have a joint Photography Club/Computer Club session in February, inviting Francis Adams of the Saddlebrooke Computer Club to present his DVD tutorial of Photoshop Elements.
New Business:
Nancy says she is being encouraged to approach the QCPOA budget committee to solicit funds to purchase other equipment that will be needed in order to keep the computer club up to date technologically. For example, a high-definition projector is needed as classes and interests turn increasingly to photography. Also replacing oldest monitors should be considered, as well as updating certain software on all computers (Photoshop Elements, for example). A new projection screen would also be needed so as to provide the correct aspect ratio for the new 16:9 monitors. July is the month our request would need to be submitted.
Val Roehl has indicated that due to the departure of one or more long-time lab monitors, she will need some additional volunteers. Al asked if we would publicize the openings in the Quail Crossing and/or emails to members.
Lab attendance has dropped consistently the last 12 months, likely due to the availability of wi-fi in the clubhouse. Nancy suggested that the labs might be an opportunity for tutoring on specific subjects. We will discuss the subject further in the near future to round out the idea and decide how it might work. Nancy also volunteered to solicit monitors from among Photography Club members, since many who use the lab may want help with applications related to photography.
Looking ahead to fall, the CC Board will lose two of its members due to term limitations (3 two-year terms). We should begin recruiting replacements to run at the November regular meeting, at the same time we recruit additional lab monitors.
In order to have something to use as handouts for residents who want more information on the Computer Club and the classes we offer, Dianne volunteered to create a brochure in time for the new season beginning in September.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 6:42 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members Present: Nancy Lammers, Ron Woelfel, Dianne Thomson, Al Miller (via Skype)
Call to order: Vice President Nancy Lammers at 6:00 p.m.
Treasurer's Report: Read by Nancy Lammers, provided by Dirk Seidel - Bank balance as of 9-1-10 was $8,246.54. Petty cash balance remained at $15. September activity consisted of dues received of $85 and expenses totaling $3,055.46 for purchase of new computers. Paid memberships as of 9-1-2010 was 113, compared to 174 one year ago. Receipts and expenses are within budget. 2011 operating budget proposal will be submitted in October.
President's Report: Robson rebates for purchase of computers has not yet been relayed to the club. Al talked to Ron Darrah, who reported that a decision is expected to be made in November. Al's impression was that there is a good chance of receiving much of our request for reimbursement. Al will return to QC on the 26th of October.
Vice President's Report: The September webinar went very well. The only problem was with the sound, resulting in audio not consistently continuous. 25 people participated, and the presentation was very professional, with a low-key sales focus. Five new members joined at the meeting, and the product being advertised sold well. We should keep this sort of program in mind for the future.
Open Labs: Val Roehl has produced the Open Lab schedule through mid-January, 2011.
Reports of Standing Committees:
Programs: October - Steve will present a program on a new photo-editing program, Picnik.
November - Election of new board members with Q&A. John Hockemeier will chair the
nomination process. Three people are needed for the board. Nancy may come back but only as
Treasurer.
December - Not a good month for a program, so it will be canceled.
January - Smart Computing.
February - A joint meeting with the Photography Club on February 15th.
March - Nancy may ask Dave Anderson to conduct a discussion on Streaming Video.
New Business:
Begin membership drive in October: Dianne will send two separate mailings from QCCC
e-mail system's gmail account - one mailing in December to remind current members that the
new membership year begins in January 2011. The second mailing will go out in November to
those whose membership has expired, advising them that their membership is no longer in effect.
Nancy advises us to think about paying for What's Happening daily e-mail to get the word out on the Computer Club. Motion was made and passed to pursue the idea. The cost is $25 text for only; $50 for text and graphics.
Robson will be repeating the program "Getting to Know Quail Creek" (or whatever it will be called) again this year. Computer Club will want to consider how we will participate again.
Unfinished Business:
Software upgrades need to be discussed and agreed upon when enough people have returned.
Per info from Steve Pruess, six new computers were approved by membership, but because Windows 8 is expected out in about 1 1/2 years, we may want to wait until then to purchase the last two, four having been purchased so far.
Surveys will be sent out in October, to be returned in November and presented at the November or December board meetings. Dianne will handle this.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller (by Skype), Nancy Lammers, Dianne Thomson, Ron Woelfel.
Others present: Steve Pruess, Merlin Anderson.
Call to order: Vice President Nancy Lammers called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Minutes of last meeting: Two changes are required to the minutes of the last meeting. No motion was made to accept the minutes as amended.
President's Report: The Computer Club sign is expected to be moved from the back door of the computer lab to the front when Al Miller returns and asks that it be done.
Vice President's Report: Nothing new to report.
Treasurer's Report: Nancy Lammers read the treasurer's report in the absence of Dirk Seidel. As of 10/1/10, we have a balance of $5,441.08, to be reconciled with bank statement of 10/1/10.The only expenses during the month were $3,055.46 for computer purchases. Petty cash remains at $15, and membership on 9/30/10 is 126, compared to 174 a year earlier. 19 members paid dues through 2011.
The 2011 Proposed Operating Budget was also presented. The Board discussed changing some of the dollar amounts, based on lower expectations for income from dues. A line item of $500 for a projector needs to be included, as well as a line item for "capital equipment" instead of "computers." The issue will require further discussion and modification by the board in the November meeting so it can be presented to membership at the Annual Meeting on November 16th, 2010.
Reports of Standing Committees:
Programs: Program planning continues. We may not have a program for the November general meeting, since there may not be enough time for a program. The November meeting includes voting on new board members, discussion of and voting on the 2011 budget, and hopefully reporting results of October survey of members. Nancy will check on availability of Smart Computing presentation for our program offerings in the coming year.
We may want to explore the possibility of daytime program meetings; they don't have to be an integral part of general meetings.
Education: Classes have been developed through November, continuing the same classes we have taught in the past.
Open Labs: Val Roehl has scheduled open labs through January 2011. The possibility of using some open labs for tutoring beginners is being considered. Dianne will work with Val to develop the idea, then publicize it.
Unfinished Business:
New Computers: There have been few problems with new computers. The MS Office software that's installed is the Starter version, a reduced functionality version that includes ads.
Nominating Committee: John Hockemeier is collecting names of those willing to run for the 3 open board openings.
Surveys: Dianne is nearly finished with survey content. There's always a problem with making it easy for members to fill out and return. Dianne will send final version of questions to Al Miller to explore the possibility of creating a fillable form using Adobe Acrobat. Otherwise, people have to print the email version, fill it out and return it manually to a board member, open lab or class.
New Business:No new business was discussed.
The meeting adjourned at 6:45.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller, Nancy Lammers, Dirk Seidel, Dianne Thomson.
Others present: Steve Pruess, Merlin Anderson.
Call to order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m.
Minutes of last meeting: Minutes to the last meeting were approved.
President's Report: Glad to be back.
Vice President's Report: Nothing new to report.
Treasurer's Report: The bank balance as of 11-1-2010 was $5,739.23, plus petty cash in the amount of $15 results in a total balance of 5,754.23. Dues receipts during the month were $390. Paid membership as of 10-30 was 141, and 40 members have already paid their dues for 2011. Last year at the same time, we had 174 members. Repayment of an expense incurred by Merlin Anderson in the amount of $31.49 for purchase of a book for our library was approved. It was moved and seconded to approve the report.
The 2011 Proposed Operating Budget was presented. Based on an expectation of lower membership numbers of 140 members, which amounts to $2,400 in dues, so expenses are adjusted to equal dues receipts. $500 is budgeted for hardware, $1,375 for software. APCUG membership will continue to be paid. Decisions are needed on licensing MS Office and upgrading Photoshop Elements. Capital equipment budget is $1,000 which will likely be sufficient to cover the cost of a new projector and screen. Expenditures of up to $1,000 can be approved by the board. It was moved and seconded to approve referring the 2011 proposed budget to the general membership, to be voted on at the November general meeting scheduled for Nov. 16th.
Reports of Standing Committees:
Programs: The November general meeting will consist of a business meeting and presentation of proposed budget; election of officers; and a presentation by Dave Whittle of the Muvee program. No program is planned for December. A discussion of whether to conduct another Smart Computing program followed. They now use a presentation in a box format. Merlin agreed to present that program for January. The February meeting will consist of a joint meeting with the photography club featuring the president of the Saddlebrooke computer club. We have commitments from presenters for a Facebook program; Dianne is working on an eBook program; and May could consist of a Gizmos & Gadgets reprise, which seemed popular last year.
Education: Classes have been developed through December. Attendance is way down from previous years. Publicity is needed to be sure all members are kept informed of classes that are available. Currently only 8 or 9 classes are being offered, compared to 14 or 15 that used to be available. Only 3 of the student PCs now have Windows 7 installed. We need one more. The board approved the purchase of a copy of Win7 to be purchased from Merlin, to be installed on the laptop in the lab, for a total of 4 PCs that can be used for Win7 classes.
New Business:
Publicity for classes should be increased to reach a wider audience on a regular basis. Merlin proposes that the club develop an email presence that will reach all Quail Creek residents, to be used to generate interest in the club and its classes and programs. The subject was tabled, with plans for further discussion in the December board meeting.
Mac SIG - Merlin believes the club would be strengthened by having a Mac SIG. Discussion indicated agreement that leadership for such a SIG would need to come from Mac users. Further discussed is scheduled for December board meeting.
Unfinished Business:
Robson reimbursement for computers purchased this year still has not been communicated to us.
Board elections - Al proposes that board candidates submit a written or oral statement of their reasons for wanting to be board members. He will call the nominating committee member John Hockemeier to discuss this.
Charter revision - Because of the difficulty of conducting general meetings every quarter, a charter revision is needed to change the language in our charter to change the requirement from "once each quarter" to "four times a year." From June through September, it is difficult to arrange and conduct a program. By changing the language to "four times a year," we would be able to hold 8 general meetings without the need to have one during one of those months. Nancy Lammers moved and Dianne seconded a motion to propose a charter change to say board and general meetings must be held at least 4 times a year. Vote must be taken at a general membership meeting by 2/3 of those present, and a notice must be posted at least one week prior to the meeting on the Activities Bulletin Board. Dianne will handle notifying members and posting the notice.
Surveys - Results were collated and given to those present at the meeting. Only 22 responses, compared with 39 last year. Survey showed only 4 people still using Vista, with most users still using XP and about the same number having upgraded to Win7.
Upgrading software - $500 remain in this year's budget for software. It was moved and seconded that we would license 6 copies of Photoshop Elements V8 @ $80 per copy to come from this year's budget. The decision on whether to upgrade MS Office is deferred until December board meeting.
Purchase of new projector and screen - Merlin will research quality and cost of projector and screen.
New logo - The board agreed to conduct a contest among members to create a QCCC logo.
Club website - The board discussed the need for having an updated web site. Board agreed to further discussion in December board meeting.
Recognition of volunteers - Dirk Seidel recommended that the board recognize the contributions of volunteers like Val Roehl during the first general meeting of 2011. The board agreed that it is a good idea.
Adjournment: 9:14 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller via Skype, Nancy Lammers, Dirk Seidel, Dianne Thomson, Ron Woelfel, Don Richards.
Others present: Merlin Anderson.
Call to order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m.
Minutes of last meeting: Minutes to the last meeting were approved.
President's Report: None.
Treasurer's Report: The bank balance as of 12-1-2010 was $6,153.75, plus petty cash in the amount of $15 results in a total balance of $6,168.75. Dues receipts during the month were $770; expenses totaled $355.48. Paid membership as of 11-30 was 154, and 94 members have already paid their dues for 2011. Last year at the same time, we had 174 members. Receipts and expenses are within budget.
Reports of Standing Committees:
Programs: January's program is still scheduled for a Smart Computing program. The February meeting will consist of a joint meeting with the photography club featuring the president of the Saddlebrooke computer club. We have commitments from presenters for a Facebook program. Nancy is looking into a program featuring video and movie streaming from PC to TV, and Dianne has a commitment for a Facebook-Social Networking program. In May we will repeat the successful program from last year, Gizmos & Gadgets.
Education: Classes have been developed through December, and January class schedule is in progress.
Unfinished business:
New Business:
Adjournment: 7:28 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson, Secretary
Members present: Al Miller, Nancy Lammers, Thelma Pippin, Dirk Seidel, Dan Richards, and Dan Cerny.
Others Present: Steve Pruess and Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00PM.
President Al Miller has decided to replace the present password for computers with "M****e", effective immediately. Bill Ellis has resigned from the Board of QCCC. Dan Cerny has replaced him and has begun his job as Publicity Representative.
Treasurers Report: Dirk reported that the balance is $7775.51 as of 1/1/09 and which reconciles with the Bank Statement dated 1/1/09. Dues receipts were $555.00, and non-member usage fees were $12.00. Paid membership for the year 2009 is 58. The 2008 final tally for members is 206. Newly signed-up members account for $950.00 of reported dues. Dirk reminded the Board that the Club's finance records must be audited by the end of January 2009. The President must appoint two non-board members to audit last year's activity.
Education: Classes running in January and into February are : Computer Basics I, II; Basic Hardware Repair; Excel I, II, III; Photo Resizing; Vista I, II, III; Word I, II; and Google Earth. A possible E-bay class may be scheduled for February or March, followed by a class "How to take Pictures for E-bay". Don also asked for suggestions for new classes. Al Miller asked about the size of classes, and Steve replied that it can be from 2-15 persons, and the smaller classes were the Basic classes. He also commented that the way to hold old members is to have new classes. Power Point may be one possibilty to drop. Al Miller has access to an Epson 3700 Scanner, designed for converting slides/negatives into photos, and the Club may possibly borrow it to promote classes, which may draw new members.
Programs: January's Program will be Turbo Tax, presented by Intuit Company/Tucson. Subjects are needed for February, March, and April. Suggested were "Gadgets", and let all attendees bring their favorite; "Your favorite web page", "Toolbars", and presentors Paul Jaffe (Mac) and Joe Bushboom for their special expertise. Al Miller and Nancy Lammers will work together to develop programs.
Open Labs: Donna Wieb has expressed her desire to step down from scheduling Open Labs; however due to lack of volunteers, she has graciously provided schedules for January, February and March. Merlin expressed his desire to see "expertise" in Open Labs; that is to schedule a monitor with experience in a topic that may appeal to more members and non-member users. A QCCC survey was another topic discussed as need in the very near future. The form could be sent out in an email. Nancy Lammers commented that some people do not know what open labs are for. The Monday morning HOA email will ask for special help during open labs.
New Business: Due to our January program speakers' need to acquaint themselves with Quail Creek, and set up for the Regular Meeting presentation, all Board Members are requested to attend the meeting a half hour early, at 6:00 PM. Dan Cerny reported that the new HOA website communications committee will provide all organized groups with space for messages and will link to the QCCC website. APCUG membership ($50/annually) will continue for now, and is due this month. Problems sometimes occur when this group changes servers, and this has happened twice. Merlin recommends that we start online reservations for classes. Additionally, he suggested that QCCC consider a Photography SIG, although previous attempts have died due to lack of leadership. Interest seems to be growing. Nancy Lammers has personal knowledge of someone who may be able to help the Club establish this SIG. She hopes to invite the party to our next Board Meeting, February 3, 2009.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:19 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members Present: Al Miller, Nancy Lammers, Thelma Pippin, Dirk Seidel, Don Richards, and Dan Cerny
Others Present: Gary Friedman, Grace Hily, Merlin Anderson, Uwe Butenhoff, and Steve Pruess.
Call to Order: Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:10 PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance of $8319.47 reconciles with the Bank Statement of 2/1/09. Dues receipts were $585.00 and expenses $44.04 (budgeted). Paid membership as of 2/1/09 is 91, compared to 100, reported on 2/1/08. The Club's annual audit report confirmed that all entries during 2008 reconciled with Bank Statements. John Hockemeier and Craig Campbell, members who were appointed to perform this audit, had a few suggestions for the club:
That club members submitting receipts for reimbursement should sign such receipts. This was moved by Nancy Lammers, seconded, and accepted by the Board.
That the Club's Secretary or Membership Chair provide a membership list to auditors. This was questioned by the Treasurer due to the complicated system of allowing members to pay $5.00 for the last 3 months of the year along with the next year's membership dues. It was suggested that portions of monies received for previous year and new year could be separated. This will be discussed further by the Board.
Al Miller will acknowledge John Hockemeier and Craig Campbell for their conscientious review and audit.
Two bills were approved by the Board:
$271.94 for APCUG membership, new router, and toner cartridge, submitted by Merlin Anderson; and
$76.16 reimbursement for dinner expenses for Intuit presentors, submitted by Nancy Lammers.
Both were moved, seconded and approved.
Education: Don Richards reported that the E-bay class will be in March, hopefully followed by "How to set up pictures for E-bay", suggested by Merlin Anderson. Other classes for March have not been completed. Al Miller went online to the QCCC website to check the two methods of signing up for classes; (1) fill out an online request, and (2) send information to CC by e-mail. Dan Cerny said he would emphasize the e-mail sign-up of class participants in the next HOA notice to residents. Steve Pruess said the Club should demonstrate to the membership "how to sign up by computer". The membership survey, usually done every 2-3 years, will be completed shortly for members' participation. Steve and Dan will work together to get survey message on HOA email.
Programs: Nancy Lammers presented many ideas, mostly from the Green Valley Computer Club. They are: Online investing, AZ Attorney General's Office, GPS, Media Connecting-Creative Memories, Why Software Sucks, and Cool-Hot-Not. Al asked if we have to work with GVCC? Other topics are Green Valley News, Border Patrol, Police & Fire Departments, Smart Computing Magazine and Echo Link (HAM radio groups). The CC has three more regular meetings for programs. February presentation will be the demonstration of the Epson Scanner. Nothing is settled for March & April. Nancy will try to talk to local groups for ideas.
Open Labs: Donna Wieb has scheduled open labs until the end of March. The QC Crossing newsletter will provide the schedule.
New Business: Gary Friedman of the Quail Creek Photography Club spoke to the board about the recent initial meeting with 32 residents. Basically, members want to learn how to use their digital and other cameras, especially the SLR models and then go from snapshots to reasonable pictures. The question as to why the QCPC, and QCCC should possibly merge was responded by the possibility of shared use of computers and lab. The CC has the class Digital Cameras that teaches participants how to buy and use digital cameras and the class Adobe Photo Elements. Gary pointed out that the QCPC members generally were not well educated in composition, and said that the QCPC will need a photo quality printer. Merlin suggested that a SIG may be the best answer in combining the two clubs successfully. Al suggested that the topic be presented at the next regular meeting. Merlin has volunteered to speak at the next QCPC meeting.
Systems: The internet problem encountered about three weeks ago has been resolved. The CC's internet feed and backfeed to the pro-shop was interrupted as the problem was tackled. It took a while to diagnose; the router was the affected hardware, and the IP address had changed. The CC switched to a fixed IP system with Cox. Problem was resolved in about three days with a new router.
Al Miller presented the Epson Scanner V700, on loan to the Board. Using slides and the appropriate template, he scanned them to individual computer files in a very few minutes. It will handle pictures and documents also. This scanner cost about $500 and the CC will demonstrate its properties at the next Regular meeting to see if Club has an interest level and will consider its purchase. A computer in the lab could be dedicated to the Scanner.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members Present: Al Miller, Nancy Lammers, Thelma Pippin, Dirk Seidel, Dan Cerny, and Don Richards.
Others Present: Donna Wieb, Val Roehl, and Steve Pruess.
Call to Order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM.
Al Miller reported that the QCCC now owns an Epson Scanner 700. He also took Gary Friedman, of the QC Photography Club to the Green Valley Photography Club, which is now in a new facility with an estimated $60,000-70,000 annual budget. Al decided to let the QCPC get started and enumerate its own goals. There is a possibility that the QCCC and the QCPC may come together in the future and the new scanner might just be the instrument that unites the 2 clubs.
Open Labs: Al thanked Donna Wieb for her service and welcomed Val Roehl as the new Open Lab chairman. The new schedule for April and May 2009 will be posted by April 1, 2009.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported the balance as of 3/1/09 was $8689.37, yet to be reconciled with the Bank Statement of 3/1/09. Dues receipts were $710, non-member usage fees $6.00, and budgeted expenses were $346.10. Membership was 132 as of 3/1/09 compared with 119 a year ago on 3/1/08. $930.00 of total reported dues in 2008 were for 2009 membership of newly signed up members. $15.00 received in non-member usage fees as of 3/2/09 will be carried as petty cash in our statement as of March 2009, replacing the funds Donna Wieb provided as Open Lab Chair.
Education: Don Richards reported on the upcoming classes for March: Flash Drives, Digital Cameras, Archiving Email, Photo Story Workshop, Image Editing, and Music Files. Joe Busboom will present the popular E-bay class on 3/19/09, followed by a 3/26/09 workshop instructing how to get pictures ready for E-bay, given by Merlin Anderson.
Al Miller asked if we needed to provide a class for the new Epson scanner. It was decided that a class for the Board members and lab monitors should be first, hopefully occurring on March 12, 2009 at 1:00 PM and repeated at 7:00 PM. The scanner will use one computer in the lab, and the Open Lab schedule could accommodate members who want to use the scanner on a sign-up basis. Other questions were about Flash Drives/Memory Sticks which would be required by clients to transfer files. Finally, it was decided that after the class for Board/Monitors, and discerning if they can repeat instruction in a simple manner, the CC would finalize its introduction of the new scanner for club member usage.
Recent questions about basic computer setup/management lead Nancy Lammers to suggest that we could have a list of people available in Quail Creek who can help members needing personal attention (for a fee).
New Business: Al recounted information from recent surveys received after last regular meeting: Class times were ok; maybe another Open Lab possibly on Saturdays; members do not use the website sign-up for classes; suggested new topics for classes were Windows Live, Video Cam usage, Web design and file transfers, How to view TV on PC's and "Is installed software/hardware working as advertised"? There were no volunteers to teach classes. Don Richards said he knew of a possibility for a teacher, as he had discussed it with Linda Carey. Al Miller will also call Diane Thomson.
Programs: Two programs are necessary for the last 2 months, April & May that the QCCC will be in operation. Some suggestions were Pod casting, Q & A, and Computer Security. Steve said that we could recycle old programs such as "Show & Tell" (what QCCC has to offer), last done in 2007 as Club Operations; also Paul Jaffe may be able to talk on Windows Live, Cloud Computing or Google. Nancy Lammers will contact Mr. Jaffe. The club will also ask Ron Woelfel, whose talk on "Skype" was not presented at December 2008 regular meeting, to ask if he can provide it at the April 21 Regular Meeting.
Other Business: Steve said that the best computer to use for the scanner is Club 6. Al will contact Ron Darrah to ask for a small table to accommodate the scanner. Dirk Seidel needed approval for the $489.00 expenditure for the Epson scanner. It was moved, seconded, and approved. He also asked the Board if an inventory list of all computer equipment was available. Computer information is listed at front desk in lab for all to review. Al and Steve will assist Dirk in acquiring information on purchases and serial numbers.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:23 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members Present: Al Miller, Dirk Seidel, Dan Richards, Dan Cerny.
Non-members Present: Steve Pruess, Merlin Anderson, Dianne Thomson.
The meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance is $8,560.37 as of 4/1/2009 and reconciles with the bank. Dues receipts were $100. Paid membership as of 4-3-2009 is 159; as of 4-1-2008 it was 146.
Mr. Seidel presented a bill in the amount of $35.07 for printer paper. It was moved and seconded to make payment.
Education: Don Richards reported that some classes had been canceled and removed from the schedule, including the iPhone class. Steve Pruess proposed classes including Media Player, resizing photos, web searching, Eraser, advanced e-mail, web page wizards, financial websites, Google Earth, and scanning slides. Merlin will also be conducting a class in conjunction with the Photography Club. Among other things he will inform them as to what the Computer Club has and what we do. Al asked Merlin about the membership list, which is kept in Excel. Merlin maintains and updates the list 3-4 times a year.
Publicity: Dan Cerny informed the Board that as of April 9th, the Quail Creek HOA e-mail bulletin will be replaced by the new web site being developed. Dan's contact with the developers of the site hasn't been clear on how the clubs will be able to update the site. Kay Burrows appears to be the contact person, though that hasn't been made clear either. As a result of the start-up confusion, we may be short on publicity for a while. Dan will follow up to get clarification.
New Business: Al asked the Board members to consider how the Computer Club should accommodate the issue of Apple computers - whether Macs should be a SIG (special interest group) or just be treated as a co-equal regular part of the club (just a different operating system). SIGs meet separately. There appear to be only a handful of Mac users in our computer club at present. After discussion, it was decided that Al would contact Paul Jaffee to see if he would be interested in heading up an Apple computer SIG, using the aegis of the Computer Club. All SIGs would conform to the protocols and procedures that have been established within the club. Unless there is someone to head such a SIG, the issue may be moot for the time being.
Programs: Dianne Thomson has agreed to join Nancy Lammers as co-chair of the Program Committee. Steve volunteered to do the April 21st program on "Online Backups". Skype will be presented for the May 18th program.Programs will be discontinued for the months of June, July and August.
Board Membership: Officers are elected in November. Discussion of membership begins in September, nominations are made in November. Board members serve from January through December.
Miscellany: Al Miller says he will be leaving QC shortly, returning in late October. During his absence, VP Nancy Lammers will preside over board meetings. Al also stated that someone wanted to donate a PC - minus its hard drive - to the club, but that we don't have the resources to rebuild PCs.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson for Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members Present: Nancy Lammers and Dirk Seidel.
Non-members Present: Dianne Thomson.
The meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the current balance is $8,850.30 as of 5/1/2009 and reconciled with the bank. Dues receipts were $310. Paid membership as of 5-1-2009 is 171; as of 4-1-2009 it was 156. $930 of total reported dues in 2008 were for 2009 membership of newly-signed up members.
Programs: Mike Laskowski will conduct the May program featuring Skype, to be held in the Arts & Technology room. He will provide the needed hardware and software. Nancy will coordinate with Steve on setup. Publicity needs to be arranged, per Dirk. Some attendees at the program on the new Quail Creek web site recommended having a follow-up program. Nancy and Dirk expressed support for such a program in the fall when Quail Creek residents will be returning in larger numbers so as to help a large number of people navigate the web site and have an opportunity to ask questions/make suggestions. The November program will need to be left open for election of new board members, leaving October or January as logical months for a second QC web site program.
Board Nominations: Mr. Seidel explained that a nominating committee will be appointed to gather names of candidates who wish to be considered for board membership. The Board Chair normally appoints the committee in early October for November election. In the absence of the board president, Al Miller, Ms. Lammers will review last year's minutes to confirm the timing and procedures to be followed.
New Business: In the past, the computer club has been charging winter residents $3 per visit for use of the computer lab. This means that extended visitors have paid for multiple uses. Al Miller had suggested that a new fee structure be devised that would charge a flat fee of $10 for visitors staying more than two weeks or those who use the lab more than three times. A quorum not being present, Ms. Lammers e-mailed the other board members and received approval for the change.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Dianne Thomson for Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members Present: Al Miller (via Skype), Nancy Lammers, Dirk Seidel, Dan Cerny.
Non-members Present: Steve Pruess.
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance was $8,850.30 as of 5/1/2009 and reconciles with the bank. Dues receipts in May were $20 and there were expenses of $55.25. With petty cash of $15, this gives a current balance of $8815.05. Paid membership as of 5/18/2009 was 172; as of 5/01/2008 it was 156.
Education: Steve announced that attendance at the September classes started small but has been growing as more people return. For October we'll offer eight to ten classes, depending on instructor availability. When the listing is finalized, probably in the next few days, an e-mail announcement will be sent to our mialing list and sign-up sheets will be posted.
Open Labs: Val has finished the Open Lab schedule for October through December. The schedule is posted on our web page, the doors of the Computer Lab, and the A&T bulletin board.
Programs: Nancy brought to our attention that the Arizona Alliance of Computer Clubs puts together lists speakers on computer-related topics. These speakers can be "shared" by several different clubs to defray expenses. While our typical monthly meeting attendance is smaller than their preferred minimum of 50, they have agreed to give us a trial membership for a year in hopes that this can grow our numbers. For a $25 one-year membership, at no additional cost we can utilize their speakers. In January of 2010 a representative from the publisher of Smart Computing magazine (and several others) is available in the Tucson area. It was moved and seconded that we join the AACC for one-year. The motion passed.
Nancy and Dianne Thomson continue to work on monthly meeting programs for the remainder of 2009 and spring of 2010.
Publicity: Al commented that the HOA web site seems to be in disarray; Dan added that many people he knows no longer even bother to look at it. Since this is the main vehicle for clubs to reach the broad Quail Creek audience, it is a significant problem. Dan stated that it is now a little easier to update the HOA website for the specific QCCC portion, but there are still some shortcomings of the daily announcement part. Al suggested that we find some way to at least put our weekly announcements on their "What's Happening" page; this would include the current week's classes and the monthly meeting when it occurs. It was agreed that we should continue to use the club's e-mail list on a regular basis, at least monthly and maybe more often; Al suggested that we include a monthly calendar in some format that people could post. Dan will try to get an article into the Quail Crossing soon for the October issue - this should include information about the "fall deal" on new memberships.
Old Business: A new webcam has been purchased and an account with Skype has been set up - this is being used for tonight's meeting.
New computers and monitors - it was agreed to defer this until all of the Board members have returned.
Purchase of an Apple computer - it was clear that we will not be able to provide classes on Apples with just one computer. They are very expensive relative to PCs. Is their a need? We agreed to discuss this further with the membership.
John Hockemeier has agreed to chair the Nominating Committee for the November election. Dirk asked if John was aware of the calender deadlines imposed by the club charter, and Nancy affirmed that he was.
New Business: The lamp on the projector gave out just prior to the meeting. There was discussion on purchasing a new projector vs. buying a replacement lamp (two-thirds the cost of our projector). Al suggested that we buy the lamp for now since we are so dependent on the projector for classes and the monthly meeting - we can research replacement projectors later. It was moved, seconded, and passed that we purchase a replacement lamp.
Printer: while our current HP Laser is currently functioning fine, it is eight years old and will not work directly with the Vista computers much less any new Win 7 ones. We discussed several options before deciding to defer this until the entire Board returns.
Dirk presented a bill from Steve for $69.99 for the new webcam. It was moved, seconded, and passed to pay this.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess for Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Nancy Lammers, Dirk Seidel, Al Miller via Skype.
The meeting was called to order at 5:27PM.
Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance is $8780.06 as of 10/1/2009 and which reconciles with the Bank Statement dated 10/1/09. Dues receipts were $50.00. $40 of those were for 2010 membership. There were no non-member usage fees. Paid membership for the year 2009 is 174. The 2008 paid membership at this time of year was 176. Expenses were $69.99. The current checkbook balance is $8780.06. We have petty cash of $15 for a total of $ 8795.06 Dirk reminded the Board that the 2010 budget must be presented at the October general meeting. He suggested using the same figures as for last year. It was agreed to do that.
Education: Classes have been scheduled for October with Steve Pruess and Craig Campbell as instructors. Merlin Anderson will not return until November.
Programs: October's program will be presented by Red 7, a computer sales and service company, focusing on quality hardware and better computing through education and service. They will focus on the benefits of open source software for the average computer user.
Programs for the rest of the year have not been determined. November's meeting will not have a program since that is traditionally only a business meeting and election of new board members.
Publicity: Given the unreliable publication of our information on the HOA website it was decided to provide a direct link to our club's website instead of publishing classes and open labs in both places.
Open Labs: Val Roehl has the schedule set up through December and that is published on the web site and will be in the Quail Crossing.
Unfinished Business: Steve Pruess determined that the projector bulb was indeed bad and after searching for a replacement ordered one from Staples for $190. They said it would be in by the 28th of October at the latest. Nancy Lammers reported that we have secured the loan of Robson's projector for the October 20th meeting.
A new printer was discussed and determined that it would come out of the budget under hardware.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Nancy Lammers for Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members Present: Al Miller, Thelma Pippin, Dirk Seidel, and Dan Cerny.
Others Present: Dianne Thomson, and Steve Pruess.
Call to Order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported the balance as of 11/1/2009 was $8589.99 which reconciled with Bank statement of 11/1/09. Budgeted expenses were $190.07 $15.00 in petty cash is used for change in the lab, if necessary. Paid membership is 174 as of 11/1/09. Last year at this time, the total was 193. Steve Pruess commented that due to the present HOA website, there was no way to reach non-members.
Publicity: Dan Cerny reported that problems still exist between QCCC and HOA website. Routine messages will not address non-members. "New" or non-routine information regarding the QCCC will have to be submitted to HOA's "What's Happening at Quail Creek". Al Miller will talk to Ron Darrah about this problem. Suggestions were made to include "free lab time" in package information for prospective buyers and preferred guests.
The club has two websites registered: QuailCreekComputerClub.com and QuailCreekComputerClub.org, which is linked to the ACPUG server.
Education: Steve Pruess said classes are still going on as scheduled, adding that very few people were taking advantage of the $5.00 classes offered.
New Business: The purchase of a new printer was discussed. The old printer does not "like" Vista nor will it get along with Windows 7. Merlin Anderson suggested a new color laser printer which uses 4 cartridges at about $90/each. 99% of all printing in lab is black and white. Al Miller said the best printer from a recent article was the Brother HL 5376 DWT, costing about $300.00 new. Consensus was that the club should purchase a new black and white printer.
The Board also approved the purchase of new and back-up bulbs for the projector. Steve Pruess had once complained about the color emitted by the projector, but added that we could live with it for now.
Al Miller would like to see the big monitors replaced by flat screen LCD monitors, with screen size of at least 17" to 19". The Club needs six monitors, and old ones currently cost $5.00 each to dump. The Board decided to purchase six monitors at $100-$200 each, which could put the total amount near $1000.00.
A new survey of members may be done at the Annual meeting in November. Last year's response was ok, but the Club needs to know what members think about class times and types of classes, and may include questions about Apple computers. It was suggested that survey information could be included in HOA email announcing the Annual Meeting and Board Elections, two weeks before the meeting.
Discussions about the purchase of an Apple computer resulted in no commitment to buy one at this time.
Al Miller has been in touch with John Hockemeier, the nominating chairperson, who has stated that there are three people vying for the three Board seats at this time. The final slate needs to be publicized a week before the annual meeting. This information should be included in the HOA email, on the front page, which announces the annual meeting, and should include "open to new members".
Programs: If there is time after the election, the Club could take questions from members who may ask about Windows 7, which is the main competition for Windows XP that would have to be phased out. "Open Office" and Windows Live were the other topics discussed for future programs. "Gadgets and Gizmos," with club members participating, will be the December topic.
The Club decided to stay with the host server APCUG for now, as we can change at any time. Al will ask Merlin Anderson to file the application and send the data to him for the Club's information. A Board member needs to be responsible for future applications.
At the November meeting, Dirk Seidel will see that the proposed budget is projected on screen, as well as bring hard copies for the membership.
Another topic for future discussion was the amount of money that should be carried over from year to year.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members Present: Al Miller (via Skype), Nancy Lammers, Thelma Pippin, Dirk Seidel, Dan Cerny, Dianne Thomson, and Don Richards.
Others Present: Steve Pruess
Call to Order: President Al Miller called the meeting to order at 6:50 PM.
Al Miller reminded those present that two positions have to be filled: Secretary, and Publicity.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported the balance is $8599.99, to be reconciled with the Bank Statement of 12/1/09. Usage fees were $10.00, and $15.00 in petty cash is used for change in the lab, if necessary. As of 12/1/09, paid membership is 174, 21 down from the same date in 2008. Dirk requested the Board's approval for an expense of $289.98 for the new printer. Nancy Lammers moved, Don Richards seconded, and the expense was approved.
Publicity: Dan Cerny will get the December's information to the HOA. Steve Pruess said he could add the Open Lab schedules to the monthly e-mail. The Club is hoping for a link from the HOA website, maybe as a PDF file. Hopefully from the HOA website, one click could take an interested party to our monthly schedule and sign-up sheet. More discussion is warranted.
Education: Don Richards reported that January's classes may include: Music Files, Google Earth, eBay, CD Burning, Advanced Outlook Express, and Word courses. Al Miller asked Don to contact the 3 persons who have volunteered to teach classes: Dianne Thomson, MC Kollschegg, and Rand Thompson to determine what classes they might instruct.
New Business: The new monitors hopefully will be purchased and in place in the very near future. Prices certainly will be lower after Christmas, and maybe before. The new monitors have to have 2 connections, VGA, and DVI. Prices are in the $200-220 range. The Club may be able to get a further discount. Steve Pruess said they should have an HDMI connection also, further commenting that the Acer 213, in the $170-$174 range, is a good choice, with a 21 ½ wide screen. He mentioned that touch screen computing is as close as WalMart!! Nancy Lammers asked if all six keys to the lab were accounted for, and the Board concluded that they were. The Apple computer was discussed, and Nancy suggested that we could use someone who has experience with the basics, as none of the three new teaching volunteers has that experience. All Miller told the Board that his wife, Joanna, would be willing to teach the Apple basics to interested parties. Dianne Thomson will have detailed information regarding the surveys soon. She has indicated that participants have given their views on classes and some are planning to purchase computers, mostly PC's. The Board liked the idea of an "Open House" when the new monitors are installed; food, handouts, and even a band was discussed.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:41 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Bill Ellis, Karen Mealy, Al Miller, Thelma Pippin, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel.
Members absent: none.
Others present: Steve Pruess.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the first meeting of the 2008 Board to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported that the balance as of 1-1-2008 is $5905.67, and is reconciled with the bank statement dated 1-1-08. There were no January activities and paid membership as of 1-1-08 was 47, and as of 12-31-07 was 222.
Education: Don Richards reported that classes for the rest of January are: Quicken II, Burning Data CD's, Word I & II, Web Searching, Yahoo Finance, Internet Explorer, Scanner Basics, and Media Player.
Open Labs: There were no volunteers for scheduling Open lab dates and monitors after the first quarter ending March 2008.
Publicity: Bill Ellis had nothing new to report: his deadline for the Monday morning e-mail is the Thursday before. Steve suggested that we must push members to sign up for classes, either by e-mail or on the bulletin board outside. A map or directions could be included. There was a comment that there was no light at the board during evening or nighttime.
Program Committee: Al Miller volunteered to present "Identity Theft" during either the February or March meeting; date to be set. David Hartwell will present "Tax Software" at the January 15th meeting. Karen Mealy has asked for suggestions for other programs, and Merlin Anderson has offered his services for one.
Systems Administration: Bill Ellis proposed and the Board voted in favor for the use of "1 & 1" for QCCC domain use. The QCCC can register for $5.00 / year (Bill has donated the $5 for 2008). This registration comes with 200 e-mail address. Also, QCCC.org will direct users to QCCC website. The public will see this second name change( Publicity will arrange).
For anti-virus software Steve proposed that the club buy 2-year packages for 10 computers (2 5-PC licenses) now and one 2-year 5-PC license in March for the remaining PC's. Bill suggested that we go ahead and buy all three now. The cost would be about $366.00 and would imply no other anti-virus software cost until 2010.
SIGs: Genealogy is the only active SIG group at this time. They will use the lab computers for the January 16 meeting.
Old Business: The discussion continued regarding the proposed non-member use of open labs for a fee of $3.00 that will be issued to preferred guests in the form of a coupon by the Sales Office. This issue has not been written formally to public or press.
It was asked if there was need for open labs during evening hours on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
New Business: The projector is in need of repair or replacement. Merlin Anderson found a company in Phoenix that would evaluate the machine: costs, $15.00 to send, and $30.00 for a quote. After much searching, Karen found a comparable one for $500-600, although they can range from $600-1000. Many suggestions were made, including renting, searching a secondary market, and asking at general meeting for more ideas. We are now using a loaner. Dirk commented that $300 max should be for repair, and suggested $600-1000 for a new projector. the topic of a membership survey was brought up by Karen, who says it needs to be done in the next 2-3 months. There was another possibility of using the new member sign-up sheet for data.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:37PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Al Miller, Dirk Seidel, Thelma Pippin, Bill Ellis, and Don Richards
Others present: Steve Pruess
Call To Order: Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance as of 2/1/2008 is $6785.67 and is to be reconciled with Bank Statement dated 2/1/2008. January activities were dues receipts of $880.00. As of 2/1/2008 paid membership was 100. 115 was the number of paid members as of 2/1/2007.
Education: Don Richards listed classes for February in weekly QC email: they are File Management, Word IV, Burning Music CD's, Buying and Selling on eBay, Outlook Express - Advanced, Mail Merge, Geneology (Feb 20), Computer Backups, Power Point, and Web Search II. March classes will include Excel I, II, III, & IV, and Vista Basics. A disclaimer was discussed for March QC Crossing: "The QCCC is not responsible for altering classes, and every effort is taken to notify persons who have signed up for classes. Cancellations will be posted on the QCCC website".
Open Labs: The wireless password was the primary discussion. Questions asked were: Do QCCC members know the password?" The Board decided that the password should not be posted, but monitors will reveal this code when asked by Club members. Non-members will not be given the password. Lab monitors should know that preferred guests pay $3.00 for each use of computer Open Lab; there remains a question of how to handle monies received for non-member use. Renters here for a specific time can become members or pay the $3.00 usage fee.
Publicity: Bill Ellis had nothing new to report. It was asked if explaining the benefits of becoming a member of the QCCC would help our mission; the benefits being (1) Use of open labs; (2) Use of the wireless network inside and outside of lab proper; and (3) Computer classes.
Programs: Joe Busboom will be the featured speaker at February meeting. President Karen Mealy said the most requested topic is Vista, with Trouble-Shooting Slow PC's coming in a strong second. She commented that she didn't want the program to be a Q & A session. Blogging was submitted as an interesting topic. Al Miller talked about "Easy Cleaner", a free downloadable software program that could be of interest. Karen decided the topic would be "Computer Clean-up," and she will advise Mr. Busboom for the February meeting. The March topic will be "Identity Theft" (Al Miller), and in April, Bill Ellis will host " Voice Recognition Software".
SIG's: NO interest in a Mac SIG has been initiated. Repeat information regarding this SIG will resume in the fall.
Systems: Steve Pruess announced 2 5-PC's licenses were purchased for anti-virus software. One more needs to be bought in March, then all will be okay until 2010. He also will remove the Gateway hard drive from the Instructor PC to the new HP soon, giving dual boot capability for XP or Vista. The Video card on the new Instructor PC had only 2 outputs, DVI and S-video.
Old Business: Merlin picked up the old projector in Phoenix. The Club may want to consider selling the old bulb that should have about 1000 hours usage left.
New Business: The new projector needs to be unplugged after use or it will overheat. Steve put the plug on top of the table to prompt users to disconnect. It was asked if Joe Busboom could put the old projector bulb on eBay for sale.
At the January 15 meeting, President Karen Mealy asked for 2 volunteers to review the 2007 Bank Statement. They successfully reconciled the statement with Treasurer's records. Their review was approved by the Board.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Al Miller, Dirk Seidel, Thelma Pippin, Bill Ellis, and Don Richards.
Members absent: none.
Others present: Merlin Anderson.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported a balance of $6165.60 and it reconciled with the Bank Statement dated 3-1-08. February activities are: dues receipts of $320, and $6.00 for usage fees (non-members). Expenses were $946.07. Paid membership as of 3-1-08 is 119. As of this time last year, 3-1-07, it was 151.
As to the drop in membership, Dirk responded that in March 2007, 21 members paid dues, and in March 2008, so far, 16 members were paid up. (These 16 are not reflected in Treasurer's report.) February 2007 , 36 members paid dues, and February 2008, 19 members paid. The Board began an active discussion concerning the drop in membership. Karen said that the QCCC needed to send an email to a revised membership (those not paid up for 2008) reminding them that 2008 dues need to be remitted. Also discussed was a direct monthly email to paid members, sent a few days before a Regular meeting, describing classes, program speakers, and open lab times. Karen volunteered to send both emails. For the next meeting, Board members were asked to submit their ideas for increasing membership. Karen also reported the Mac SIG will start, hopefully, in the Fall of 2008.
Education: Don Richards listed the classes for March: Excel I, II, III, IV, Computer Security, Travel-Reservations, Flash Drives, Google Earth, and Web Searching II. Mail Merge will be rescheduled.
Open Labs: Donna Wieb has asked to be relieved of her duties, preparing open lab schedules, as of Fall 2008. Karen asked for volunteers and will also contact the lab monitors about assuming these duties.
Publicity: Bill Ellis sent pictures and meeting information to QC Crossing. He continues to send QCCC information for Monday e-mails. He had inquiries about people needing help with computers, and those were forwarded to Merlin. Non-member inquiries were referred to Joe Busboom.
Programs: On March 18, Al Miller will host " Identity Theft"; Bill Ellis will present "Speech Recognition" on April 15.
Systems: Merlin reported that we have a new projector stand. The old projector was picked up from Phoenix, with a working bulb. Discussed was the possibility of selling the projector on eBay, maybe during eBay class. Merlin says he and Steve need to decide what to do with the instructor's machine, and try to fix new computers so that they connect directly to printer. Steve reports that Norton anti-virus expires very soon.
SIGS: the Geneology SIG is still on course, and a new homeowner wants to start a Mac SIG. He is prepared with videos and training DVD's. Karen inquired about people who joined the club for Mac SIG, and training, but it did not materialize. She thinks that the QCCC should give these people two months free membership. The Digital Imaging SIG needs a leader, as it is a non-functioning SIG. Al Miller may volunteer in the Fall of 2008. A feeler should be used to get a number of possible interested parties. The Finance SIG should have at least another workshop.
New Business: Merlin requested $144.03 for paper and membership project expenses. It was moved, seconded and approved.
Karen received an e-mail from an interested party inquiring if QCCC had a web design service. In the QC community, Bill and Shirley Gray, and Alan Roehl have this expertise. Karen will pass on this information, and suggested that the club have a reference list on the bulletin board in computer lab for interested parties.
The next Board Meeting will be changed from April 1 to Thursday, April 10.
Adjournment: the meeting was adjourned at 7:54 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Al Miller, Dirk Seidel, Thelma Pippin, Bill Ellis, and Don Richards.
Others present: Steve Pruess.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that a balance of $6631.90 that reconciled with the Bank Statement dated 4/1/08. March activities are: dues receipts of $460.00 and usage fees of $6.00 (non-members). The March expense was $144.03 (budgeted). The current checkbook balance is $6487.57, the difference is a check to Merlin Anderson, that as of 4/1/08 has not been cashed. Paid membership as of 3/31/08 is 146, 26 down from the same period 3/31/07.
Education: Classes for the remainder of April include Printing Pictures, Burning CD's, and Adobe Elements I, and II. The Eraser class will be on 4/23, and Mail Merge is scheduled for 4/22. There will be 2-3 classes in May. Instructor Steve Pruess will be gone the first week of the month. Possible new classes are "What is a Blog", and "Resizing Emails and photos - generating thumbnails". The "Converting Slides to CD's" class should be given at least once a year due to its popularity.
Programs: A speaker for the May 20 regular meeting program has not yet been scheduled. A possible May program could be Web Page Design, using the Freewebs.com site which is easy to use and understand.
Systems: The wireless signal does not work all of the time, making it necessary to re-boot as needed. Steve Pruess says a new router is not necessary. All Anti-Virus licenses have been purchased and are working well. Wires to all computers in lab need to be secured to prevent any accidents. The Instructor machine hard drive will be moved when all classes are over; 80% of the hard drive is currently used on instructor's machine.
SIGs: A new homeowner will possibly host the Mac SIG in September. The possibility of purchasing a Mac computer for the lab was discussed, and Karen decided that the outcome of the Mac SIG interest will determine the outcome. Funds are available. The Board decided to decline the donation of a Mac Power Book 2400C from a homeowner. It was introduced in 1997. The Geneology SIG is limping, with only 4 persons attending the last meeting. There is no interest now for a Photography SIG.
Old Business: Sept 9, 2008 will be first Fall Board Meeting. The Regular Club Meeting will resume on Sept 16.
New Business: Dirk presented a bill from Steve for $134.99 for Anti-Virus Software. Bill Ellis moved, Karen seconded, and the expenditure was approved by Board.
Adjournment: the meeting was adjourned at 7:49 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Dirk Seidel.
Members absent: Al Miller, Thelma Pippin, Bill Ellis, and Don Richards.
Others present: Ron Anderson and Steve Pruess.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported a balance of $6675.58 as of Sept 1st. This has not been reconciled with the banks statement but there has been no activity. Since May there have been receipts of $150 in dues. There are currently 165 members compared to 178 last year. Supplies budget is $500, spent to date $94.03, Hardware budget is $2000, spent to date $652.91, Software budget is $100, spent to date 428.15. Total budget is $3500, spent $1225.09. Income budget is $3000, received $1995. Last year for the period Oct - December we picked up almost 40 people.
Education: not much is scheduled for September. Plan is to have 3-4 workshops and pick up more classes towards the end of September and October. We need instructors. Possible Workshops - Photo Story, Resizing photos, Google Earth, Eraser or Media Player.
Programs: Geek Squad has requested to do the October meeting. Paul Jaffe has agreed to do September. Paul will discuss MAC computers and the possibility of getting the MAC SIG started again. Geek Squad will present home networking. Dirk has agreed to coordinate the Geek Squad in Karen's absence. Karen will contact the Geek Squad with Dirk's information and also get Dirk the name and number of the Geek Squad contact.
Systems: Software...two five license AVG packages were upgraded to version 8. All computers will have version 8 before we start and will last through early 2010.
Hardware...Notebook had problems with reboot since service pack 3 - need to dump the XP partition. Need to leave both instructor computers in place for now. Some of the Gateways have had issues that Steve has fixed. Luckily no expenses incurred to this point. Need to watch for hardware disposal places to get rid of some of the bad/unused hardware.
Old Business: none.
New Business: Karen will be resigning as President and Board member as of the end of September due to a new job out-of-state. Ron Anderson was recommended and previously approved by all board members as her replacement on the Board. The Board will need to decide who will fill the President's position for the remainder of the year. The Board will also need to find speakers for meetings starting with November.
Dirk will not be at the September membership meeting. Karen will be the only Board member at the meeting.
Karen will find an Elections Committee Chairperson. An announcement will be made at the September meeting to get nominees.
Adjournment: the meeting was adjourned at 7:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Karen Mealy for Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Ron Anderson, Thelma Pippin, Dirk Seidel.
Members absent: Bill Ellis, Al Miller (participated by phone), Don Richards
Dirk Seidel called the meeting to order to approve the amount of $35.07 to Steve Pruess for expenses occurred, and to approve Jim Ragan as nominating chair for the November 2008 Election. A motion was made by Dirk Seidel, seconded by Ron Anderson, and passed. Vice President Al Miller made known by telephone his approval of Jim Ragan.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Ron Anderson, Bill Ellis, Dirk Seidel, and Thelma Pippin.
Members absent: Al Miller, Don Richards.
Others Present: Merlin Anderson and Steve Pruess.
Call To Order: Ron Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:06 PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that as of 11/01/08 the balance is $7158.51, that is to be reconciled with the Bank Statement dated 11/01/08. October activities include dues receipts of $315.00, usage fee of $3.00, and expenses of $35.07. Paid membership as of 11/01/08 is 193, 7 down from 200 reported at same period of 11/01/07. Additionally, $410.00 of total receipts so far this year ($2495.00) are for 2009 membership of newly signed up members. Proposed 2009 budget is $3025.00 (revised).
Education: Steve Pruess reported that Computer Classes will be suspended by Dec 18th for the Holiday season. There are 10 more teaching days this year and participant numbers typically are trailing off. He expects the possibility of 7 classes including Google Maps, Advanced Email, Scanner Basics, Media Player, Internet Explorer, and Back-ups.
Programs: Ron Woelfel will present "Skype", a communications program, at the December meeting. Suggestions were to contact Joe Busboom regarding a possible repeat next year of the popular E-bay class, and if he accepts, we may consider the "Preparation of pictures for E-bay" as a follow-up class, although we would need a reasonable camera.
Publicity: Bill Ellis will continue to provide emails for the HOA bulletin, and Steve Pruess will describe classes.
Systems and Administraton: The Computer Lab continues to have printing problems. The Vista machines will not see the present printer. (Club 3 has to be on for all machines to print). We are operating with 2 instructor computers. Merlin suggested using the old instructor as a gateway to the printer. Steve agrees. All data files should be moved from old to new instructor computer this week.
Old Business: The Program Chair is still unfilled. The group decided to send an email to members to remind them of the upcoming election, as November's regular meeting is very close to Thanksgiving Holiday and doesn't draw many members. At least 2 new candidates need to be nominated by the deadline of November 11, one week before the election. Dirk volunteered to send an email or call Vice President Al Miller to discuss the urgent need to appoint a program chair, and a possibility of lining up a speaker to talk about taxes. The Mac SIG is still in limbo: Mr Jaffe is waiting for a go-ahead, and the Computer Club is waiting for his participation. Ron Anderson has agreed to chair the remaining meetings for 2008. It was suggested that a constructive "filler" discussion, perhaps about Vista, be proposed during election stall time.
New Business: The possibility of ballot by proxy was discussed, including an email with a form for a proxy vote following the email announcing the election. The first email would announce the election and solicit persons for Board election, and the second email would provide a list of candidates and a proxy form. Dirk Seidel presented a proposed budget and suggested that we leave it at $3000.00. No monies need to be spent on anti-virus software, and purchasing additional computers would require authorization of membership. After discussion, it was decided to represent another proposed budget so as not to have a deficit. This Budget will be presented at November 2008 regular meeting. No information about the QCCC is presently available at the Madera Clubhouse; Merlin suggested we should at least have membership forms. This should be followed up by the President. Also noted was the recommendation that the club implement another hosting web-site in addition to APCUG, which expires January 1, 2009. "One in One" was favorably suggested as being inexpensive and useful. Lastly, the group decided not to enforce the $5.00 last quarter membership dues, paid with whole year membership for NEW members only, since this has rarely been abused by former members.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 8:23 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Ron Anderson, Bill Ellis, Nancy Lammers, Thelma Pippin, Don Richards, and Dirk Seidel.
Members absent: Al Miller.
Others Present: Merlin Anderson.
Call to Order: Ron Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported that as of 12/1/08, the balance is $7208.51, to be reconciled with the Bank Statement dated 12/1/08. Dues receipts were $50, and non-member usage fees were $12.00. Paid membership as of 12/1/08 is 197, compared with 217, as of 12/1/07. $490.00 of reported dues are for 2009 membership of newly signed-up members.
Education: Don Richards asked why the class sign-up sheets had been removed from the bulletin board. No one at the meeting had any clue as to why that had happened, and December classes had no sign-up clients. A new set will replace the lost ones. Classes for January 2009 include Computer Basics I & II, Word I & II, Vista I & II, Burning CD's, Hardware, Excel, Google Earth, and Photo resizing. The popular Ebay class will be repeated in February or March, possibly followed by a workshop for preparing pictures for Ebay.
Programs: "Skype", the communication program will be presented at the December regular meeting. Nancy Lammers has initiated a possible presentation on Turbo Tax in January or February. She will also contact the Green Valley Computer Club regarding a talk on tax preparation. Merlin Anderson knows a well-known digital picture artist who may be able to demonstrate her craft to the Club. This person also teaches classes for a fee.
Systems Administration: The printer situation is still in limbo, and work continues to get it perfected, if possible.
Publicity: Bill Ellis reported that he has sent information to the QCHOA, but sometimes it goes missing. He also will not be able to send information to the HOA for the next regular meeting, and suggested that someone could take pictures and record meeting information. He has asked to be replaced on the QCCC Board.
New Business: There is an interest in purchasing an Epson slide scanner that will convert slides and negatives to individual computer files. Al Miller currently has the Epson 3700, and it was suggested that the Consumer Report on this scanner be reviewed. Hopefully it will be of interest to current and new membership.
The Board appointed its officers as follows:
President: Al Miller,
Vice President: Nancy Lammers,
Secretary: Thelma Pippin,
Treasurer: Dirk Seidel.
A motion to approve these choices was made by Don Richards, seconded by Dirk Seidel and thus passed. The obligatory letter to Compass Bank will reflect the authorization of signature of the new Vice President, Nancy Lammers.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 7:53 PM.
Respectfully submitted by Thelma Pippin, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Steve Pruess.
Others present: Merlin Anderson.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 6:31PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported that the Club had receipts of $415 and no expenses in December, resulting in a balance of $9351.54. There were 178 members at the end of 2006, compared to 188 at the end of 2005.
Dirk explained the Club's financial audit procedure. The 2006 Treasurer's Report will be completed before the January Membership Meeting and the Board will review it at the end of that meeting.
Dirk will see if any changes are needed in the Bank's approved signature list for the Club.
Education: Don Richards reported that the January class schedule is complete, but instructors are yet to be assigned for the Word sequence. Don will continue to work on this. Karen will teach the E-Mail class on 1/11.
It was noted that the Volunteer List might need to be updated. Karen would like Steve to do this, because he may have the most up-to-date information.
Because the sign-up lists for the January classes are small, a suggestion was made to remind the Membership of the schedule. Don and Dave will work on this. There was a brief discussion regarding the need for all Board members to have access to the on-line class sign-up information.
Don noted that the February class schedule is partially done, but there is room for more classes.
In response to a question from Karen, Club participation in the New Home Owners' Receptions was discussed. It was noted that a Board member usually mans a table at the Reception and makes membership application forms and class information available.
Publicity: Dave Sherman noted that he has worked up a notice for the Quail Crossing and will work on announcements for the Monday E-Mails.
Open Labs: Donna Wieb noted that there were four participants at today's Open Lab, the first one of the New Year.
Membership Meeting Programs: Karen noted that Joe Busboom will present a program about Safe Computing at the January Membership Meeting. At the February meeting, Al Miller will do a program on Identity Theft. Merlin will do a program on Windows Vista for the March meeting.
System Administration: APCUG - This organization hosts the Club's web site at a cost of $50.00 a year. A motion was made, seconded and passed to continue this association and to have Merlin make the necessary arrangements.
New Computers - Steve and Merlin will complete the set-up of these within the next couple of weeks. A new table has been received.
Passwords - Merlin noted it is a good idea to change passwords annually. The Club's new password will be "*****". Merlin will make the change and will notify the Board when this is done, so Open Lab Monitors and Instructors can also be notified.
Administrative Account - Merlin will help Karen set up an Administrative Account on the Lab computers.
Log Book - Merlin reviewed this and noted it is used to record changes made in the Lab.
SIGs:Digital Imaging - the first meeting of this group will be on 1/19/07 at 2:00 pm in the Lab.
Finance - Don is working with Harold Kepler on this. The name may be revised to Finance/Investing.
Committees: Karen would like to invite the Committee Chairs (Program and System Administration, currently) to the Board Meetings. The Board thought this was a good idea.
Old Business: (The following items were discussed at other times during this Meeting, but the Secretary chose to place them in this section of the Minutes.)
Vendor Contacts - Merlin noted that he has been the Club contact person with Microsoft. The Board agreed that Merlin should continue in this role. Dave will contact other vendors to see if we can develop similar arrangements with them.
Expenses - Karen noted that Steve has spent $2937.27 for the new computers and $52.73 for a Toner Cartridge. Reimbursement will be made after Dirk has received the invoices from Steve.
New Business:Sahuarita Wi-Fi Project - Karen will ask Sheila Corcoran-Perry to contact Barbara Dolan regarding this.
Green Valley Club Directory - Karen will check with Melita to see if Quail Creek clubs should be listed in this Directory.
Bulletin Board for the Lab - Karen will pursue this. It would be used to post articles/information of interest to Club members.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:47PM.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb for Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: none.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 8:45PM.
A bill was submitted by Merlin Anderson for the $50 annual dues payment to APCUG, our web host. Steve submitted bills for the recent computer purchases: $2937.27 for the four computers and $51.73 for a toner cartridge. Motions were made, seconded, and passed to approve reimbursement; checks were issued for these amounts. Dirk pointed out that future software purchases for the four new computers can still be charged against the remainder of the $6000 authorized by the membership in in December.
Dirk Seidel gave his annual review of the club treasury. The December final balance was reconciled with the year-end bank statement. Records of dues paid and other income, expenses, receipts, and bank statements are in a folder kept in the lab closet. A motion was made, seconded, and passed to approve the review.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:01PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Others present: Merlin Anderson.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported that in January the Club had receipts of $1350 and expenses of $101.73 plus $2937.27 for the new computers, resulting in a current balance of $7722.54. There were 115 members at the end of January, compared to 81 at the same point of 2006. He added that the January 2006 bank statement was found, completing the 2006 review.
While the signature cards have been signed by all officers, there is a problem with the new IRS TIN that the bank requested. Apparently the original Board did get such a number, so we should have filed a change of address, not for a new number. Dirk will try to resolve this.
Education: Don Richards reported that the March class schedule is complete, and that Joe Busboom has agreed to teach a course on eBay. Harold Kepler is also adding a new course on the use of the Yahoo Finance website. Don circulated a copy of the proposed schedule.
Karen noted that Steve had updated the Volunteers list of teachers and monitors (it can be found on the Instructor computer under Shared Documents/Members/Volunteers.xls).
Open Labs: Donna Wieb is putting together the April and May schedules - attendance has been running one to four people per lab session.
Publicity: Dave Sherman has written an article for the February Quail Crossing; he felt the submissions for the Monday E-mail were going smoothly now. Some people are still not receiving club e-mail notices, perhaps because of spam blockers that we cannot control.
Membership Meeting Programs: Karen noted that we need more people to serve on the program committee - she will ask for volunteers at the February meeting. She announced the speakers for the next three months' programs.
System Administration: Merlin Anderson announced that the new notebook computer is now functioning normally with the projector. The wireless unit sometimes connects and sometimes doesn't. It should ask for a password when we try to connect to it - the current password can be found in the lab logbook. Both printers are now accessible from the four new computers.
SIGS - Digital Imaging: Merlin had 35 people for the initial meeting. This SIG will have a lab session the first Friday of each month and a general meeting on the third Friday. They are looking to identify more people to help with the running of the SIG.
SIGS - Genealogy: Steve Pruess said that the February meeting will be held in the lab for a workshop on using web resources to help with genealogical searches. There will be free access to several commercial web sites.
SIGS - Finance & Investing: Harold Kepler will help in starting a SIG if sufficient interest is generated by his new class.
Old Business: Karen noted that there is a new bulletin board at the back of the lab on the south wall. This is intended for computer-related material. She will write-up a set of guidelines for what can be posted there. A motion was made, seconded and passed to reimburse Karen for this purchase.
New Business: Steve asked members to be thinking about what security software we should use on lab computers - the current Panda product will expire in September, so purchases will have to be authorized before summer. A more immediate matter is that the four new computers came with 60-day versions of Norton and Office 2003, which will soon expire. Merlin suggested the possibility of using several different vendors' security products to see which is the least "hoggish". After discussion, it was decided to buy Office 2003 and Norton NAV or Norton Internet Security for the four new computers. Also, Merlin will puchase a mouse for the new notebook, and mousepads for all four.
The possibility of a Mac SIG arose - Dave will look into this and see if there is any interest.
Karen mentioned that there have been problems with the Club account password - Merlin will look into this. This led to a discussion of separate local e-mail accounts for the Club President and Secretary that are reachable from the club website. Merlin pointed out that we still have five Cox accounts assigned to the Club.
Karen will miss the March club meeting, so Donna will take her place.
The question arose again of gifts of old computer equipment to the club. After some discussion it was decided that, due to space limitations, we not accept donations. The new bulletin board could be used to advertise such items for sale or donation to other members.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:28PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Others present: Merlin Anderson.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported that as of March 1 the Club balance was $8345.69, resulting from dues receipts of $600, expenses of $9.64, and a rebate of $82.79 on the new computers. There were 151 members at the start of March compared to 127 at the same point of 2006. Steve and Merlin submitted bills for software and supplies, respectively. These were approved by the Board. The problem with the Club's TIN has been resolved to the satisfaction of the IRS and bank. Copies of the documentation have been added to the collection of Club papers kept in the back cabinet.
Education: Don Richards reported that a tentative April schedule is available, though there is room for more classes. Joe Busboom's new eBay course and Harold Kepler's finance class are certain for March - another session may be needed for the eBay class.
Open Labs: Donna Wieb worked up the statistics for Jan-Feb and on average two people a day used the labs - the max was five.
Publicity: Dave Sherman has written two articles for the April Quail Crossing; he may post copies on the Fitness Center Bulletin Board or in the lab.
Membership Meeting Programs: Karen has a new speaker, Chris Clarke from Clarke Computers, for the March program on Vista.
System Administration: Merlin announced that Office software has been installed on the new computers as their 60-day versions were about to expire. We still have two licenses remaining for the 2007 version. Norton AV software will be installed as soon as the 60-day versions of these expire. System Set Up (recovery) disks have been made for the new computers.
SIGS - Genealogy: Steve said that the March meeting again will be held in the lab for a workshop on using web resources to help with genealogical searches.
SIGS - Digital Imaging: Al Miller has been helping Bob Aagaard with organizing this SIG. Al will present the program at the March 16th meeting.
SIGS - Mac: From twelve to fifteen people have expressed interest in this. An organizational meeting will be held around mid-March, chaired by Dave. He asked that Board members attend if their schedule's permitted.
Old Business: Guidelines were discussed for the use of the club bulletin board. These will be posted. We also discussed the purchase of additional software for the new computers - one possibility is Adobe Elements.
New Business: We had a lengthy discussion of several items related to membership issues: increasing attendance at monthly meetings, publicity, the club website, and our membership e-mail list. Some suggestions were to have teachers ask students to verify their e-mail addresses on the Club roster, keep the lab's e-mail list current, expanding the website to include a members-only area with a bulletin board and newsletter, adding more generic officer links to the website, and obtaining a simpler URL. We also discussed having a Club Open House, maybe twice a year, with a dry-run in early November this year.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:40PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Don Richards.
Others present: Merlin Anderson.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called this special meeting to order at 6:30PM.
The club has been approached by Ron Darrah, representing the HOA and RCI, about our willingness to assist in Quail Creek's new wellness effort. They want to purchase software that will provide mental stimulation to residents; the intent is to have this available on our lab computers with monitors present to assist in its usage. While many of the details are yet to be worked out, Ron wanted our feedback as soon as possible as to our willingness to help and the feasibility of the plan.
This was discussed at some length - the advantages for us appeared to be some financial support, increased usage of the labs, possible broadening of the pool of monitors, and a potential increase in members. To get started we would coordinate this effort with our existing Open Labs. A downside is the need for added system security (though the Sun Lakes IT people would probably help with this).
The consensus was that we should respond positively to the program as long as lab security is not compromised, and it does not interfere with our normal functioning as a computer club. A motion was made and passed affirming this.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:56PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Others present: Merlin Anderson.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk Seidel reported that as of April 1 the Club balance was $8273.10, resulting from dues receipts of $370 and expenses of $442.59. There were 172 members at the start of April compared to 139 at the same point of 2006. Dirk reviewed our actual expenses vs. projected expenses in the budget.
Education: Don Richards reported that the April schedule is out; nothing has been planned yet for March. All reports indicate that the new classes in March went over well. After some discussion it was decided that we should offer some classes in May, possibly with some new workshops (possible subjects: flash drives, online purchasing - travel, media player, MS photo story).
Open Labs: Donna Wieb said that no open labs are planned for the summer.
Publicity: Dave Sherman has submitted another article for the Quail Crossing; the new HOA weekly e-mail operation appears to be working smoothly. Merlin added that our internal club e-mailing list has been enlarged and updated.
Membership Meeting Programs: Barbara Dolan from Sahuarita is giving the April meeting; for May we traditionally just have just a Q&A session.
System Administration: New e-mail accounts have been set up for class usage.
SIGS - Genealogy: Steve said that the April meeting will be held in the lab for individual research.
SIGS - Digital Imaging: Meetings will continue through April at least.
SIGS - Mac: A second organizational meeting will be held on April 17 at 4:00PM. Hopefully, leadership will be identified that can get the group going in the fall.
Old Business: We discussed installing the Vista upgrades on one or two of the club computers. It was moved, seconded, and passed that we do this on one desktop and one notebook in time for the May meeting. The notebook could then be used to demo Vista at the meeting.
New Business: Steve pointed out that it was likely that part of the lethargic behavior of the Instructor computer could be a lack of RAM. After some discussion it was moved, seconded, and passed to authorize purchase of up to 512MB for this machine and up to 256MB for each of the other eight original desktops. Moreover, Merlin and Steve are to research the cost of two new PCs to begin the cycle of upgrading our old equipment - actual purchase would be made later in the year. Additionally, previously discussed software needs are a mid-range image editor and a video editor. Merlin pointed out that currently a package of Adobe products is available for around $100. Purchase of five of these was also authorized by the Board.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:00PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Dirk Seidel.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:03PM.
Treasurer's Report: Since Dirk is out of town he had e-mailed his report of an $8313.10 balance on May 1. For April there were dues receipts of $40 and no expenses charged. A $32 debit for new checks will be recorded during May. There were 174 members at the start of the month compared to 141 at the same point of 2006.
Education: Don Richards reported that three new workshops had been given recently; another is set for next Monday. No other classes are on tap for May. We'll start again with classes in September - Steve, in consultation with Don, will work on this schedule.
Open Labs: Donna Wieb said that demand is winding down for the Open Labs.
Publicity: Dave Sherman has submitted an article for the next Quail Crossing. One more will go in for fall, maybe two because of the early deadlines.
SIGS - all are on their summer hiatus.
SIGS - Mac: A second organizational meeting was held in April and a possible leader has emerged.
Membership Meeting Programs: We discussed the possibility of getting someone from the Tucson Mac group to present a talk in the fall.
Old Business: Club9 now has dual boot capability between XP and Vista - Office and AVG were installed on the Vista side. Steve will set up the notebook computer as a dual boot before next week's club meeting.
Steve provided more detail on the software and hardware purchases needed to upgrade the lab by fall. For now we decided to purchase four 512MB RAM chips for the Gateways, bringing them up to 512MB each. We can add more later if this isn't enough to improve performance. Norton AV software will be purchased to replace the Panda version that expires in September; five copies of the Adobe software bundle Elements and Premiere Elements will also be procured.
New Business: Dave brought up the desirability of a computer forum on the Club website over the summer. This is probably not feasible through APCUG, but alternatives were discussed. There was some concern about the quality of advice to be given, and that the Club might have no control over this.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:36PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Don Richards.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk stated that the balance as of September 1 is $8234.27; since the last meeting, $70 in dues was collected and $118.33 in expenses was paid. There were 178 members compared to 142 at the same point of 2006.
Open Labs: Donna said she is working on the Fall schedule and will finalize it soon; demand in September is usually weak, so labs won't commence until the end of the month. Donna suggested that we consider allowing non-members to use the Open Lab for a flat per-session fee (to be determined). We get frequent requests for this, but it would require monitors to handle money. We'll continue to discuss this idea.
Education: Steve reported that we wouldn't begin the regular sweep through catalog classes until mid-October or so. Until then there will be workshops, like those given in May. Many of our teachers are still away for the summer, so not a lot will be scheduled for about six weeks.
Publicity: Dave has an article for the latest Quail Crossing and is working on another for October. Steve will get him info on classes soon. Dave needs a roughly two-month lead time for the Crossing. He is also soliciting information for the Monday HOA eMail. The bulletin boards for the back wall of the Fitness Center have still not been returned after the construction. Rumor has it the new ones will be locked, making it impossible for us (and the Tennis Club) to have sign-up sheets as we have in the past.
SIGS - all have been on their summer hiatus and will resume in October.
Membership Meeting Programs: Since the September meeting is usually poorly attended, we considered just giving a "lab orientation" (presented by the Board). Another alternative is to give a "program in the box" - Merlin Anderson has one that Donna will check into. A guest speaker is being lined up for October in the area of how to use the web to assist in financial investing. Steve can give a talk for November or December on free alternatives to Microsoft software, including Linux from Ubuntu.
System Administration: The new RAM has been installed on the Gateways: the Club machines now each have 512MB and Instructor has 768MB. Because a dual-boot setup requires two copies of all purchased software and for other technical reasons, Steve suggested we use this only on the Notebook computer (for meetings) and the Instructor machine. We could swap Club9 and Instructor to achieve this. He further suggested that we use the upgrade disks to change the remaining two new PCs from XP only to Vista only.
Old Business: Steve submitted bills of $308.30 for the RAM upgrades and $549.95 for five copies of the Adobe Elements/Premiere bundle. These were pre-approved in May.
New Business: none.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:58PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Don Richards, Dave Sherman.
Guest: Ron Darrah, HOA Board President.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance as of October 1 is $7676.02; since the last meeting, $300 in dues has been collected and $858.25 in expenses was paid. Receipts and Expenses are within budget. We currently have 193 members compared to 142 at the same point of 2006.
Education: Steve proposed twelve classes for November. There are plenty of choices from our catalog but we're still short of teachers. The September workshops were well attended.
Open Labs: Donna pointed out that though Open Labs have started, there have been no customers. Donna read a letter she wrote to Ron Darrah concerning the usage of Open Labs by nonresidents. Ron pointed out that HOA rules prohibit such people from joining the club, but not from using the facilities. We are also entitled to levy a small fee. Preferred Guests would probably be given a "coupon" for such use, and we would be reimbursed later by the Sales Office. Donna responded that we would also like to make the lab available to anyone with a "temporary need" to use a computer - this is allowable under current interpretations of HOA rules. It was made clear that this only refers to Open Lab times, so there is no impact on staffing. The Board members present felt that we should postpone a final decision until the full Board is available.
Membership Meeting Programs: Deb Weber from Chase Investment Services is the October speaker on websites for financial information. November is our Annual Meeting and Board election - we may want a short program then. Steve could give one or we could do a Microsoft "Program in a Box" with Steve giving his program in December.
System Administration: Steve mentioned that the Panda Interenet Security programs don't expire until early January, so we have several months before purchasing replacements. He and Merlin think we should try AVG for a year to see how it performs. He suggested the Board begin discussions on when to purchase the next round of replacement computers. It came up that we have a need for extra work tables; Ron Darrah said that we could make a written proposal directly to the HOA for tables and chairs - we don't need a formal budget request.
SIGS - The Digital Imaging SIG should be resuming their regular meetings this month. The Genealogy SIG numbers remain small with erratic attendance; they will be discussing future club activities at the October meeting. The MAC SIG needs to identify leaders that can get the group started.
Old Business: none.
New Business: Several people have suggested classes specifically devoted to Vista. At present this will be a challenge since we have only four licenses for the new computers - just two of these have been installed so far. The Instructor computer only has XP.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:48PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Dirk Seidel
Others Present: Merlin Anderson.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the meeting to order at 10:00AM.
Treasurer's Report: Karen reported for Dirk that the balance as of November 1 is $7821.02, no expenses were incurred, and $145 in dues were collected. We currently have 200 members compared to 155 at the same point in 2006.
Education: Don Richards listed possible classes for December. He noted that as interest drops off rapidly in December, we may only offer about half a dozen. Merlin will be unavailable for teaching after December 11. Merlin also added that there is a backlog of students for the Photoshop Elements class, since we have only four copies of the software for student PCs.
Open Labs: Donna reported average lab usage of about one person per session for the month of October. She distributed a revision of the letter to HOA Chair Ron Darrah requesting authorization of a $3 per session charge for temporary residents/visitors to use the Open Labs. No opposition to the policy was expressed, nor were any suggestions made to alter the letter. Donna will see that this revised letter is submitted to Ron Darrah.
Publicity: Dave has an article appearing in the next Quail Crossing. For the election he will send an e-mail to the Club membership giving the slate of candidates and meeting info.
Program Committee: Karen is working on January and February programs; time remaining after the November election will be spent on a Q & A. In December Steve will give a program on "Alternatives to Microsoft Software."
Nomination Chair: last week Merlin Anderson sent out the initial solicitation for candidates; so far one person has responded favorably. The "final" slate needs to be posted by the 13th. Don Richards offered to chair the election portion of the November meeting as Merlin will be away then. Donna will be running the meeting in Karen's absence, so she could not do it.
System Administration: Merlin has installed the Photoshop Elements part of the recently puchased bundle; he will install Premiere Elements next. The lab telephone is still not functioning. Donna will remind Ron Darrah that the Computer Lab phone line needs repair.Steve mentioned a problem with Club8 [after the meeting Merlin found that the Panda software was causing the problem, so it was replaced].
SIGS - The Digital Imaging SIG has not yet resumed their regular meetings. The Genealogy SIG meeting in October was attended by six new people who are anxious to pursue genealogical activities; specific areas of interest are software, archiving, and data organization. The next meeting will be on November 14. The MAC SIG still needs to identify leaders that can get their group started. Don will check with Harold Kepler to get his opnion on starting up a Finance SIG.
Old Business: the Bulletin Board location has been changed to the portal on the west side of the A & T building.
Steve has begun research for purchasing the three new computers authorized by the Club at last month's meeting. Hewlett-Packard prices seem little changed from last year, even though equipment has been upgraded. Dell's have risen about 25%. Merlin asked about getting the Ultimate Vista OS on the new machines for its multi-media capabilities - the additional cost is uncertain.
New Business: we discussed the disposition of the Microsoft Publisher program that was given to us. Dave suggested that we install it on one of the PCs so a member could try it out during an Open Lab - all agreed that this was a good idea.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:50AM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Karen Mealy, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dave Sherman.
Members absent: Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb.
Others Present: Merlin Anderson, Bill Ellis, Thelma Pippin.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the final meeting of the 2007 Board to order at 7:00PM.
Treasurer's Report: Karen reported for Dirk that the balance as of December 1 is $8171.02, no expenses were incurred, and $350 in dues were collected. We currently have 217 members compared to 165 at the same point in 2006. Expenses for supplies and printer cartridge in the amount of $174.27 were approved as was Steve's bill for $2246.08 (previously authorized) for the three new computers.
Education: Don Richards went over the upcoming classes and workshops for December: Adobe Elements, Google Earth, Burning Music CDs, E-mail, and Eraser. He and Steve will soon meet to plan a January 2008 schedule. Bill Ellis suggested a class in tax preparation software for January or February.
Open Labs: Karen reported that Donna has a proposed lab schedule for the first three months of 2008.
Publicity: Dave had nothing new to report: his deadline for the Monday HOA e-mail is Thursday.
Program Committee: Karen is working on 2008 programs; Joe Busboom can likely present one of these. Steve suggested that the tax preparation subject be done as a program rather than a class. QC resident Dave Hartwell had given such a talk five years ago.
System Administration: Merlin brought up the need for APCUG renewal for the coming year. The dues remain at $50; the main benefit to us is the hosting of our webpage. Merlin explained some of the other services they provide. Bill commented that 1and1 provides hosting for $3 per month and includes 1200 e-mail addresses.
The Men's Golf Club (QCMGA) has a need for another computer (if they can find space) to ease the demand on their exisiting PCs. Merlin asked if we could donate one of the ones that we are replacing - Board members were amenable to this.
Merlin will work on updating the HP drivers on the Vista PCs so they can use the old printer. Steve mentioned that the Panda license expires in January and we will be replacing them with an AVG anti-virus product.
SIGS - The Digital Imaging SIG appears to be moribund. The Genealogy SIG had seven attendees at the November meeting and will meet next on December 19. The program will be "Data Organization." The MAC SIG still lacks a leader. There appears to be no interest in a gaming SIG, but Dave Sherman will add to his next Monday e-mail a request for interested people.
Old Business: Steve announced that the three new HP computers arrived just before the meeting. The two Club replacements will run Vista, and the Instructor computer will be dual boot off the old XP drive or the new Vista drive (assuming we can get a SATA and an IDE to co-exist). We will uninstall MS Office off the old computers and reinstall on the Vista side of the new ones in order to stay legal. Consequently, no new software needs to be purchased at this time for the new computers (they each have 60 days of Norton Internet Security).
Karen asked Merlin about the Microsoft program Publisher that could be used for a future monthly meeting program. He responded that he was still evaluating this.
On the subject of making open labs available to non-members, the HOA Board has approved the plan suggested at last month's meeting: a $3 fee for each visit. Details are to be worked out with the Sales Office regarding the issuance of coupons for Preferred Guests that we can redeem periodically for $3 each.
New Business: Merlin informed us that the QCMGA wants to schedule tutorials to their members on the new Chelsea scheduling program. They will need no new software for this, but would like use of the projector, etc. for the classes. Initially they will be using the Fine Arts room to meet demand - eventually they may fit in the lab. They understand that a Board member must be present to monitor each session. Merlin offered to coordinate this and Karen volunteered to help.
2008 budget: using data from previous years Karen proposed a budget for the next year. Various inputs were tinkered with before arriving at the following:
| INCOME | ||
| dues | 3000 | |
| Total income | $3000 | |
| EXPENSES | ||
| supplies | 500 | |
| APCUG | 50 | |
| software | 1000 | |
| hardware | 2000 | |
| Total expenses | $3550 | |
| NET | -$550 |
A motion was made to present this to the December club meeting; it was seconded and passed.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:13PM.
Call To Order: President Karen Mealy called the first meeting of the 2008 Board to order at 8:13PM.
Officers: after much discussion the following officers were selected for 2008.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:32PM.
Respectfully submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Don Bacon.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 6:29 pm.
REPORTS
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Joy Green
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 6:31 pm.
REPORTS
Dues income year-to-date for 2006 is $1055, the current balance is $8180.87 and has been verified with the Bank statement, and there are 81 paid members currently.
After receiving a couple of phone calls from Preferred Guests asking about computer access in Quail Creek, Donna called the Sales Office and suggested they consider providing this service in their space. The other option is to use the Green Valley Library.
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Don Richards (late), Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Don Bacon
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 6:33 pm.
REPORTS
Treasurer’s Report: Dirk reported that the 3/1/06 balance was $8801.87 and has been reconciled with the bank statement. After receiving $30.00 in dues, $280.00 in fees, and an expense of $300.00 for the Computer Safety course, the current balance is $8811.87. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve the expenditure for the Safety course. A net of $36.00 is expected from this course. This will go into the General Fund of the Club. There are 123 Club members currently. At this same time last year, the Club had 106 members.
Education Committee: Steve noted that the March classes are pretty well set. A couple of vacancies remain for instructors and helpers. Steve will incorporate the names that have come from the Survey into the Volunteer list and the class schedule.
Merlin and Don Richards will work on the April class schedule and have it available for the March Membership meeting.
Steve noted that the Club passwords have been changed.
Program Committee: Steve noted that Karen Mealy has volunteered to work on the Program Committee with Sheila Corcoran-Perry. Merlin will contact them to discuss their planning a program for the April Membership meeting. The 3/21/06 Membership meeting program will be a presentation by Merlin on Microsoft Photo Story.
OLD BUSINESS
Board Vacancy: Don Richards has agreed to serve on the Board to replace Don Bacon and will complete the last year of Don Bacon’s term.
Education Chair: Don Richards will accept this Board role. He will work with Merlin and Steve during the rest of the "season" in order to learn the duties of this position.
Equipment Gifts: A new printer was given to the Club. Because the Club is not really in need of another printer, we will give it to a Club member by way of a lottery or drawing. Steve noted that someone has offered a scanner to the Club. Because the Club can use another scanner, we will accept this gift. Steve will make the arrangements.
Equipment Problems: Merlin noted that Club 4 computer is still balky. He will look into this to see if it can be fixed.
Membership Survey: The Board discussed the results received to date from the Membership Survey. Over 50 responses have been received and more are expected to come in. The information on programs will be passed on to the Program Committee. Donna will work on the Open Lab issues. In deciding when and if to add more computers to the Lab, it was pointed out that we need to consider the eventuality of having the original 8 computers on one Operating System (XP) and the new computers on another Operating System (Vista?). Vista will probably be available this Fall.
NEW BUSINESS
New Homeowners’ Reception: This will be held in the Madera Clubhouse at 9:00 am on 3/21. Donna volunteered to represent the Club at this event.
Membership Meeting on 3/21/06: Steve noted he will be out of town at that time. Merlin will handle the meeting. Merlin will provide Joy with information regarding the 3/21 program.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:46 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: none.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.
REPORTS
Treasurer’s Report: Dirk reported that the 4/1/06 balance was $8891.87. After receiving
$145.00 in dues, the current balance is $9036.87. There are 137 paid Club members.
Education Committee: Don reported that most of the April classes are filling up. The Mail Merge classes scheduled for April have been cancelled.
The following issues were discussed regarding classes in May and June:
Open Labs: Donna reported that the Open Lab schedule is complete for April and May. Based on the survey results and the increase in the number of monitors, the schedule has been expanded to more sessions, about half of which are "themed".
Program on 4/18: Al Miller will not be available to do the program on "Tracking Portfolios". Steve noted that Phil Conklin and a computer tech. person from the town of Sahuarita may be available to present a program on the town’s plans for Wi-Fi. If they can’t make it on 4/18, we may schedule/sponsor a special meeting on this subject.
OLD BUSINESS
Sahuarita Wi-Fi: Merlin attended a recent Sahuarita Town Council Meeting where this
issue was discussed. A feasibility study has been done and the town seems to be very interested
in doing this project. It would cost an estimated $3.6 million to install and more than
$500,000 annually to operate. The town is considering owning and operating the system.
At the Sahuarita meeting there were no negative remarks or questions about the project and
there was no information presented on systems currently in use. Merlin had a number of
questions and concerns and has sent these to Phil Conklin in an e-mail. A copy of that
e-mail was provided to each Board member and will be filed with these minutes.
Club 4 & Reconfiguring Lab: Merlin is still working on the Club 4 computer. He thinks the problem may be either with a switch or the ethernet card.
After discussion, the Board decided to move the back two tables to the opposite side and to the front of the room. Now that the screen is hanging directly facing the room, it allows for this change in table layout, providing better sight and sound for the students at those computers. Merlin will work on the wiring changes needed for this move. He will do this before he leaves for the summer or when he returns in the fall.
Microsoft Vista Delay: If this product is not available until January, should we delay expansion of the Lab until then? It was decided we should defer our decision until the Fall, by which time more reliable information will be available. We will also want to know if OS upgrades will be available.
Membership Survey - Web Page: The survey results did not show that the length of the web address was a significant problem. Steve noted that members can go to "Quail Creek Computer Club" under Google and then put the web site into their "Favorites".
Membership Survey - Class List Names: The survey showed that this is desirable to the members, but Steve noted that it would be difficult to maintain.
Membership Survey - "Service" Calls: What is the best way to handle this? It was suggested there could be an on-line request form. It was also noted that having no fee attached to such a service means no implied rapid response time and no "guarantee" of results.
NEW BUSINESS
Membership Meeting on 4/18/06: There will be the usual agenda items.
Steve noted that the Club will be due for new/renewed anti-virus software during the next few months. Steve commented it would be good to get a version that does not slow down the machines as much as the current system does. A motion was made, seconded and passed to allow Steve to handle this decision and expense when the time comes.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:44 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: none.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.
REPORTS
Treasurer’s Report: Dirk reported that the current balance is $9076.87; $145.00
in dues was received last month and the membership is at 139. Last year at this time,
there were 153 members.
Donna gave Dirk dues from one new and one renewing member. A motion was made, seconded and passed to reimburse Donna $20.97 for a case of copy paper she had bought for the Club.
Merlin explained what he had done to move 4 computers to the North side of the Lab and to prepare for wireless operation. He also fixed the Club 4 computer. A motion was made, seconded and passed to reimburse Merlin $134.48 for the expenses relating to these changes.
Education Committee: Don reviewed the remainder of the May class schedule and noted that no classes are scheduled for June.
Don will be gone for the summer and will return in mid-October. Steve said he would handle the Education activities as needed. Merlin will be back at the end of October.
Open Labs: Donna reported that the Open Lab schedule for June and July will be based on the availability of the Monitors.
Program on 5/16: Steve plans to continue the Q & A after a short business meeting. There was a discussion about where this meeting will be held - the Fine Arts room or the Lab. The consensus seemed to be to hold it in the Lab, because fewer members are expected to be in attendance.
Publicity: Don suggested that we do more publicity about our E-Mail classes because many people he has talked to are primarily interested in learning more about E-Mail. Joy will address this issue.
OLD BUSINESS:
Summer: The Board was OK with Donna’s plans for the Open Lab schedule for the
summer. There will be no firm class schedule. If enough people express interest in
having a particular class, we will try to schedule it. Joy will send an e-mail to the
Club members regarding this, asking that they reply to her with questions or comments.
NEW BUSINESS
Membership Meeting on 5/16/06: There will be the usual agenda items.
Steve noted that the Club will be due for new/renewed anti-virus software during the next few months. Steve is considering the Panda Titanium product in place of Norton.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:01 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Don Richards.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 6:29 pm.
REPORTS
Treasurer’s Report: Dirk reported that the current balance is $8981.42. Expenses
year to date total $505.45, less than budget. The membership is at 142. Last year at this
time, there were 166 members.
Steve submitted expenses for some Panda antivirus software, an expense that had previously been approved by the Board.
Steve submitted an expense of $32.99 for a network switch. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve reimbursement for this expense.
Open Labs: Donna reported that the Open Lab schedule for September through December is complete and has been publicized and posted.
Programs: Steve reported that Karen Mealy will do a presentation on Microsoft's Website for the September 19 Membership Meeting. The program for October will be Barbara Dolan and Mike Schrade from the City of Sahuarita presenting an update on the citywide Wi-Fi system. November's program might be, "What's your favorite computer-related gizmo?" December's program could be an expanded Q & A session. After the first of the year, Al, Merlin, and Steve will each present a program.
Merlin has received a Vista "Presentation in a Box" that can be used for a program.
Education Committee: Steve reviewed the class schedule for September. We may need to reschedule a few of these classes because of low sign-ups so far.
Publicity: Joy reported that she has submitted material for publication in the "Quail Creek Crossing". Hopefully, it will make it into the September issue. If not, it will be in the October issue. Joy has also put publicity announcements in the Monday E-mails as well as e-mails to the Club Membership.
SIGs: Steve reported that Merlin may start a digital imaging SIG once he is off the Board. Merlin's goal for this SIG is to get it started and then find someone to take it over. Steve reported that Gene Erb will poll last year's Genealogy SIG to see is there is any interest in continuing to meet.
OLD BUSINESS:
Current Lab Hardware and Software: Steve reported
that he and Merlin have worked on the wireless system and other electronic issues.
We may get a 16-port hub to improve service to the Lab and provide room for expansion.
Additional Computers: Merlin and Steve have discussed this. No conclusions have been made. There is no pressing need for expansion at this time.
NEW BUSINESS
Membership Meeting on 9/19/06: There will be the usual
agenda items.
New Computers: Steve noted that the Club should choose flat-panel monitors when we get new hardware. He also noted that there are several devices/software on the market that allow the transfer of old data to a new computer. The Club may want to purchase such a device and then allow members to use it as needed.
Social Events for the Club: Steve noted that Karen Mealy has suggested some kind of social event for the Club - like a potluck supper. There was little interest in this among the Board members present.
October Classes: Steve suggested classes on Security, Basics, Word, File Management II, Scanner, Computer Repairs (formerly called Computer Maintenance). Steve also brought up the idea of more workshops in addition to the classes.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:20 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel (late), Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Don Richards.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm.
REPORTS
Open Labs: Donna reported that the Monday Open Lab this week had three
participants. The previous Open Labs had been very poorly attended.
Education: Steve reviewed the class schedule. The October schedule is set. Steve will work with Don on the November schedule.
Programs: Steve noted the program for October will be an update on the Sahuarita citywide Wi-Fi system.
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance in the Club Treasury on October 1 was $8748.93. Dues receipts of $155.00 resulted in a current balance of $8903.93. There were no expenses since the last Board Meeting. The membership is at 150. Last year at this time, there were 175 members. Income and expenses are both less than what was budgeted.
There was a discussion of the need to be conservative in projecting any membership increases for the 2007 Budget.
Dirk asked if we should clarify that the $5/20 special dues rate at the end of the year should apply only to new members or to lapsed members. He noted there were some old members who renewed their membership late in the year and got the special rate. The consensus of the Board members present was that the special dues rate should not apply to renewing members.
Publicity: No report.
OLD BUSINESS
Current Lab Hardware and Software: Steve reported that the hard drive on Club 2 needs to
be replaced. Steve will go ahead and purchase the 16-port network switch.
Nominating Committee Chair: There was a discussion of Club members who might be considered for this position. Steve will take care of this and let the Board know of the outcome.
NEW BUSINESS
Membership Meeting on 10/17/06: There will be the usual agenda items. Dirk noted he
will miss this meeting and will give the information to Steve.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Joy Green.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm.
Nominating Committee: Harold Kepler, Chair of the Nominating Committee, reported that six members have agreed to run for the three openings on the Board. Two of these six are incumbents. One incumbent is unable to run because of term limits. Harold asked if this number of candidates is adequate or if more recruiting is necessary. The Board felt that the list is more than adequate and no further work needs to be done except to post a notice of the election and the candidates' names on the Fitness Center Bulletin Board at least seven days prior to the election. Steve also suggested that Harold notify all candidates that they should give either an oral or a written statement at the November Membership Meeting.
Steve brought up the issue of voting by proxy. The Club By-Laws and Charter permit this, although we have never exercised this option in elections to date. Concerns included "proxy" voting vs. "absentee" voting, security of these votes, and how to handle candidate statements. Because there is not a lot of time before this year's election, the Board decided to address this issue before the 2007 election.
REPORTS
Treasurer's Report: Dirk reported that the balance in the Club Treasury on
November 1 was $8998.93 and this has been reconciled with the Bank statement. Dues
receipts were $230.00. There were no expenses since the last Board Meeting. The
membership is at 155. Last year at this time, there were 181 members. Income and
expenses are both less than what was budgeted.
A motion was made, seconded and passed to reimburse Steve for expenses of $112.39 for a replacement hard drive and a new switch.
Open Labs: Donna noted that participation in these sessions has increased over the last month.
Publicity: Steve and/or Don will see that information about classes gets into the Q.C. Monday E-Mails. Steve noted that the next New Home Owners' Reception is in early December.
Education: Don reported that some changes have been made in the November class schedule based on instructor availability. Don is working with Merlin on the December class schedule.
November Membership Meeting: This meeting will be held on the "normal" date of 11/21. The program will be computer gadgets and gizmos.
SIG's:
Genealogy - Don will call Gene Erb to find out when their next meeting will be.
Digital Imaging - Merlin and Bob Aagaard will try to have the first,
organizational, meeting of this group in January.
Finance - Steve noted that Harold Kepler has experience in this area. We may
want to do a program or a class on this subject before trying to organize a SIG.
Web Design - Bill Ellis recently tried to get some free copies of the Front Page
software from IBM and was told that it is being replaced by Web Expression, now
free in its beta version. We could use this to teach classes and/or start a SIG
in web design.
OLD BUSINESS
New Computers - Because Vista compatible/upgradeable computers are now available,
Steve wondered if this is the time to buy four new computers for the Lab. We expect
class sizes to increase after the first of the year. A Dell model, with a flat-panel
monitor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, a DVD reader, and appropriate software would cost about
$1100. Should we have a Committee look into this matter?
After discussion, the Board decided that Steve and Merlin should prepare a recommendation on what the Club should do regarding this issue. This recommendation should be presented at the November Membership Meeting. Expenditures greater than $1000 need membership approval.
NEW BUSINESS
System Administration Committee - Steve proposed we establish this Committee in
order to continue to make use of Merlin's expertise in this area. There was no objection.
Membership Meeting on 11/21/06: There will be the usual agenda items, plus new items from tonight's meeting.
December Membership Meeting - The date is not yet certain. The program could be a Q & A.
2007 Budget - This is usually presented at the December meeting. Dirk has drafted a proposed budget and asked for input from the other Board members. Steve and Merlin had some comments. It appears that a dues increase will not be needed. It was suggested that we ask Robson to pay for the four new computers. This request would be based on the growth of the Quail Creek Community since the Computer Club was formed.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: none.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm.
Board Vacancy: A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve and welcome Dave Sherman as the new Board member to replace Joy Green, who recently resigned her seat on the Board. Dave will complete the second year of Joy's term.
Treasurer's Report and Approval of Expenses: Dirk reported that, as of 10/1/06, the Club had a balance of $9156.54 and 163 members. Expenses year-to-date are $830.38 and income year-to-date is $2861, including $410 in dues for 2007. Expenses and income are within budget and have been reconciled with the Bank statement.
Open Labs: Donna reported that a member has asked to have more access to the Lab, perhaps by having a key made available at the Pro Shop for Members to check out. The Board did not feel this was acceptable. Donna will contact the member and ask if she would be willing to staff the Lab as a Monitor at the days/times she would like to have access.
Education: Don reported that there will be a Card Workshop tomorrow, taught by Mary Ellen Pruess. Don reviewed the class schedule for January, February, and March. Dirk gave Don the name of a Club Member who might be available to teach some classes.
Program: Steve noted that Karen has about three programs ready for future Membership meetings. She may need to get one more. For the December Meeting Program, Steve will review anti-virus and spyware issues and we will have a Q & A session. We will also discuss "stocking stuffer" ideas.
Publicity: Steve noted that we do not have a Chair of this activity now, because of Joy's resignation; a New Homeowners' Reception is coming up; and we should send out a notice in January and February reminding current members that it is time for them to pay their 2007 Club dues.
Old Business:
Computer Lab Changes - Merlin said he has been unsuccessful in installing a wireless
router in the Lab, but is still working on the problem. There has been trouble with
losing network connections on some of the Lab computers. Merlin bought another switch
and this seems to have solved the problem. E-mail service on the Lab computers is
"piggy-backed" on the Men's Golf Club server because this was a cheaper solution than going
with Cox e-mail service. The Men's Golf Club is changing e-mail servers now, so the Lab
will also switch to their new server at no cost. Steve thinks that maybe Cox offers more
e-mail accounts now. If we run into problems, we could re-check the Cox services.
New Computers - Merlin and Steve have researched and discussed this at length, reviewing all aspects of the issue. They will proceed with the purchase, aiming for having four additional computers ready for the January classes.
Proposed Budget for 2007: After discussion, a motion was made, seconded and passed to approve the 2007 budget as presented and to take it to the Membership for their information at the December meeting.
New Business: There was none.
Adjournment: The meeting of the old Board adjourned at 8:08 pm.
Meeting Date: December 5, 2006
Members Present: Steve Pruess, Don Richards, Dirk Seidel, Dave Sherman, Donna Wieb.
Members Absent: Karen Mealy.
Call To Order: President Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 8:09 pm.
Board Officers: Steve reviewed the duties of the Board officers and the members
present discussed what Office they would be willing to fill for 2007.
The following Officers were determined:
The remaining Officers will be determined after Steve discusses this with Karen Mealy.
January Board Meeting: The regular day for this meeting would be 1/2/07. Dirk may be gone at that time. If there is a change in the meeting date, you will be notified.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Ruthie Wahl
Call To Order: The meeting was called to order by President Merlin Anderson at 6:36PM.
Treasurers report:
Programs & Education: Steve reviewed the classes coming up. The program for the January membership meeting will be, "An Orientation to the Computer Club", presented by the Board. Steve distributed an outline for this presentation and the Board assigned themselves to certain sections. The February program will be on viruses and spyware. The March program will address how to dispose of an old computer.
SIG Committee Report: Dirk distributed and discussed a spreadsheet containing the results of a survey done on SIG’s with the Green Valley Computer Club and APCUG. Marilyn Alford might be willing to head up a Genealogy SIG. Dirk, Ruthie, and Gene Erb are also interested in such a group. Merlin said this group should go ahead and meet and report back to the Club when they have something to report.
Merlin proposed that a "General Interest Meeting" be organized for people interested in a Photography SIG. It was suggested this might be held immediately following a regular Club meeting.
Open Labs: Donna gave an update. We have activity data from December and will continue to collect this information during the next month or two to evaluate the effectiveness of the scheduled additional Open Lab times.
Publicity & Marketing: This agenda item was tabled until next month because of Ruthie’s absence. Steve suggested that maybe Ruthie could get some ideas for articles from the members.
Other Business: Donna gave Merlin the Club House room scheduling information from Jim Ragan. It was noted that we need to keep on top of this to be sure we have the appropriate utilities in the room we hope to use for Club meetings.
Adjournment:: The meeting adjourned at 7:45PM.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Ruthie Wahl
Call To Order: Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:36 pm.
Treasurers report:
Programs & Education: Steve noted that the class schedule for February is very busy. Overflow classes may be scheduled on Saturdays and/ or on weekday afternoons. He will be scheduling the March classes soon. There was a discussion of the possibility of accepting donated computers in order to increase the numbers available to students. These could be devoted to teaching only and not be hooked up to the internet. It was noted that teaching is more difficult when some students have different equipment from the rest of the class. The February program will be an update on anti-virus and spyware software. The March program may address how to dispose of an old computer. Steve asked when a program on the Genealogy SIG would be ready.
SIG Committee Report:
Shredder: Donna raised the question of a need for a shredder in the Lab. Because she is the only one with a need for this at the current time, she will continue to use her shredder at home for documents with e-mail addresses on them.
Charter Amendment: Donna raised the question of the value of reading the minutes at the Membership Meetings. If we were to make a change in this matter, we would have to change the Charter. Merlin will bring this issue to the next Membership Meeting and see how the members feel about it. If they are not opposed, we could consider changing the Charter to say that meeting minutes will be made available to the membership. They are available now on the Club website.
Steve raised the question regarding allowing renters to become Club members. Our Charter does not allow this at present. Merlin will check with Anita to see what is the current thinking at Robson on this matter.
Replacement of Board Member: Ruthie Wahl has said she will be moving out of the area in a few months. Because the vacancy is not immediate, we will discuss this matter later.
Newcomers' Reception: The first of these is scheduled for 2/9 at 9:00 am in the new Club House. Melita plans to hold these Quarterly. Merlin and Don will work on getting materials together for display and presentation at this event.
Other Business:
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:47 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Ruthie Wahl, Donna Wieb
Call To Order: Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.
Treasurers report: Dirk Seidel reported the Club has a balance of $5944.68 as of 3/1/05. Dirk reviewed the actual budget activity as compared to the proposed budget for the year. Dirk noted that he and Don Bacon are completing Don’s signature card for the Bank. Merlin and Donna Wieb gave Dirk money for the treasury. The Board approved payment of $64.49 to Merlin for purchases he made for the Club.
Dirk reported on his study of the possibility of incorporating the Club. The GVR Computer Club is incorporated, has a tax number, and files income tax returns. RCI has been contacted on this issue and Dirk is waiting for their reply. Dirk will report back on this at the next Board meeting.
Programs & Education: Steve Pruess reported that he held a meeting last week of the Club’s Instructors. Teaching assignments were finalized for March and April. Steve is now working on finding and assigning helpers for these classes.
Steve presented examples that Mary Ellen Pruess has done with greeting cards, return address labels, etc. Mary Ellen would consider doing a workshop on this subject.
Steve distributed a draft of a "Checklist for Computer Club Instructors" and asked for prompt feedback from the Board. Donna suggested we do similar Checklists for Class Helpers and Open Lab Monitors.
SIG Reports:
Charter Amendments: The Board discussed the drafts of the amendments to Articles IV and VIII and made some revisions. Merlin will make the revisions and recirculate these to the Board for comment. The amendments need to be posted one week prior to the next membership meeting.
Newcomers’ Reception: This will be on 3/9 at 9:00am and should last for about one hour. Merlin and Don will staff the QCCC table. Merlin has prepared a Power Point presentation for this.
Open Labs: Donna gave an up-date on this activity. Participation has increased from December to an average of 4 people/Open Lab in February. Twelve Club members have volunteered to serve as Open Lab Monitors.
We will ask the membership at the next meeting if there is a demand for additional days or times for Open Labs.
Donna asked the Board if they had any objection to having a Computer Lab key available at the Madera Clubhouse front desk for check-out by the Open Lab Monitors who are not Board members. There was no objection, so Donna will work with Mike Stewart on this.
Other Business:
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:40 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Ruthie Wahl
Call To Order: Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm.
Treasurers report: Dirk Seidel reported the Club has a balance of $6260.19 as of 4/1/05. The balance has been reconciled with the checking account and petty cash. The YTD income is $370 short of the projected annual income for 2005. Merlin and Donna presented Dirk with additional income and expenses. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve payment of expenses of $15.06 to Donna for printer paper. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve payment of expenses to Merlin for class supplies.
The current membership is at 140. At the end of 2004, the Club had 150 members.
Dirk gave an up-date on his research into the issue of incorporating the Club. The result of this research is that the Club should not incorporate at this time. Dirk will prepare a report for the record on his findings and will present this report at the next Membership Meeting.
Programs & Education: Steve reported that all April classes have Instructors assigned to them and Helpers for some classes are still being recruited. Another round of the Basics series is being considered. Mary Ellen Pruess' Card Workshop has been scheduled for 4/16 and will include a $5.00 charge for supplies.
The following topics were suggested for the May Membership Meeting Program:
The May class schedule will be reduced. Steve plans to put up a "class request" sheet in the Fitness Center in order to determine the class need for the summer months. If the demand is low, we may not conduct any classes during the summer.
SIG Reports: Dirk reported that the Genealogy SIG is meeting regularly and has 2 new members. The offices of Vice-President and Secretary have not been filled yet. This SIG now has a total of 8 members.
Additional Open Lab Hours: Donna reported that no Club Member has asked for an expansion of these hours and that participation is beginning to fall off. We will not expand the Open Lab schedule at this point. We may, in fact, reduce it some during the summer months. This issue will be reviewed again in the fall. Donna noted that having a Computer Lab key available at the Madera Clubhouse front desk for checkout by the Open Lab Monitors who are not Board members is working smoothly.
April Meeting: The program on Favorite Web Sites may not be possible to do in the Madera Clubhouse at this time. We will hold the Membership Meetings for April and May in the Computer Lab. Merlin will communicate with Melita about this and tell her that we want to keep the Clubhouse room reservation and will probably meet there again in the fall. Steve said he would like at least 10 web sites for the program and would like to get at least 1 from each Board member. Steve will send a reminder of the April meeting to the membership.
Replacement for Ruthie Wahl: After discussion, a motion was made, seconded and passed to approve Joy Green to complete Ruthie's term on the Board. Joy will probably also serve as Publicity Chair.
Other Business:
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Don Bacon, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Merlin Anderson
Call To Order: Vice President Don Bacon called the meeting to order at 6:29 pm.
Treasurers report: Dirk Seidel reported the Club has a balance of $6489.50 as of 5/1/05. The balance has been reconciled with the checking account and petty cash. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve payment of expenses of $64.00.
The current membership is at 157, 8 short of the budget projection.
Summer Schedule: The Club Charter says Board and Membership meetings are to be held at least once per quarter. After discussion, the Board members present agreed we would hold no Board or Membership meetings until September.
One Board meeting item of business that might come up during the summer is some software expense. Therefore, a motion was made, seconded and passed to approve the expenditure of up to $500.00 for the purchase of 9 copies of Antivirus software.
The Open Lab schedule will remain as it is (M, W, F) unless it becomes difficult to get Monitors and/or the participation goes way down. The current participation level is at about 3 per Open Lab.
Marketing/Publicity: The "Quail Creek Crossing" is now coming out monthly. Joy will prepare something for this publication. Steve will prepare something for the August issue discussing the Club’s fall schedule.
Joy will get information from Steve and Don about the May Membership meeting program and put an announcement in the Monday E-Mail.
Possible Workshop: Don and Steve are preparing a workshop on "Burning Music from CDs or LPs". They will hand out a sign-up sheet and plug the workshop at the May meeting, but not demo it. The May Membership Meeting program is Q&A.
New Homeowners Get-Together: The second one of these is scheduled for 9:00 am on 6/14 at the Madera Clubhouse. Don will be there manning the Club’s table. Donna and Steve will help also.
SIG Reports: Dirk reported that the Genealogy SIG will not meet during the summer. Steve suggested he could give a program on Genealogy in September or October.
Other Items:
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:07 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Don Bacon, Dirk Seidel, Joy Green, Steve Pruess
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Donna Wieb
Call To Order: Vice President Don Bacon called the meeting to order at 6:29 pm.
Treasurers report: Dirk Seidel reported a balance as of September of $6,606.08, Membership is 169, dues collected $80, software rebates $300. Expenses were $395 dispersed for Virus protection software.
Programs & Education: We considered the offering of the same set of core classes each month.
Unfinished Business: virus protection software has been purchased, rebates have been received and $300 has been deposited in the club account.
New Business:
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Joy Green for Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Don Bacon, Dirk Seidel
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Donna Wieb
Due to the lack of a quorum no business was transacted.
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Donna Wieb.
Members absent: Dirk Seidel.
Call To Order: President Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:31 pm.
Minutes of the Last Board Meeting: Merlin asked the members for comments on the last Board meeting minutes. There were no comments so the minutes stand as Merlin presented them.
Treasurers report: In Dirk’s absence, Merlin reported the Club has a balance of $6706.08. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve an expenditure from Merlin of $34.96 for a color cartridge.
After a discussion of prorating Club dues, a motion was made, seconded and passed as
follows:
As of 10/1/05, and retroactive to 9/1/05 this year, dues for a single person will be $25 and for a family will be $35. This means there will be a $5 charge for the last quarter of the current year and an advance payment of $20 for a single person or $30 for a family for the next year.Merlin will announce this change at the next Membership Meeting.Dues for people joining the Club after 1/1/06 will remain at $20 for a single and $30 for a family.
Members who have joined the Club since 9/1/05 will be charged the difference between the old and new rates on 1/1/06.
Programs & Education: Steve reviewed the class schedule. The program for the November Membership Meeting will be given by Alan Roehl on receiving digital TV on a computer monitor. The program for December’s meeting may be Gene Erb on Genealogy.
Steve has been in contact with Tim Cannon regarding scheduling a computer safety class. This may happen in January.
Ideas for additional classes for our catalog include Back-ups, Software Maintenance, and Networking.
Steve noted that, for some classes, students need to have access to Administrative accounts. To maintain security on these files, this access may be controlled by special passwords.
December Membership Meeting Date: Because the normal meeting time would be 12/20 and would be rather close to the holidays, the Board decided to change the December Membership Meeting date to 12/13. We may have that meeting in the Lab, rather than in the Clubhouse, because of the lack of internet capability in the Clubhouse. Merlin will communicate this to Melita.
Open Labs: Donna will schedule the Monitors for these sessions and will ask the Membership if other days or time would be more desireable. Attendance has been very poor at the Monday 10 am - noon sessions.
Election Logistics: There was a discussion of how to handle the ballots and add additional candidates’ names if we are meeting in the Clubhouse without access to a printer. The Board decided to have the ballots printed with the known candidates’ names, and to include a write-in space for candidates nominated from the floor at the meeting. The names of candidates nominated from the floor will be shown on the screen on a sample ballot, so the members will be able to see all the candidates’ names before they vote.
Policy on Charging for Some Classes: We now charge for the Printing and Card classes, because our goal has been to have the classes be self-sufficient and it was thought that these two classes required more supplies than the other classes. The charges for these two classes, however, more than cover the actual costs of the classes. Therefore, the Board decided to cancel all class fees unless there are extraordinary costs associated with the class.
Policy on Loaning Computer Club Equipment: After discussion, a motion was made, seconded and passed to not allow the use of any of the Computer Club’s equipment outside of the Computer Lab without the express approval of the Board of Directors.
Wireless Access for the Lab and Internet Access for the Clubhouse: The Board discussed this and agreed with Merlin’s suggestion that a small committee be established to research these issues. The goal of the committee would be to develop a recommendation on changes that should be made to the Clubhouse. The Board feels that these issues go beyond the purview of the Computer Club and impact the entire Quail Creek Community. Merlin will contact Club member Joe Knable regarding chairing this committee and Don Bacon will be the Board liaison to it. The committee will be called the Internet Access Committee.
Ink Cartridge Collection Box: Barry Peacock, a Quail Creek resident and member of the Santa Rita Kiwanis Club, has asked if the Lab could be used as a collection point for spent computer printer ink cartridges. The Kiwanis Club collects these as a fund-raising effort. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve this request. Joy will announce this in the appropriate Quail Creek publications.
Other Business: There was none.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:42 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Dirk Seidel
Call To Order: President Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:32 pm.
Treasurers Report and Approval of Expenses: In Dirk’s absence, Merlin reported that, as of 12/4/05, the Club had a balance of $6956.12 and 190 members. Revenues submitted tonight from software rebates and classes will be taken to Dirk by Donna. A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve expenditures of $146.30 from Merlin and $3.95 from Mary Ellen Pruess.
Proposed Budget for 2006: After discussion, a motion was made, seconded and passed to approve the 2006 budget as presented. This will be presented at the next Membership meeting.
Open Labs: After discussion of ways to increase participation in the Open Labs, it was decided that Donna will bring this up at the next Membership meeting. She will ask the members if other formats would make these Open Labs more useful, such as scheduling some of the Open Labs on a specific topic such as Digital Imaging, Word, or E-Mail. If this were done, we would need to schedule Open Lab Monitors who had the appropriate skills to help members with these topics.
Wireless Access for the Lab and Internet Access for the Clubhouse: Don gave an update on his discussions with Joe Knable regarding this issue. It was noted that, if we end up having our Membership Meetings in the Fine Arts Room, this problem may be lessened.
Location for Meetings: Merlin noted that the December meeting will be held in the Lab, because we need to use the equipment in the Lab for that meeting and Melita has said we will not be able to use the Club House for this month’s meeting. We may decide to hold the Membership Meetings in the Fine Arts Room permanently providing we can get approval to do the necessary wiring to give that room internet access. Merlin will discuss this matter with Mike Stewart. Joy will prepare publicity for the December meeting to announce the subject and the location.
New Homeowners Reception: This will be held in the Club House at 9 am on 12/13/05. Don, Steve, and Donna will be there to staff the table. Donna will put together some information and handouts.
New Dues Structure Language: The Board approved the following reiteration/clarification of the change in the dues structure:
Current Dues StructureThe fiscal year of the Quail Creek Computer Club is the calendar year.
Dues for a calendar year are $20 for an individual and $30 for a family.
Dues when joining the Club between October 1 and December 31 are $25 for an individual and $35 for a family. These dues payments will cover the Quarter in which they are paid and the entire next fiscal year.
Adjournment: The meeting of the old Board adjourned at 7:17 pm.
Members Present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Joy Green, Steve Pruess, Donna Wieb
Members Absent: Dirk Seidel
Call To Order: President Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:17 pm.
Board Officers: The officers of the new Board are as follows:
President - Steve Pruess
Vice President - Merlin Anderson
Treasurer - Dirk Seidel
Secretary - Donna Wieb
Education - Don Bacon
Publicity and Marketing - Joy Green
Note: Don will consider establishing a Program Committee composed of Club members.
Programs and Education for 2006: Steve reviewed the January class schedule. There will probably be no classes scheduled for the first week. We may consider scheduling some classes during the day. There was a discussion of potential new class offerings. There was a discussion of the need for a survey of the membership regarding their interest in other class topics.
The following ideas were mentioned as program ideas for January: Non-Microsoft operating systems and software, the Google Earth web site, the relationship between computers and home entertainment centers. (Other program ideas are available from the APCUG Bulletin.)
Other Business: There was none.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:59 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Connie Higgins, Kathleen Liebler, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan
Members absent: Ruthie Wahl
The meeting was called to order by President Merlin Anderson at 6:30PM. The newly elected Board Members were apprised of their duties and responsibilities.
Treasurers report: Connie Higgins reported a year-end balance of $2196.80.
Education & Programs Committee: Steve Pruess gave a report on the upcoming educational classes and programs. This led to a discussion concerning potential presentations. Merlin spoke about how the Arizona Alliance of Computer Clubs might be useful for us to join.
The meeting adjourned at 7:45PM.
Respectfully submitted by Kathleen Liebler, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Connie Higgins, Kathleen Liebler, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan, Ruthie Wahl
Members absent: none
The meeting was called to order by President Merlin Anderson at 6:30PM.
Jim Ragan began by suggesting that we should try to give sufficient lead time for people to sign up for classes. Also, in order to inform potential students, sample outlines or shortened versions of what the lessons consist of could be posted as well. He also suggested that perhaps a flyer could be inserted into the QC Greeters information packet.
We discussed how to help and educate residents on the new HOA web site. Emphasis was placed on helping set up independent web sites for the various clubs that we have.
Merlin told us that John Peeples, the Vice-President of the Investment Club, will present a program about on-line finance at the February 17 club meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 7:15PM.
Respectfully submitted by Kathleen Liebler, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Connie Higgins, Jim Ragan, Ruthie Wahl
Members absent: Kathleen Liebler, Steve Pruess
The meeting was called to order by President Merlin Anderson at 6:30PM.
After general discussions of classes and meeting programs, there was no old or new business and the meeting was adjourned at 7:10PM.
Respectfully submitted by Kathleen Liebler, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Conie Higgins, Kathleen Liebler, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan, Ruthie Wahl
Members absent: none
The meeting was called to order by President Merlin Anderson at 6:30 PM. He informed us that a new cartridge for the laser printer has been purchased and the Board provided approval for the expenditure.
Steve Pruess commented that during the summer slowdown, perhaps more open labs might be considered in place of classes and perhaps we could have a question and answer period after the regular members meetings.
Jim Ragan made a motion that the Board recommends that business meetings be suspended May through August and that Q & A sessions be substituted for programs. The proposal shall be brought before the April membership meeting. Connie Higgins seconded the motion. Motion carried.
The question of non-member use of the computer club facilities was presented and was resolved as follows. Jim Ragan moved and Ruthie Wahl seconded a motion that non-members could use the facilities, but not the computer equipment, provided that a board member is in attendance and provides supervision for the activity.
A key policy was discussed and resolved as follows. The Board passed a motion that Instructors teaching regularly scheduled classes are authorized to have keys for the lab. Each instance requires prior Board approval.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:35.
Respectfully submitted by Kathleen Liebler, Secretary
Members present: Connie Higgins, Kathleen Liebler, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Ruthie Wahl
The meeting was called to order by Vice-President Jim Ragan at 6:32PM.
Treasurers report: Connie Higgins reported a current balance of $3946.26 with a bill outstanding for $27.44 to Steve Pruess for his part of the CD-Burner purchase. This reimbursement was approved.
Jim expressed his thanks to Kathleen Liebler for her work as Secretary -- she will be leaving the Board. He asked Board members to e-mail him their suggestions for replacements of Kathleen; he will send these on to Merlin.
Jim further stated that the HOA computer in the Fitness center will piggy-back off our internet connection. Details are still being worked out.
We discussed whether or not we should continue to offer classes over the summer months. It was felt that we should continue as long as there are sign-ups and instructors to teach. Also, the labs should be kept open as long as there are monitors available.
Steve brought up the need for the lab anti-virus software to be renewed for another year -- he will look into costs but warned that they may be higher than last year, at least if we stay with Norton. It was moved by Jim and seconded by Steve that such software be purchased. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 6:45PM.
Respectfully submitted by Kathleen Liebler, Secretary
Members present: Connie Higgins, Jim Ragan, Steve Pruess
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Ruthie Wahl
The meeting was called to order by Vice-President Jim Ragan at 6:35PM.
Treasurer: Connie reported that the current balance is $3948.82.
We agreed unanimously to appoint Donna Wieb to the unfilled portion (through 2005) of Kathleen Liebler's Board position. Donna has also agreed to serve as Secretary for the club.
Because of conflicts with Board members' travel plans we decided to not schedule Board meetings for the months of July and August. We may also eliminate the membership meetings those months; we'll see what the turnout is for June. While we would like to keep the labs open, it may difficult to arrange monitors. If we have to omit the Monday and Friday Open Labs, it was agreed that we should post a notice to the effect that the Lab can be opened to any member by contacting a Board member and setting up a mutually agreeable time. Steve also suggested posting sheets for people to request classes for July and August. When the numbers for a given class are sufficient we can offer a class. Both of these notices should go in the monthly Quail Creek Newsletter as well. Jim will take care of the newsletter, Steve will see to the bulletin boards.
Since the cost of online renewal of our Norton antivirus software is as cheap as any other alternative at the moment, Jim suggested that we just go ahead and do this. The cost is about $20 per computer with a credit card. We still have a couple of weeks on the current subscription.
After several month's of warnings, the toner cartridge on the laser printer finally showed signs of giving out, so Jim installed the one purchased in March.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:10PM.
Submitted by Steve Pruess
Members present: Connie Higgins, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Ruthie Wahl
Call To Order: Vice-President Jim Ragan called the meeting to order at 6:30pm.
Treasurer: Connie Higgins reported that there was $4018.82 in the treasury. This evening she wrote a check to Steve Pruess for $168.56 for his purchase of anti-virus software for the Club.
Agenda Items:
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:50PM.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Connie Higgins, Steve Pruess, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Jim Ragan, Ruthie Wahl
Call To Order: Steve Pruess called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm. Steve noted that, because a quorum of the Board members is not present, no official business will be conducted at this meeting.
Treasurer: None given.
Agenda: The Board members present had an informal discussion of upcoming classes and presentations, selecting a Nominating Chair, and ways to enhance member participation in Club operations.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Connie Higgins (arrived at 6:28 pm), Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan, Ruthie Wahl (arrived at 6:20 pm), Donna Wieb
Members absent: None
Call To Order: Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:14 pm.
Treasurer: Connie reported that we have $3960.22 in the Treasury and she has $60.00 yet to deposit.
Donna submitted a number of new members’ dues this evening. It was moved, seconded, and approved to reimburse Merlin for an expense of $62.40.
Education & Programs Committee: There was a discussion of the up-coming schedule for classes and programs. December, so far, is fairly light. The November membership meeting will be the annual business meeting and Merlin will continue the program on "PC Annoyances" that he presented at the October membership meeting. Steve is working on an E-Bay program and possibly a program on computer disposal and recycling.
Merlin will be gone for the December membership meeting. Jim will chair this meeting.
Merlin noted that he found it difficult to coordinate activities during the time when both he and Ruthie were gone. He said it would be good to always have something about the Computer Club in the Monday e-mail message, the "Newsletter", and the "Quail Creek Crossing".
SIG's: Merlin wondered how we can get these groups going. Jim commented that, if we can’t get a SIG out of the people interested in Digital Imaging (DI), then maybe we are going in the wrong direction. He suggested we should focus on an application of a SIG topic, get more specific, and see if more interest is generated. Merlin suggested scheduling a DI/SIG meeting for all interested parties in Quail Creek and maybe a group and a "leader" will emerge.
Open Labs: There was a general discussion about the fact that we are getting very few people at the Open Labs. The numbers may increase as more people come back and/or move in. Maybe scheduling an Open Lab at another time would help attendance, but we decided to postpone this decision until after the Holidays. We have enough volunteers to staff more sessions. Donna volunteered to act as the "monitor scheduler" for the Open Labs.
APCUG: Merlin noted that the annual meeting of this group will be in Las Vegas 1/3 - 1/6. He has more information for anyone interested in attending.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Connie Higgins (arrived at 6:45 pm), Jim Ragan, Ruthie Wahl, Donna Wieb
Members absent: Steve Pruess
Others Present: Dirk Seidel, newly elected Board member
Call To Order: Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:32 pm.
Classes & Programs: We reviewed the January schedule. Merlin noted that this schedule is temporary and needs the new Board’s approval. In answer to Jim’s question wondering if we had a "hit counter" on the Club’s web site, Merlin said we do not but Steve probably could install one.
Publicity and Marketing: Ruthie will meet with Anita Kantenwein to verify the submission dates for the Newsletter and Q.C. Crossing. We may put a standing notice in these publications and/or the Monday e-mail message and amend it as needed. Jim noted that the QC Sales Staff "talks up" the Computer Club when they take customers on tour of the facilities.
Open Labs: Donna noted that a schedule of the Open Lab dates and the Monitors has been posted on the Computer Lab door. It was suggested that this also be posted in the Fitness Center and the Library/Office. The Open Lab dates and cancellations are also put in the Monday e-mail message. Donna also noted that she has begun keeping a log of the Open Lab activity, including who came and for what purpose did they come. Donna will notify the Monitors of this log sheet. After discussing possible changes to the Open Lab schedule, the Board decided to keep the Monday and Friday times from 10-noon, to add a Wednesday from 2-4, and to add one Saturday a month from 10-noon. We will try this new schedule for a month or two, beginning in January, and then evaluate the results.
Bulletin Boards: Jim expressed concern that both the new Activities Coordinator and Mike Stewart seem to want to have only one Bulletin Board in the new Club House and to discontinue posting information in other places like the Fitness Center and the Library/Office. We may want to "lobby" to have things posted in more than one place, at least until we see how the new Club House Bulletin Board is working for residents. Merlin and Jim will be attending the meeting this week regarding QC Activities.
Treasurer:Connie reported that we have $4077.86 in the Treasury. Donna submitted additional money from dues and class fees. Merlin submitted a bill for $42.85 for paper and photo finishing. It was moved, seconded, and passed (MSP) to reimburse Merlin for this expense.
There was a discussion of putting some or all of the Treasury into either a CD or a Money Market account in order to earn more interest. It was noted we would want a short-term investment account. Connie will check with the Bank to see if a Money Market account would be advantageous.
APCUG Membership Renewal: The Board discussed renewing membership in this organization. The cost is $50.00 per year and the primary benefits are a Newsletter and "sponsorship" of our web site. A motion was MSP to renew the membership in APCUG for 2005. Connie will make out a check and Merlin will send it in.
Budget and Dues for 2005: Merlin reviewed the current budget and membership numbers. During 2004, our membership grew from 93 to 150. We would not expect to see growth to continue at this rate; however, even if we predict a modest 10 % increase in membership for 2005, we would meet our expenses and see a profit of $1556. Our goal has been to dedicate $1000 per year to a capital reserve fund. It was also noted that we would meet our financial goals with no increase in membership. There was a discussion of pro-rata membership rates as well as the possibility of changing the dues year to July-July. No decisions were made on this. A motion was MSP to present a budget to the membership showing a 10% increase in membership, a list of estimated expenses, and no dues increase.
Monetary Support for SIG’s: The Board discussed this issue. There seemed to be general agreement that this could be a reasonable expense, but we would want to set some parameters for this use of funds. Some of the ideas mentioned were minimum number of members involved, limit of the amount of money that would be available, limits on what the money could be used for, and that there would be some benefit to the Club as a whole. Merlin asked Dirk and Ruthie to research this issue of parameters and report back at the January Board meeting. Merlin suggested that they check with APCUG for information on the subject.
Investment SIG: One or the Club’s members gave a talk on this subject to the membership last year and is interested in forming a SIG. It was noted that this kind of software can be expensive.
2005 Board Membership: In response to a question from Connie, Merlin listed the 2005 Board members. They are Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Ruthie Wahl, and Donna Wieb.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:37 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Don Bacon, Steve Pruess, Dirk Seidel, Ruthie Wahl, Donna Wieb
Call To Order: Merlin Anderson called the meeting to order at 3:55 pm.
Purpose of Meeting: The primary purpose of this meeting of the 2005 Board is to elect officers and make other appointments for the year 2005.
Election of Officers and Appointments: The following is the result of the election of officers for 2005:
| President | Merlin Anderson | |
| Vice-President | Don Bacon | |
| Secretary | Donna Wieb | |
| Treasurer | Dirk Seidel |
Merlin made the following appointments for 2005:
| Program and Education | Steve Pruess | |
| Publicity and Marketing | Ruthie Wahl |
Other Business: There was a general discussion of some topics from the December meeting of the 2004 Board.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 4:20 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Wieb, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse, Connie Higgins, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan
Members absent: none
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:35PM.
Treasurers report: 2002 Treasurer Al Hesse reported that the current balance is $724.91; he has the data for our final audit and will write it up and email it to the Board for their approval. This must be finished by 31 January. Steve mentioned that in a meeting with Mike Arrington, Mike mentioned that he wanted a copy of our audit "for our records". He left the format up to us, and we decided that we wanted enough to detail to monitor deposits and expenses throughout the year - the final bank balance should be in accord with these numbers. We felt that there were no tax concerns due to our status, but Al said he would double-check this with Dave Hartwell and/or the bank. At the January membership meeting the Board needs to report that the audit has been made and accepted. Al will turn over all his records to the new Treasurer, Connie Higgins.
Membership email reminder: we will again email a notice about the upcoming monthly meeting and program. Included in this will be a reminder that 2003 dues can be paid, and that we would like members (and other residents) to complete our survey that is now available in the Fitness Center and Activities Office. We will also list upcoming classes and workshops in this email.
Contact with Green Valley Computer Club (GVCC): Jim Ragan mentioned that he had called Pete Billingham of the GVCC. He is willing to set up a tour of their facilities (80-90 "machines" for their 1800 members), and give us any assistance they can. All agreed that we should pursue this and delegated Jim to set up possible meeting dates. We need to decide who goes and what to ask.
Proposed offerings: Jim and Merlin proposed several months of ideas for meeting programs and workshops. The Board also added repeats of some workshops & classes for an expected influx of new members. Jim also urged another attempt at Open Labs, and we agreed to try these again. It is assumed that we will have an internet connection soon.
Internet access: Steve will contact Mike Arrington about Cox; the Board decided that, for now, early access was more important than speed of the connection. Steve will ask about whether or not we can purchase our own modem and router (from Cox or elsewhere), the potential for degradation of bandwidth across the network, and the upgradability of modem & router if we later decide to increase bandwidth. He will let the Board know the outcome of this meeting.
Club web page: it was suggested that we add the Secretary's phone number and his and the President's email addresses, so people can contact them. Also, it would be nice to have the dynamic pull-down menus repeated across all web pages.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse, Connie Higgins, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: none.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:35PM.
Treasurer: Connie reported that the balance was unchanged from the January 21 meeting ($834.92). Merlin moved and Steve seconded a motion that the current officers be authorized to sign checks. This was unanimously approved - the signature card was finalized. The possibility of an interest bearing account or CD for our capital improvement balance was discussed with no decisions made.
Membership Program Committee: Merlin started by summarizing a visit of the SaddleBrooke computing facilities by Jim, Al, Merlin, and Steve on January 30. They met with Kermit Brundage and Norm Kyle, the two key players in the Saddlebrooke Computer Club. They offer many courses in a fall and spring term, running about 8-10 weeks - a few in the summer as well. These two do most of the teaching with a couple of others involved to a lesser degree. They have no open labs but do have many workshops. All classes are offered in the daytime (90 minutes each) and use a textbook. Their income still is completely derived from a one-time charge of $50 per person or $60 a household for a membership. They always have their projector available for convenience, and locked to its table for security. After a brief discussion, Phil moved that we purchase such a lock for our lab's projector; the motion was seconded and it passed unanimously.
A visit with the Green Valley Computer Club is set for February 6.
Merlin finished by discussing the results from the 2003 survey that was filled out by 23 individuals. Unusual findings were the number of people who have switched to XP in the past year, and the interest in producing Greeting Cards.
Upcoming offerings:
Secretary: there was little feedback on the email notice that was sent out prior to the January meeting. We agreed that we would send another such announcement this month. Steve had six attendees for the January 24 Word Workshop for which Connie assisted. No one came to the January 31st Open Lab except a couple who were touring the Robson facilities. Steve summarized his January 20 and January 24 meetings with Chuck Agnew. During the latter meeting Chuck called Cox and finalized our choice on the high-speed internet connection for the lab. The completion date is unknown at this time. Folding chairs have been purchased and delivered. For window coverings and locking cabinets we were advised to seek out prices/vendors and make a proposal to Chuck. Al will seek such information for blinds and/or shades. Any help with installation would be appreciated and hasten the process. Merlin stated that we could buy and install a lock for the existing cabinet.
President: Phil had five students for his January 31st workshop and there were two attendees to the prior Open Lab. One asked about hardware issues, the other sought information left from a prior workshop.
Phil asked Steve to determine the status of the revised charter, submitted to the Robson Co. in November.
We discussed repackaging the open labs - Merlin suggested calling them "Help Desk" and stress the opportunity for members to get help and advice on any computer problems they are having. Limited individual instruction on software or hardware would also be available. We may try to run some of these before monthly meetings, say, from 6:00 to 6:40.
The meeting adjourned at 8:00PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse, Connie Higgins, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: none.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:35PM.
Treasurer: Connie reported that the balance was $1844.92 and that she had just received another $40 from Steve. There was further discussion on the possibility of setting up an interest bearing account or CD for our capital improvement balance. It was decided that with current interest rates so low, there was no advantage in pursuing this.
Membership Program Committee: Jim presented the current plans for programs and classes for the next few months.
It was recommended that we keep a list of potential assistants and/or monitors. Instructors are to be responsible for contacting assistants for their classes and workshops.
Jim felt that increased visibility for the club was desirable and Al agreed. Possibilities discussed were distributing or mailing flyers, making a presentation to the Activities Club (April?) as the focus activity for the month, and writing up an article for the Quail Crossing bimonthly. Merlin offered to do the Activities presentation if the April 17 date is available to us.
The Help Desk will be open again prior to the next few months meetings. This should be added to the monthly calendar that appears in the Newsletter.
Secretary: All agreed that we should continue with a monthly email reminder on the meeting and upcoming classes. Steve summarized his February 24 meeting with Chuck Agnew: (1) Corporate will be contacted about reassigning the webpage "Community Administrator" to someone local, (2) Chuck wants to be kept informed about our needs for antivirus software, (3) we need to submit a signed copy of the revised charter. Merlin stated that he had purchased and installed a lock for the storage cabinet; he was pricing locks for the projector. A Kensington lock will cost in the $33 to $45 range. Steve was asked to clarify whether or not the Cox contract provides for web hosting [NB: It doesn't].
Vice-President: Al reported that a bid was sought and received for providing and installing blinds on all Lab windows & doors. Chuck Agnew can only fund the west window blinds at this time.
President: We continued the discussion of whether or not course assistants should pay course fees - it was decided that since they are volunteering their time and that they are already members, they should not be subject to any fees. People repeating courses should pay fees to cover costs of materials.
We should try to have a calendar added to the club web site: Merlin and Steve currently are working on various possibilities.
Printer access across the network is erratic - Merlin will work on this.
The meeting adjourned at 8:10PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse, Connie Higgins, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: none.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:30PM.
Treasurer: Connie reported that the previous balance of $1864.48 had been augmented by $100 for a total of 1964.48; two bills were presented and approved. Merlin had spent $122.35 for the closet lock, the Kensington lock, and miscellaneous supplies (CDs, floppies, stapler, network cable, etc.). Steve had purchased a $32.95 reference book (XP Inside Out) as a resource for managing the network.
Membership Program Committee: Merlin went over the plans for programs and classes for April and May - the summer months have fewer offerings, by design. Steve will do the Email & Attachments program & class. We are still looking for someone to lead the CD-R/RW workshop - Jim can moderate, and several other names were suggested to add technical expertise. It was suggested and agreed that we would postpone the workshop until after the April meeting, probably on the 26th. Merlin showed an early draft of a "course catalog" with brief descriptions and a prerequisite list. We all agreed that this was a good idea and should be added to our web site. A later draft should be run by the Board for members comments. Phil suggested that we use more than one assistant in the lower level classes - besides the need for such help, it would help us utilize all the volunteers we have.
Steve commented that several members had asked about the possibility of email signups for classes and workshops. These can be directed to one of our new Cox mail boxes. This idea was received enthusiastically to supplement the current signup sheets in the Fitness Center.
We had a lengthy discussion on the desirability of joining APCUG, the Association of Personal Computer User Groups. This had been recommended to us by the Green Valley Computer Club. The primary motivation was to provide a "permanent" hosting site that we can easily update from the lab. Phil pointed out that there are several "free" sites that provide hosting. They all require some form of advertising, which several objected to; however, APCUG also requires a banner ad on the home page. Since Merlin, whose Cox site we are currently using as a host, is leaving in mid-May, we needed to make a decision promptly. Merlin pointed out that we could always switch after a year if we didn't think we were getting value from our membership. Finally a motion was made to join APCUG for a year at a cost of $50 with a one-time fee of $20 for a pseudoname of our choosing. The motion passed unanimously.
We confirmed that Merlin will give the April 17 Activities Club presentation; he will also give the monthly Computer Club report at that meeting. Phil can attend the April 9 Greeters Reception since it doesn't start until 4:30PM this month.
Secretary: Several members had remarked that they would like Open Labs to be scheduled again - this was deferred.
On system administration matters, Steve asked what the Club policy should be in regards to Board members' login accounts. It was decided that we provide whatever level each member decided - this requires only minor changes from the existing accounts, and will be implemented forthwith. Steve expressed his displeasure with the Norton antivirus program - its cost, and possible ineffectiveness on infected emails. No alternative was proposed at this time.
President: Phil pointed that most lab difficulties have been addressed, though the color printer occasionally is balky with the network. He urged improved communication among Board members, especially on the teaching and program aspects. Copying of email messages should suffice to address this. Al Hesse will conduct the April 15 business meeting in Phil's absence. Phil proposed that we password protect the AClubMember account to minimize unauthorized use of the network. The current charter, recently approved by the HOA, restricts usage to Club members. A motion was made to this effect and it was approved unanimously; the current password will be written on a sheet kept in the locked cabinet accessible to any Board member. Phil will notify Chuck Agnew of this change.
Other Items:
Steve asked if we should have a fee for use of the color printer. It was decided that at this point in time we would not institute such a fee. If the policy is abused, then we can reconsider. Merlin said that we probably should purchase a set of spare cartridges - everyone concurred and Merlin will do so.
Merlin mentioned that for his next three imaging classes he would charge a fee of $5 for the printing class and $1 for a disk containing all class materials. This was approved by the Board.
The meeting adjourned at 8:50PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: Connie Higgins.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:30PM.
Treasurer: Connie reported via email that the previous balance of $1759.18 had been augmented by $185 for a total of $1944.18, including $59.38 in petty cash. Merlin and Steve had additional income from recent classes. Merlin presented a bill for $83.91 for replacement printer cartridges and a network switch. This was approved unanimously.
Membership Program Committee: A lengthy discussion ensued as to whether or not a class should be cancelled because of too few signups, and if so, what the minimum level should be. Some felt that we should not cancel a class to dues-paying members for this reason at all, others that it was the instructor's prerogative and maybe we should wait until demand increases. Since there was no clear consensus, Merlin moved that we table the issue. Steve seconded and the motion was approved 4-1. It was agreed that if a class has several openings close to the offering date, then we should be more aggressive in filling the remaining slots. We also agreed that the real problem was a lack of numbers at this point in the club's existence. Merlin reminded us that we were still learning about how often to give courses and when to schedule them, so glitches would be expected until we gain more experience.
For the next two month's schedule we moved the 7/12 Basics class to 7/16, the 7/19 Getting To Know workshop to 7/23, and added File Management II on 8/6. Steve will do the May 17 Basics class. Jim Ragan reiterated that he will teach the Searching the Web classes in May as well as give the program at the May meeting. The 7/5 Excel class was moved to Friday 6/20. We discussed ways of broadening publicity for upcoming classes. Keeping the posted lists current and submitting a schedule or catalog to the Quail Crossing Newsletter were recommended. The monthly HOA newsletter is suffering from space limitations, so not much can be presented there.
It was agreed that we will continue to hold meetings over the summer months as long as attendance holds up. It was recommended to the Secretary that he make a count of each month's numbers to be included in the minutes for that meeting.
APCUG material (and solicitations) is going to Phil and he is forwarding these to Board members for their perusal. We are still waiting for an APCUG response to our hosting request. Merlin has installed Ipswitch file transfer software to facilitate uploading our web stuff (remember to Refresh!). It is not clear when or if the Cox page will be unavailable after Merlin leaves.
Merlin represented us at the Activities Club in April and made a presentation there; Jim attended the Greeter's reception for us. We decided it was probably not necessary to add a member to the E&P committee while Merlin is gone for the summer.
Secretary: There has been no negative feedback on email publicity for meetings, or on requiring of passwords for lab logins. Steve had met with Chuck Agnew in the prior week to discuss the remaining blinds for the lab, and renewing our anti-virus software. On the former Chuck agreed to finish the installation and would see to scheduling forthwith. He made inquiries to Sun Lakes about whether or not we were covered under a Robson site license - unfortunately we are not. Steve will pursue with Chuck the remaining options: renew each PC individually and bill Robson, or purchase a 10-user site license.
President: Phil asked for comments received about classes and workshops - all appeared to be favorable. There were no difficulties with the lab operations, though the monitor on the Instructor machine shows purity problems from time to time (check warranty!). It was agreed that we schedule some Open Labs for the next few months in addition to the Help Desk. Steve will coordinate with Jim and members to mutually agreeable times. Phil asked about utilization of assistants - it seemed that all on our current list had already helped or were scheduled to do so for upcoming classes.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Connie Higgins, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:37PM.
Treasurer: Connie reported that since the last meeting we had income of $80 and a check written for $83.91. leaving a balance of $1880.91 plus $59.36 in petty cash.
Membership Program Committee: Jim Ragan went over the classes and workshops given in the past month - one had to be cancelled because of only one signee. Jim will give the June meeting program on Cookies & Spam. There were some conflicts in June/July requiring a readjustment of the schedule. Steve will do the June 24 Email class. The July 9 Word I will be replaced by Computer Basics and July 16 will be Getting to Know Your Computer. Word I will be offered August 13 and Word II - IV moved back a month. Jim & Steve will discuss adding a course Computer Basics II (and maybe III?) to bridge between CB-I and File Management I. This could be offered July 23. Jim suggested we should be thinking about a standard day or days to offer classes. We would try to avoid conflicts with other clubs and also "stake a claim" to a night or two for us. Tuesday is an obvious choice as we already use this for meetings; either Wednesday or Thursday could be the other day. CERT training will conflict alternate Wednesdays through the fall.
The feedback we get from class attendees continues to be positive with the "less talk/more exercises" mode strongly preferred.
We discussed whether or not to continue with monthly meetings over the summer - the consensus was that we should as long as there is some membership interest. We also discussed if the number of classes should be cut back; it was felt that we should go ahead with current plans but closely monitor enrollments.
Secretary: Steve reported on his May 27 meeting with Chuck Agnew - HOA will pay for this year's anti-virus software, but if it continues to be this inexpensive the club should pick up this cost in the future. He added that all new software has been ordered and should arrive within a week. The remaining blinds for the lab were also ordered and they were installed (except for the doors) on May 30.
President: Phil reported that several new homeowners expressed an interest in the club at the Greeters reception. Phil asked about the list of assistants; where is it kept? Does it reflect who is here this summer? We're checking on this. It was reaffirmed that Merlin & Steve would be the conduits for web-page changes.
Steve brought up some administrative matters: the Help Desk period prior to meetings can be used to do critical system updates, disk cleanup, etc. We briefly discussed having a counter on the web page - Phil said he would bring in software for this. We will set the desktop icons for the club home page on the nine machines to point to the APCUG site (they now point to the Instructor machine).
The meeting adjourned at 7:45PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Al Hesse, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Connie Higgins.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:31PM.
Treasurer: Connie was unable to attend tonight but there has been little activity since last month. No new bills are anticipated. Jim Ragan pointed out that we are getting low on paper.
Membership Program Committee: Jim went over the classes and workshops proposed for the next month. Jim will present the July program on "Power Management and Protection". He will also do the upcoming Search Engines class - Steve will take care of Computer Basics II and File Management I.
We discussed whether we should skip the August membership meeting: Phil, Al, Jim, Merlin and maybe Steve will be gone then, so it was decided to cancel.
We discussed ways to entice new instructors - Jim suggested that we should offer them some kind of benefit, perhaps, a key to the lab.
Al Hesse agreed to present the program at the October meeting on spreadsheets for golfers. This should be a very popular subject.
President: Phil asked about the feasibility of an email sign-up sheet for classes. This was discussed briefly with no action taken at this time. He also repeated that APCUG continues to email info on user groups. Since Phil may have a conflicts on Wednesdays for a while, we may need someone else to attend the monthly New Homeowners Receptions. Al did this in July. Phil also brought up Jack Wieb's offer of a subscription to Smart Computing if we could get a bookcase for it - Al will discuss this with Chuck.
Jim Ragan mentioned that Anita Kantenwein had told him that the golf group will be using our broadband connection to communicate with their server.
The meeting adjourned at 7:05PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Connie Higgins, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:33PM.
Treasurer: Connie reported that the balance remains unchanged from July. Steve turned in $20 in dues money, and presented a bill for $28.47 for paper (a box for the laser printer, a ream for the laserjet). Reimbursement was approved unanimously.
Membership Program Committee: Jim went over the classes and workshops proposed for the next month: Computer Basics I, Word II, Getting To Know ..., Excel Workshop, Searching the Web. The time for the Word class will be changed to 1:00PM from 7:00PM; the Excel workshop will be postponed a week. Al will present next week's program. Open Labs will continue on the same days and times - these need to be published in Quail Crossing, monthly email, etc.
It was suggested that we add to our monthly email, and maybe the web page, an announcement that members may email the club (President or Secretary) requesting to use the lab at times other than currently scheduled open labs. A Board Member must agree to open up, monitor, and lock up afterwards.
Jim proposed a "Friends Instructional Program" where a group of members would propose a class or workshop subject, sign up at least four students, and find a convenient time & day of the week to meet. This information would be presented to the Club, who would then try to find someone to teach it. This idea was enthusiastically received.
Anita had emailed Steve, requesting some help with the QCHOA web page - she also mentioned that it would be good if we could offer a class on how to use this page. We decided that a meeting program on this (in December?) would be a good idea, with a follow-up class in January. We could cover out web page in this too.
Secretary: Steve discussed the problems with Club6 - it is still under warranty. He would like to isolate the problem more, before sending it back to Gateway. Gateway has been contacted both by phone and email. He also pointed out that the new bookshelves are in and Jack Wieb has placed several issues of Smart Computing there from the subscription he purchased for the club.
President: Phil distributed some of the recent APCUG literature he has received. Their annual meeting in Las Vegas is in November - Merlin may attend this. He circulated the pending APCUG ballot and will collect our opinions next month. We were asked to think about the nominating committee to be discussed in October. Jim pointed out that with over half of class attendees and a 50% of the membership being women, our Board does not reflect this at the present time. Everyone agreed that it would be desirable to increase the number of women Board members.
Steve mentioned that a member had asked if we were interested in accepting old computer books to start a library. Everyone agreed this was a good idea.
We clarified that since Quail Creek renters qualify for some local amenities, we would allow them to become dues-paying members and use our facilities, just as regular residents do.
The meeting adjourned at 7:33PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan.
Members absent: Al Hesse, Connie Higgins.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:30PM.
Membership Program Committee: Jim reported that since the start of the 2003 we have offered 43 courses on 23 subjects, totalling 86 hours of instruction; there were 8 programs for Club meetings, and 74 hours of Open Labs. He suggested that we put more of our activities in the monthly Newsletter, for example, Board Meetings, Open Labs, Help Desks, and/or Meeting Program Titles.
He added that Jack Wieb had brought in a new Smart Computing issue and will donate several books. The Board is very grateful for his continued generosity.
Jim went over the schedule for the next few months - several changes were made for October and November. Merlin's imaging sequence was delayed a month, CB II was moved to 8 November, Getting To Know ... was moved to the 19th, the Excel workshop was cancelled since it had been offered recently. The November Board meeting has been moved to MONDAY the 3rd. Open Labs will continue on M & F from 10:00AM until noon. Steve can cover the Fridays that Jim is gone, Merlin can help on Mondays. Steve, with prior help from Jim, will present the October meeting program on Christmas cards.
Merlin reminded us that we need to start thinking about the schedule for early 2004. Phil said we should be careful not to hamstring the new Board, but we all agreed that at least a January calendar should be proposed by the current Board.
Secretary: Steve replaced the motherboard of Club6 - now it turns on correctly but it will not boot into SVGA with 32-bit color. More work needs to be done on either drivers or the video card.
President: Phil informed us that Jim Wagner is willing to serve again as Nominating Chair; the Board agreed to this. The Board voted to "recommend that the nominating committee include the following criteria in seeking candidates: (1) demonstrate support of the mission of the club by active participation in its activities, (2) demonstrate a willingness to serve and be an active participant on the Board, (3) create gender equity on the Board recognizing the proportionate participation in club activities.
Steve mentioned that our web page course catalog needs updating (including some of his courses).
Merlin brought up that he had been having difficulty accessing our web page calendars - his Zone Alarm firewall was blocking the printing of these pages. He suggested we ask at a club Q&A if anyone else has been having this problem. He added that he was planning to go to the November APCUG meeting in Las Vegas.
The meeting adjourned at 8:18PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan, Al Hesse.
Members absent: Connie Higgins.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:30PM.
Treasurer: Connie emailed that the balance is $2051.80, unchanged from last month's meeting.
This is the time of the year when many prospective members ask about pro-rating dues; we all felt that the dues were so low that this shouldn't be an issue. However, if it is keeping people from joining, it was felt that maybe we should do something. After considering several discount schemes Phil suggested that we ask the 2004 Board to offer a half-price membership fee to people joining in the last quarter of the year. Everyone agreed to this.
Membership Program Committee: Merlin went over the schedule for November and December, and also the proposed courses and programs for the first quarter of 2004. The 2004 Board will pass judgment on this before we finally publish it. The catalog has been revised - new offerings are on computer maintenance, building a web site, HTML coding, System Tools & Backups, and downloads. The December meeting program is on the developing QCHOA web site - we discussed inviting other club Presidents or their designees to attend this meeting to see what can be done with a web site.
A new budget item was proposed - it would help in several course offerings and in the overall "enhancement of the Club's technology" if we had several more CD burners. Phil moved that we authorize a subcommittee to spend up to $100 to purchase burners from this year's budget. Jim seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Phil appointed Jim, Merlin, and Steve to take care of this.
Secretary: Steve reported that more and more members are taking advantage of the Open Labs. Some are drawn to the high-speed connection, some are new residents and don't have their computers set up yet, others are seeking advice or help. He also mentioned that Club6 is now working fine, though not all software has been reinstalled yet.
President: Phil said that Jim Wagner continues to work on getting candidates for the 2004 Board. He has several "interested" people. Phil asked about new instructors - we continue to work on recruitment as we will need additional help with the proposed 2004 schedule. Phil solicited our opinions on the latest sales pitches he receives as our APCUG contact. Steve will look into the Hoopes proposal for online coursework; Al pointed out that our membership is unlikely to be interested in any kind of formal certification. No one felt the Tretyakov product was competitive.
Phil went over his intent for the November election - he would prefer that ballots be printed at the meeting after nominations have been sought from the floor. He would ask for a volunteer (or two) to assist with the counting of ballots.
We briefly discussed the budget for 2004 - there was no interest in changing the dues from this year. With 100 members we would have an income of roughly $1700, allowing $1000 for the capital replacement fund, and $700 for additional hardware (burners, ...) and software (anti-virus renewal, ...).
The meeting adjourned at 7:50PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Merlin Anderson, Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Jim Ragan. Kathleen Liebler, newly elected Board member for 2004, attended as a guest.
Members absent: Al Hesse, Connie Higgins.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 6:30PM.
Treasurer: Connie emailed that the balance is $2051.80, with a $20 check to be deposited. Merlin added that he had additional cash from class fees. He and Steve have not yet purchased CD burners but prices are in the $20 - $35 range.
Membership Program Committee: Jim reminded us that we should use large fonts for projected class materials so they are easily seen by everyone.
There was a lengthy discussion on the 2004 dues. Costs that we foresee are roughly $100 for a printer cartridge, $150 for anti-virus software, $50 for APCUG, and $50 for another CD burner. Phil moved that since we anticipate a growing membership and no large expenditures for the coming year, we should easily be able to bank $1000 into our reserve fund for future hardware replacement by keeping the 2003 dues structure [$20 single, $30 household]. Jim seconded the motion. Merlin proposed an amendment that we formally adopt the suggestion from November of allowing a half price membership the last quarter of the year. This died for lack of a second. It was recommended that we look into the budget ramifications of such a move - the 2004 Board has charter authority to modify the budget at any time during the year. Phil's motion setting the dues at $20/single and $30/household was approved by a 3 - 1 vote.
Phil then moved that we renew our membership with APCUG to keep the web site going - Steve seconded and asked about alternatives. Merlin explained what the Men's Golf Club is doing but felt that APCUG continues to be a good choice for us. The motion passed unanimously. Merlin added that the APCUG database pertaining to the club will have to be updated (President, program chair, APCUG rep). We need a password for this - Phil will see if he has it.
Steve brought up that the Investment Club would like to use our facilities to demonstrate to their membership what computer/web resources are available to them. This could be in exchange for them giving a program to our membership on the same topic. A decision was deferred to the 2004 Board.
The previous discussion prompted Merlin to recall that at the recent APCUG fall meeting he attended it was pointed out that there is a high correlation between user group success and the availability of SIGs (Special Interest Groups). Besides a Digital Imaging SIG, another natural one for us could be Investing (or Geneaelogy).
The December program is on the QCHOA website - we should invite other club presidents or their designees to attend this program to see what can be done with this facility. This could lead to increased membership and more interest in the web classes we will offer next year. Jim underscored that the QCHOA site has enormous potential for clubs to present themselves (and for us to help them achieve this).
Phil said that he would like to be informed of the 2004 officers before the December meeting, so they may be announced to the membership at that time.
This prompted Jim to make a motion that the Board sincerely appreciates the efforts of Phil as President this past year. Steve seconded and the motion was approved unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 7:36PM.
submitted by Steve Pruess, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Al Hesse, Preston Averill, Phil Geddes, and Merlin Anderson.
Members absent: none.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 3:00PM.
The minutes for the last meeting were read and approved.
Unfinished Business:
Steve reported that he had met with Mike Arrington, Clubhouse Manager,
about the amount of funds available for the club. Mike was noncommittal but suggested
somewhere between $10,000 to $15,000. He suggested the Club submit a request for
equipment ASAP. Steve told him he would have something by Monday 7 January. Steve
also reported that he had spoken with Bob Williamson at Radio Shack about computer
costs. He advised Steve he would be glad to help but we could get better value in Tucson.
Steve and Phil O. have signed the Club Bylaws and Charter. It was given to Mike Arrington.
Steve reported that he had spoken to Kermit Brindle at SaddleBrooke. Equipment for our club was determined a sensitive issue as SaddleBrooke had procured theirs on their own.
New Business:
Dues led the new business and a motion was made by Merlin
Anderson that club dues be set at $ 15.00 per individual or $25.00 per household.
Dues would be on a fiscal year basis. Steve Pruess seconded this motion. Discussion
followed with the suggestion that the dues would be used for club expendable supplies
and replacement club items as necessary. If passed, a similar motion would be presented
to the entire club at the next club meeting. Discussion closed and a vote taken.
The result was five votes for and one vote against. The motion carried.
Another motion was made by Merlin Anderson that the board adopt a budget of 50% of dues for supplies and software not installed with supplied computers, and 50% be set aside in a reserve. Steve Pruess seconded the motion. A brief discussion followed and a vote taken. The motion passed unanimously.
The equipment for the club was now discussed in length. The items recommended are:
The question was raised of the club having its own bank account or will it be with the Activities Club or Robson. Steve will check.
Steve stated he would put together a club activity proposal with the equipment request he will submit Monday to Mike Arrington.
A questionnaire needs to be drawn up and sent to all members including what do know and want to know about computers. Please bring suggestions to the next meeting.
Phil O has put together an outline for an "Introduction Workshop". Another outline was distributed for our review.
The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2002 at 7 PM. Place to be announced.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Al Hesse, Preston Averill and Phil Geddes, Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess.
The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.
Unfinished Business:
Merlin has spoken to Mike Arrington who said he had
sent the club's equipment list to Robson for approval.
New Business:
The agenda for the general club meeting on
January 15, 2002 was discussed at length and will be as follows:
The club questionaire was discussed and Merlin will put it together and e-mail it to each board member for approval.
Preston made a motion that we regard the tally sheet totals of the club's vote on the Board of Directors and destroy the ballots. Phil O. seconded the motion. There was a brief discussion and then a vote. The motion passed unanimously.
The next board meeting time and location will be set after the general club meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8 PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Meeting date: February 12, 2002
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Al Hesse, Preston Averill and Phil Geddes, Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 3 PM.
The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.
Unfinished Business:
Steve reported that the Activities center was not ready for
occupancy and Mike Arrington didn’t know when it would be. The equipment
ordered for the club should be here by the March general meeting. Al asked
if the cable had been installed yet and Steve said he would check.
New Business:
Steve told us that Mike Arrington advised the club money is our
responsibility. Although we don’t have any funds yet Al was advised to look
into setting up a bank account for the Club.
General Club meetings will be held at the Fitness Center due to space constraints elsewhere.
Phil Geddes will establish an e-mail list of members.
We don’t know if Cox will be at the general meeting. Phil Opdenbrouw said he would put together a pre-introductory class to give if Cox doesn’t show.
Phil Opdenbrouw suggested we hold an open house for all of Quail Creek residents when the computers are installed. Everyone thought was an excellent idea.
Merlin said he would like to teach classes on digital imagery and freeware. ????
Preston was appointed Chairman of the Program Committee, which Al will also sit on.
Phil Geddes will find out what the deadline is for getting items in the newsletter and be sure all club general meeting dates are published.
There being no more business the meeting adjourned at 4:55 PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Al Hesse, Preston Averill, Phil Geddes and Merlin Anderson.
Member absent: None.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00 PM in the new Activities Center Computer Room.
The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.
Unfinished Business:
The club equipment has arrived and installation should be completed in a
couple of days. The e-mail list of club members has been established.
New Business:
Steve presented a proposed agenda for the general meeting. During the
next hour it was discussed, reviewed and agreed on.
Al is going to set up the club bank account at Wells Fargo. He will bring signature cards to the next meeting.
After some discussion it was decided to plan for the first formal class and begin collecting dues. A review of the dues situation indicated that dues for a family are $25 and a single member $15. Phil G will be responsible for collecting the dues and keeping a list of who has paid and when.
General Club meetings will be held at the Activities Center effective with the March 19 meeting.
Phil Op will conduct the first workshop "Getting to Know Your Computer". The workshop should last about two hours and will be limited to eight students. The member will be asked to sign up at the March 19th meeting. Attendance will be on a first come first serve basis. If more than eight people sign there will be additional classes. The time and date for the workshop is March 30th @ 10AM.
Al and Preston indicated that another short workshop for a general meeting would be put on by Radio Shack. It will be about "What to look for when upgrading or buying a computer".
Merlin suggested we establish the Club membership list on "QuickBase". Phil G. will keep it up to date.
There being no more business the meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Phil Geddes and Merlin Anderson
Members absent: Al Hesse and Preston Averill
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.
Unfinished Business:
The club checking account has been established at the Compass Bank.
All the signature cards have been signed except for Al.
The club membership list has been established on "Quick Base".
The next workshops will be "Getting To Know Your Computer" scheduled for May 4 at 10AM and 2PM if needed.
New Business:
Steve presented a proposed agenda for the general meeting. During
the next hour it was discussed, reviewed and agreed on.
The next general club meeting needs to be moved to the 23rd of April as the President and Vice-President will not be available on the 16th. Phil G. will post a notice to that effect on the Activity Center Bulletin Board. An e-mail notice will also be sent as meeting reminder.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:00PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Phil Geddes, Merlin Anderson and Al Hesse.
Member absent: Preston Averill.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.
Unfinished Business: none
New Business:
Steve reported that the phone system is still being worked on.
There are bids out for shades/drapes on the windows. He thought it would be a good
idea to put together a workshop evaluation form. Everyone agreed. Phil O. said
he would put something together to cover workshops, classes, and meetings. Steve
further reported that the web site decision was at the Robson corporate office level.
Steve also suggested a sign-in sheet for each meeting so we can keep track of who
comes to the meetings. Phil G. will develop this.
Discussion Items:
Phil G. and Al were asked to look into Jack Weib's dues payment.
A motion was made, seconded and approved to authorize payment of $3.00 to Phil Opdenbrouw for printer paper, and $17.21 to Merlin Anderson for a 20' network cable.
There being no more business, the meeting adjourned at 8:45PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Phil Geddes, and Al Hesse.
Members absent: Preston Averill and Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.
Al Hesse reported the club treasury had a balance of $467.65.
Unfinished Business:
Still trying to track down Jack Weib's membership
check. Will call him to see if he has canceled check.
Nothing from Mike on the fixtures yet. Sign-in sheet will be ready for membership meetings. It looks good for the June Meeting to have the Radio Shack presentation. Discussion took place on hiring an outside person to do some classes but was tabled for the present.
New Business:
Phil Op reported on the comments about the Saturday Workshops: (1) most enjoyed
and got a lot out of them, (2) the main problem was viewing the projected area
on the wall. We all then discussed how we might make the view better by either
moving some workstations or projecting on an angle to a screen. We also talked
about moving the task bar to the top of the screen.
An alternate presentation for the June meeting might be a spreadsheet demo.
We next discussed future workshops, and meeting presentations. We felt they should include; scanning, Word or word processing, Excel or a spreadsheet, Money, tax programs (Fall), security, and Freeware. We also discussed future open labs.
There being no more business, the meeting adjourned at 8:00PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Al Hesse, Phil Geddes.
Members absent: Preston Averill and Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
Phil G. read the minutes from the last meeting.
Al Hesse reported that the club treasury had a balance of $512.66
Unfinished Business:
We are still trying to develop an evaluation form
for workshops/classes. We are going to try to present the Radio Shack
program this month, then Computer Security in July, Spreadsheets in August,
Your Web Browser in September and Intuit in October.
New Business:
If we can't get Radio Shack for June then Steve will
present a talk on the scanner. We also discussed offering an introductory
class on Windows that would extend over three or four two-hour sessions.
The meeting adjourned at 8:00PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Phil Geddes, Al Hesse.
Member absent: Preston Averill, Merlin Anderson.
There was no July Board meeting.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
Al Hesse gave the treasurer's report. Current account balance is $522.66
Unfinished Business:
The Club will go with AOL for the internet hookup for the time being.
Steve and Merlin are continuing to work on the Club web page.
If the Norton fee for their anti-virus software updates is $10 per machine per year, then that is the vendor we will choose.
We will schedule another "Getting To Know Your Computer" workshop for two hours on 7 September. Phil G. will bring a sign-up sheet for the August 20 meeting.
New Business:
We need more instructors for the classes besides Phil O.
and Steve. We will try to stir up some interest at the next Club meeting.
We are thinking of having a Club open house October 18 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.
We need to start thinking about our next-year's budget; also, to submit items for Robson to purchase. The latter would include window coverings, cable hookup, and a one-year subscription to Cox.
Al is going to contact Intuit to see if they would like to do a presentation to the Club in October.
Steve pointed out that Robson is working on the Arts & Tech. roof to stop the leaks.
There being no further business we adjourned at 8:09PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Phil Geddes, Al Hesse.
Members absent: Preston Averill, Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
Al Hesse gave the Treasurer's report: the current checking account balance is $577.56
Unfinished Business:
AOL is now set up in the lab. Norton AV hasn't been
activated yet on all the machines; Steve is looking into renewal fees. Cox looked
over our setup and their cable will have to go under existing concrete. This is on
hold for now. A possible satellite hookup is also on hold with proposals being
requested. The equipment cabinet has arrived and is in use. The projector screen
is also here.
The "Getting to Know Your Computer" workshop on September 7 was attended by 8 people as was the "Introduction to Windows" class starting September 10.
The computer lab Open House will be held in November in conjuction with that for the rest of the building.
New Business:
We need more instructors and assistants for classes/workshops.
We'll try to get more members interested at the general meeting.
There will be an AOL or Internet Explorer class on October 1. A signup sheet will be posted at the Fitness Center. We will plan a program and workshop for some time in the future on email and one on repairing computers.
We are required to have an audit of the club funds before the end of the year.
The agenda for the next club meeting will include announcing the need for a nominating committee chair to find candidates to fill three Board slots. The Board needs to select the chair thirty days before the November meeting, i.e., by October 20. The elections will be held at the annual meeting in November.
The meeting adjourned at 8:03PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Phil Geddes, Merlin Anderson, Al Hesse.
Member absent: Preston Averill.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
Al Hesse reported that the current balance is $657.66
Unfinished Business:
New Business:
The meeting adjourned at 8:00PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Steve Pruess, Phil Opdenbrouw, Al Hesse, Preston Averill, Merlin Anderson.
Member absent: Phil Geddes.
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
ISP’s: AOL is set to expire mid-November. It was determined that the service would be cancelled by no later than the end of the free period. A motion was made by Phil Opdenbrouw and seconded by Preston Averill authorizing Steve to proceed with negotiations with Robson for future Internet service.
The projection screen position was determined to be OK. Robson personnel will mount it in its permanent position.
Al Hesse will schedule the December meeting presentation on tax software by Dave Hartwell and will pursue with him the possibility of a multi-session class during January on the subject of using tax software.
Motion was made by Phil Opdenbrouw and seconded by Preston Averill to present a preliminary budget for 2003 at the November meeting providing for $2000 in membership revenue, $650 for operating expenses with the balance to go into the reserve fund. Individual class fees will be set to at least cover class expenses.
Phil Opdenbrouw will prepare and post the proposed changes to the Bylaws as prescribed.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30PM.
submitted by Merlin Anderson for Phil Geddes
Members present: Steve Pruess, Phil Opdenbrouw, Al Hesse, Preston Averill, Merlin Anderson, Phil Geddes.
Guests present: Connie Higgins, Jim Ragan (newly elected 2003 Board members).
The meeting was called to order by Steve Pruess at 7:00PM.
Reports:
Unfinished Business:
New Business:
The meeting adjourned at 8:10PM.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary
Members present: Phil Opdenbrouw, Steve Pruess, Phil Geddes, Preston Averill and Al Hesse.
Member absent: Merlin Anderson.
The meeting was called to order by Phil Opdenbrouw at 3:00PM.
The first order of business was to elect the board officers. After discussion about officer responsibilities, nominations were made and each officer was elected by unanimous voice vote. The results are:
The club charter, approved at the general membership meeting, was reviewed and approved for signatures. Steve said he would send it to Robson for approval. When approved we will have a copy made for each member of the club.
The budget for the club was the next item discussed. The big question is how much will be available vs. how much we need. The need will be based on the equipment required. Steve brought some information that Merlin suggested from his experience. We also discussed a video camera, a television, a VCR, a fax, scanner, copier, printer, combination machine and a color ink jet printer that might be needed. Al said he would call Pima County Community College for suggestions and Steve will be talking to Kermit Brindle at SaddleBrooke. Further discussion was planned for the next board meeting.
The next item was how do we get started for the membership? What do they want? It was suggested that a survey be sent to all members asking specific information about what they want to learn, what they know and if they can help teach. Phil O said he would prepare an outline of a basic class and have it for the next meeting. It was also suggested we put together a class on how to buy a computer.
We discussed how to post meeting notices other than the bulletin board and felt it would be good to put them in the Quail Creek Newsletter.
The next board meeting will be held on Friday, January 3, 2002 at 3PM. Place to be announced.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:30.
submitted by Phil Geddes, Secretary