Meeting called to order by Jim Peterson at 3:05 P.M.

Board Members Present:  Jim Peterson, Bob Mugge, Dick Schmeling, Jan Schneck, Vince Alline, Karen Brown, Joyce Knouse, Dean Miller and Warren Sanders

Also in attendance:  Frank Fritchman, Dennis Malcolm, Don Stieghan and Dale Noll

Warren Sanders motioned to approve the minutes of the March 11, 2008 Board Meeting.  Karen Brown seconded.  Board approved.  Vince Alline motioned to approve the minutes of the April 1, 2008 General Meeting.  Dean Miller seconded.  Board approved.

OFFICER REPORTS

President, Jim Peterson

·         We received the 2003 and 2007 packages from Microsoft and we have the licenses and instructions.

·         Howard Jones may have the XP by now.  Jim will call him.

·         The room in Chota has 15-30 days to go; it will probably be ready for classes by June.

·         Knouse commented that there has been no Education Committee meeting yet, so fees, if any, have not been set.  Any fee will be nominal – just to cover paper and those kinds of supplies.

·         Schmeling asked if an Ethernet cable will be in the class room.  Peterson responded that we plan to be wireless anyway.

Vice President, Bob Mugge – No report.

Secretary, Jan Schneck

·         Made a motion for the Board to publicly endorse the Covenants & Restrictions amendment proposed this year and to encourage members and others to return their ballots in favor of the amendment.  Joyce Knouse seconded.  Board approved.  If ballots have been misplaced, there will soon be a second mailing.

Treasurer, Dick Schmeling

·         Distributed the financial accounting for the month of March.  The Club received $435 in dues, $25 in scanner Use Fees and $0.30 of bank interest.  Operating expenses include $89.98 for the digital recorder purchased for secretary use, $20 filing fee for filing with the State of Tennessee and $470 for the cost of software.  These resulted in a net outflow of $119.68.  The Pass-Through account received $1,440 from the sale of computers and other donations.  Expenses for that account amounted to $744.17 for ink cartridges and paper, bringing the net inflow to $695.83 and the ending balance at $1,191.91.  We started the month with $2,684.30 and ended with $3,260.45.  Dick noted that $1,191.91 is locked up in the designated Pass-Through account for Technology Access Program, so the net operating balance is just over $2,000.

·         Dick is checking on insurance coverage for the approximate $14,000 worth of equipment now in the Club’s inventory.  Sanders asked if surge protectors are built into the class room.  Peterson responded that they are supposed to do that, but he will check to make sure that it’s done.  Alline advised that there is now a LoJack for Laptops which, if a laptop is stolen, the first time the thief goes on the Internet, the laptop’s exact location is pinpointed.  He will check on the cost of that. This prompted Mugge to discuss the locking mechanism for the cabinet that was been built by Jack Racke for the storage room.  He distributed pictures of the cabinet.

·         Dean Miller motioned to approve the Treasurer’s Report.  Jan Schneck seconded.  Board approved.

Past President, Warren Sanders – No report.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Technical Access Committee

·         Sanders reported that a system was installed at Iva’s Place this past week.  Today we donated and XP system to the Community Church as a token of the Club’s appreciation for letting us use their building for storage and operation of this Committee’s affairs.  In total, 66 systems have been donated since June 2, 2007.  At least 128 children have been identified as beneficiaries of this work.  Four systems are going to Greenback High School this Friday.  We are renewing our efforts to get something going for Lenoir City High School.

·         We have 17 systems right now ready to go.  We continue to work on them.

·         We spoke with the manager of the recycling center who offered to allow us the use of a room in their building.  As you know, the Community Church is proposing a major expansion and renovation project.  In Phase 2 of that, they will be moving the Church offices into the space we are now using.  We are trying to get some civic organizations to donate funds to pay for the $3,000,000 bond that is required if we use the Cooper Building.  We’re trying to get the move arranged before the time comes when we absolutely have to move out of the Church’s building.

Membership Committee

·         Bob Kutschera reported that there were 42 members plus 3 guests in attendance at the General Meeting.  There was a TN Lady Vols game starting at 7 P.M. which may have accounted for fewer attendees than usual.

·         There were 14 memberships including 10 renewals for this month.  A total of $210 was submitted to the Treasurer with required documentation. 

·         As of this date, the Club has 210 paid memberships and 128 additional members, bringing our total member count to 338. 

·         A refund of $15 will be made to Thomas Clark for a double payment (October 2007 and March 2008).

Program Committee

·         Next month’s General Meeting will have Howard Jones presenting How to Back Up Your Computer.

First Level Support Committee

·         Malcolm reported very little activity for his team.  He did, however, comment that Loudon Utility Board sells whole-house surge protectors.  Everyone should certainly have individual protectors on all electronic equipment, including TVs and refrigerators.

Education Committee

·         Mugge said he has been talking to Dick Joyner who has been teaching at the Senior Center. 

·         He hasn’t had a full meeting yet with the Committee, but is trying to get a list of information to put in the Newsletter about what to teach and when.  He’s hoping to be able to get started with classes by June.

·         Peterson commented that he has the Club’s projector at his home.  He’ll have to bring it to Chota to try it out when they can get in the room.

Special Interest Groups Committee

·         Don Stieghan has suggested that SIGs could be tied to the classroom and nobody had a problem with that.  Stieghan sees the SIGs as a natural outgrowth or an integral part of the classroom.

OLD BUSINESS

·         Peterson mentioned that we need to get a group together and figure out exactly how to set them up, etc.  Howard Jones has some software that Peterson hasn’t seen yet.  We’ll have to decide whether to go with partitioning, virtual, steady-state and so on.  Knouse offered that we need to do a couple of dry runs, too. 

MEETING ADJOURNED 4:00 P.M.
NEXT GENERAL MEETING MAY 6, 2008 @ 7:00 P.M. AT YACHT CLUB
NEXT BOARD MEETING MAY 13, 2008 @ 3:00 P.M. AT CHOTA REC CENTER