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4th Division Election Results and Leadership Changes

Written by Cliff Green
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Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent

Editor’s note: Updating the post to add the following note from JJ Johnston, Volunteer Chair, 2015 Election Committee: A special thanks goes to those who assisted on the election committee process of writing, designing, printing and tabulating the 2015 ballots including Russ Segner, Mike Slease, Ed Liesse, David Yadock, Mike Laughlin and JJ Johnston.

Great news! Kurt Laidlaw and Al Lowe have been re-elected to the 4D Board of Directors. Mike Highsmith was also reelected to Assistant Superintendent. These are two year terms which run from September 1 to August 31.

Now for some bad news: Assistant Mike Highsmith has resigned not only the balance of his current term, but also will not serve the term commencing September1. So …

Here is some good news: As Superintendent I have asked Kurt Laidlaw to step into Mike’s remaining term and also to fill the position for the two year term as Assistant Superintendent commencing September 1. He has accepted and will be confirmed at our Board of Directors meeting August 15. Thank you, Kurt.

More good news: Paul Pellegrino has agreed to fill the Board of Directors term which Kurt will vacate. This also will be acted on at the August board meeting. The leadership team is intact and we look forward to working on the balance of this year and preparing for 2016.

If you are interested in serving your fellow model railroaders, please give me a call at 425-228-7327.

News, Superintendent’s Message

Last Call for MAKING TRACKS

Written by Al Lowe
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Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent

“How and why we build our layouts”

Our Spring Meet is tomorrow, Saturday, June 6, at the Bellevue Sheraton.

We have designed a program to give insights and ideas on building layouts.  Lots of questions will be answered, such as how big to build? Or what era and prototype to use for ideas? What about operations? Do you build alone or with others in a group or club?

Several MMRs and others will share their experiences and what inspires them in the hobby.  So, come with your questions.  Meet and share ideas with model railroaders from across the Fourth Division.

A bonus is your chance to see several layouts on Sunday afternoon.  Descriptions and locations will only be available to those attending Saturday.

During the lunch break, the Division will hold its Annual Meeting. Several awards will be presented, including The Golden Grab Iron Award.  You will also get to see our redesigned website and Grab Iron.

We sincerely hope you will attend. If you’re not already registered, you can register at the door. See you tomorrow!

 

SPRING MEET SCHEDULE

Sheraton Bellevue

Registration Opens 8:00

 

Session Room

Session Room
 

Snoqualmie North

Snoqualmie South
Session One

0900

to

1000

 Fast Tracks

Mike Shaw

 A Prototype Layout

Bill Messecar, MMR
Session Two

1030

to

1130

 Modular Operations

Rich Blake
Thomas Dye

 Prototype Panel

Di Voss, MMR

Burr Stewart

Jim Younkins, MMR
Luncheon

 

Annual Report

Grab Iron Presentation

Awards
Session Three

1400

to

1500

 Freelancing

JJ Johnston

Ron Hopkins

David Yadock

 Large Layout Panel

Al Frasch

Mike Highsmith

Jim Sabol
Session Four

1530

to

1630

 Trackside Details

Tom Beaton

 Bridge Design

Max Maginness, MMR

Sunday’s layout information distributed at close of meeting

 

Convention or Meet, Superintendent’s Message

Board of Director Position Open

Written by Al Lowe
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Russ Segner, Division Superintendent

The current 4D Board Secretary, Tina Ferguson-Brikoff, has submitted her resignation. Both Tina and Alex, her husband, have increased responsibilities outside the hobby and have had to step away for a while.

It is my responsibility to appoint someone to this very important position. Here is how the Secretary position is described in the 4D Policy Manual:

Secretary


The duties of the Secretary include, but are not necessarily limited to:

  1. Keep minutes of all Board of Directors and General Membership meetings.
  2. Provide copies of such minutes to others as prescribed elsewhere in the Bylaws and in the Policies and Procedures Manual.
  3. Maintain corporate records as prescribed elsewhere in the Bylaws and in the Policies and Procedures Manual.
  4. Perform other secretarial duties deemed necessary or specified in the Bylaws and in the Policies and Procedures Manual.

The Secretary is also the Registered Agent with the State of Washington.

If you are interested in serving, this is a great opportunity to help our membership. The Board meets six times each year, usually in Kent, and last about two hours. The next Board meeting is October 25 at 9:00 a.m.

Please contact me as soon as possible: 425-228-7327 or russseg@gmail.com. I intend to make my selection no later than October 1st.

Superintendent’s Message

4D Balance Sheet & Budget for 2014-15

Written by Al Lowe
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Mike Donnelly

As your new 4D Treasurer, I am pleased to submit the following Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2014, plus the Budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year that was approved by the Board at its June 14, 2014 meeting.

Balance Sheet as of 31 July 2014
Assets
Checking/Savings
Old Checking  $       2,370.55
New Checking  $       1,000.00
Savings  $    29,276.70
CD Account  $    30,961.16
PSX2004 Trust  $       7,872.36
PNR2014  $       6,207.65
Total Checking/Savings  $    77,688.42
Other Assets
Prepaid Expense  $       1,000.00 Omni Trailer Downpayment
Total Current Assets  $    78,688.42
Other Assets
Patch Inventory  $          419.31
Trailers/Videos  $       7,680.52
Total Other Assets  $       8,099.83
Total Assets  $    86,788.25
Liabilities & Equity
Liabilities
HO Modular Liability  $       2,591.59
PNR2014 Liability  $       6,207.65
Total Liabilities  $       8,799.24
Equity
Prior Year  $    80,453.56
Net Assets -$750.00 (Fast Track Jigs)
Net Income -$1,714.55
Total Equity  $    77,989.01
Total Liabilities & Equity  $    86,788.25

 

Budget Fiscal Year 2014-2015
 
Income
Cash from Savings  $       5,636.00
Membership rebate  $       1,600.00
Interest and Other Income  $          400.00
Sales  $            50.00
Spring Meet Income  $          500.00
Science Center Income  $    11,050.00
Ho Modular Income  $       1,500.00
Total Income  $    20,736.00
Expense
Admin  $       1,000.00
Insurance -Directors & Officers  $       1,500.00
Insurance-Trailers  $       2,500.00
Bond for Bank Acct Signers  $                   –
Membership Promotion  $       2,000.00
Publicisty (Public Relations)  $       1,500.00
Wash State Vehicle Registration  $          250.00
Website  $          150.00
Spring Meet (Annual Meeting)  $          500.00
Education  $       1,000.00
Memberhip  $            36.00
Science Center Show  $       1,000.00
Video Library  $       2,800.00
Bremertom Northern Modular Group  $       1,000.00
Hi-Railers Modular Group  $       1,000.00
HO Modular Group  $       1,000.00
OmNi-Rail Modular Group  $       1,000.00
NTRAK Modular Group  $       1,000.00
East  Side Clinic  $          500.00
Seattle Clinic  $          400.00
Skagit Clinic  $          250.00
Tacoma Clinic  $          100.00
Whidbey Clinic  $          250.00
Total Expense  $    20,736.00
Other Income Expense
OmNi-Rail Trailer  $       9,486.00
Fast Track Jigs  $          750.00
Total Other Expense  $    10,236.00

 

 

Superintendent’s Message

4D BOD Meeting

Written by Ken Liesse
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By Ken Liesse

The 4D Board of Director’s meeting originally scheduled for Saturday, August 10th has been postponed to Saturday, August 17th. This is to accommodate anyone wishing to attend Bob Beise’s memorial service on the 10th. The meeting will still take place at Mitzel’s in Kent at 1:00 pm. Note we do not have the room before 1:00 for lunch like we normally do, so anyone wishing to eat before the meeting will have to do so in the main restaurant.

News, Superintendent’s Message

Special BOD Meeting Called

Written by Ken Liesse
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Ken Liesse

There will be a special BOD meeting immediately preceding the Eastside Get-Together on Thursday, April 19. The meeting will begin at 7:30pm. All 4D members are invited to attend this meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss 4D’s possible co-sponsorship of the Narrow Gauge Convention in September. Representatives from the convention will be on hand to answer questions.

Narrow Gauge, Superintendent’s Message

Nominations Deadline

Written by Ken Liesse
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Ken Liesse

We have a volunteer who has stepped forward to handle the ballots for this year’s election. A big hand to Di Voss for taking on this role.

Deadlines for nominations for this year’s ballot is Sunday, April 1st. We have two open positions: Superintendent and one Director. We also have two candidates for each office. If you would like to nominate someone or self-nominate, please make sure you have a short candidate statement to Di (davoss@pvmtengr.com) before next Sunday.

There will also be a ballot measure to approve a revision to the 4D By-Laws. These revisions (which amount to a complete makeover) can be found on the 4D website under the Members Only section. Please take the time to read them and vote when you receive your ballot.

 

Superintendent’s Message

Upcoming Events

Written by Ken Liesse
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By Ken Liesse

As we head towards the end of October, I’d like to remind everyone that November is National Model Railroad Month. But why wait for railroad related events? Here are a few of the things coming up, starting this coming weekend.

This year, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. To celebrate, Amtrak has put together a special commemorative train with displays of Amtrak’s history. The train is appearing at King Street Station in Seattle this coming weekend (October 22-23), and will be open to the public from 10 to 4 each day. It will then move to Portland for display the following weekend. These are the only two stops the train is making in the Pacific Northwest (a slap in the face to a lot of places that have supported Amtrak over the years, but it is what it is).

The second weekend of November, the Boeing Employee’s Model Railroad Club will be putting on their annual show at the Kent Commons (corner of 4th and James in Kent). Hours for the show will be 9:30-4:00. This is always a great show and over the years has grown to take up most of the Commons. There’s usually a line to get in, so plan on arriving early to get the best deals.

November 18th is Take a Model Train to Work Day. This has turned into an annual event where model railroaders are encouraged to take a model or two to work to let their co-workers know what they do for a hobby. Some have even gone as far as taking small layouts to their workplaces to really let people see what they do with their free time. This is a great opportunity to share our hobby with others and maybe even get some more people interested in model railroading.

As mentioned previously here (thanks Walt Huston), November 19th is the day for the Tacoma Layout Tours (see previous article). There are a whole bunch of neat layouts on this tour and it will be well worth your time to stop by and visit as many as you can.

Once you’re done touring layouts, stop by the Puyallup Fairgrounds. The Great Train Expo is in town again, and there will be several modular layouts on display as well as more opportunities to lighten your wallet. The show runs Saturday & Sunday (November 19 & 20th), 10-4 both days.

In addition, don’t forget the monthly clinics that 4D sponsors throughout the division. There are several great clinics coming up next month, so you won’t want to miss the one nearest you.

News, Superintendent’s Message