19 members attended the last general meeting on March 1st; yet another fine (but breezy and chilly) flying morning. Carlos Rangel reported a new balance of $2,011.94 in the treasury.
After last month's substantial rainfall, Bob Fitzgerald led an effort to maintain the runway by renting a roller and rolling the field. John Defile and Marty Stickford assisted. We all owe these guys a big thank-you for their efforts.
At the time of publication, we are gearing up for our display at the DM airshow on the 21st and 22nd. Thanks to all who have volunteered to man the booth and bring their aircraft for demonstrations.
The big news of the meeting, however, was resolution of the runway
paving issue. After the dust had cleared, there were 14 votes in favor
and 10 against. The Fairgrounds look favorably upon our field
improvement efforts and have reassured us of our continuing presence
at the Fairgrounds. Generating the funds needed to pave the runway at a
minimum of member expense is now a priority goal. We have
purchased a computer for the big ``runway fund raiser'' raffle to be
held at the May Fly. The raffle is intended to be the main avenue for
fund raising. Tickets are $5 each, and we need to sell 192 tickets to
break even. It is very important for all of us to get involved and
sell all of these tickets. The more we sell, the less out-of-pocket
expense required by the membership. Marv Kea has written a paragraph
detailing the raffle in the From the President column later in
this Newsletter. [over ]
In addition to the DM Airshow and the Pima County Fair, Rick Scanlon has also set up another outreach opportunity: on the weekend of April 4 and 5 we will be allowed to set up a booth outside the Speedway and Kolb Walmart to show off our club and sell raffle tickets. Contact Rick to help out and get the latest info on this, and thanks!!
Lastly, please remember to renew your 1998 SAM membership and dues if you've not already done so. As with 1997, dues are $25 as a club volunteer at events and work parties or $35 otherwise. You can mail checks to Carlos Rangel, club treasurer, at 9406 E. Simon Pl, Tucson AZ 85710.