The meeting was held at the new Boxford Community Center at 10 Elm Street in Boxford, as well as via Zoom. There were 22 participants (19 in-person and 3 on Zoom). A quorum of members was present, and the Business Meeting was official.

Guests and new club members were asked to introduce themselves:

Chris, new to astronomy and looking to learn more
Nancy, from Boxford
Joel, from Topsfield

Officer Reports:

President – Kathi Freeman:

Kathi called for approval of the August Business Meeting Minutes, which were approved by acclamation.

Vice President – Justin Murray:

Justin was unable to attend.

Treasurer – Ron Sampson:

Ron was unable to attend.

Secretary – Tolga Yazicioglu:

Tolga reported no updates.

Membership Director – John Gall:

John reported we currently have 129 active members, 11 of whom are honorary. We have 5 new members since our last meeting.

At Large Board Members – Rob Braczyk & Rob Vincent & Matt Bowler:

No updates reported.

Collins Observatory at Salem State – Dennis Gudzevich:

Dennis provided an update on the Collins Observatory, which has a Meade LX200 12” ACF. The observatory is typically open on clear Mondays 7pm-10pm when school is in session.

Back in December 2025, the main gear on the winch for the observatory broke (again!). Dennis reported that the Observatory is still closed, and will remain closed until the repairs can be made.

Salem State is in process of ordering the new speed reducer. Once it comes in, there will be some work to do to get everything back up and operational.

Dennis is also trying his best to continue operating Salem State, but might need to step away soon.

Volunteers needed!!! If someone is interested in the future of operating Salem State, please connect with Dennis!

Star Parties – Brewster LaMacchia:

Brewster was unable to attend, but provided a report to the BoD that was shared by Kathi

Upcoming Star Paries:

Back at Parker River on 9/8 (9/10 Cloud Date).

Trails and Sails at Battis Farm on 9/12 and 9/18.

Maudslay State Park on 9/15.

Scope Clinic – Bryan Stone & Ron Sampson:

If you have anything on your telescope that you need help with, or if you need help with your telescope, Bryan & Ron can assess your scope, making recommendations, and performing some minor repairs.

Kathi gave a quick overview of the Scope Clinic - reach out if you need help!

Old Business:

Lifetime Honorary Memberships

In February 2026, a Motion was made, seconded, and Approved to provide honorary memberships for anyone who has been an NSAAC member for 30+ years (not required to be continuous). Let Kathi know if you qualify and would like to take advantage of the offer.

Active Committees

Let Kathi, any BoD member, or Member at Large know if you’d like to join any of the current Club Committees:

Telescope Sales Committee
No updates
Young Astronomer’s Program
No updates
Marketing & Social Media Committee
No updates.

New Business:

September Board of Directors Meeting

Next Board Meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday 14 September at 8PM via Zoom. Reach out to Kathi if you’d like to attend.

Business Meeting was Adjourned by President Kathi Freeman at 7:40PM

Following the Business Meeting, we were joined in-person by club member Chris Burkinshaw who gave his MA Space Week presentation on Planetary imaging, general astrophotography, as well as spectroheliograph imaging.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tolga Yazicioglu, Secretary

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