The meeting was held at the new Boxford Community Center at 10 Elm Street in Boxford, as well as via Zoom. There were 27 participants (21 in-person and 6 on Zoom). A quorum of members was present, and the Business Meeting was official.

Guests and new club members were asked to introduce themselves:

No guests present this Month.

Officer Reports:

President – Kathi Freeman:

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

Vice President – Justin Murray:

Justin is working on a draft website update for the Club Loaner Scopes. The club owns a few telescopes that are available to borrow. If you’re interested reach out to Brewster or Justin until the website goes live.

Treasurer – Ron Sampson:

Ron reported the PO Box renewed (up to $192/year now). Received a donation ($200) from the Boxford Star Party back in the Fall. Insurance also renewed.

Secretary – Tolga Yazicioglu:

Tolga reported no updates.

Membership Director – John Gall:

John reported that there are currently 155 Members, with 8 new members joining since the last meeting. Of the 155, 12 are Honorary Members and 143 are Regular members.

At Large Board Members – Cyndi Hopping:

Cyndi was unable to attend.

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 on 12/1 the main gear on the winch for the observatory broke (again!). Observatory will be closed until the repairs can be made.

Mendel Observatory at Merrimack College – Brewster LaMacchia:

Merrimack College has asked us to temporarily pause public observing due to an injury from a visitor last year.

Star Parties – Brewster LaMacchia:

Brewster was unable to attend, but provided the following update:

Starting to work the Spring 2026 calendar, including some dates at Crane Beach and Parker River since those are popular venues with Club Members and the Public.

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.

Bryan provided an overview of the Scope Clinic. Bryan also confirmed that “yes, the Scope Clinic is the ‘Pride and Joy’ of the club. No job is too simple or complicated, unless we can’t do it.”

Old Business:

Telescope Sales Committee:

Two telescopes remain, including a 4” Edmond Scientific Newtonian and a Celestron 4” Newtonian
Bryan noted that the Edmond Scientific scope is likely a collectors item

Membership/Dues Discussion:

Kathi provided an overview that the increase from $20 to $30 would enable the club to cover monthly club meeting refreshments, club swag giveaways at star parties to advertise, reinstate the Young Astronomer’s Program (YAP), possible Dark Sky donation, and additional club member social activities. All donations/club member social activities, etc. will be presented to the membership for a vote before any commitments are made.
As part of the listserv discussion today, Justin proposed that we add a note to the membership page: Current or prospective members facing financial difficulties that impact their ability to pay dues are encouraged to reach out to the Board of Directors to discuss the situation confidentially.
Discussion:
Question on whether we could consider the discount for Seniors or Youth
Answer: Tolga noted that this was considered by the BoD, but were unable to determine a method to implement and keep track that wouldn’t be overly burdensome. Recommendation from the BoD was to keep to a single Membership Cost for all members.
Question on Dark Sky Membership, and what benefits this would unlock for the Club
Answer: BoD has reached out to Dark Sky, but still awaiting a response. Will present results to the Club once we hear back

Motion Made and Seconded to “raise annual dues for each member from $20 to $30”

Members present at the meeting voted as follows:

In Favor of the Motion: 21 (18 In-Person, 3 via Zoom)

Against the Motion: 6 (5 In-Person, 1 via Zoom)

The Motion Passed. Club Dues for the upcoming renewal in March will be $30 per member.

Justin noted that if we run a surplus in a given year, we should as a club decide how to spend that surplus.

John also noted that it would be possible to reduce the dues in the future again.

New Business:

Next Board Meeting is Monday 01/12 at 8PM via Zoom. Reach out to Kathi if you’d like to attend.

Director of the Nominating Committee

Jim Holland has volunteered to serve as the Director of the Nominating Committee.
Please contact Jim if you are interested in running for any of the board positions - jmholland.nsaac@outlook.com
The Annual General Election will be held during the 06 March 2026 Club Meeting

Business Meeting was Adjourned by President Kathi Freeman at 7:52PM

Following the Business Meeting, we were joined by Bill Waller who presented Exploring Galactic Ecosystems -- The Nebular Wellsprings, of Stars, Planets, and Life.

Respectfully submitted,

Tolga Yazicioglu, Secretary

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