In Attendance
John Noble, Bill Marmon, Joe Hage, Whit Overstreet, Tryon Wells, Sherry Fizdale, Bill Marmon, Lucky Marmon, Jim Drew, Tryon Wells, Ann Lucy, Drew Walsh, Dave Winer, Jane Winer, Louise Meyer, Larry Heilman, Gerry Barton, Mary Kearney

The meeting was called to order by President Jim Drew. The minutes of the August, 2012 meeting were approved.

Captain
Captain Drew Walsh asked Dave Winer to discuss the state of the ferry. Dave reported that the ferry needs to be drained and patched. Drew said that he will meet with Davey Hearn, Joe Hage, and Gerry Barton to look at the ferry and give advice on patching it. The landing steps also need repairing.

Drew noted that the club’s generator should be placed above the flood plain, possibly in the tool shed. There was some discussion of the large quantity of gasoline the island would need to store in order provide power during a two- to three-day power outage. This could present a fire hazard. Drew felt it was not necessary to store more than 5 gallons, enough for several hours, and that the generator should be turned off when not needed.

The Work Fest will be held on November 11th. Joe will keep members posted on the various jobs to be done.

New stairs for the tool shed
It was suggested that the stairs be moved from underneath the shed to one of the sides, thus freeing up space for more flooring and enabling the door to close and keep out rats. Hopefully, there will be a design ready by the Work Fest and participants can help to move the building materials onto the Island.

The Bridge
A large tree landed on the new bridge crossing the canal. The bridge itself withstood the assault, but some parts, such as the trusses and some of the railing, need repairing. Drew will try to get the Park Service’s timeline for repairing the bridge. Meanwhile, the Fishing Derby was canceled. (Other events threatened by the bridge closing will now not be affected due to the existence of new makeshift bridge.)

The Old Timer’s Party will take place on Oct. 9th.

Membership
Membership Chairman John Noble reported that as of this meeting there were 158 regular members, Inactive 15, Honorary 16, Waiting List 77. Next month, additional persons from the waiting list will be invited to join the club. One member requested inactive status, which was granted. Another member who was dropped from membership in 2010 for nonpayment of dues requested reinstatement, but was denied due to failure to respond to dues notices. It was noted that the Membership Chairman could make decisions on such matters without being voted on at a monthly meeting. John Noble also presented a list of regulations concerning Inactive Membership. These can be found on the Club website.

Committee Reports
It was noted that Canoe Supervisor John Membrino cannot attend meetings because of his work schedule but is doing an excellent job.

Relief Caretaking
Sherry Fizdale suggested that everyone in each member’s family should be required to attend an orientation. She has witnessed too many incidents where a relief caretaker leaves early and doesn’t monitor the ferry and cases when persons eager to pull the ferry across have no idea how it operates. In addition, she has seen a number of club members and their guests misjudge the difficulty of swimming in the river and needing help. Larry Heilman, who has spent considerable time and energy working on swim safety issues, added his thoughts on swim safety devices and their inadequacy. It was suggested that a committee figure out a way to get information to our membership on handling canoes, kayaks, and the ferry, as well as swimming in the river. John Noble, Sherry Fizdale, and Larry Heilman should be on the committee.

New Business
Joe Hage suggested that it might be to the club’s advantage to have him certified as a canoe instructor. He will look into the details of obtaining certification and present them at the next meeting.

Thanks to Tryon Wells for hosting the meeting. The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,
Lucky Marmon
Co-Recording Secretary