February 2006 President’s Report

By Ira Pollack

This month I would like to take the time to extend my appreciation to two long-time members who have moved on with their lives and will be leaving as active members of the DRM. These are people whose perseverance, tenacity, and dedication have made an incredible difference to the Museum's growth and prosperity over the years. I'm having a hard time realizing that they will be gone soon but life does move on I guess. I just hope that they realize how much they will be missed by me and by our membership.

Back in the early days of the Museum, Nancy Sniffen expressed interest and took the initiative to pursue the restoration of the RDC 32. This was an incredible task right from the beginning with countless hours of hard, dirty work, inside, underneath and all around this unique piece. It is easy to see her dedication to this project today. Nancy has also been our Operations Director, scheduling crews for our train operations and making sure we can run the local on weekends. I wish Nancy well with her new endeavors and hope she knows how much she has contributed to our Museum.

Charlie Albanetti, another self-starter and dedicated member, will be leaving soon for a new job and many new horizons this summer. Charlie has been responsible for marketing, advertising and promoting our Museum over the last several years. Charlie's expertise has helped our Museum grow incredibly over these few years and he'll be sorely missed. I wish Charlie well in his new pursuits.

Like any growing organization we must be prepared for setbacks that do happen. I would like to encourage you, the member, to come forward and possibly help fill these important voids. I have described these positions and their responsibilities below. Also listed are two additional committees to be formed: one for Events Planning and one for Volunteer Coordinating. I would ask that these groups be comprised of three to four people. This is the start of a new column, “Help Wanted”, that will be printed in the newsletter. Positions listed are ones that need to be filled as soon as possible in order that Museum continue to operate smoothly.

Help Wanted

Advertising Director - Requirements of Position

1. Produce budget for upcoming year (possibly using past year as a guideline)

2. Advertise upcoming events at Museum (Santa, Jeep Show, etc.)

3. Inform public of happenings at Museum (turntable, semaphore, NYC caboose, yard, new equipment)

4. Marketing our product - regionally, locally

5. Create contacts with newspapers, TV, and radio. Find agencies interested in informational stories about the Museum.

6. Make sure press releases are accurate and on time.

7. Generate flyers for events; collaborate with the Webmaster.

8. Report monthly to the President

Operations Director - requirements of position

1. Schedule train crews for weekend operations and special events

2. Maintain time log of all operating volunteers on crew

3. Maintain training program for existing crews and new volunteers - engineers, conductors, brakemen

4. Collaborate with mechanical crew on maintenance, service issues, and schedules

5. Report monthly to the President

Events Planning Committee - (new events run by committee)

1. Generate new events

2. Form budget for yearly events

3. Schedule volunteers for staffing of events, in collaboration with Volunteer Committee

4. Plan out event requirements, such as tables, food, permits, etc.

5. Report monthly to the President

Volunteer Coordinating Committee -

1. Welcome in new members to the Museum

2. Integrate new members into our volunteer staff (yard, building, crew, etc.)

3. Maintain record of volunteer hours

4. Make sure building is staffed as needed, including Front Desk and Yard Tour staff

5. Collaborate closely with Events Committee and their needs

6. Report monthly to the President

7. Collaborate with Advertising Director for promoting events

Over the years during my terms as President, I have always said that the volunteers can make or break this organization. It is very true right now. I need you, the member and volunteer, to come forward and help keep our Museum moving forward. If you can help in any of these positions please contact me by calling me at the Museum (203) 778-8337.