Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club, Inc.

Meeting Notes - October 12, 2003

October 30, 2003: Attendance was down to 17 members, but the meeting went well & the weather held out. Bruce said that a couple crossings need clearing & next week, the mowing will be finished. Bill, Ron & Dave, have found a new tractor to meet the needs of the club & the cost is right. Bill will check into the insurance of the tractor, & getting it registered, in order for it to be legal, so we can drive it on the road to get where we need to be. To complete the bridge grant, a little more work needs to be done. Also, a little more work needs to be done on the GANDY. The repair on the peak of the ENGINE HOUSE will have to be put off until next Spring. At the next meeting, the windows on the ENGINE HOUSE will need to have new plastic in order to winterize the building. WE ASK MEMBERS TO BRING STAPLE GUNS & STEP LADDERS. More train signs will be put up on the Engine House next Spring. The city has agreed to provide yard lights to be put up around the Station, to cut down on the teenagers partying in the yard. The club is now a 501 C 4 NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION. The BYLAWS are finalized & should go out to the members soon.

Thanks from The Flying Yankee Restoration Group

August 11, 2003: The following letter was recieved from The FLYING YANKEE Restoration Group

Good Morning,
Please pass my "Thanks" to all that helped out the 2nd. Between the motorcar rides, gift sales and refreshments we raised over $1000.00 that was added to the restoration effort. It was the largest Saturday since I started the Open House activities the first Saturday in April.
Also, several members indicated they would like to help with the September & October open house dates. That would be great, however, I want to make sure that there is no interference with Glory Days Sept 6th. October 4th is at the CVRTC pleasure.
Again; please pass my thanks to everyone who assisted. Their participation was one of the highlights of the 5 open houses. We enjoyed having the CVRTC support the restoration activity. Please note that the CVRTC adds much to the enjoyment of "Railroading."

- Bill Trueheart

Insurance Update

April 5, 2003: Liability insurance for CVRTC members has been secured. Over ten years ago the leaders of our club hoped to find insurance for our members. We even included the intent to secure liability insurance in the club's by-laws. Over the last year, CVRTC Director William McKenney contacted Omni-Transerve, a rail consulting firm. Together they looked to find affordable liability insurance for club members. They were successful and for the first time All members are insured for all CVRTC activities. Please keep in mind that this is liability insurance only and will not insure your motorcar or your injuries, should you sustain them. After some debate and first hand accounts of what some members pay for insurance premiums, it was decided to purchase this insurance and pass the cost equally to each member. The per member premium is less than two tanks of fuel for your towing vehicle.