by John Miller, Secretary

• This was the first virtual/online general member’s meeting of the AAAP since the club’s inception. Attendees were invited to participate via the cloud-based Zoom communications software. About 51 people were logged on at 7:45 p.m. This process was instituted due to the global Covid -19 pandemic. The Princeton Campus was in lock-down.

• The proposed slate of Board of Trustees renewal for FY 2020 – 2021 was approved by a solid majority of the participating membership (which constituted a required 15% quorum). The Board = Director, Rex Parker; Assistant Director, Larry Kane; Secretary, John Miller; Treasurer, Michael Mitrano; Program Chair, Ira Polans.

• Ira Polans introduced the evening’s guest speaker: Bob Vanderbei, Princeton faculty, as well as AAAP member. The presentation topic was “Astro Dynamics,” and was very well received.

• Rex Parker raised the observatory pedestal repair issue (about 50 members were currently logged in at 8:45 p.m.) and he reviewed certain construction details. His report included the contractor’s current billing estimate of $8,500.00. Rex said he will suggest $9,500.00 in the budget as a buffer. Discussion continued regarding contractor oversight, quality control, AAAP inspection schedules, etc. Member John Church offered his time for on-site supervisory reviews.

• Dave Skitt, Observatory Co-Chair, suggested contacting the WCSP manager (“Neil”) about next steps and proposed plans regarding moving ahead with the repair project.

• The meeting ended with Dave Skitt giving a brief update concerning the NASA Night Sky Program. 35 attendees were logged in to Zoom at the time.

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