The next board meeting will be on June 8, 2000.  The meeting will be held at Maurer's Dive Shop in Carrolltown at 7:30 P.M.

Treasurer's Report: Income: $1,431, Expenses: $48.44, Current Balance: $4155.27.

Annual fundraiser tickets are due!  Vice President Josh Keyser reports that quite a few tickets are still outstanding.  Please turn in your tickets to Josh, Donna Bender, or at Maurer's Dive shop prior to the drawing--no tickets received after this date are eligible to win.  The prize is $100 for each of five days based on the PA daily lottery number during Memorial Day week.

After a discussion and vote at the meeting, we have decided to discontinue the incorporation proceedings.  It's been over one year since we've voted to become incorporated as a club, but to date we've still been unable to have the processes completed.  The up front fees, annual costs, and need for an annual tax filing were all presented as difficulties with incorporation.  President Diane Turcovsky has been able to get the opinion of an attorney who reviewed our liability releases and suggested that incorporation is probably not necessary in addition to the releases.  A vote was taken, and the outcome was to diligently collect the member and quarry releases, and to not pursue incorporating.  Please make sure that you have signed a new member release this year--these are different from the quarry releases that also need signed.  Member releases are available at any meeting, or at Maurer's Dive Shop.

Along with the incorporation discussion, is the necessity to make some changes in the constitution.  [click here to see the current Laurel Divers constitution]  As per the club guidelines, all changes to the Laurel Diver's constitution need to be discussed at a meeting (which was done at the April meeting), posted in the newsletter (see below), and then subjected to a final discussion and vote at the next meeting.  We will be voting on these changes at the June meeting.  Suggested changes are as follow:

Article III--Section IIA currently reads "All members under 18 years of age must have this release waiver signed by a parent or guardian in the presence of a club member or notarized".
Proposed change would read: "All members under 18 years of age must have this liability release signed by a parent or guardian and notarized".
Article IV--Section IV reads:  "Members dropped from the club roll for nonpayment of dues must be reinstated by a vote of the quorum of the Board of Directors, after submitting a new updated membership application".
Proposed change would read: "Members dropped from the club roll for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, and must sign a new liability release".
Article VI reads: "This club shall elect the officers by a majority vote of a quorum of active members at the last regular meeting of each fiscal year . . .".
Proposed change would read: "The club shall elect the officers by a majority vote of the members present at the last regular meeting of the fiscal year (June)".
Article VI reads: "In the event of a vacancy in any other elected office, the President shall appoint a temporary replacement to serve until the next regular meeting at which time a quorum of the active membership shall elect a replacement by majority vote".
Proposed change would read: ". . .at which time a replacement shall be elected by a majority vote of those present at the meeting".
Article VI--Section V1 reads: (Board of Directors) . . ."shall be elected by the membership, from the membership, and the election shall be held at the first regular meeting of each calendar year".
Proposed change would read: ". . .shall be elected by the membership, from the membership, with nominations occurring in November, and the election occurring in December, and those 4 receiving the greatest number of votes of those present at the meeting shall be elected".
 Article VI--Section V5 reads:  "From the membership, there will be 3 auditors elected, by the membership and from the membership, whose duty will be to conduct a semi-annual audit of the club financial records.  Said auditors will be elected at the first regular meeting of the calendar year".
Proposed change would read:  "From the membership, 3 volunteers will be selected to conduct an annual audit of the club financial records.  This audit will occur in September--before the newly elected treasurer officially takes office".
Article VII reads:  "For the purpose of conducting club business by the membership, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the active membership in attendance.  For the purpose of decision making by the Board of Directors, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the board of Directors in attendance".
Proposed change would read:  "For any matters brought before the club membership for vote, a majority vote of those members in attendance at the meeting will decide the matter.  For the purpose of decision making by the Board of Directors, a majority vote of those Board members present will decide the matter".
Article IX reads:  "This club shall be incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the state laws of Pennsylvania, and all of its activities shall be of a non-profit nature".
Proposed change would read: "This club shall operate as a non-profit social club.  All of its activities shall be of a non-profit nature".
Article XI reads:  "The Constitution, Bylaws and Amendments of the club may be amended only by a 3/4 vote of a quorum of the active membership, providing such a vote is taken at a regular meeting, and further that the proposed amendments have been announced at the preceding regular meeting and . . ."
Proposed change would read:  "The Constitution, Bylaws and Amendments of the club may be amended by a majority vote of those present at a regular meeting, provided that the proposed changes have been announced a the preceding regular meeting and . . ."
Rules & Regs: #1 reads:  "Single memberships are $20.00 annually.  Family memberships are $18.00 for the 1st member, $12.00 for the 2nd member, and $6.00 for each additional member".
Proposed change would read:  "Single memberships are $20.00 annually.  Family memberships are $20.00 for the 1st member, $12.00 for the 2nd member, and $6.00 for each additional member".
Rules & Regs #3 reads:  "There shall be at least one person appointed divemaster for every deep dive, and every person going on a deep dive shall and will check with the divemaster prior to the deep dive, will give a dive plan to the divemaster, and will check with the divemaster upon ending the dive.  In addition, on any club sponsored dive deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors, a divemaster will be appointed from those present.  The divemaster has exclusive charge, and is the ultimate authority on the dive".
Proposed change:  delete this rule.
Rules & Regs #4 reads:  "Every diver going on a deep dive requiring the use of tables shall have a thorough knowledge of the dive tables and how to use them: i.e. submit a dive chart with the plan showing surface interval credits, residual nitrogen time, repetitive group, etc."
Proposed change:  delete this rule
Rules & Regs #5 reads:  "No person shall be permitted to go on any dive without all proper equipment:  a complete suit, hood and gloves (if water conditions so indicate need), a regulator with octopus, pressure and depth gauge, a power inflator on B.C., and an adequate timing device."
Proposed change:  delete this rule

Bob Maurer wishes to remind everyone that all rental tanks returned to the shop must have adequate air remaining in the tanks.  Any tank returned empty, or nearly so, must have a new visual inspection, and the charge will be passed on to the person renting the tank.  All dives are to be ended with 500 psi of air remaining in the tank as per the certifying agency's guidelines--please keep this in mind.

Sue Morra made a presentation at the meeting to the members of the winning team at the annual Scuba Olympics.  Congratulations to John Augustine, Donna Bender, Paul Brawley, and Dan Kelly who received 2000 Scuba Olympics T-shirts for their efforts.

A vote was taken at the meeting to extend an invitation to this year's Treasure Dive to former club members, and to members of the Saint Francis Dive Club and the Nittany Divers.  The vote was passed and the invitations will be mailed.  This was proposed as an exception for this year only to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Laurel Divers.

We will be making a trip to Lake Erie on June 17th and June 18th, and diving with Captain Mark Musante.  Saturday's wrecks will be the Boland (130') and the SK Martin (60'). Sunday's itinerary will be the Indiana (95') and the SK Martin (60').  Information about the SK Martin can be found in the April 1999 Laurel Divers Newsletter available on our web site.  Cost for the dive is $55.  Only 3 spots for Saturday are available at present, and a $25 deposit is necessary to reserve your dive.  For more information, you can call me (Denny) at 472-5776, or e-mail me at Mosskeetoe@aol.com.

Donna Bender and Dan Kelly are looking for comrades for a trip to Bonne Terre Mine on June 23rd - 26th.  Plans are to drive to the area on Friday the 23rd, and to travel home on Monday the 26th.  They will be doing two tank dives on Saturday and Sunday.  Cost for the dive is $60 per dive.  Please call Donna at 472-9796, or e-mail her at Donna@Bender.net for additional details.

A trip to Morehead City, NC is planned for July 29th and 30th.  We will be diving for two days aboard the Diver Down, and will likely visit the wreck of the U-352 (see the February newsletter). Sharks are generally present in the area, and we should have an excellent chance of seeing some. Cost for the diving is $70 per day.  Only 3 spots are available at present, and a deposit of $140 is needed to reserve your dive.  Rooms are available for $67.50 per night with up to 4-person occupancy.  Call Jim Smith or Sandy Verdavoir at 696-1938, or e-mail Jim at JCSDMD@aol.com, for further details.

Our annual Treasure Dive will be held on Sunday July 16th.  Since this is the 25th anniversary of the club, we will be having a pig roast in addition to the traditional hamburgers and hotdogs.  The cost for Laurel Diver members is $15, and as always, all club members may bring a guest free of charge.  Cost for non-members is $25 to participate in the dive, or $5 to socialize and eat, and $5 for each non-diving guest (see This & That Section for the club decision to invite non-members to this year's event).  Mark Hooper is interested in putting together poor man's band for Saturday and Sunday entertainment--if you have even moderate abilities with a musical instrument, please bring it along and join in the fun.

The Thousand Islands trip will be held on August 24th - 27th.  This trip is now full.

A-Z Travel Agency is hosting a 7 night Mayan American Cruise beginning on November 4th  aboard Premier Cruise Lines.  Diving excursions are available.  Prices begin at $999 and include motorcoach from Ebensburg, roundtrip airfare from Pittsburgh, 7 night cruise and all port charges.  Ports of call will be Cozumel, Roatan, Belize City and Key West.  More information is available from the travel agency at 472-1221, or at Maurer's Dive Shop.

A big welcome to the Laurel Diver's newest member, Robert Glasgow.  Welcome aboard!