September 7, 2000 meeting at enn Gables, Ebensburg.  40 members present

Next regular meeting:  Thursday, October 5, 2000, Penn Gables, Ebensburg, PA, 7:30p.m.
Next board meeting:  Thursday, October 12, 2000, Maurer Dive Shop, 7:30p.m.   Everyone is welcome to attend.

President, Donna Bender, called the September meeting to order.

Treasurer , Barb Wyland, gave the treasurer’s Report.  Income:  $2674.00, expenses: $3436.30, balance: $2150.89.

Raystown Picnic, Saturday, September 10, 2000, Oak Pavilion at Seven Points.  Dive boat out at 8a.m. and 1p.m.

CPR Dates, October 10 & 19, 5 members each night 6-10 pm.  If you signed up already, you must pick a date.  If these dates are not filled, will be open to club members again.

Ghost Town Trail Ride for MS, Saturday, October 21, 2000, 9a.m. $10 registration.  Contact Donna Bender if interested.

Lobster Tailgate - Saturday October, 21, 2000, $15, more details will follow.

Halloween Dive/Chili Contest, Blue Hole Quarry, Saturday, October 28, 2000, dive between 2 - 5.  $5.00 registration the day of the dive.  Prize is $100 gift certificate.  Chili Contest to follow.

Christmas Party, December 2, 2000.  Menu:  $12.75 for stuffed chicken breast, stuffed pork chop, or lasagna, $15.50 for baked haddock, plus sides (salad, corn, baked potato and cake).  Sign up starting at October meeting.

Put it on your calendar for next year - Morehead City - June 2-3, 2001.  Possibility of Friday or Monday to make it a three-day weekend.

Constitutional Changes
Article IV- Section IV:
READS: Members dropped from the club roll for non-payment of dues must be reinstated by a vote of a quorum of the Board of Directors, after submitting a new, updated membership application.
PROPOSED REVISION: Drop the word “new”.  This will allow us to update in person or by phone call - a new application will not be required.

Article VI - Section V: Board of Directors
READS: four elected members who 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 REVISION: ...the election shall be held at the last regular meeting of the calendar year (December)

Article VI - Section V - number 5
READS: From the membership there will be three auditors elected, by the membership and from the membership, whose only duty will be to conduct a semi-annual audit of the club’s financial records.  Said auditors will be elected at the first regular meeting of the calendar year.
PROPOSED: From the membership, there will be 3 volunteer members selected to conduct a yearly audit of the club financial records.    These volunteers will be selected at the July meeting.  The audit will be conducted in August as the new officers take their office.  An additional audit may be conducted at any time if deemed necessary by the club officers or members.

Rules & Regulations: # 6
READS:  Anyone wishing to sponsor a Club trip must submit the following information to the Board for approval before the trip can be said to be Club sanctioned and advertised in the Club newsletter: area, type of dive, current, visibility, type of boat, conditions normally seen, equipment needed, and rated for diver of what ability.
PROPOSED: Delete

A vote regarding the above changes will be taken at the October, 2000, meeting.

Dues – anyone not paid will be dropped from mailing list this month

Welcome to Laurel Divers.  New Members:
Jeff Knepper, certified open water, July, 2000, Maurer Dive Shop
Dave Knepper, certified open water July, 2000, Maurer Dive Shop
Alice Single, certified open water, July, 2000, Maurer Dive Shop
Diann Schubert, certified open water, July, 2000, Maurer Dive Shop
Dave Datres, certified 1994, Maurer Dive Shop, diving since 1959.

Info about Dry Tortugas – brochure passed.

Ron Peterson spoke regarding a recent Ocean City Trip.  A diver died – presumably air embolism. Circumstances:  new diver, overweight, smoker, left his buddy, breathing off of pony regulator.  Lesson:  Know your buddy, know your equipment, plan the dive and dive the plan.  Familiar words, but worth remembering.  We would like to encourage everyone to take the DAN O2 course.  Sue Morra and Bert Sharbaugh teach this class.  A sheet was passed to see if there is interest.  Possibility of November class.

Denny Beecher gave the Thousand Island trip report.  16 Laurel Divers, 2 non-divers.  Thursday evening was a shore dive on a steamer, 20-60 feet.  Friday was two-tank charter boat.  12 divers dove from the US side, 6 dove on the Canadian side.  Canada group dove the Keystorm, a 260’ freighter, from 30 to 110 feet.  Tons of fish were reported, 70 degrees at depth and 50 feet visibility.  Second dive was on the America, a barge in 75 feet of water.  On Saturday, 6 divers did a two-tank boat dive on the America and the Mystery Schooner, 90 feet, wooden freighter, and 8 divers did shore wrecks.  As always, good water, good friends, great diving.

Two members reported on diving the Florida Keys.  Kim McKee and Natalie Casale dove the Diving Site and the Lowkey Resort, where they dove the recently sunk Adolphus Busch.  Dan & Deb Zimmerman dove with the Middle Keys Divers, 8 dives, and great diving.

Board Member Election.  Since our Queen has taken on the task of treasurer this year, a Board Member position is open.  Nomination were taken:  Marlene Rumbaugh, Joe Gordon, Paul Brawley, Kim McKee, Mark Hooper, Nelda Donnelly.  A vote was taken.  A tie was reported, and the tie was broken with a drawing.  New Board Member is Joe Gordon.  Congrats Joe.

A new ladder at the South End of the quarry was discussed at the August Board Meeting.  Measurements will be taken and a cost will be worked up.  Details will follow.

Bob Maurer stressed using a drop cloth when diving to keep dirt out of equipment.  Bob requested that rental equipment should be returned as soon as possible, and it should be returned complete and in person by the one who rented the equipment.  Many thanks for your cooperation.

Program  - Morehead City Film by our own Laurel Diver Cinematographer, Jim Smith.
Great job Jim!  Thanks for all the copies.  I’m sure the film has enticed more to attend next year.  Thanks again.

Next week’s board meeting will be held at the Parrot Bay Café in Johnstown.  Meet
at  Penn Gables at 6:20 and ride together on Thursday, September 14, 2000,

Shelley Kirkpatrick won the door prize – a buddy line holder.
Rob Kumerer’s name was drawn for the day book – not present.

Meeting was adjourned.

Donna Bender completed her 300th dive on the wreck of the Conestoga on August 26th.  This wreck was a shore dive in Cardinal, Ontario.  The Conestoga was a steamer built in 1878 and was sunk in 1922 after a fire on board.  Not bad for someone of her age.

Our own Joe Gordon was featured in this week’s Mountaineer Herald, sharing his political musings.  Watch our Rush Limbaugh!

Please let me know of any events or diving milestones you have made.  Call me, we’ll talk.  Lois@TechniqueSystems.com or 814 472-0774.

Note from Randy’s Dive Shop in Irwin, PA, regarding exploding cylinders.
The cylinders causing injuries are made of 6351 alloy used by Kiddie and Luxfer cylinder manufacturers.  There have been 12 aluminum alloy 6351-T6 cylinder ruptures in the U.S. as of April, 2000.  Eleven of these failures occurred during filling.
Luxfer manufactured these tanks between 1972 and mid 1988.  Kiddie cylinders ceased production in 1989.  Cliff Impact Division of Aluminum Products ceased production in 1990.

Luxfer does offer replacement at no charge if a defect is found in a cylinder less than ten years old.  If the cylinder is more than ten years old, an equivalent replacement cylinder would be $50 for a US manufactured cylinder.

If you have a cylinder of this alloy (6351), check the stamped numbers on the tank neck area, and the date.  If it is pre-1990, you more than likely have one of these tanks.  Please check your tanks and take appropriate measures to correct.
See www.luxfercylinders.com or www.hazmat.dot.gov

Viking Drysuit, needs minor repairs.  Needs neck seals.  With Bare thermals and extras.  $500
Ikelite Auto 35 underwater camera with strobe and extras.  $375
Call Josh Keyser, 814 536-3308 evenings.

A very big THANK YOU to everyone for all your support and help during my past two years as president.  Thanks to all for the lovely gift.  Diane Turcovsky

At the Parrot Bay Café, Cambria City.  Attendees:  Joe Gordon, Lance Marks, Dan & Diane Turcovsky, Brad McVicker, Donna Bender, Dan Kelly, Barb Wyland, Sylvia McKinnon, Bert Sharbaugh, Nelda Donnelly, Paul Brawley, John Betting, Rose Maurer, Ron Peterson, Lois Keegan.

Trip, Nova Scotia, tentatively planned for September 1st through 9th, 2001.  Sylvia discussed some options and will be back with further information at upcoming meetings.

Christmas party gifts – we were left with little from the treasure dive, mask strap and equipment wash.  We will look in to more prizes.

The official file of releases was formally turned over to Vice President Lance Marks.

New member applications:
Diane Malloy, certified 1979, Johnstown, YMCA, Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Stress & Rescue.
Carl R. Colyer, certified open water, June, 2000, with Shelley Kirkpatrick, Blue Hole Quarry.
Clay D. Cameron, certified July, 1002, Deep Six Dive Center, Advanced Open Water.

New section of the newsletter devoted to your scuba etiquette questions.  We all have those questions but there is no forum to go to for answers.  Well, we feel this section will cover any scuba faux pas that may occur.

Dear Sherwood:
My wife and her boyfriend (our insurance man) bought me a new dive computer at the Dollar Store.  I hate to sound suspicious, but I don’t have the confidence in this piece of equipment that I would have if it had been bought through a regular dive shop.  I hate to hurt their feelings.  What should I do?
Signed, Nothing’s Obvious to Me in Red Mill

Dear Nothing’s Obvious:
Take the computer and offer it to the gods of the water (pitch it!) and if something like this happens again, you should get a new insurance man, preferably someone who understands quality dive equipment and its importance.

Send your scuba questions to Dear Sherwood, c/o Lois at Laurel Divers, or Sherwood@LaurelDivers.com