A regular meeting of members and directors of The Western Michigan Society for Industrial Heritage was held at Coopersville, Michigan on the 24 September 2002, pursuant to notice mailed to the membership.

1. The meeting was opened with prayer by president, Ed Hanenburg at 7:00 pm.
   
2. Roll call was taken. Eight members were present which satisfies the bylaw quorum of five. Members present: Duane Bowman, Mary Chubinski, Tom Chubinski, Philip Cok, Fred Florshinger, Ed Hanenburg, Carl J. Sinke and Cindy Timmerman.

   Excused: Bob Birkholz
   Absent: Jeff DuPilka

3. Notice of the meeting and agenda was read. Upon motion made (M. Chubinski), seconded (Bowman), and approved, the agenda for the meeting was amended with the addition to the Handicap Car Project of Carl Sinke's report on Retirement Home Survey. Agenda was passed as amended.
   
4. Minutes of 24 August 2002 were distributed. Upon motion made (Timmerman), seconded (Florshinger) and passed, the minutes of 24 Aug. 2002 were approved as written.
   
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5. Treasurer's report was distributed. Upon motion made, seconded and approved the treasure's report was accepted and is attached as part of these minutes. There were no bills since the last meeting; the current balance in the money market account is $690.07. Treasurer Cok reported that there are outstanding annual membership dues totaling $80. According to the bylaws, members with outstanding dues will have until November 9, 2002 to make payment at which time membership will lapse.
   
6. Secretary Cok reported on further communications with the Byles. Tom Byle's concern was that Ryan would not receive recognition for his efforts to initiate this Society. Sec. Cok assured Tom that our intentions were to do just that with a permanent recognition to be made as funds and situation permit. Mr. Byle was satisfied with the ideas presented by secretary Cok (recognition and web publication of Ryan's Future Plans document and a posthumous Perpetual Membership) and has dropped the demand for the return of the memorial funds from Ryan's funeral.
   
7. In response to the Byles' requests, Secretary Cok made a motion to establish membership certificates 01 - 10 as perpetual memberships to recognize individuals who have contributed significantly to the Western Michigan Society for Industrial Heritage and nominated Ryan Byle to receive membership certificate No. 01.

   Perpetual memberships shall remain on the rolls of the Society as long as the Society continues to exist. Nominations for perpetual membership recognition would be made to the board of directors and shall be approved or rejected by a majority vote of the board members present. Perpetual Membership Certificates shall be presented to approved nominees or posthumously to surviving heirs.

   Cindy Timmerman seconded the motion. After further discussion Pres. Hanenburg called for a vote. Motion was approved. Secretary Cok will purchase certificate paper and prepare a certificate for presentation to the Byles.
   
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8. Handicap Car Project.
   a). A letter from the C&M Railway was received pledging support for the project and agreement to operate the car with the C&M trains. This letter of intent will become part of our fund raising and marketing efforts.
   
   B). Secretary Cok reported on e-mail correspondence received 9/24/02 from the Chubinskis clarifying their position as reported at the last board meeting.
   
   They support the project as a car that "accommodates" handicapped individuals. They do not endorse pursuing "handicap only" groups that would be part of regularly scheduled trains.
   
   b). Fred Florshinger reported the combine car he inspected in St. Louis is still available. It has been on the market for 2-1/2 years. The price continues to drop and currently stands at a published price of $20,000.00. Fred presented floor plans for review. The broker, Ron Anderson has said the owner would entertain an offer for 120 days.
   
   c). Tom Chubinski reported on an alternate car offered for sale at $12,000. It would need substantial work on the interior.
   
   Motion was made (Sinke) seconded (M. Chubinski) and approved to authorize Fred Florshinger to approach the broker/owner and agree to purchase the St. Louis combine car for $10,000 with 1/2 ($5,000) being taken as a tax deductible donation to the owner. This offer would be contingent upon the Society's ability to raise the remaining $5,000 in a time period agreeable to both parties.
   
   Fred to contact the broker/owner of our intentions to purchase the car and get together with Secretary Cok to formulate a written offer.
   
   d). Carl Sinke reported on his survey of retirement homes. He canvassed eight homes from the greater Grand Rapids area and reported "They were uniformly enthusiastic about the project…" and "The handicapped-accessible coach would give them an opportunity for social outings that would be unique. Such opportunities are hard to come by." Carl also reported no hesitation on the part of activity directors to proposed ticket fares in the $6 to $10 range. Carl's report will become part of our fund raising and marketing efforts.
   
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9. SL Depot Project
   a). Fred Florshinger gave a preliminary report on the depot building. The structure is 24' x 36' with 10' open ceilings. It may be possible to obtain an exemption to ADA requirements as a historical structure. Potential use is envisioned as 1/2 for meeting space and 1/2 for display of memorabilia and/or historical items owned by C&M Railway stock holders.
   
10. Philip Cok reported on an offer from a Holland area businessman to display and/or operate a reconditioned belt driven lathe at the Heritage Society. It was decided that it is premature for the society to be accepting equipment at this time. Fred Florshinger said the C&M Railway would have storage space if the owner needed a place to store it. Phil will relay that message to the owner.
    
11. Website - Phil Cok reported that he had established a preliminary web site for the society on Coopersville.com as a communication tool as well as to meet the 501(c)(3) non-profit reporting requirements. It contains a brief overview of the formation of the society, a copy of Ryan Byle's "Future Plans" document, a copy of the articles of incorporation and the 2001 990ez filed with the IRS & state. The address is www.coopersville.com/industrialheritage.
    
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12. Chubinskis will invite the Budzynskis to attend the next Society meeting to discuss coordinating efforts.
    
13. Carl Sinke discussed long-range planning ideas.
    
14. The next meeting of the Industrial Heritage Society is scheduled for Monday, November 18 2002, at 7:00 p.m. in the Coopersville Farm Museum.
    
15. Upon motion made (Cindy), seconded (Florshinger) and passed, the meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m.

Dated this _14th_ day of __November_, 2002

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Philip J Cok, Secretary