MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Charlie Foote, Becky Raymond, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Terry Brewer, Geoff Brewer, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Phil Kellerman, Pat Bailey, Tony Morris, Kevin Leyhane, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy).

GUESTS (2): District Assistant Governor C.G. Frink, guest speaker Mike Stangl.

MEETING NOTES:

• President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order via Zoom, and noted the presence of a quorum.

• Debbie shared the outcome of her discussion with Schodack town officials concerning the collapse of the viking gym that was constructed in 2017 at Schodack Town Park as a co-op venture of SRC, then-Eagle Scout candidate Lorenzo Gonzalez, Top Form, and the town. She said she was told the normal wear-and-tear on the installation wore it down, and much of it has been hauled away by the town. The town said it was popular with park visitors, and would like to rebuild, and perhaps expand, it. A grant from Amazon toward park facilities is available to help pay for the initiative. SRC member Ron Annis, who will be returning from Sweden in the spring, will again work with the town and the club on resurrecting the facility.

• Debbie reiterated that we have put in-person meetings on pause through January as we continue to asses the local COVID situation. Members again were advised to check our events on the website calendar page which is regularly updated. And, anyone who wishes to reserve a date for a speaker should contact Becky or Kevin.

• Mike Stangl presented a program on his work around the globe on design and installation of solar energy arrays. For the past 11 years, he has been working on such projects in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Much of it involves U.S. embassies.

He noted that while solar energy provides only about 3% of our domestic energy production today, it is an important part of our total energy grid. In some other countries, it is more desired because of local conditions. His slideshow covered examples of projects in Cambodia and Nigeria as well as graphic descriptions of the process of creating and utilizing solar systems. Some examples: