Bylaws of  the

Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association (PARA)

 Article 1 - Name

 The name of this organization shall be the Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association.            (PARA)

Article 2 - Purpose

 The Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association shall have as its purpose the promotion and development of sport and competition model rocketry, and furtherance of the aims and policy of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). This organization shall be maintained as a chartered section of NAR.

Article 3 - Membership

 The membership of the Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association shall include, but is not restricted to, those persons residing  in the area broadly described as the “greater Philadelphia area”. Interested persons residing outside of this area are also welcome.

Article 4 - Meetings

 The Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association shall hold general meeting once per month, at a time and place made known to all club members. The monthly schedule may be revised if need dictates. The decision to cancel or reschedule a meeting shall rest with the President.  

Article 5 - Executive Board

 The principle officers of the club shall form the Executive Board. The membership of the Executive Board shall consist of the President, Senior Advisor, Secretary, Treasurer and Newsletter Editor. These individuals shall be jointly responsible for the normal operations of the club. The post of  Senior Advisor will be combined with that of the President unless the elected President is not a Senior member [not 21] of the National Association of  Rocketry (NAR). In such case, a Senior Advisor* (see addendum) shall be elected or appointed by the Executive Board.

Article 6 - Officers

The operation of the Philadelphia Area rocketry Association shall be governed by the officers as follows:

President - The President shall have ultimate authority over, and shall take responsibility for, all operations of the club. The President shall preside over club meetings. It shall be the responsibility of the President to procure and to keep in force the Section Charter. Public announcements of the club activities shall be made under the President’s name and consent. The President shall also serve as Senior Advisor to the National Association of Rocketry. In such case as the President is not a Senior member of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), a Senior Advisor shall be elected or appointed by the Executive Board.  All official material relating to the Section charter, and all other official correspondence from the National Association of Rocketry, shall reside with the President. The President may delegate his duties to other officers or members of the club, as needed. Such delegation shall be approved by a majority vote of  the Executive Board.

Vice-President - The duties of the Vice-President shall be to carry all of those duties    

             ascribed to the President, in the case of the absence or illness of the   

             President.

Secretary -  The duties of the Secretary shall include the keeping of minutes regarding the proceedings of club meetings. The Secretary shall make these proceedings available for distribution to the general membership by means of the club newsletter. It shall further be the duty of the Secretary to maintain an accurate and detailed list of the membership and officers of the club. Such list shall be made available to interested persons upon written request. Privacy of the membership shall be preserved. Those members not wishing to have their names, addresses or phone numbers made public shall notify the Secretary of such desire.  This relates to printed lists as well as names included in E-Mail or web pages.

Treasurer - It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to maintain detailed and accurate records regarding the financial transactions of the club. The Treasurer shall be the official repository of all club funds, including, but not limited to, dues money, entry fees and newsletter subscriptions fees. The Treasurer shall disburse club funds for any activities or projects voted upon by the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall make his records available for inspection by any club member, upon written request. The Treasurer shall publish an income and expense report in each issue of the DVR which includes details on income and disbursements.

Newsletter Editor  -  It shall be the duty of the Newsletter Editor to prepare, produce and distribute the club newsletter, The Delaware Valley  Rocketeer (DVR).  The newsletter shall contain information of interest or value to the membership. In general, the content of the newsletter shall at the discretion of the Newsletter Editor. Funds required for the production of the newsletter shall be drawn from the club treasury, subject to approval of the Treasurer.

Web Page Editor - This currently is not an official position. Presently we have a web page maintained by the Secretary. Information placed there is at the           discretion of this person and should only present information comparable to or amplification of that found in the DVR.

Article 7 - Term of Office and Election of Officers

 All officers shall serve a term of one year, concurrent with the National Association of Rocketry Contest Year. The term shall begin July 1 of the year, and end on June 30 of the following year.

            Nomination of officers shall take place at the May general meeting. All nominees for office must be members in good standing of the Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association. Any member may nominate any other, or himself. Election of the officers shall take place by mail ballot to all members. Ballots will be distributed, and results tabulated by the Newsletter Editor. The membership shall be informed of election results as soon as practicable following the election, but in no case later than the July club meeting.

Article 8 - Launches

 Club launches shall be held on a monthly basis, at the least. The time and date of all launches and rain dates shall be made known to the membership through appropriate means, including, but not limited to, publication in the DVR and on the PARA web page. Persons desiring to fly at these launches need not be members of PARA, but will be asked to join if present on a regular basis. A launch fee may be requested of non-members. All rocket motors used at PARA launches must appear on the most recent certified motor lists published by either the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) or Tripoli. Launches will be under the ultimate authority of the Range Safety Officer (RSO), if appointed, the Launch Control Officer (LCO), or the highest ranking club officer present. No person may serve as LCO unless that person is insured by the NAR. In other words, only insured flyers may “push the button” to initiate launch. Launches shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable Safety Codes, and in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

 Article 9 - Revision of Bylaws

 Bylaws shall be revised by means of the following process: 1) The proposed change shall be formulated in writing and submitted to the Executive Board. 2) The Executive Board shall distribute the proposed change, via appropriate means, to the membership within 7 days of submission. 3) A 30-day comment period will commence upon distribution of the proposal. All comments shall be directed to the Executive Board. 4) At the end of the 30-day comment period, the Executive Board shall review and discuss the comments received. 5) No earlier than 30 days, but no later than 60 days following the submission of the proposed change, the Executive Board shall vote on the proposal. A simple majority shall be required in order to pass the proposal. 6) Should the proposal pass, it shall be incorporated immediately into the bylaws. 7) The revised bylaws shall be published and distributed to the membership within 60 days of the vote. 8) Whether the proposal shall pass or fail, the submitter shall be notified of the decision of the Executive Board within 14 days of the vote.

  [Revised 2/00]