Flyfunston

Can someone explain whats going on? Is the link posted on our site? I thought we (the members) paid for this setup???
Why didn't we if not?
Diev

Tom Rust is in charge of the Westlake webcam. He has made the cam site non-public, claiming he was not paid for it. The FF Club has never committed any of its funds for the Westlk Cam, due to , members at meetings did not feel that the cost was justified , considering the present cam is generally sufficient to figure out the wind. TR took a Club loan of 400 dollars , then refused to pay back the loan. It appears that Tom Rust will continue to withhold the webcam address, until the Club pays him more than the $400 that he has improperly collected. Tom R, we are a tiny hang gliding Club , not your piggy bank. Please return the $400 to the Club treasurer., and make the cam public at your own expense.

Aw....yeah not cool Tom !!! ....maybe you (Tom) have a different version though?....Care to share? As thats only fair...
Diev (the poet who didn't know it)

heh . Yazzah , let's hear Tom's version, Mr Poett. We two are the only ones on here, anyhoo Diev...drop your fuzz mouse and let's go fly it today

Here is the email I sent to Tracey:

The camera system is back up. However, since noone informed me that the website password had been changed, I wasted several hours yesterday trying to get the system running when the problem was not the hardware but the password change. After talking with Chuck today he informed me of the change.
I moved the website to a personal site.

When last we spoke you indicated you would pay the costs to repair and reinstall the system. I indicated this would be around $150.
I replaced the electronics, the battery and the case, and modified the installed system to be more robust and withstand greater winds & weather.

You should understand that in building this system in the first place, I spent over 40 hours of time assembling the components, and testing & retesting to get the system to operate continuously during daylight hours, rain or shine. There are NO comparable systems on the market. The parts costs alone cost me over $500. The solar cells are unique, made by my company, and where some of the first high quality, high efficiency thin silicon cells, designed with the high voltage needed for the charging system. I sat for many hours out at the cliff making sure it was working (or not), until it was reliable. It took over 60mph winds to bring the system down.

You should be aware that this system will require periodic maintenance, primarily to clean the windows, replace the rechargeable batteries, & maintain the website. I do intend to add additional features to the website, including saving all images to disk with accessibility by users so they can see the trends of the weather as well as what is happening at the moment.
I expect this maintenance cost will run around $130/year.

Please pay the $150 into the club fund, marked as payment for my glider spaces. Let Charlie know this & cc me.

I expect the $400 issue to go away also. The $400 given to me was nowhere near enough to cover the costs I incurred.

I also sent you an invoice for the time, and travel for the wasted trip prior to the elections. I have not received any confirmation that payment has been made per my instructions.
-----
Since sending this email, Tracey has gone back on her offer to pay me the $150 for the repairs. She has indicated she would talk to pilots about getting donations to pay for the Westlakecam.

I admit it - I was wrong to ask for the $400 as partial payment for the camera, offer to pay it back, then not have the $ to do so in a timely manner. What was I thinking? I should have just asked for the money, period. I guess in a moment of unbridled generosity I thought I would offer it for free. The original intent was to have a receipt for payment as a stake in the ground for patent rights.
The Westlakecam is a valuable addition to our view of whats happening at the Fort, and gives a much better idea if there is a sheer or what is happening at Westlake. Its the first real addition to our tools at the Fort in how many years?
We can waste $1000 a year for pizzas for the club meetings and not pay a measly $400 for a valuable new tool?
The general consensus of everyone I talk to is that the club should pay for it. In others words, drop the issue.

The site is publicly available:
www.custompowersolar.com/westlakecam

I am sorry to hear that Tom Rust is having financial problems but Tom’s lack of income is not the Clubs responsibility.

Rather than debate this ad nauseam, here are the facts:

When Tom Rust was President, he asked the Club to loan him $400-. Tom said the Clubs check would help him with his patents having to do with the Westlake cam. Tom said that he would pay the Club back. The Executive Officers at that meeting agreed to loan Tom the $400- on his word.

At the November 2012 Club meeting, Tom asked the membership if he could keep the $400- in exchange for his Westlake camera. The members present at that meeting voted no, 10/1 (Tom being the 1). The membership also told Tom he needed to stick to his original agreement and pay back the $400-. Tom is always saying that Club decisions should be made by the membership, so here is a chance for him to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Tom Rust needs to be a man of his word, honor his financial agreements, and pay back the Club the $400- he borrowed.

I spoke with Tom the 2nd or 3rd week of January after the Westlake cam had been damaged by a storm. He said he was in the process of repairing the cam and that it would cost him $150 to do so. I offered to monetarily help him with the webcam and said other pilots probably would too if he asked them.

To help bring peace to the club and resolve outstanding issues, I met with Tom for dinner on Jan 22. In that mtg Tom admitted that he gave his word to pay the $400 back, that he broke that commitment, but that he refuses to ever pay it back. I proposed that he and I partner together to ask club members to help pitch in to pay the club back the funds he owes. He was pleasantly surprised I would offer to help and agreed to that arrangement. To date I've raised $300 to pay the $400 back, $120 of which is my own contribution. I have not heard from him whether or not he has raised any of the funds himself. Thank you to the pilots who have helped pitch in that $300.

I reminded Tom at that meeting that when he first brought up his desire to create a Westlake cam over a year ago, the club let him know that while they appreciate any volunteer service he may provide, it wasn't an item the club voted to pay for. We have a finite amount of funds. I let him know that if he needs reimbursing for any further maintenance that he does on the cam that he should ask the club members to pitch in to help him, as he should have done from the beginning.

At that meeting he brought up his interpretation that I would pay him $150. I reminded him that I said I would “help” him and that now I am helping him with a $400 issue instead of a $150 issue.

What is best for the club? I believe that resolving as much drama as possible so we can all get back to the fun of flying is what’s best for the club. Tom, as I proposed to you previously, for the sake of the club, let’s work together to get the $400 paid back so the drama and angst are eliminated. It’s best for you. It’s best for all of us.

Tracey

So do I have it right?.. in saying that....
Tom asked the membership to pay for the system and it was voted down, then he convinced (board members?)the club to loan him the $$ so the check could help with his patient, saying he will pay the club back.
Now he says he will not pay the club back and the members should all pay for it (even though they voted not to)???
So now the current president is asking for donations from the club members to pay for the patient/system (even though they voted not to).
Very Interesting in many ways, if this is correct.
Diev

Diev,
Yes, you are correct that Tom misappropriated funds a year ago while president and refuses to pay it back.

I believe the best thing for the club is to eliminate this upsetting, endless drama, and make the club’s account whole. The club is not paying for Tom's patents. Individual club members have stepped up to repair the damage he’s done and reimburse the club because he won’t. My hat is off to them for that.

Steve is correct - there was a vote to have the club pay for it and it was turned down.

Several weeks ago when the system was damaged, and several people asked me when it would be back up, Tracey asked me when it would be repaired. I said it was going to require some parts to repair, and would cost $150. She offered to pay that.
So before receiving any payment, I went ahead and again paid for the parts to repair and replace the system.
Then when Tracey and I met and discussed it, she said she was not going to put up the $150 but would work with me to get others to donate.
I said that was fine and agreed to talk to others also. I have received $20 from Armand Peterson. Most of the others Ive spoken with think the club should pay for it.

I appreciate Tracey's effort to get donations and take care of this.
I especially appreciate all those who have offered to donate to cover this cost. Thank you.
Like I said, I realize it was wrong of me to suggest paying for it in the way that I did. I never should have offered to pay it back. My bad.
Thanks again to all of you who have stepped up.

got it, thanks all.....I'll toss in $20 even though I don't use it (things change to fast when I am 1.5 hours away ,so I use the wind speed/direction trend chart more than anything else....I use the cam to see who is out there and then actually call them to get a report.
all clear from here.
Diev

Tom said: You should understand that in building this system in the first place, I spent over 40 hours of time assembling the components...

And you should understand that when I installed the first webcams back in 1996(?) I spent countless hours working with the rangers to get the appropriate access, working with AT&T to get a non-commercial phone line installed to the ranger's station, working with a PG pilot of all people to run those lines to the "Ropes" bldg, and assembling, configuring, and installing a webcam at a time when that was a complete home-brew project. And no - it never occurred to me to ask the club for a penny for the time I spent. I also didn't ask the club for a penny for the hardware etc. Instead I asked for pilot donations and donations from WOR and Berkeley clubs since I felt it was the pilots that lived further away that would benefit most. Both were happy to donate. After the camera was up and running I believe I did ask for and receive funds from the Fellow Feathers to pay for the ISP and phone bill. I also received death threats for my efforts from some of the more paranoid pilots.

On another note - how is it that Tom can afford to keep a glider in a club house and pay for the gas to get to the site and fly, but can't afford to pay pack the money he misappropriated from the club!? Glad to see he's still keeping it classy. No need to get into any of the other club funds Tom has misappropriated.