Changes to the Telescope Loaner Program

Mike Koop, who has run the loaner program for over 10 years, has resigned. The loaner program has been one of the club’s great assets. We will miss Mike.

The board has decided not to immediately appoint a replacement. Instead, the board wants to take this time to understand the program and its inventory. From that we will determine where to make future investments.

We have already embarked on this improvement program. One of the leading telescope designers, Albert Highe, agreed to rebuild one of the large Coulter scopes into a modern, lightweight design. The club greatly appreciates his donation.

If you currently have a scope on loan I should have already contacted you. If you have loaned scopes or equipment and I have not contacted you then please let me know. Please continue to keep (and hopefully use) the scope for now. The program depends on club members providing distributed storage for the scopes in the program. At the moment we have no ability to receive returned scopes.

For the moment we are also unable to make new scope loans.

We will let the members of the club know when we are ready to resume making loans and/or when we will be prepared to accept returns.

If you have any questions (or are willing to provide storage or assistance running the program) please contact loaner@sjaa.net.

Rob HawleyPresident, SJAA