Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
October 19, 2013
Lawrence County Recreational Park, Springville IN
Executive Director Jay Jackson called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 2:23pm. Those in attendance were: Region 00-Ray Bodle; Region 01-Wayne Kopec; Region 02-Don ‘Bear’ Hewitt; Region 04-Kay Hurst; Region 05-Troy Striegel; Region 06-Fred Spencer; Region 07-Ken Harris; Region 08-Greg Turner; Region 09-Mo Kintner; Region 10-Darla Abel & Thom ‘Hippy’ Henderson; Region 11-Chuck Powell; Region 12-Dave Hawkins; Region 13-Paul ‘PD3’ Douglas III; AdComm-Rod Taylor & Dave ‘Frosty’ Frost; LINC-Mike Meyer; DIRT-Roy Garrett; Operations Director Gary Williams; Membership Committee-Mike Seiler & Tom Finney. Region 03 previously notified they would not be attending.
ITEM 1: In the absence of Gino & Tina, & with no questions received on the May/June financials, Jay asked for a motion to approve.
(MOTION 1)
Jay reviewed the July/August financials. He also requested the region directors review their 2013 officer lists, & forward their 2014 election results & sanction event dates to the state office no later than November 4th.
ITEM 2: Gary updated the group on Coliseum Bingo. Dollars spent per player is up over last year, as is the average number of players per night. We expect our 2013 gross revenue to be higher than in 2012. We had some minor repairs to the building after an air conditioner drain clogged recently.
Jay reviewed a recent Charitable Gaming Seminar that he, Gary & Tina attended.
ITEM 3: Gary then reviewed attendance numbers for LCRP. Attendance is lower this year over last; however, we saw the largest attendance on a Saturday not long ago. We have a MAXC family event scheduled yet this year. The previously scheduled Indiana Trails Advisory Board (ITAB) event on 11/9 has been cancelled by ITAB.
The 2014 Miracle Trail Ride (MTR) will be 6/28-29 (this has since been rescheduled to 6/7-8).
ITEM 4: Roy announced that he attended a National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) conference & agreed to serve on their committee for private land opportunities. He is researching hold harmless laws around the nation, in an expectation to suggest improvements to Indiana’s laws. He informed the congregation that an adventure ride will take place on 6/28 as part of the MTR. (This has since been rescheduled to 6/7).
Jay stated that he spoke with the Director of State Parks at the conclusion of the Ride with the Governor (RWG). The director conveyed many compliments on LCRP.
Gary shared that we received a proposal from a local trash removal vendor, which was considerably higher than our current contract. This initiated a discussion regarding trash on the trails. Mo suggested each region clean the trails in their region areas.
ITEM 5: Roy gave an update on Dirt Bike School (DBS). We scheduled six classes this year, & added four for a total of ten. Gary added that DBS is a positive experience for LCRP, generating an interest in trail riding. ATV classes are free to students; the manufacturers pay the students to attend. Even so, we conducted zero ATV classes this year, due to lack of interest. Roy feels DBS was successful this year. Jay praised the group that has worked the DBS program this year.
ITEM 6: Jay announced that our future rider education contract with the BMV will probably eliminate reimbursement for 15 year olds. This change is mostly due to the graduated driver’s license.
Jay & Gary attended an International Rider Education Training Systems Conference (IRETS) in Indianapolis, 8/15. The Basic Rider Course (BRC) 2014 was unveiled there by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF).
Jay thanked Gary for his efforts this year, travelling statewide to each of our rider ed sites to document the ranges & confirm compliance with the MSF.
Jay then updated the group on the status of our rider ed sites for 2014; we will not be at our current location in West Lafayette, & Elkhart is in question. We hope to administer a BRC at the casino in Anderson this next weekend.
ITEM 7: Mike Meyer stated that there will be no elections on the state level this year, but there may be local elections; you should contact your local county clerk to find information on elections in your area. We had three state representatives & the State Treasurer, Richard Mourdock, participate in the RWG this month.
Jay spoke of the Scooter Summit that ABATE hosted at Speed City Cycle. Speed City Cycle had mopeds, scooters & motorized bicycles in their showroom for the attendees to view. The event received good media coverage. ABATE is not in favor of regulation, but rather accountability for these units, which is on our legislative agenda for next year.
Jay attended the International Motorcycle Safety Conference in Orlando this past week & also a meeting in Evansville on 10/7, which was called by a state legislator because of a possible local scooter ordinance.
Discussion regarding mandatory regulations ensued.
ITEM 8: Jay reviewed the theme & schedule for the Fall Seminar & Director’s Prep.
ITEM 9: Jay advised that everything discussed in today’s Advisory Committee (AdComm) meeting has been, or will be, discussed in this Board of Directors’ (BOD) meeting.
The AdComm consists of four members, three of which are elected & one is appointed. Rod & Gino are mid-term; Frosty’s position is up for election; Kenny’s position is up for appointment. We will accept nominations & vote at our November BOD meeting. We also will vote for the 2014 ABC State Charity in November.
ITEM 10: Mike Seiler stated that membership numbers are down again this month. The Membership Committee would like to mail postcards to all members that have allowed their membership to lapse within the past 12 months. Jay added that we need the ability to track these memberships.
The committee introduced a report that reflects the percentage of articles submitted to the Hoosier Motorcyclist (HMC) by region. Discussion followed on the significance of reaching all members by utilizing the HMC rather than social media or meetings, as well as giving members a sense of belonging through the submissions. Jay introduced our latest addition to HMC, a kid’s page.
ITEM 11: Jay expressed that this year’s RWG surpassed expectations with approximately 500 attendees.
Regarding our accidental death & dismemberment benefit to all current members at no cost, we expect to have a representative from American Income Life (AIL) attend a BOD meeting soon. Jay reviewed AIL’s zero tolerance policy concerning aggressive salespersons.
Jay then advised of three recent insurance claims arising from the Boogie & two county events.
Our policy for Meeting of the Minds (MOTM) registrations will be revised to attendees making their own reservations, and then requesting reimbursement via an expense report.
Jay & Gary updated the group on the status of our new website & database progress.
Wayne suggested setting aside a portion of ABATE’s annual contribution to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) to subsidize memberships to the MRF. Discussion followed; a decision will be made at a future meeting.
ITEM 12: Jay asked for assistance in creating mobile displays for the ABATE Children’s Motorcycle Adventure. We also plan to create an adventure booklet prior to the 2014 Motorcycle Exposition.
Jay brought up discussion regarding Nashville’s noise ordinance. A recent submission to the HMC has revived telephone calls & discussion concerning the ordinance. As long as the town does not discriminate against motorcyclists, ABATE will continue to monitor rather than intervene with the ordinance. Discussion followed.
Imre Szauter is resigning from his governmental affairs position with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The AMA is relocating that function, along with others, to Washington, DC.
ITEM 13: Ken informed the group that the problem with the BMV’s software erroneously recording a Harley-Davidson motorcycle as an AMC vehicle is still not corrected. Review & discussion followed.
Fred brought attention to the fact that several members in his region did not receive their invitations to the Workers’ Party this weekend. Jay suggested that the regions deliver invitations in the future rather than them being mailed from the state office.
ITEM 14: The winner of the 2013 883 Sportster in our ABC State Charity raffle is Matt Pleiss from Newburgh.
ITEM 15: Meeting adjourned at 4:18pm.
(MOTION 2)
Respectfully submitted,
Tina McCormack
Secretary/Treasurer
The next scheduled BOD meeting is November 8th at the Clarion Waterfront.
MOTIONS
Motion 1: Kay motioned, & Fred seconded, to approve May/June financials. Region 09 voted no, all others present in favor, motion carried.
Motion 2: Ray motioned to adjourn, Kay seconded. All present in favor, motion carried.
