Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
April 11, 2020
Teleconference
Executive Director Jay Jackson opened the meeting at 1:10pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Those in attendance were: Region 00-Jerry & Sherri Gordon; Region 01-Wayne Kopec; Region 02-Terry Young; Region 03-Scott Bowman; Region 04-Kent Taylor; Region 05-Randy Penix; Region 06-Mark Thomas; Region 07- Ken Harris; Region 08-Ted Borchelt; Region 09-Mo Kintner; Region 10-Suzanne Eckert; Region 11-Pat Haggard; Region 12-Dave Hawkins; Region 13-Aaron Meyer; AdComm- Bob Stoner, Gino Johnson & Rick Thompson; LCRP-Rayce Guthrie; MRF-Roberta Meyer; Editor/Publisher-Marc Falsetti; Secretary/Treasurer-Tina McCormack.
ITEM 1: Prior to the meeting commencement, Marc Falsetti informed the board that he’s been able to digitize the archives of photos, some of which date back to the 1970s.
ITEM 2: Jay explained that the reason for this meeting being a teleconference, is due to the state’s stay at home order stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. He referenced his email to the group dated April 10, wherein he explained the documents that were mailed to them, & also informed them that ABATE of Indiana submitted an application for the stimulus forgivable loan, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
ITEM 3: Tina requested a motion to approve November/December financials.
MOTION 1
Tina asked for any questions on the January/February financial packet. Because of the size of the reports, the general ledgers were not mailed to the four regions that receive them; those reports will be included in their packets for the June BOD meeting, provided we are able to meet in person. Jay clarified the description of a travel & entertainment expense; Tina made the appropriate correction in QuickBooks.
Tina referenced reminders that she previously emailed to the board: all ABATE funds must be either in the region or state bank account – no one should be personally holding ABATE monies; donations must be processed through the state office & not directly from any region or county; event insurance premiums should be paid to ABATE based on actual attendance levels; every ID should be verified for ABATE event waivers; each region director, region treasurer & the state treasurer must be signatories on respective region bank accounts; region director should communicate to the state office any event postponement or cancellation. She then asked for updates from the regions that needed new signature cards for their bank accounts. Tina asked Randy Penix & Mark Thomas what we can do to assist them in getting their reports up to date. They both agreed to try to have reports to the state by the June BOD meeting. Mo Kintner will make an effort to get their minutes caught up.
Jay added that we received confirmation from KeyBank that they have approved ABATE’s application for the PPP & have forwarded it to the Small Business Administration (SBA).
ITEM 4: Jay stated that, as of this moment, we have every intention of conducting the Boogie as scheduled. He then asked for discussion regarding Boogie crews. Discussion followed. Any regions whose crews volunteer will receive credit for the contribution.
MOTION 2
We opened online RV reservations & admission pre-sales on April 1st as planned. A handful of people have purchased admissions & the RV campground is about half full.
Mo Kintner suggested we close Swannie Hill to the public during Boogie. Jay acknowledged it’s a good suggestion & offered that they include Ken Harris in the logistics.
Tina asked that all early workers lists be submitted no later than the June 13 BOD. Everyone on the list should be a member of ABATE of Indiana when they enter the Boogie.
ITEM 5: Jay advised that our statement regarding the COVID-19 pandemic is posted on our website & social media pages, & asked that everyone familiarize themselves with it. He informed the board that Dave “Big Willy” Stoike has prepared a script for us to post on social media, which Jay emailed to the BOD prior to this meeting. He asked for comments & suggestions, & stated that the post is scheduled to go live tonight. We hope to post updates on a regular basis.
Jay offered our Zoho teleconference subscription to regions that wish to facilitate a meeting; interested directors should contact Marc Falsetti. We need to stay in contact with our members.
We are currently following a bi-weekly schedule of orders from the governor’s office regarding cancellations & postponements (this changed to weekly on 4/20/2020).
ITEM 6: Jay reiterated that our bingo operations have been suspended in response to the governor’s order prohibiting the gathering of more than 10 people. Freedom Hall staff has been completing some maintenance & cleaning of the building. Terry Young questioned the need for the staff. Jay answered that there is reason to retain them on payroll.
ITEM 7: Jay informed the group that, just this week, our governor closed all campgrounds to anyone not residing in them. State parks are still open, as are state recreation areas, and they are not charging entrance fees. Jay & Rayce are taking all of this into consideration, & will reevaluate re-opening LCRP after April 20th. Indiana has had 2 off-road vehicle fatalities recently, both involved UTVs on public roadways. DBS classes through April 20 have been rescheduled.
Rayce has not yet received information about the DNR matching funds grant that we have applied for. The grant will be used to purchase additional training units for DBS.
ITEM 8: Approximately 600-700 students are enrolled for an ABATE rider ed course, with minimal complaints about the tuition increase. We’ve been working to reschedule the students displaced by the pandemic. We have not been able to conduct the Instructor Prep (IP) class, but we are keeping candidates engaged. Our sites are ready for class, however, without loaner helmets. We are looking at alternatives to the conventional classroom.
Jay reminded us that our kickoff event for “May is Safety & Awareness Month” is scheduled for Wed, May 6 on Monument Circle. We have a contingency plan in place to have a virtual press conference if necessary. He asked that anyone interested in a press kit contact Marc Falsetti.
ITEM 9: Jay stated that state & federal officials are consumed by the global pandemic. He has daily communication with the MRF staff. We need to ensure nothing that could harm motorcyclists is included in bills. On the state level, we were successful in getting the Concurrent Resolution concerning motorized recreation in Hoosier National Forest (HNF). The Indiana Primary election has been moved to Tues, June 2nd.
Aaron Meyer asked if the MRF has plans to educate members about “Christmas Tree Bills”, which are bills that are going to pass, so it’s common for legislators to add items that may not pass on their own & could be harmful to some groups such as motorcyclists. Jay replied that he will speak with Hardtail, Tiffany & Rocky at the MRF about it.
ITEM 10: Bikers inside the Beltway is still scheduled for mid-May, but we anticipate needing to utilize a virtual/electronic contingency plan. We expect that Meeting of the Minds will take place in Sept. Updates will be shared.
Roberta Meyer informed the group that the MRF issued a call to action on April 7. She asked everyone to address that.
ITEM 11: Bob Stoner communicated that the AdComm mostly discussed the impact that COVID-19 is having on the organization. Regarding the 4 ABC applications we received since our last meeting, Bob will reach out to directors in those respective areas to obtain more information from the applicants. AdComm discussed the Boogie, which has also been discussed in this meeting, & the effect of social distancing.
ITEM 12: Roberta requested the Meeting of the Minds committee schedule a meeting. Jay agreed & suggested using our Zoho subscription for a conference call in addition to email. Jay has been in communication with Fred (the MRF Director of Conferences) & we can invite him also.
ITEM 13: Jay alerted the board that the floor in the annex has gotten much worse & needs to be replaced. Scott Bowman & Randy Penix’s concern is to ensure that the moisture problem has been corrected. Discussion followed.
MOTION 3
ITEM 14: Wayne Kopec questioned the status of Tiny Tots equipment supply. We utilized donations to purchase 60 helmets, & we have 3 bikes for each trailer. Discussion followed regarding helmet liners, skull caps & disinfectants.
Wayne Kopec then asked if the membership administrator position will be filled. Jay responded that with the decrease in rider ed students, phone calls & membership the past few years, that position had become a part-time position. Currently, the office staff is sharing the responsibilities. We will evaluate & address as needed.
Sherri Gordon suggested the directors continue to contact expired members. Jay agreed, & offered that Kelly Jackson can provide some guidance in persuading them to renew.
ITEM 15: Jay announced that MotoAmerica & Motorcycles on Meridian have been forced to reschedule. They’re contemplating Oct 10, which will necessitate changing the date for our Workers’ Party & BOD meeting.
Jay then informed the board that, when our office reopens, we will return to our previous hours of Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, with Wed being closed to the public & phones. This will allow us to maximize efficiencies & effectiveness.
MOTION 4
Meeting adjourned, 2:36pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Tina McCormack
Secretary/Treasurer
The next scheduled Board of Directors meeting will be June 13, 2020 at LCRP.
MOTIONS
Motion 1: Pat Haggard made the motion to approve November/December financials, with a second by Suzanne Eckert. All regions present voted yes; motion carried.
Motion 2: Suzanne Eckert made the following motion, seconded by Ted Borchelt: Everyone entering the Boogie is to pay the required admission. Those persons working the event can earn their admission back & a Boogie crew shirt by donating 10 hours. Volunteers are welcome & encouraged to work more than 10 hours; however, 1 shirt & the cost of their admission is the maximum any individual may receive. The Board of Directors may negotiate contracts with outside entities to provide specific services necessary for conducting the Boogie. Regions 00 03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12 & 13 voted in favor; Regions 01, 02, 06 & 09 voted against. Motion carried.
Motion 3: Ken Harris motioned to authorize the AdComm to proceed with the replacement of the annex floor at a maximum cost of $15,000, with a second by Aaron Meyer. Regions 00, 01, 02, 04, 06, 07, 08, 09, 11, 12 & 13 voted yes; regions 03, 05 & 10 voted no. Motion carried.
Motion 4: Ken Harris motioned to adjourn, Aaron Meyer seconded. All regions present voted in favor; motion carried.
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(Email correspondence from Jay Jackson to BOD dated 4/10/2020)
Directors,
Feel free to share this as you feel appropriate.
As a member of several national BODs, I frequently participate in virtual meetings. They are cost effective, convenient, and in the current pandemic crisis... necessary.
They can also become almost unbearable. It is hard to keep interested and focused just listening to someone drone on for hours. I am providing the following
as a bit of a head start, hoping you can review this so that there should not be any real surprises and we can move through the agenda quickly and efficiently. We will have discussion as needed, but will attempt to avoid redundancy and monotony.
If we are not able to conclude what we need to in less than 2 hours, we will schedule some sort of follow up as I suspect continuing past that point will become counter-productive.
You should have received a package in the mail which includes:
Agenda
Financial Dashboard and Explanation
ABC Disbursements
LCRP P&L and Balance Sheet - Jan and Feb ABATE Inc. P&L and Balance Sheet - Jan and Feb ABATE Foundation P&L and Balance Sheet - Jan and Feb Event Insurance Summary Monthly Summary (reports submitted) Coliseum Bingo P&L - Jan and Feb Contributions Income - Jan and Feb Transaction Detail by Account - Jan and Feb Contributions Expense - Jan and Feb Travel and Entertainment Expense - Jan and Feb
Since you have these materials, there is no need to log in for the BOD teleconference. You can simply call 1-631-248-2093 and enter the code 10275 27319 followed by # to participate in the call.
Once we perform a roll call to establish a quorum, it usually works best to mute your phone and only unmute when you wish to speak. This will cut down dramatically on background noise, as we will have 20 people or so on the line.
FINANCIALS - The information in the packet should be self-explanatory. The economy is on everyone s mind right now and there will certainly be some challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis. We have submitted the application for the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP). This would provide us $209K to remain in operation through the COVID-19 crisis. The loan should qualify as forgivable under the federal guidelines. Even if it became necessary to repay, it would be at 1% interest.
BOOGIE - Notice that there are only 5 minutes allowed for this on the agenda. We could easily spend a great deal of time talking about the Boogie. With all of the uncertainly regarding when the Stay Home order may be rescinded, and the limits on the number of people at public gatherings, it would be premature to make any decisions related to the Boogie, at this time. We are proceeding with every expectation of conducting the event as scheduled. The RV Campground is about half sold and we ve had a handful of people pre-register. Given the current environment, it could certainly be worse. We will review Force Majuere provisions in the contracts.
We do need to get a handle on the Boogie Volunteer issue. I think most crews believe they can get volunteers to work for a t-shirt. However, I ve heard from a number of directors that members don t want to pay to come in and then volunteer. I m thinking we may wish to revisit Suzanne s motion to charge everyone to get in, but give them back their $50 admission and a shirt after they have worked 10 hours. They are welcome and encouraged to work more than 10 hours, but there will be no additional compensation (maximum $50 and one shirt). Obviously, there are some services necessary that we will not be able to hold to these terms (port-o-lets, law enforcement, stagehands, etc...). It will be up to the BOD to authorize negotiations for contractors for certain services. I think this is as close to old school volunteerism as we re gonna get today.
COVID-19 - Please familiarize yourself with the position statement on the website. While in lockdown , we need to do everything we can to remain relevant and stay in contact with our members. We can t do it for every county, but Marc can probably help set up some virtual regional meetings using the same system we are for this BOD. Big Willy has volunteered to produce some messages to post on various social media to keep ABATE in front of people. Think outside the box, creativity is critical.
FREEDOM HALL - Bingo operations are suspended under the governor s executive order. Staff remains in the building and are performing maintenance and a deep cleaning.
DIRT/ORV - All campgrounds are closed by executive order. The county recently shut down Haspin Acres. LCRP is closed through April 20, 2020. DBS classes through April 20th have been rescheduled.
MSD - We had a decent start and enrolled about 600-700 students. A few questions, but no real complaints about the $199 tuition. We ve been working hard to reschedule folks originally scheduled in classes through April 20th. Of about 150, so far only 7 have requested a refund. We weren t able to conduct the IP and are working to keep the candidates engaged so we can salvage something. Bikes and sites are ready to go, when we get the chance. Loaner helmets are out, at least for a while. We are looking for alternatives to the conventional classroom. The BMV has not been a great deal of help and has not indicated the intent to make any adjustments. The kickoff event for Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month is scheduled for Wednesday May 6th on Monument Circle. A contingency plan is in place. If you want or need MS&AM press kits, just let us know.
LINC - State and federal officials are all consumed by the pandemic. A lot of crazy stuff going on in congress. I am in communication with our DC lobbyists daily. We want to make sure they don t sneak in something that could harm motorcyclists. Be on the lookout for MRF alerts and calls to action. On the state level, we were successful in getting the Concurrent Resolution concerning OHV in the HNF. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to preserve, promote and protect motorcycling for future generations. The Indiana Primary Election has been moved to Tuesday June 2nd.
MRF - As stated, I am in contact with the MRF lobbyists and officers daily. At this moment, Bikers Inside the Beltway is still scheduled as is Meeting of the Minds. Updates will be shared.
OLD BUSINESS - The floor in the annex has gotten markedly worse. We ve put it off as long as we can. We have a bid from Bertolet Construction that is less than the bid we got from the contractor that replaced our roof a couple years ago. Now is not a good time to incur a capital expense, but we re going to need to address it soon.
NEW BUSINESS - With the Indy 500 rescheduling from Memorial Day weekend to August 24th, MotoAmerica and Motorcycles on Meridian are being pushed to a new date. A lot still has to be done as virtually every event in Indy this summer is scurrying in an attempt to salvage a date. MOM is expected to be Saturday October 10th, in which case we would need to reschedule the BOD and Workers Party.
When the office reopens after the Stay Home order is lifted, we will post office hours as 9:00AM-5:00PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. This allows Wednesday to be used for projects, comp time and catch up. During the rider ed season, we will provide telephone coverage until 6:00PM on Fridays.
We are working on the reassignment of a number of duties and responsibilities within the organization to maximize efficiency and effectiveness while minimizing expense. Kelly has put in (donated) a lot of hours helping us get, and remain, caught up while re-scheduling hundreds of rider ed students.
A big thank you to our friends at Hotel Tango Distillery for donating hand sanitizer (120 proof) for all of our training sites.
> ABATE of Indiana
> Board of Directors Meeting
> Saturday April 11, 2020
> Teleconference
> (Originally scheduled at the ABATE State Office in Bargersville and
> changed due to Stay at Home executive order issued by Governor Eric
> Holcomb related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic)
>
> DIAL IN/LOG IN INFO - XXX-XXX-XXXX YYY YYY YYY#
>
> Pledge of Allegiance 1:00
> Explanation of Conference Call 1:05
> Financials 1:10
> Boogie 1:24
> COVID-19 1:25
> Freedom Hall 1:45
> DIRT / ORV 1:55
> MSD 2:00
> LINC 2:10
> MRF - MOTM 2:15
> Ad Comm 2:20
> Committee Reports 2:30
> Old Business 2:35
> New Business 2:40
> Alternatives 2:45
> Adjourn 3:00
>
> Next meeting - Saturday June 13, 2020 at LCRP (Subject to change)
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
