|
NorthEast Association of 4WD Clubs
Saturday November 1, 2008
Gerrish Community Center Derry NH
Attendance:
Exec Officers: Jason Ghelli, Tammy Van Gemert, Steve Nordby, Pat Charron
Excused: Scott Hatch
Delegates/Alternates: Mark Fisher (BSJ); Steve Lucier-del and Mike Almeida (CJ); Shawn Legassey (DWE); Ryan Schneider (FTR); Mike White (JF); Ryan Vercellone (LJ);Dave LaMarch (MM); Paul Regish (NE4WI); Bob Butler ( NewEJ); Karl Harmon (NEZR2); Doug Sarette (NEWJO); Ken West (NoEJ); Liza Snow (SC); John Price-del and Robert Murray (SSW); Dan Spalinger (NEX);
Provisional Club: Steve Smith, NorthEast Toyota Crawlers (NTC)
Excused: Berkshire 4W and Vermont Jeep Asso.
Unexcused: Central CT 4W, LIOff-Road, Patriot Jeepers, Yankee Toys
Guests: Tom & Karen Hasselman (Twin State Jeeps N Things); Bob Siwinski (SC);
Paul Maxwell (BSJ); Dan Stepnik, Bob Cobb and Jim ? (Cape Cod Jeep Club)
Meeting began at 10:15 am. A quorum was not present (short one delegate); it was decided to proceed with non-voting items with the hope that another delegate would show soon.
Reports
Mass Land - Mike White
Sturbridge - The 200 acres at the Ma/Ct line has been mapped and is a good area for stock to slightly modified vehicles; working with landowner concerning fee or donation for use. Jay has spoken with the family member that is interested in seeing the land used, Kevin Pontbriand. Kevin told Jay that the state made an offer to purchase the land, but the price was too low. The family would like to make some money from the property to off set the $6500 taxes. Kevin mentioned $10-$20 per vehicle, estimating 250 vehicles per year. Jay figured if we make an offer of $3000 per year and we see 300 vehicles at $10 use the land, that seemed do-able.
Discussion included some options for fees or payment to the Pontbriands, it was mentioned that
The NEA doing a lump might not be feasible because some clubs would not use. Insurance was questioned: if paying a ?donation? insurance may not be a concern. Discussion leaned towards a pay-per-use set up. Jay was given the impression from Kevin that the other family members are hesitant about use by 4x4s is due to pass experiences with large ?mudder? trucks. Kevin is working with family; Jay said we would work with family as needed.
MaBell- no new progress
Paine Hill (CT) ? A JonFund member has contacted a Connecticut official as well as a Washington official in an effort to make the CT DEP accountable in regards to the closing of
roads. At issue is funds for maintenance of the areas as well as the DEP not maintaining and keeping the roads open to the public, as they should be.
Brushy Mtn (The Gutter) - Paul Regish
Paul estimates that there were 40-50 runs made at in the Gutter area for 2008. He would like to post a sign-up for scheduling its use for 2009. Some additional work still to be done; there is more Cowls property to scout. Ryan S. has a list of the Cowls properties, he will send that to Paul.
Connecticut
Joe Mylie sent an email to say that it?s been quiet in CT. COALT is still waiting on the IRS to grant or deny their 501(c)(3) status. CTU will not be active until the next legislative session.
We were sad to learn that Dan Salamone of CTU passed away on Oct 24th.
Maine
No report from any Maine members. It is hoped that someone will step in to do this reporting.
It was mentioned that there is another pay-to-play park in the state: Rocky Mountain Terrain Park in the Woodstock area. It appears to be more developed than the All Wheels Park in Lewiston.
Rhode Island - Bob Butler
Not much to report. Bob would like to see an NEA based group established to work with RI.
State has admitted to RIOHVA that they should supply funds and trail options for the motorized community, however, RIOHVA does not appear to be working with the State towards that end.
Bob Siwinski also felt that there should be a committee/group for working with RI.
Bob Butler is on the RI Trail Advisory Committee. It was mentioned that RIOHVA has frequent meetings, does a lot of discussing, but no follow up action. There is no issue with working with RIOHVA, however, the current president is not easy to work with and also group is not moving forward. Bob reiterated that he would like to see the NEA work with RI officials rather than go through RIOHVA.
Vermont -
Brian Churchill emailed the following:
This VT report is what we are doing with VORA, the off highway coalition that we formed this winter.
Saturday October 18, VJA elected a new slate of officers for 2009.
Tina Lowe - President
JoAnne Ring - Vice President
Mike Hecht - Secretary
Charleen McFarlane - Treasurer
Currently, VJA has opted to support VORA (Vermont Off highway Recreation Association) in activities that include class 4 and ancient roads preservation, off highway vehicle issues, land owner / private property concerns, and generally things political as it pertains to Vermont local, state or federal land use policy.
VORA held its annual meeting October 25. Members of ATV organizations in Vermont, off highway motorcyclists, and full sized 4x4's (represented by 3 member of VJA) reviewed accomplishments and set goals for 2009. This year, a town survey (with almost 20% of towns responding) gave us some proof that towns in Vermont fall in 3 categories pertaining to the current legislative. Don't care, care but don't have resources, and stay the hell away. We plan to pick towns that care but don't have resources (cash, manpower, etc) to work with this year and see if we can "map" a success formula to be able to help towns that want it. We also plan to become more visible and to start to educate at the local, town and state level.
New Hampshire - Jay
The Swanzy property is coming along well ? a few clubs have used it. This property has trails from stock to rock buggy. Lack of trailer parking is still the situation and the Association is working on this. It was mentioned that trailer parking needs to be adjacent to the property.
The Swanzy property is owned by Carroll Concrete, that also own a lot of other properties. It was suggested that someone may wish to look into the other Carroll properties for possible scouting, like with the Cowls in Ma.
The local campground is Shir-Roy and it is possible they would be available for winter use.
Cemetery Hill status is still unknown and will need to be checked into. It may not be available for 2009, so clubs should plan accordingly.
Field & Forest is ok, status is the same.
Carnage status the same. Noted that Carnage and Swanzy areas are close together - nice advantage.
Mason/Brookline powerlines are NOT legal.
Moose Mtn in Springfield is ready. Trails good for 33" tires plus; more trails can be cut but otherwise ready. There are also class 6 roads in the area, so it?s a good overall option for clubs.
Jay hopes to soon post the 2009 sign up schedule for the various NEA land options.
OLD BUSINESS
Fall Crawl Report
Steve supplied an expense report for the event. The basics are that the total revenue was
$12,911.5 and expenses were $7,904.79 for a net profit of $5,006.26
Ticket sales were low this year. Rain probably didn?t help, but also that prizes were not displayed and tickets not available to buy until later in the day. Heidi Blank has offered to take over the raffle/prize area for 2009.
Attendees were pleased with the Fall Crawl. NEA did more rentals this year, which helped.
Bob S. mentioned repair of the culvert on the entrance road. Consensus was that repair should be next consideration; may or may not require permits.
Strategic Planning Committee - Tammy
The committee has started again and is going well with folks that Tammy recruited. It is presently working with three people and it hopes to have items to present at the January 3rd meeting. If interested in helping, contact Tammy.
Due to still not having a quorum by 11:15, still unable to do items that involve voting.
A change in the 2/3 quorum requires a by-law change and our dilemma is having a 2/3 quorum to make the change.
Operating Budget - VP Envir Affairs
Can discuss but not vote. The by-laws presently do not allow the VP-EA to spend money as needed. So far, Scott has had to contact Jay for approvals, but Jay would like to see a set amount allotted to the EA person to use as needed. A $500 per incident was suggested and attendees were ok with the that amount. Paul would like to see receipts turned in and accounted for. Jay and Steve agreed.
Access For All Vehicle - Steve
Andre Dion is working with Steve. The vehicle is at Andre?s in Westfield, Ma and is going to Todd Lander?s shop, Endangered Species, in Holyoke for some work that will include sway bar disconnects, a fuel leak repair and a few other things. It is hoped the Jeep will be ready for the Poker Run on November 15th. Crown Automotive will be donating the front gears. Andre is now a member of New England 4 Wheelers and is the official A4A manager as of 11/1/2008.
The A4A account presently has $356.22
Plan is to have all sponsor decals displayed on the vehicle.
Steve and Andre will be attending the New England Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America board meeting to speak.
It was requested that Andre do online updates to keep members posted.
Great American Jeep Rally - Mark Fisher
The event drew 610 Jeeps, made close to $8000 and after expenses and putting aside start up funds for next year, netted the three beneficiaries $1500 each. They were: the NEA, The Somers CT FD Emergency Fund and the Florida MA ESTEEM Program. Next year's date is September 27 with a better rock garden and revamped raffle procedure. There is a newly created Jeep rally forum. Mark is researching the event being the largest gathering of Jeeps; it is believed it is the largest in New England.
Deep Woods Extreme donation - Tammy
Tammy presented Jay with check for $3000, the net proceeds from the DWE Truck Show that was held in July. Tammy thanked the folks that made the show possible. A check for $3000 was also presented to CHAD Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (NH). The July 2009 date is being worked on. Although the funds can be used at the NEA discretion, Tammy suggested that the donation be put in the Trails Fund.
Volunteer Trail Patrol Program - Tammy
Tammy is a VTPP trainer. The training session held in Worcester, Ma in March of this year had a good turn out. Tammy is hoping to hold another either later this year or early next year; this time in New Hampshire. A suggestion that was made at the 3/08 training was that VTP signs be available for the NEA.
Tammy gave a brief description of the VTPP. It teaches a non-confrontational approach to observing areas not open to motorized use with an educational aspect to the users that are encountered as well as observation skills for reporting purposes. Tammy does not wish to rely on United for continuing the program and Carla was fine with Tammy being the trainer.
Tammy and Roy hope to resume working with Major Aceno (NH F&G) although the program is definitely not limited to NH but involves any area.
Jay called Legal Jeepers and they were going to send one of their members to the meeting.
At 12:05 pm it was decided to take the lunch break with the intent of having a quorum when the meeting resumed at 12:30 pm.
At 12:35 pm, meeting resumed.
Began with Ryan S. making a motion to accept the minutes of the last meeting.
2nd by Bob B. Passed unanimously.
In regards to the Operating Budget for the VP of EA:
Paul suggested a yearly limit be included so the amount is not open ended.
Mike W. made a motion to accept the $500 per incident with a $2000 yearly limit except as approved by the BOD. Karl 2nd. 15 votes affirmative. Motion passed.
This is an addition to the by-laws and Paul M. will determine is position in the laws.
Northeast Toyota Crawlers
Jay joined them on their trail ride at F & F. The group camped with courtesy. The trail was difficult due to wet leaves and when one vehicle broke down, good decisions were made. The group work well together. Paul R. vouched for one of their members that he knows, Mike Belben. Steve Smith will be the clubs NEA delegate.
Issue was brought up about non-NEA clubs being with NEA clubs on NEA acquired land. Jay stated that it is ok for a non-NEA club to join an NEA club on their runs, however, member club is responsible for non-club's actions, not only that day but at any point after the original run/event. Ex: if the non-member club was wheeling on NEA property without member club, the repercussion would be on the NEA member club.
Bob B. made motion to accept Northeast Toyota Crawlers in the NEA. Ryan S. 2nd.
Motion passed unanimously.
Quorum Quota
Jay presented three options to consider: keep current quota of 2/3 of total member clubs;
51% of total clubs or 2/3 of member clubs minus excused clubs.
Discussion included fact that president already has the ability to control the quorum by excusing several clubs at the meeting as needed. Also brought up was that when there is no consistency to who a club sends, sometimes the votes are not made with the continuing facts.
Liza suggested enforcing the by-laws that pertain to clubs missing a number of meetings.
The possibility that a club?s members do not know about the meetings was also mentioned.
Jay noted that the past three meetings he has had to "recruit" delegates to attend and that not being able to vote on issues is unfair to those that take the time to attend. He does not plan to continue this practice - he is tired of it. It is the delegate's job to inform their clubs.
Jay stated that Brian Churchill from VJA is a great example of commitment. Brian is the furthest delegate (almost at the Canadian border) and he has attended more meetings than clubs with members that are a lot closer.
Meeting locations are purposely moved around to help make it fair to all the clubs.
If delegate does not relay necessary information to their club then that club ends up unaware of what is going on in the NEA. If delegate is not showing up at meetings and the club does not know this, there is the possibility of it being expelled from the NEA due to the actions of one.
Shawn felt that the option of a majority vote eliminates a lot of the problems of the 2/3 quorum. He wouldn't mind seeing the quorum eliminated and voting being based on majority of attendees, such as if three attended, then a majority is two.
Concern was expressed that one club with a good showing could end up making a lot of the decisions. Dan did not see a small group making important decisions; he sees the likelihood of continuing to not have a 2/3 quorum for vote.
Mike W. supported the 2/3 quorum minus the excused clubs; maybe having less meetings would help.
Bob S. point out that in case of a tie, a vote is considered not passed. He also felt that there is no prefect solution but he likes the 51% majority as workable.
Karl made a motion that 51% of full membership is a quorum with the exception of by-law changes, that would be a 2/3 vote of membership in attendance. 2nd by Paul R.
8 yes 6 no 2 abstain motion did not pass as 11 was needed for 2/3 majority.
Tammy would like attendees to consider changing the attendance requirements to help avoid the situation.
Paul R. suggested more use of online voting. Jay said that online voting is not easy to manage and he would prefer not to use it regularly.
Dave L. motioned that 2/3 of full membership minus the excused absentees to be decided by a consensus of the executive officers be a quorum. Bob B. 2nd.
Max suggested a maximum number of allowed excused absences.
9 yes 3 no 4 abstain motion did not pass (9 is not 2/3)
Liza motioned that meeting attendance requirement be changed to four meetings a year. 2nd by Mark F. Liza withdrew her motion so that meeting could move on.
(Reference note: By-law 5.4.6.2 Any Member Club that accumulates more than 3 unexcused absences from the Board of Directors? meetings in a twelve month period may be considered for expulsion by the BOD.)
Dan motioned that a quorum is always assumed to be in session and votes can pass with 51%. 2nd by Shawn.
3 yes 6 no 7 abstain Motion did not pass
NEW BUSINESS
Provisional Clubs
Ocean State Jeepsters (OSJ) was unable to attend, will be sending in application.
Twin State Jeeps N Things (TSJNT) - Tom & Karen Hasselmann represented the club, which
is based out of western NH by the VT border. The Club is about a year old and has 28 members with no membership cap at this time. Members are involved in toy drives and clean ups. It has about 200 acres of private land that they are working. TSJNT is mainly Jeeps but open to other vehicle makes as well. Tire size minimum is 30" with a maximum of 38".
The club was incorporated in January 2008, dues are $40 per year up from the original $20 due to increased expenses.
No alcohol or drugs allowed, club is family orientated and vehicle must be legally registered.
Bob B. Motioned to accept Twin State Jeeps N Things as a provisional club. Mark F. 2nd.
Vote was unanimous.
Cape Cod Jeep Club (CCJC) is re-applying for membership. Jay began by stating that CCJC opted not to renew their membership in 2008. They left the NEA in good standing and it is understood that in re-joining they re-apply and start anew with provisional status.
Jay then spoke as NEA member and NOT as president we don't all have to like each other but we do have to work together for the common goal. Personal attacks will not be tolerated and conflicts need to be handled like adults.
Bob Cobb is the CCJC president. He stated that he has no agenda as he knows no one at the meeting. He previously was club secretary and has been a member since its inception. CCJC has 123 members. The reason for leaving the NEA was more of a business decision: thought that EC4WDA could offer more by way of trails. Bob is proud of CCJC within their community and their charity work.
Max asked about land issues for the CCJC and NEA, Bob said that club decided not to be an active force in the Association in 2008.
Paul mentioned rumors of trail overuse, however, others clubs can also be in same position, sometimes it's leadership issues. Bob assured group that his presidency is not a dictatorship; Mark is still on the BOD. Bob was asked how he is handling the amount of members on a run to avoid overuse. He said that there are about 40 active members and he tries to control numbers depending on the trail, however, he is not going to tell folks they cannot attend a club run.
Dan Stepnik noted that he has been a member of CCJC for the past year and he sees a good club that is family orientated with a good set of rules that are followed. Bob feels that if a CCJC sticker is on your Jeep then you represent CCJC and to act accordingly. Bob acknowledge that previous BOD made some bad decisions and he hopes that has changed.
Motion was made by Mark F. to accept Cape Cod Jeep Club as a provisional member. 2nd by Mike W. Motion passed with 15 yes and one abstained
Nominations - Treasurer and Executive VP
Elections will take place at the next meeting on January 3, 2009.
Tammy would like to remain in the Executive VP position so Jay nominated her with Mark F. 2nd the nomination. Paul R. was nominated but declined.
Nominations can stay open until Jay closes them, which he will leave open until the January 3rd meeting.
Treasurer
Jay stated that we have been lucky to have Steve in the Treasurer position all these years and that the position has become more involved as the NEA grows. Steve no longer wishes to remain in the position as a volunteer, however, he would be willing to continue as a paid accountant. Steve had submitted to the executive officers a proposal/contract of costs that would be incurred for him to continue to do the financial records, a copy of which was given to attendees.
Mark F. brought up that Steve is not carrying out the term of a position that he accepted; Mark felt that Steve should honor the rest of his term. Jay admitted that he was not pleased about the situation, which in no way is a reflection on Steve, just that Jay felt blindsided by Steve's proposal/contract. Paul R. spoke about his accounting background and also Steve's work for the NEA so he can understand both sides. Paul offered to help out and recommended a Treasurer and an Assistant Treasurer for checks and balances to be in order. Paul's concern about accepting the position is his heavy work schedule for the first several months of the year. He also suggested keeping the address in NH as the Association is a NH corporation and moving the address out of state could be an issue.
Liza asked if the NEA could afford to retain Steve without depleting funds. No, it could not.
It was noted that many folks do a lot for the organization and don't consider a contract.
Tammy did up a job description for the Treasurer position and an Accounts Receivable/ Accounts Payable Officer, which were handed out and looked over.
Dan Spalinger from the NETERRA club said that he works for a major bank and has done commercial finances for 10 years. He lives in NH and can maintain the NEA's NH address.
The AC/AP Officer would not be an executive position.
Paul Regish was nominated for Treasurer by Liza, 2nd by Bob B.
Poker Run
The event is taking place on Saturday November 15th, starting at 10 am from the Deering (NH) Fish & Game. Cost is $20 per card. Volunteers cannot hold their own cards. The Poker Run will benefit the Association's Trail Fund. 31" tires and up are recommended for the trails being used. Sign up can be done that morning or through the link on the forum.
A few more volunteers are needed and Jay will also need help with the food prep.
K & K Insurance
Tammy supplied attendees with handouts comparing rates from K&K Insurance and Dolan, Maloney and Melfa Insurance. She noted that K&K had stopped writing policies for our type of sport and are now considering underwriting motorized sports again. DM&M has supplied ok coverage but it was general insurance and not specific to motorized recreation. Tammy went over the figures and basic coverage differences between the two. The insurance would be used by clubs as needed: i.e. if required by landowner, Truck Show, Jeep Rally, etc.
When asked how soon we need to decide, Tammy suggested by January. Jay asked if anyone thought it was not a good idea.
Dan S. motioned that K&K be accepted as the insurance carrier. 2nd by Ryan S.
In order to move the meeting along, Jay encouraged voting on the motion. There were a few questions and then the motion passed unanimously.
Update on Scott
Jay informed the attendees that Scott is taking a break to take care of his physical and emotional health. Scott is not ill, just regrouping. Jay will be temporarily overseeing the land use issues with Roy Van Gemert taking care of the NH land situation and assisting with other land use issues. (Shawn read a letter from Roy saying that Roy would step up to manage the NH land use).
Personal reasons prevented Scott and Mark Dupont from representing the NEA at the SEMA Convention, which left the NEA with un-refundable travel arrangements. The Assocaition has a $688 credit with Expedia that can only be used by Scott or Mark by June 2009.
Snow Run
Jay would like to plan on a Snow Run for February of 2009. Volunteers are needed to make that happen.
RIOHVA
It was brought up that it still needs to be decided about allowing RIOHVA to use the NEA insurance for an event they are holding on November 15th. They are requesting the insurance for the 4x4 aspect of their event. (Sec. Note: there was extensive online discussion in regards to this subject) Jay recommended not allowing the NEA's insurance to be used by RIOHVA as they are not a good representative of the 4x4 community.
Dan motioned to deny use of our insurance. 2nd by Mark F. Vote passed unanimously.
Dues Increase
Paul R. feels that the NEA offers a lot for the $5 per person dues. EC4WDA dues are $14 per person and they offered a lot less to their members. It was noted that the $14 is shared by
EC ($9) and Region D ($5).
An increase will be discussed at the next meeting or online.
Blue Ribbon Article
A copy of the Blue Ribbon article was made available to meeting attendees and read by Steve.
The article mentions the new North East Trails and Roads Coalition (NETRA) and that is in a joint effort between East Coast 4WD Association and the NEA. Jay said that our relationship with EC is still growing.
OPEN FORUM
Dave L wished to bring to Jay's attention an incident that took place at Fall Crawl. While on the F & F trail on Saturday, someone wearing a volunteer t-shirt verbal attacked a member of MM and accused the member of drinking while on a trail the previous day. Dave did not know who made the accusations but said the person was very belligerent. Jay stated that he would have no problem addressing the issue if he knows who the person is and also that it would have been better to know of the incident closer to Fall Crawl. Dave would try to find out more information. Jay mentioned that it is difficult to control what happens on private land with others and the individual clubs. If a person approached a club member and said I represent the NEA and you are so and so, that is wrong. Jay would like to contact the MM member to find out more information. Dave will put him in touch with Jay.
Paul would like to set restrictions for the NEA properties before the schedules are posted for 2009 sign ups.
2009 goals were mentioned - Tammy said that would be addressed by the Strategic Planning Committee.
Ryan S. mentioned the nice article in Low Range magazine in regards to the United Convention that the NEA hosting in July.
What will happen with the Treasurer position until January 3rd with Steve stepping down on November 17th? Paul Regish will temporarily step in.
Due to several delegates having to leave during open forum, a quorum was no longer present to official adjourn meeting.
Meeting ended at 3:40 pm
Submitted by Pat Charron
11/4/08
|
Board index » Land Information » NEA4WD News & Events
