Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs
Delegates Meeting Minutes November 5, 2011
Walpole NH
Attendance
Executive Officers: Jason Ghelli, Scott Dollard, Paul Regish, Tammy Van Gemert
Delegates/Alternates: Josh Schwalb (Baystate Jeepers), Bob Cobb (CCJC), Ryan Schneider (FTR), Sher
Estes (Mass Mudders), David Waterman (NCRS4X4), Ernie Leland (NEXterra), Cody Savinski (NTC),
Eric Weybrant (OSJ), Angelo Loffredo (Ronin), John Price (SSW), Tom Hasselmann (TSJNT), Jaime
Pinard (USAJO), Robert C. (VJA), Lyle Smith (WM4x4), Mike White (JF), Warren Reynolds (LIOR),
Jean Brodeur (NE4Wi), Alan Scofield (Northeast Jeep)
Guests: Pam Roumas (JF), Jeremy Martineau (WM4x4), Karen Hasselmann (TSJNT), Jeffrey M.
(USAJO)
Absences: Berkshire 4 Wheelers, CC4W, GMC, Mass Krawlers, NEJeepz, NEWJO, NWOR, SC, UJ,
Yankee Toys
Meeting Called To Order
Quorum was present and the meeting was called to order and introductions were made.
Josh Schwalby made a motion to accept the August meeting minutes. Tom Hasselmann seconded the
motion. Motion passes unanimously.
No online votes
Reports of Officers & Committee Chairs
Treasurer’s Report: $30,598 of which $4184 is restricted to the Trails Fund and $5000 to the Land
Acquisition Fund. A4A Fund has $1000 balance. Known upcoming expenses include insurance costs.
Motion by Paul and second by ______ to move $5000 from the General Fund to the Land Access Fund.
John Price stated that we need to acquire more money to purchase land. Are we going to transfer the money
into an interest bearing account? Paul stated we would. Jeremy Martineau asked if we pay the insurance in
one lump premium instead of quarterly do we get a discount? Tammy VG stated that she does not think so.
There was some discussion as to whether moving the money would limit ourselves for other possible
expenses of a general nature if the money is earmarked for the Land Aq. Fund. Paul stated that if that
happened we could always make a motion to move the money back. Based on the voting by the delegates,
the motion did not pass.
Motion by Dave Waterman and second by John Price to move $7500 from the General Fund to the Land
Access Fund. After further discussion the motion was amended by Dave Waterman and second by John
Price to move $8000 from the General Fund to the Land Acquisition Fund. Motion passed.
Paul stated he would look into other interest bearing accounts/CD and would make a decision as to the term
length. There was also some side discussion about moving the Old Florida Road Fund into a better interest
bearing account/CD than where it is now as it is not accruing much. Paul mentioned the possibility of
getting into a credit union and Tammy VG said she might be able to assist with that. ING was also
discussed but they were recently bought by Capitol One so some did not feel comfortable with using them
anymore.
Land Use
New Hampshire
There was a work day at Gretchen’s which involved cleaning up some of the slash on camp sites and
around the perimeter of the sites. Two bridges were completed and a couple new trails were cut.
Swansea is closed right now while we work with the towns to develop a relationship and establish a
reputation that will hopefully allow us to have continued access for the future. The Town of Troy is being
used as a model and other towns will follow suit. Carnage is not necessarily included because we have
permission from the landowner but it is recommended to only access the property using Old County Road
if you have to. Several clubs have already voluntarily removed it from the remainder of their schedules.
Dave Waterman reported that NCRS4x4 is working on an 8000 acre parcel of land in Central NH. They
took NH Conservation Commission officers on a ride along in a “problem area” that NCRS4x4 cleaned up
and the officers, who were perceived to be 100% anti-motorized, were very impressed and are now
believed to be proponents of supporting our access to the property for 2012. If this goes in the right
direction there will be a need for assistance from the Trails Fund for drainage culverts and gates. Other long
term goals include education and trail maps for the property. Dave also reported that the gate in Plymouth
has reportedly reduced the amount of negative traffic almost 100%.
Moose Mountain-If any clubs have it on their schedules they should plan on bringing saws and be prepared
to cut downed trees from recent storms.
Gretchen’s-There is a concern that due to recent snowfall the increased wetness of the trails/roads to trails
may be an issue. Clubs who are still scheduling runs there should use good judgment and responsible trail
practices.
Massachusetts
Gremlin Graveyard and The Summit are both year-round access.
The Summit trails are not clearly marked yet but Jay hopes to hike the trails to make a connector loop and
mark existing trails while doing so. He stated he is going to try and make at least the first run with each
club who goes out there to help them get familiar with the property. There is still work to be done such as
address two additional water crossings. This property will be on the list of 2012 Trail Selections but the
goal will be to do several ½ work day ½ wheeling so we can make some progress. There is something for
everyone. Jay has the key for the gate to the landing leading into the stocker trails. Scott Dollard reminded
people that now is the time to get into the trails and start cutting stuff back before it grows back in and
makes more work for the spring.
Gremlin Graveyard needs quite a bit of cleanup. Ernie Leland and Nexterra helped clean up what they
could following damage from Hurricane Irene and loggers but there is quite a bit more to do. There is quite
a bit of slash from the loggers making some of the trails impassable. They also logged a relatively large
section that could create potential trespassing issues.
Rhode Island
No report
Vermont
Central Vermont lost quite a few trails/roads due to the significant flooding of Hurricane Irene. It would
take major repair to restore the trails and the towns will not put funding towards it.
Connecticut
Mike White stated that JonFund is working on a 30 acre piece of property that they can hopefully share
with other clubs. He stated it is a small piece but difficult.
Jay reminded everyone that there is a section on the forum for clubs to post their land available for swaps.
Old Business
Fall Crawl Update
There were only a couple complaints received regarding noise, music past midnight. Scott Hatch received
the Shane Beard Award. There was some talk about the Fat Bastard Café declining to cater the 2012 event
but after some following Fall Crawl with Carl Merrick, it seems as though they will be willing to do it
again but the costs may increase. Jay emphasized how much better we do with FBC compared to hiring an
outside caterer and that even if costs increase it will be cheaper than an outside caterer and it will be well
worth it. Others also commented in support of keeping them on.
There was a discussion regarding the preliminary planning for 2012. Tammy VG mentioned that there will
be a planning meeting, usually amongst the Executive team, but clubs are urged to submit their ideas and
suggestions on the forum for the team to consider. She also stated that although the discussion is met with
resistance every year, we seriously need to consider raising the registration costs of the event. With the loss
of two of our major supporting events in 2011, and the questionable outcome of one of the events for 2012,
we need to identify areas where we can increase revenue with the goal of increasing our potential to
purchase/lease land in the future. After the discussion, the delegates seemed in agreement to raise the 2012
registration costs to $60 p/person and the rates for children 6-12 would remain $25. After reviewing the
numbers it did not appear to be a significant increase for those registering but it would add to the revenue
stream for the NEA. It was decided that the raise did not need to be voted on and the Executive team would
include further discussion at their planning meeting.
The confirmed date for the 2012 Fall Crawl is September 8-9.
Rosco Brandt suggested at looking at doing another similar event in the spring but it was decided that it
would be hard to do so with clubs already having their schedules in place. Tammy VG stated that clubs
could definitely host their own events similar to how Deep Woods Extreme developed the Truck Show and
other clubs originally developed the Jeep Rally. Clubs could then donate proceeds to the NEA if they chose
to do so.
A4A Program
Not really any progress to report.
A4A Vehicle
There were two bids on the vehicle with the winning bid going to Bob and Liza Siwinski. Insurance on the
vehicle was canceled so there are no outstanding or future expenditures on the vehicle to the NEA.
Insurance
Liza Siwinski was not able to find any carriers that could meet our requirements for coverage so we will
continue to use K&K for our insurance. We also looked into United Four Wheel Drive Associations
(UFWDA) but in order to use the insurance they offer we would have to join their organization and it is not
financially feasible at this time to do so. UFWDA also uses K&K along with other carriers. If our member
clubs are also members of United and choose to look into obtaining insurance from them, they are
encouraged to do so but will most likely have to meet the same requirements for their events.
New Business
2012 Trail Requests
First Round opens December 1, 2011 at 8:00pm.
Second Round opens February 1, 2012 at 8:00pm.
Blackout dates/events will still apply.
A representative from each club wishing to book a property on either of these rounds will need to go to the
Private Land section of the forum, open the thread for the property they wish to reserve a date for, and post
up with the date they want as their first choice. The process is first-come-first-serve and each club only gets
one pick per property, per round. Follow the same procedure for the Second Round.
Fall Poker Run
Details for the Fall Poker Run have been posted on the forum. This is open to anyone who meets the rig
requirements, not just member clubs. Jay expressed some concern regarding the difficulty of the roads due
to snow coverage and melting, so participants should be prepared. We will not be serving food so plan
accordingly. The NEA will not be making a profit from the event as the surplus will be equally divided
between the winner and the Hillsborough Food Pantry. Everyone participating is required to bring at least
one non-perishable item.
Nominations for Executive Officer Positions (President, VP Environmental Affairs, Secretary)
Scott Dollard confirmed he will not be continuing on in the role of VPEA at this time. He will still be
actively involved to the level his personal/work commitments allow him to be. Jay communicated that
Scott has definitely lived up to the requirements of the position during his term. Mike White nominated
Dave Waterman for VP Environmental Affairs with a second by John Price. Dave stated that pending the
outcome of his personal health issues he would possibly accept the nomination but nothing is confirmed
just yet.
Liza Siwinski confirmed at previous meetings that she is willing to stay on as Secretary if nobody else steps
forward for the position. At this time, no other Secretary nominations have been made.
Jay Ghelli stated that after careful consideration he has concluded that it would be hard to have someone
who is unfamiliar with the Executive roles step in as President and he would like to see Tammy Van
Gemert elected into the President, which would open up her current office of Executive Vice President. He
feels it would be better to fill that vacancy with someone new who can become familiar with the
organizational requirements and then move towards Presidency in the future. Jay nominated Tammy Van
Gemert for President, with a second by John Price. Jay has approached a couple people about running for
Executive Vice President, Bob Butler and Jeremy Martineau. Bob has declined any nomination so far and
Jeremy was waiting to see if Tammy accepted the nomination for President, which she has. Liza Siwinski
also expressed an interest in the Executive Vice President office.
Nominations can be made on the forum and will be open until the January meeting when the official voting
will take place for each office. A nomination must receive a second in order to place that individual on the
final ballot. People are urged to confirm with the person they are nominating to make sure they are
interested prior to posting an official nomination.
Jean Brodeur questioned what was happening with the NH Land Use Chair position since Scott Hatch is
stepping down and Jay confirmed the position will need to be filled. Scott has confirmed he will initiate the
introductions necessary with NH landowners that we have a relationship with to the new Chair. We
currently need Chairs for NH, MA, and NY. Paul reminded the delegates to have their members become
more active in the land use sections of the forum regarding their respective states stating that we need
people to get more involved.
2012 Snow Run-Preliminary Planning
The confirmed date is Saturday, February 18, 2012.
Dinner location tentatively set for the American Legion in Hillsborough.
Snow Run will be out of Wayne’s World and local Class VI roads. We can never determine the weather so
participants need to be prepared.
$50 includes dinner, shirt, sticker, wheeling.
Volunteer raffle: possibly changing from a winch to an equally priced Husqvarna chainsaw.
We will need volunteers for the spaghetti dinner to cook, serve, and to do set-up/clean-up.
Open Forum
John Price gave a reminder for the South Shore Wheelers annual Toys for Tots run on December 3rd in
Somerset MA. Details are posted on the NEA forum in the public Events section.
Josh Schwalby stated he is willing to volunteer his time to man the NEA trailer at community events if
someone can provide towing.
Jay and the BOD thanked Twin State Jeeps ‘n’ Things for hosting and for providing lunch. Also a thank
you to Ali Barrio from Ronin for taking the notes for the Minutes.
January meeting is January 7, 2012 hosted by Mass Krawlers and will be in the Central MA area with
possible wheeling after.
Mike White motioned to adjourn the meeting with a second by Bob Cobb.
Minutes recorded by Ali Barrio and composed by Tammy Van Gemert in the absence of Liza
Siwinski.