ATTENDING:  Rod & Rose Fleming; Paul & Sharie Barban; Skip & Cheryl Wilson; Gary Steinweg; Kent Saxton; Carole Helstrom; Bill Ball; Nancy Nemecek; Doc Cassidy; Tom Warren; Russ Greene; John Q. Lawrence; Aaron Adkison, and guest Mike Reitan.
 
Member Representative John Q. called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM.
 
MINUTES:  Doc moved that the minutes be accepted as posted to the web site; Rod seconded. Motion passed.
 
TREASURER’S REPORT:  Gary Steinweg reported that the treasury has a balance of $794.92. This amount will undergo a radical change as dues begin coming in and getting posted. Doc moved that the report be accepted; Tom seconded. Motion passed.
 
OLD BUSINESS:  Carole reported that, thus far, she has membership dues from 29 to 30 members. Members are reminded to send her the new membership form along with their checks. There are a couple of changes on it that need to be addressed.
 
Doc reported that Phase II of the Ride Captains Certification Program will be held after the regular club meeting in May. Carole asked if the second phase could be held earlier than next month. Doc will research availability of the parking lot and post a notice of any change. The video that Jeremiah made of the Phase I training session is now available for viewing. Members can find it on the web site under “Ride Protocol”.
 
Next month’s meeting will be held at Doc’s church instead of at the restaurant. Breakfast will be served.
 
NEW BUSINESS:  The main order of business was the election of new officers. Greg Huber was elected President for another term. John Q. was elected Vice President, Tom Warren as Treasurer, and Melinda Mitchell is the new Member Representative. These votes were taken by a “show of hands” and were unanimous. Rose passed out ballots for the one contested office of Secretary. Gary Steinweg helped tally the results, and when the counting was done (including the absentee ballots), we found that we had a tie between Sharie Barban and Carole Helstrom. Several solutions to this dilemma were offered---from flipping a coin to having the ladies mud wrestle. The two candidates, however, retired to another room, and worked it out between them. Carole Helstrom emerged as the new Secretary, and Sharie will take over Carole’s position as Membership Coordinator. This private agreement was unanimously approved. Congratulations to all of our new officers.
 
 
 
 
RIDES:
 
            Tom’s Farm                                         Tom Warren                                        Saturday, May 21
            Hideout Ride                                      Doc                                                     Date TBA
            Annual Anti-Destination Ride                        John Q. (to start)                                 Date TBA
            Barrett Fish Fry                                   Paul Barban                                         Date TBA
            Annual Harvest Moon Ride                Rod Fleming                                       Saturday, Sept. 17
 
SAFETY FIRST:
 
Kent presented several items to be aware of:
1. While it is our ride protocol to allow a 2-4 second interval between riders, sometimes a large gap forms that allows other vehicles to enter our formation, thus breaking up the group, and creating a possible hazard. Kent suggested that we pay attention to our timing and close the gap when on the freeway to prevent that separation.
2. Let your ride leader know when you are uncomfortable. Dawn’s mishap illustrates this point. She remarked that upon reflection, she remembered being distracted because her helmet mike was pinching her ear. Her conclusion was that perhaps that distraction contributed to her going down. Ride leaders need to be aware of their surroundings and the possible effect on those following him. Will the journey take the group into dusk? Is everyone wearing sunglasses that need to come off? Is it getting cold? Hot? Riders need to let the leader know of their discomfort. Stung by a bee? Pull over! Got an itch? Pull over. If you are in communication with the leader, let him or her know the reason for stopping. Concentration on safe riding is a must and sometimes the most minor distractions can be fatal.
3. On night rides, it is a good idea for the sweep rider (and the leader) to wear a reflective vest. This allows other drivers to clearly identify you and they are able to make out both ends of the line.
 
Someone called for adjournment, and the meeting ended at 10:35 AM.
 
Post-meeting ride will be lead by Aaron.
 
(NOTE: Thank you for allowing me to serve you for the past 4 years. I will now hand the reins over to your new Secretary, Carole.----RF)
 
Respectfully submitted,
Rose Fleming