General Monthly Meeting Minutes for February 16, 2022
Members in Attendance –
Attending the November meeting were Mike Allen (President), Larry Laskorski (Secretary), Cory Samuell (Membership), Henning Carlsen (Treasurer), Al Holtsberry, Steve Wolfe, and Chad Warner.
Call to Order –
Mike Allen called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. The meeting was called to order earlier than scheduled since we didn’t experience the longer eating time which usually results with restaurant service. Mike had the pizza and refreshments available at the start of the dinner/social hour. It should be noted that no additional members arrived to the meeting after 7:00 PM.
Previous meeting’s minutes -
Larry Laskorski read the minutes of the November 17, 2021, meeting. Al Holtsberry moved to accept the minutes, as written, and that they be entered into the organization’s records. Hennig Carlson seconded the motion. All members in attendance voted in favor, with no objections, and the motion was carried.
The Treasurer's report-
Henning Carlsen provided a short financial report that indicated the treasury balance and that the club is solvent. Mike Allen moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report, as provided, and that it be entered into the organization’s records. Steve Wolfe seconded the motion. All members in attendance voted in favor, with no objections, and the motion was carried. Should any members not in attendance for the meeting need information on the current financial position of the club, please reach out to Henning.
Membership -
Cory Samuel reported that the club added four new members since the previous meeting in November: Peter Boyle, Julie Boyle (Associate), Richard McCoy and Chad Warner.
Old business -
Activities Board Member Search - We are still searching for an Activities Board Member to replace Michell Matheron. Any ideas or suggestions?
Alternative meeting locations – We continue to hold the monthly meetings at different locations around Columbus to make participation in the club more attractive and accessible to local BMW motorcycle riders.
The February meeting was held at Motohio. Mike Allen generously provided pizza and refreshments for the members in attendance. The members in attendance continue to be supportive of this initiative. Mike Allen continues to research alternative meeting places. He is still seeking suggestions from the membership for alternate meeting locations. The location of the March meeting was not determined during this meeting. Once it has been determined, Larry will send out an email to all members.
Annual Banquet – While the annual club banquet had been scheduled for Saturday, January 15, 2022, it was cancelled due to concerns regarding the rise in COVID-19 infection rates. We expect to have the banquet next January.
New Club Tent – The new club tent was purchased by Motohio and on display in the showroom for the meeting. All members in attendance had the opportunity to view the tent and expressed their approval of the design and finished product.
Renewal of Ohio Corporate Registration – Larry Laskorski filled out all the paperwork required to renew the club’s corporate registration and to process the change of Statutory Agent from Michelle to Larry. Mike Allen and Larry signed the forms as club President and Secretary, respectively. The executed forms were then forwarded to Henning Carlson to issue the payment of the required filing fees and send the executed documents and payments to the office of Ohio’s Secretary of State. Henning confirmed that payments were issued, and the forms were filed accordingly.
2022 Membership Dues – The increased annual membership dues information ($35) will be posted on the new club website. Larry Laskorski will also highlight the change in an email to all members.
Sunday morning breakfast meetups – These meetups had been suspended over the holidays. Henning Carlsen informed the members in attendance they will resume on the first Sunday of March (6th) at 8:30 AM at the Sunny Street Café, located at 7573 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, OH, 43016. Henning and a few of the members had tried this location out before the holidays and feel that it is a better alternative to Denny’s. While the starting time is 30 minutes earlier than it has historically been at Denny’s, it will allow the participants to socialize and eat at a relaxed pace as the restaurant’s activity level increases later in the morning.
Meeting Dates – The topic of changing the weekday for the monthly meetings to the third Tuesday of the month to allow the membership the opportunity to participate in Motohio’s weekly Wednesday dinner rides. While the members in attendance were in favor of the change, it was decided that Larry would send out an email to the membership to solicit comments before the next meeting with a vote to be held at the March meeting.
New Club Website – Cory Samuel informed the members that the website (buckeyebeemers.com) is live. Please log into the site and check it out. Cory has taken as much information, as possible, from the existing Blog. While this is a public website, there will be a “Members’ Only” section. Access to the Members Only area of the website will be available on an annual basis to members who are current in the payment of their annual dues. For the near future, the payment of dues will continue with payments either being collected at meetings/events or mailed to the Club Treasurer, Henning Carlson. At some point we may modify this process to allow for online dues payments. The membership application can be filled out online or downloaded from the website.
The website will have a home page with links to club calendar of activities/events and meeting locations/addresses, contact information for Board Members, Secretary’s Meeting Minutes, club background information and Bylaws. Members will also be allowed to submit photos and member stories. This Members Only area contain a directory of the members’ name, photo, address, phone number, email address, bikes owned, interests, etc.
With the launch of the new website, the suggestion was made to decommission the old blog site. Larry made a motion to submit the minutes for this meeting on the Blog and new website and then only to the new website from March’s meeting going forward. Cory noted that he must still train Mike Allen and Larry Laskorski as administrators on the website so that they can post both the President’s letter and Secretary’s Meeting Minutes, respectively. Discussion on the motion continued with no further action taken. We will address the decommissioning of the Blog at the next meeting after both Mike and Larry have been added as administrators on the new website.
Also discussed was either converting the current Buckeye Beemers Facebook page to a “Group” where individuals can join the group and interact with other group members on their own rather than the current format where individuals become Facebook Friends with the current site. Mike suggested that we continue to explore this topic further.
New business –
Review of Club Bylaws – Cory stated that as he developed the new club website, he discovered that the existing Bylaws are rather dated and should be reviewed and updated. Cory made a motion that the club’s Bylaws should be sent out to the membership requesting suggestions for updating and comments. Mike Allen seconded the motion. All members in attendance voted in favor, with no objections, and the motion was carried.
Club Support of Charitable Organizations – Smile Train, 633 Third Avenue, 9thC Floor, New York, NY 10017. Historically, the club has made an annual donation to Smile Club. The last time that we made this donation was in 2020 before COVID-19. While all in attendance were in favor of continuing support, it was decided to post the information on this charity to the club’s website and take up the discussion of a donation for 2022 with the membership at a future meeting. Given that the solicitation notice that we received from the charity stated that all contributions received by February 17th would be matched and multiplied five-fold. Mike Allen made a motion to approve the contribution of $250 to Smile Train from the club, and that it be issued and mailed by February 17th. Mike also moved that the information regarding the charity be included on the club's new website. Larry Laskorski seconded the motion. All members in attendance voted in favor, with no objections, and the motion was carried.
Activities – BMW Motorcycles of Greater Cincinnati will be hosting a private screening of Backcountry Discovery Routes - Wyoming on Friday, February 25th at 6:30 PM.
The Wednesday evening dinner rides will start up again in April. Please check Motohio’s website for details as we get closer to the beginning of April. There will be raffle prizes and discounts on stock clothing and accessories. Food will be available for purchase at the Make Life A Ride Café.
Questions raised – None.
Next Meeting –
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, 2022. All members will be notified of the meeting location as soon as it has been determined.
Adjournment - A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Mike Allen at 8:27 PM which was Seconded by Cory Samuell. All members in attendance voted in favor, with no objections, and the motion was carried. Meeting was adjourned.
