Date: May 8, 2012   Location: Café Racer, Seattle    Time: 8 PM to 9:30 PM.

Officers Attending: President: Rob Hodge      Secretary: Ed Rhine      Membership: Randy Agnew       Rides: Kelly Ward

Not attended:  Vice President: Victor Voris (medical)     IT: Andrew Saturn (flat tire)    Historian: Bill Metteer    Treasurer: Don Milgate

PR: Bob Brown (works Tuesday evenings)       Newsletter: Vacant

Important information:

• See Randy Agnew to renew memberships & 5 year patches.
• Next Officer’s meeting – May 21 PM, at Cafe Racer
• Next Member’s Meeting – June 12, 8 PM, at Café Racer

Rides

May

13 – Seattle – Ride to Maple Valley (see details below)

16 – Seattle – Backfire Motto

18-21 – Victoria, BC – Garden City Rally

25-27 – Seattle – Meant to Offend

June

2 – Seattle – Mods & Rockers

2 –Tacoma – LeMay Car Museum opening

6- Seattle – Capitol Hill Climb

16-17 – Tacoma – Two wheels around Tacoma

22-24 – Bellingham – Radioactive Raid

See www.seattlescootersociety.com for details

Meeting Discussions:

• The meeting was sponsored by the Sirens SC. They had a ride starting at 7 PM that went to West Seattle and back, and then one afterwards to the McLeod’s Scottish pub in Ballard for single malt and beer. They also sponsored the raffle at the end of the meeting.  Good going girls!
• President Rob Hodge opened the meeting with some general comments.
• Rob had gone to the Moab rally and had a great time. Sunny, warm, camping along the Colorado River, great rides.  Recommends it for everyone.
• Brochures about the Club & joining the Club are now available.  See President Rob to get some.
• 10-year patches – soon to be available
• Insanity 25 Rally – June 29- July 1 – Mick (Michael Williams), the Insanity chair, gave a detail report of the Insanity rally. The itinerary is pretty set, the patches and T-shirts are in work, evening venues and entertainment are being set, and sponsors have signed up to cover some events. He has posters available.  Mick needs barbeque equipment.  Rob mentioned that Mick should contact Vespa Lynwood. The main sponsor is Doc Martins. Mick needs the Club to get the tax ID set up so Doc Martins has a legit account to work with.  Rob stated he would get the number by the weekend. Earthwise is also chipping in. Mick recommended we go check them out. Mick needs scooter junk for the trophies. Rob said he had a lot of junk to offer.
• STAB Rally – Aug 16-19 – Vince Rowley & Byron Lymburn’s ride to Bend, Oregon.  A two-day ride (approx. 200 miles each day). Luggage transport there, and scooter transport back to Seattle will be available. You need to book your stay for Thursday night, Aug 16, at Hood River, Oregon. Get your $$$ to Byron ASAP.  Kelly is doing a two-day ride back, and Chuck Pefley is doing a one day ride back on his MP3. Contact them if you want to join them.  Flights back – recommend getting the Alaska Air evening flight

$40 – Rally Pack and Big Red’s truck support
$150 – for 2 nights in Bend
$50 – Truck Rental to take scooters back to Seattle (deduct if riding back)

 http://www.face​book.com/groups​/STAB2012/

• Lederhosen and Landjaeger ride – July 7& 8 – Ride Coordinator Kelly’s ride to Leavenworth, WA, and back.  You need to book your Saturday night stay NOW!  Several people are booked into the Evergreen Inn.  There is KOA camping near town. Check the VCOS Facebook.com page for details.

      http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/202956013151161/

• Starfish and Seaweed ride – Aug 4 & 5 – Ride Coordinator Kelly’s ride to Ocean Shores, WA, and back. Check the VCOS Facebook.com page for details. http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/404370059574045/
•  Ride to Darcy’s – May 13 – Seattle to Maple Valley and back – Meet at Café Racer (U-District).  Leave at 11 PM.  Gas stop, and stop to get food and drinks for a picnic at Darcy’s. This will be an all afternoon event. Contact Safety Ed 206-631-0158.
• Rob found out that Sound Speed Scooter went out of business.
• A door prize “raffle” was held at the end of the meeting.  Hurrah for those who won a prize.

  There are a ton of rides and rallies coming up in June, July and August. Get going on your research, and get those rooms and transport booked.

Date: 23 April 2012           Location: Café Racer, U-District, Seattle

Time: approx.  9-10:30 PM

Attending Officers:

President: Rob Hodge     Rides: Kelly Ward    Secretary: Ed Rhine    Treasurer: Don Milgate

Officers not present:

Vice President: Victor Voris (medical issues) PR: Bob Brown     IT: Andrew Saturn     Membership: Randy Agnew     Historian: Bill Metteer    Newsletter: Vacant

Don reported that the brochures were ready to print. Rob volunteered to get them printed

Don volunteered to lead a ride Sunday, May 6^th.

There were general discussions about having the other clubs coming to the meeting. Kelly was going to contact the Sirens

Written by Ed Rhine, Secretary.

Date: April 10, 2012   Location: Café Racer, Seattle       Time: 8 PM to 9 PM.

Officers Attending: President: Rob Hodge    Secretary: Ed Rhine       Membership: Randy Agnew    Rides: Kelly Ward      Treasurer: Don Milgate     Historian: Bill Metteer

Not attended: Vice President: Victor Voris (illness)      IT: Andrew Saturn       PR: Bob Brown (works Tuesday evenings)   Newsletter: Vacant

Important information:

• See Randy Agnew to renew your membership & 5 year patches.
• Next Officer’s meeting – April 23rd, 9 PM, at Cafe Racer
• Next Member’s Meeting – May 8^th, 8 PM, at Café Racer

Rides

April

14 – Ride to Vespa Lynnwood for their Spring Opener. Ride leaves Café Racer at noon.

18 – Seattle – Backfire Motto

May

4-6 – Eugene – May Day Ride

16 – Seattle – Backfire Motto

18-21 – Victoria, BC – Garden City Rally

25-27 – Seattle- Meant to Offend

See www.seattlescootersociety.com for details

Meeting Discussions:

• President Rob Hodge opened the meeting with some general comments. Victor is in bad health.  A card was passed around to sign and send to Victor.  Bob Brown donated a scooter-shaped egg holder as a gift.
• The new membership cards were distributed.  Thanks Don Milgate for doing them.
• Those going to Victoria for the May rally should book their lodging ASAP, as the town fills up with high school bands who will be in the Monday parade. Paul’s Motor Inn is usually the central location.
• 10-year patches – soon to be available
• Brochures about the Club & joining the Club – soon to be available
• Vince Rowley and Byron Lymburn are organizing a ride to Bend, OR, Aug 16-19, as the STAB rally ride. A two day ride (approx. 200 miles each day). Transport of your luggage, and scooter transport back to Seattle will be available.  Contact Vince or Byron.
• Ride Coordinator Kelly announced two long rides for the season.
  • July 7& 8 – Lederhosen and Landjaeger ride to Leavenworth.  Check the VCOS Facebook.com page for details
  • Aug 4 & 5 – Starfish and Seaweed ride to Ocean Shores, WA. Check the VCOS Facebook.com page for details
• Mick (Michael Williams) gave a detail report of the Insanity rally. The itinerary is set, the patches and T-shirts are in work, evening venues and entertainment are being set, and sponsors have signed up to cover some events.  Mick is needing more sponsors, items for the raffle, and support from the other clubs to help with the doing parts of the rally.
•  A door prize “raffle” was held at the end of the meeting.  Hurrah for those who won a prize.

Attending Officers: President: Rob Hodge; Rides: Kelly Ward; PR: Bob Brown; Secretary: Ed Rhine; Membership: Randy Agnew; Treasurer: Don Milgate; IT: Andrew Saturn

Officers not present: Vice President: Victor Voris (medical issues); Historian: Bill Metteer; Newsletter: Vacant

The yahoo.groups is still sending out an automatic e-mail to the officers with the wrong meeting date.  Victor is admin., but Don thinks Vince Rowley is also an admin.  Don is going to contact Vince to determine if Vince can give us admin rights, so we can fix or delete the notice.

Don reported the new membership cards will be available at the next members meeting.

Rob reported that Vespa Lynnwood wants to help support the rally. Rob will contact Mick (Michael Williams), the Insanity rally chair.

Don report the 10-year patches are coming and he was going to get the brochures printed.

Don reported that he was rectifying the Club’s bank account and books.

The effort to get the Club official “social club” status was discussed. Rob, Ed and Don will work as a sub-committee to do the paperwork, determine the changes necessary to the bylaws, etc. Rob had the details, so he was going to send what he had to Don and Ed for review.

Victor has not been present due to some serious health issues. It was decided to get a “Get Well” card and a gift. Don volunteered to get the card and Bob volunteered to get the gift.

Randy had received several rally packets from previous Insanity rallies, containing T-shirts, patches, etc. It was discussed and agreed that we should retain these, and not just give them out as members’ meetings “door” prizes. There was an interest to sell the items at future rallies. It was agreed to have Andrew (IT) post a “let’s trade club swag” notice on the VCOS website, to see if we could get other clubs interested in swapping swag.

This lead to a discussion on having a swag swap meet.  It was discussed to have a barbecue, maybe in June, as a gathering for this. Don volunteered to have it at his home.

As part of the on-going effort to get new members, one initiative was to “reach out” to the other clubs by inviting them to our members meetings. Each month, a different club would be invited, and requested to possibly organize a ride, or something to highlight their club. For April, it was decided to “officially” invite the West Enders SC.

Written by Ed Rhine, Secretary.

Date: February 14, 2012      Location: Café Racer, Seattle      Time: 8 PM to 9 PM

Meeting sponsored by: Sounder SC – they bought the beer.

Officers Attending:     President: Rob Hodge    Secretary: Ed Rhine     Membership: Randy Agnew          Rides: Kelly Ward

Not attended:  Vice President: Victor Voris       Treasurer: Don Milgate     Historian: Bill Metteer    PR: Bob Brown     IT: Andrew Saturn       Newsletter: Vacant

Important information:

• See Randy Agnew to renew your membership.
• Next Officer’s meeting – Feb 27, 8:30 PM, at Cafe Racer
• Next meeting will be sponsored by the Catholic Scoot Troup (They’ll buy the beer)

Rides

February – Vegas – High Rollers Weekend

March –Spring Scoot; Bellingham – St. Patty’s parade and Pi ride

See Seattle Scooter Society webpage for other information

Meeting Discussions:

President Rob Hodge opened the meeting with some general comments.  He mentioned that Victor was not attending due to some major health issues.

Rob brought forth the Officers’ recommendation of establishing the Club as a non-profit social club. The driving factor in this is to get a tax number, so the Club can do financial dealings, like get a regular bank account and set up PayPal accounts.  Currently, the Club has an account with Chase, but it costs a monthly fee to maintain, and could be cancel at any time due to the lack of a tax number. Once established, this also limits the liability of the Club to the Club’s funds.   Rob explained the particulars concerning what the state and federal government required. This entailed some initial paperwork and costs, and some minor yearly paperwork and costs.  Changes are needed to the Club bylaws to match what is required. It was decided that at the next Officers meeting, a sub-committee would be established to review all this and work the details.

Insanity Rally – Micky gave a quick rundown – patches and posters in work. Sponsors are getting lined up. Rally set for June 30, 31.

Kelly Ward, Rides Officer, is working on assembling the list of rides/rallies for next year. These will be posted on the Events section of our website, and possibly, a post card will be created, printed and mailed. Kelly said she is going to plan two long summer rides with overnight stays – one to Ocean Shores and one to Leavenworth.

A door prize “raffle” was held at the end of the meeting. Thanks to Ed Rhine and Randy Agnew for the prizes.

Randy

Date: 24 Jan 2012           Location: Café Racer, U-district, Seattle            Time: approx.  8 – 9 PM

Attending Officers: President: Rob Hodge     Rides: Kelly Ward    Secretary: Ed Rhine   Treasurer: Don Milgate   Membership: Randy Agnew

Officers not present: Vice President: Victor Voris     IT: Andrew Saturn    PR: Bob Brown    Historian: Bill Metteer          Newsletter: Vacant

Others: Scott Randall

Topics Discussed:

• Don Milgate showed the suggested new format for the membership cards.
• Don stated the PayPal account was set up.
• After much discussion over several years, it was decided to proceed with establishing the Club as a no-profit, social club, i.e., obtain 501c7 status. Rob stated he would present this to the members at the February meeting.  Don stated he would check on the paperwork involved.  Rob stated one restriction of this status would be that we would need to switch purchase of the Insanity rally packets to having the money going to people becoming Club members.
• Don stated the brochure was ready to be printed.  The officers approved the printing cost.
• Kelly stated she would get to posting the 2012 Northwest rallies to the web site.
• Kelly said she plans to do two major summer ride – possibly to Ocean Shores in July, and the Cascade loop.
• Rob reiterated that we needed to determine a different time for the officers meeting so all the officers could attend, mainly because Bob Brown works Tuesday evenings.  Each officer is to e-mail him as to when they are available.
• The rest of the meeting was a discussion on how to make the members meetings less boring, i.e., less business, and more social and fun.   The following were discussed:
• Reach out to the other clubs requesting they come to the meetings
• Have the business portion be only 15 minutes –  a quick synopsis
• Have a ride before or after the meeting.
• Include entertainment – door prizes, trivia, scooter talk
• Have the meeting start as a social hour at some other place, and then ride to Café Racer for the meeting.
• Have the other clubs sponsor the meetings – the social hour location, the ride and maybe entertainment.
• For the door prizes, have good ones and really lame ones.
• Scott Randall stated the Sounders Scooter Club would sponsor the February members meeting.

Action Items:

• All officers – 1) collect good and lame door prizes; bring to next members meeting. 2) e-mail Rob concerning when you are available for the officers meeting before the members meeting
• Don – print brochures; bring to members meeting
• Randy – 1) contact Westenders Scooter Club about our new members meeting format, the concept of them sponsoring a meeting, and asking them to attend the next members meeting. 2) ensure the roll of tickets is available at the next members meeting for door prizes
• Scott Randall – coordinate with Sounders Scooter Club members on sponsoring the next members meeting
• Kelly – 1) contact Sirens Scooter Club about our new members meeting format, the concept of them sponsoring a meeting, and asking them to attend the next members meeting. 2) post NW rallies to the web site 3) start working on long rides for the summer.
• Rob – 1) inform Victor of the new members meeting format 2) provide Ed any notes from the January members meeting
• Ed – ensure the officers meeting minutes have specific action items listed.

The following were discussed at the previous officers meeting.  Further discussion and decisions need to occur.

• Each officer should have access to post information to the vespaclubofseattle.info website. Andrew requested the new officers send him an e-mail with an account name and password.
• Establish an alias e-mail link on the website for each officer.  Standardize it by listing the office, with the links diverting to the officers’ real e-mail.
• Re-energize the yahoo groups account for better communication amongst the officers. Follow up with Victor on re-establishing our apparent existing one.
• Membership signup form on the website.
• Work with the scooter-selling sponsors to provide information about the Club to scooter buyers.
• Request the sponsors to ask a scooter buyer if it was ok that the Club contacted them about the Club. Investigate the need for a signed release form. Possibly give each scooter buyer a coupon for a free year’s VCOS membership, which could be redeemed if they came to the members meeting.
• Follow up with Victor on the suggestion to have the scooter-selling businesses review their previous year’s scooter sales for potentially contacting those people about the Club.
• Discuss creating new VCOS memorabilia.
• Club liability form for someone having an accident on a VCOS ride.
• Follow up with Victor checking into liability insurance for the officers through the AMA.

Written by Ed Rhine, Secretary.