ABATE of Indiana Inc. Board of Directors Meeting
September 13, 2009 -- Freedom Hall, Ft. Wayne, IN

Executive Director Jay Jackson called the meeting to order at 12:30pm. Everyone rose for the Pledge of Allegiance. Those present were: Region 00-Ray and Teresa Bodle, Region 01-Lisa Gordon and Wayne Kopec, Region 02-Dave Frosty, Nancy May, and Dirty Jeff, Region 03-Scotty Barker and Bobby Basil, Region 04-Jan Johns, Region 05-Joe Adams, Region 06-Bob Stoner, Region 07-Kenny and Barb Harris, Region 09-Mo Kintner, Region 11-Kenny Casey and Mike Lowe, Region 12-David Hawkins, Region 13-Skip Willis, LINC-Mike Meyer, ImPAC-Mike Seiler, State Office-Edie Seiler, Tina McCormack, and Gary Williams. Regions 08 and 10 were not present.

ITEM 1: Tina distributed financial reports for May and June and highlighted a few details. Discussion followed. Boogie revenues were discussed.

ABATE has a contract compliance issue regarding insurance. Insurance quotes have been requested. Discussion followed.

Jay approached the board concerning the Meeting of the Minds and ABATE of Indiana’s donation to the MRF.

(Motion 1)

No questions were presented since the last BOD meeting concerning the March and April financials.
.
(Motion 2)

ITEM 2: Jay stated that Ad Com members were not able to get together today. Ad Com continues to evaluate the possibility of finding a new home for the State Office. Ideally they are looking for something in Marion County closer to Indianapolis. Rod is looking for foreclosed properties or businesses looking to donate a facility. The dream is that we could have a facility that would also house a motorcycle safety training site. Discussion followed.

The Bargersville office is in need of some renovation which could incur a couple of thousand dollars in expense including individual office space changes, shelving, and signage.

ITEM 3: Gary stated that the sprucing up of Freedom Hall has shown in the attendance. The cupola on the roof is rotting letting water infiltrate the building. Bids have been accepted to remove and dispose of the cupola, repair the hole, install new roof decking and siding, ice and water shields as needed and new siding. Prestige Roofing came in with the cheapest bid. Izzy obtained references for them along with a report from the BBB. Discussion followed.

(Motion 3)
Jay thanked Gary, Izzy, Mike and Joe for help with the Bingo Hall. Patrons have commented on the improvements made. Gary intends to get another company to come in and inspect the fire system. The winter plan is to continue sprucing up the inside of the facility. Discussion followed.
Another Bingo operation is going to open on the north side of Ft Wayne. Neither Izzy nor Gary expects it to have much impact on our attendance.

ITEM 4: The memorial at LCRP is looking good. Attendance is up with people riding and camping. Families are coming in from as far as Missouri. IXCR had a good race and has another one scheduled for October 18th. We expect about 600 riders during the event. The stairway was discussed. Members of Region 06 will continue to work the food tent during these events.

Jay stated that we continue to have people express interest in renting the property. These are evaluated on a case by case basis.

ITEM 5: Gary informed everyone that ABATE Products and ABATE USA have moved into the office. Currently, an inventory of supplies and construction of storage space is underway. Teresa Bodle asked about the circumstances behind the Products rep moving into the office. Gary addressed the discussions that took place, hours and pay concerning this position. The intent is to decrease the inventory on hand and freshen up the product line. Discussion followed. The move should increase efficiency and cut down on cost. Requests were made for a new catalogue to be available at Fall Seminar. Jay looks for an increase in products to be set up at region events. A suggestion was made by Dave Frost to produce a Boogie sticker.

ITEM 6: State Charity was discussed. A few events are yet to be held. Kenny Casey stated that charities need to be submitted to the Ad Com. Jay stated that as of yet, there have been no new charity submissions.

ITEM 7: Jay stated he was unable to attend the SMSA conference this year. There was a move at the conference to add individuals to the board that do not utilize the MSF curriculum.

Under the new Superintendent of Public Education, the MSD is not a good fit for the Department of Education. It is likely that the program will move to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI). John Bodeker, former program coordinator at the DOE is now working for ICJI so it should make a perfect fit. Any state agency will give us credibility.

The latest numbers as of the end of Aug 08 reflect 74 motorcycle fatalities and 13 moped fatalities (87 total) which is down two motorcycles but up two mopeds over last year at during this period.

BMV included us in the secure ID program.

Governor’s Highway Safety Association is looking at a zero death goal on the roads. Last year there was a record low in automobiles including light and big trucks. The only increase in fatalities was with motorcycles.

Rider Ed enrollment is down. We began the year with a 15% cut in classes to adjust for the budget. Other states are having similar problems. Tina stated that we have had a high number of requests for the registration fee refund.

The training DVD was discussed.

ITEM 8: Jay stated the Consumer Product Safety Commission had a hearing to gain more information on restrictions placed on sales of motorcycles and ATV’s to kids under age 15. No report on that meeting yet.

There is a push by a city councilmen in Indianapolis to have designated motorcycle parking.

Illegal equipment tickets pertaining to handlebar height are being issued. The State Police is looking into probable cause for pulling individuals over to verify licensing etc. This is topic for our legislative agenda in 2010. If so, we look to use California’s legislation as a model which references shoulder height. Jay and Gary are working on a prototype measuring device to take into the hearings. Several reports are that the officers are not measuring the handlebars when issuing the tickets. Have members contact the ABATE office if they have concerns or questions. License plate orientation was discussed.

In addition to handlebar height, our legislative agenda for 2010 will include cleaning up temporary motorcycle learners permit, motorcycle only license, 30 day wait period for testing, and moped clarification. Joe Adams stated that Richmond has a moped ordinance. Jay stated that there needs to be a motor vehicle code statewide rather than each city having their own.
Right of Way legislation will be looked at again.

Mike Meyer reminded everyone that with the short session next year things can move quickly. Make sure your phone trees are in place.

ITEM 9: Things to hit on at Fall Seminar would be products to include individual event products. Ultimately we would like to take all event orders to one provider to obtain the best deal for all. Frosty stated that he liked the break out sessions at Fall Seminar. The advantage to a general session is that everyone gets the same information. Discussion followed. Frosty volunteered to help at the seminar. Event expenses were discussed. Teresa, Skip, and Lisa volunteered to help with training at the Fall Seminar. Teresa reminded everyone to bring items for the seminar. There will be a new printing of the guidebook. Joe stated that people need to be reminded of the heritage of the organization.

ITEM 10: Jay brought up the Tour Program. The board agreed that we need to keep the Tour Program but fine tune it. Jeff Willingham volunteered to work with Bill McKinley to work on the program. Region 01 expressed concern over the use of the all events pass won from participating in the tour program being used at a charity event. Discussion followed.

This year ABATE partnered with: Live Nation on the Summer of Music concert series; the Governor’s office the Ride with the Governor; BMV; Indiana State Fair-ABATE of Indiana Motorcycle Day at the State Fair; Indianapolis Motor Speedway-Moto GP; IMPD-Motorcycles on Meridian; and American Legion Riders-road captain training. ABATE of Indiana has become synonymous with motorcycles in the state of Indiana.

Bob Stoner asked about road captain training for officers. Jay stated we could look into this.

Joe Adams stated we need banners for gear check station noting who we are and we need to take care of our people. He was approached by people downtown at Motorcycles on Meridian about port-o-lets. Discussion followed.

Kenny Harris asked if ABATE Officers get a complimentary safety class. Jay stated that they can readdress that at the Fall Seminar and the Coordinator’s meeting.

ITEM 11: Fall Party workers list needs to be submitted by September 30th. The party is Oct 17 at LCRP to follow the BOD meeting. The BOD meeting will begin at 2pm.

Teresa asked about Cyndii’s workload. Jay stated that we are working on optimizing efficiency throughout the office.

Bob Stoner asked if Jay’s new position as Vice President of the MRF will interfere with his time. Jay stated that it should not be any different than what it was as the Safety Director for MRF.

Teresa asked about the Ad Com positions. Jay stated that in November he believes the schedule used for rotation of the Ad Com will require him to appoint one person and the board will need to elect one.

ITEM 12: Tina reviewed the preliminary Boogie financials. There will be some changes made. Gino has not looked over the report yet. Discussion followed. Tina will bring labor breakdowns to the next BOD meeting. Sponsors were discussed.

*Action item-thank you banner.

2010 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Boogie. Discussion on entertainment took place. Try to not repeat bands. Alternative entertainment suggestions were made.

Discussion took place concerning incidents at the event. Recommendations for heightened security on the stage were made. Jay stated that they were looking at security having stations rather than just roaming the grounds.

(Motion 4)

Respectfully submitted,

Kim Tyger

MOTIONS

Motion 1: Kenny Casey made a motion to donate $1 per member to the MRF ($28,000). Teresa Bodle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried.
Motion 2: Kenny Casey made a motion to approve the March and April financials. Dave Hawkins seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried.

Motion 3: Lisa Gordon made a motion to accept the bid to repair the cupola at Freedom Hall. Teresa Bodle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried.

Motion 4: Kenny Casey made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Kenny Harris seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried.