NORTHSIDE SNOWMOBILE CLUB of BATTLE CREEK MICHIGAN, U.S.A.

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14 March 2007

As I write this, I’m starting to think of how the sleds will be maintained and stored for the summer and toying with the idea of organizing my golf equipment. I’m still hoping for one more blast and one more ride on our Northside Trail before we tear it down for the season. Those of you that volunteered to help maintain the trail should be hearing from Chad by the end of the month. Chad will brief his plan for trail removal at the Spring General Membership Meeting on March 24th at the Irish Pub.

I encourage you all to attend this years Spring General Membership Meeting and show your support for all our hard working directors.

We have 6 positions to fill on the board of directors at the Spring Meeting, as well as an appointed position, Historian. The only requirement for nomination is that you are a member in good standing (dues paid) and are 18 years of age. The board meets from August through early April. In terms of time, the average position consumes about 2 ½ hours a month and another 20 to 40 hours spread across 6 ½ months (that’s an average of about 5 or 10 minutes per day). If you are willing to give a little extra back to the club by serving a 2-year term as a director, please contact me at 269-968-4936.

Also, be advised that there are proposed changes to the constitution to be voted upon at the Spring General Membership Meeting. You will find information on the proposals in the February newsletter.

Rita, Denise and I discussed the idea of a fall golf tournament for the membership. If you are interested or have some ideas on the format, please share them with us at the General Membership Meeting.

Think Golf,

Kim T. Leach
 

07 February 2007

Well here it is February and we’re just getting started! A month and a half to go and we’ll start thinking about taking down the trail.  8^(     As of this writing (2/7/7) the trail is open even though there is not the requisite 4” of snow in all areas.  Larry and Don assure me that there is sufficient ice protection to cross the fields.  However, please take care not to damage any crops, especially if your track is studded.  And if we have a melt down the trail will be closed again.

Well the trails as a whole weren’t all that good for the club trip in Mancelona.  However, there were some pretty nice stretches and the camaraderie on those treks was great!  I had a wonderful time snowmobiling with those of you there on Thursday and Friday.  Denise is now officially part of the Fast Group after keeping up with Jerry and me!  The nightlife was good too. Although I heard the service at Caruso’s wasn’t the best.  Thursday night at Club 131 I was introduced to a Jager-Bomb (not recommended) and I think I heard Chad & Terry singing some karaoke as I left.  Overall I thought that Rita and her committee (Terry) did a great job organizing their first trip for the club as well as all our social events this year.  Please give them a pat on the back and a big THANK YOU for all they have done for us!

At the end of March the club will hold its “Spring” General Membership Meeting.  We have 7 positions to fill on the board of directors as well as an appointed position, Historian.  The board meets from August through early April.  In terms of time, the average position consumes about 2 ½ hours a month and another 20 to 40 hours spread across 6 ½ months (that’s an average of about 5 or 10 minutes per day).  The only requirement for nomination is that you are a member in good standing (dues paid) and are 18 years of age.  If you are willing to give a little extra back to the club by serving a 2-year term as a director, please contact me at 269-968-4936.

Also, be advised that there are proposed changes to the constitution to be voted upon at the Spring General Membership Meeting.  You will find information on meeting and the proposals in the newsletter.

I encourage you all to attend this years Spring General Membership Meeting and show your support for our hard working directors.

And as always, I also encourage you all to attend the board meetings when you can.  We have had several members attend the board meetings this year.  This is a refreshing change and Bill N. says I have quite a way with a gavel!  If you’d like to see “the gavel” in action, our board meetings are generally the first Tuesday of the month. However the next meeting is on the 2^nd Tuesday, March 13^th at Chad Lattimer’s.  Supper 6:30 PM, Business meeting 7:00 PM. Please call Chad, at least 3 days prior to the meeting; to RSVP if you wish to join us for supper so that we can arrange for enough food (I think Chad is getting pizzas this time). Cost is usually $3 to $6 per person and it’s BYO-Beverage of choice. 

Think SNOW,

Kim T. Leach

10 January 2007

I am please to announce the appointment of Mike Wilbur to fill a vacant director position.  Also, the board of directors has elected him as Vice-President at our fifth board meeting of the 2007 season on January 9th.  The draft minutes will be on the web site soon as well as the approved December minutes.

I am excited about the club trip in Mancelona.  Jerry, Chad, Terry and I will find an appropriate establishment, and hopefully we can have a little reception for those arriving by Friday evening.  Check the front desk at the Mancelona Motel for a list of activities that Rita and Terry are preparing.  Chad predicts there will be abundant snow for the trip!

The trail is ready to go; all we need is frozen ground and 4 inches of snow.  If you see, Larry Crandall, Don Smith, or Chad Latimer give them a big THANK YOU as they did the bulk of the work this year getting the trail ready to go.  We have another article for you this month from Chad on some spots to watch out for along the trail.  It is important that you read and head his warnings!

And as always, I encourage you all to attend the board meetings when you can, generally the first Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is Feb. 6th.  Supper 6:30 PM, Business meeting 7:00 PM; call your board representative for location and to RSVP for supper or not.  If you wish to attend the dinner prior to a board meeting please call 4 days prior to the meeting so that we can arrange for the food (usually $3 to $5 + BYO-Beverage). 

Think SNOW,

Kim T. Leach

18 December 2006

I am looking forward the club trip in Mancelona. I probably won’t be able to make the club ride on Saturday but will be there Thursday and Friday. Jerry and I will find an appropriate watering hole, and hopefully we can have a little get- together for those already there and those arriving Friday.

The board of directors had our fourth meeting of the 2007 season on Dec. 5th. The draft minutes will be on the web site soon as well as the approved November minutes.* Our nominations chair resigned this month but on the other hand, I believe we have found someone to fill a vacant board position and is willing to be elected as Vice-President. If any of you are interested in filling the vacant Nominations Committee Chair or Historian position, please contact me at 968-4936. Your directors continue to do a great job and as of the 5th all land acquisition and trail marking are done with 2 small exceptions and some rework where Consumers had to access property on the trail. We had a couple of interesting articles for you this month in the Northside News; Chad had an article on trail usage and maintenance and Greg had one on trail safety.  December's newsletter will be your last unless you renew your membership. Membership fees were due December 1st. A membership application is enclosed in this newsletter.

And as always, I encourage you all to attend the board meetings when you can, generally the first Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is January 9th. Supper 6:30 PM, Business meeting 7:00 PM; call your board representative for location and to RSVP for supper or not. If you wish to attend the dinner prior to a board meeting please call 4 days prior to the meeting so that we can arrange for the food (usually $3 to $5 + BYOB).

Think SNOW,

Kim T. Leach
 

8 November 2006 

At the General Membership Meeting we modified the Constitution and By-Laws, specifically ARTICLE VI (MEETINGS / MEMBERSHIP / FINANCES), Section 1, to define a quorum.  For those of you who weren't at the General Membership Meeting, it was not well attended.  Only 24 people showed up. Please realize that a small number of our membership are in position to elect leaders, set fees and make any decisions concerning your trail.  If anyone has any ideas on how to increase attendance and involvement, please contact me.  The Vice-President and Historian positions remain vacant.

I am looking forward to two big annual events coming up, you may want mark your calendars; the annual Christmas Party and the annual club trip.  Rita has found a great location for the club trip has figured out a loop for the family group with stopping points that have interest for parents and youngsters alike.  See more on these events in the newsletter.  About 45 of us attended the Halloween Party and had a great time, many thanks to Rita and Terry. Also, a big thank you to Larry and Gloria for hosting and helping organize the party.

A short report on our four point plan for participation and efficiency improvements outlined in the August newsletter:

1. Efficiently Operate Board Meetings:  The directors have done a good job on being prepared for board meetings this year. The changes have finally begun to bear fruit.  Our meeting this month only took only 59 minutes!  In addition to being more efficient; I think we are more productive and have had more fun attending the meetings with the updated format and surroundings.
2. Make and keep an Up To Date Calendar of Club Meetings and Events:  Our calendar has been finalized and projected through April of 2008.  It is also posted on our web site* and has been published in our newsletter.  Any changes will be reflected in the newsletter and on the web site.
3. Recruit Committee Members and Revitalize Adopt-A-Trail:  There have been a couple of sections of the trail adopted, however trail and meeting participation has not been that high overall.  We will have a big push to finish the trail over the next month.  Please contact Chad to volunteer for trail duties or adopt a small section of the trail for marking; contact me for other volunteerism.
4. Expand the Size and Breadth of Information in our Newsletter:  We are still working on this.  Please see Greg’s article in the December version of this newsletter.

The board of directors had our third meeting of the 2007 season on Oct. 3^rd.  The draft minutes will be on the web site soon as well as the approved October minutes and the Fall General Membership Meeting minutes.**   If any of you are interested in filling the vacant Vice-President or Historian positions, please contact me at 968-4936.  Our board is shorthanded and some committees have little experience.  However you board is doing a tremendous job!  Give them a big THANK YOU next time you see one of the board members. 

And as always, I encourage you all to attend the board meetings when you can, generally the first Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is December 5^th.  Supper 6:30 PM, Business meeting 7:00 PM; call your board representative for location and to RSVP for supper or not.  If you wish to attend the dinner prior to a board meeting please call 4 days prior to the meeting so that we can arrange for the food (usually $3 to $5 – BYOB). 

Think SNOW,

Kim T. Leach

September 19, 2006

The board of directors had our second meeting of the 2007 season on Sept 12th. The draft minutes are on the web site as well as the approved July minutes. Things are progressing nicely on the plan for trail clearing and marking as well as our social events for the season. Please see the other articles enclosed for more on these subjects. I am pleased to announce that Ms. Sharon Gresly allowed me to appoint her to the board of directors, and was subsequently elected to the vacant office of Secretary. The Vice-President position is still vacant as well as the Historian position. In the interim, if you have pictures to contribute to our archive, please contact me.

A short report on our four point plan for participation and efficiency improvements outlined in the August newsletter:

1. Efficiently Operating Board Meetings: The additional structure in the meetings seems to be allowing us to get through more information in the time used.
2. Make and keep an Up To Date Calendar of Club Meetings and Events: Our calendar has been finalized and is posted on our web site and in part in this newsletter. Updates will be published in subsequent newsletters as necessary.
3. Recruit Committee Members and Revitalize Adopt-A-Trail: Too early to have made any real progress. Please see Chad’s articles or the web site for info on Adopt-A-Trail; for which we have already had a couple of volunteers..
4. Expand the Size and Breadth of Information in our Newsletter: We are still working on this.

I’ll update you again in the November.

If any of you are interested in filling the vacant Vice-President or Historian positions, please contact me at 968-4936. And once again, I encourage you all to attend the board meetings when you can, generally the first Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is Oct. 3rd. Supper 6:30 PM, Business meeting 7:00 PM – check the web or call your board representative for location and to RSVP for supper or not. I would ask that if you wish to attend the dinner prior to the board meetings that you call 4 days prior to that meeting so that we can contact the person bringing the food.

Think SNOW,

Kim T. Leach
President 2006-2007
 

September 2, 2006

Hello, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Kim Leach and was elected as your president for 2006-2007.  I am also acting as Vice President since we are two directors short of a full board (Jerry Cook is currently Secretary/Treasurer).  My family has been members of the club for 8 years and I have served 6 years on the board of directors.  My wife, Kim S. (Mrs. Kim), and I have 2 boys and all four of us love the sport of snowmobiling. You’ll know it’s us on the trail when you see a red and black Polaris XC followed by 3 purple Indy’s.  We only got out on the trail once last year but I have it on good authority that our past president has guaranteed that this will be a better season for snow.

The board of directors had our first meeting of the 2007 season on July 25^th, (Look for meeting minutes on the web soon).  We have gone back to a past practice of hosting the board meetings at a board members home just sitting in a living room, garage or pole barn; taking turns arranging for take out (we pass the hat to cover this), in a more relaxed and quieter atmosphere.  In addition to the usual tasks associated with gearing up for the new snowmobile season, we discussed how to increase participation in trail maintenance, club events and the running of the club.  Coming out of that, we will try four things this year. 

First, make the board meeting a little more efficient when it comes to the perfunctory things that we do each meeting and each season.  We will attempt to limit the actual business meetings to one and one-half hours. This also includes more structured officer and committee reports.  Agenda items will be submitted a week in advance and distributed to the board members so they may be prepared prior to the meetings.  Hopefully, in this way, instead of hop-scotching through various topics we will get through the business that has to be completed each month faster and leave us more time to discuss new business and each new idea in depth. 

Second, we will make and keep an up to date calendar of club meetings and events and distribute it to the membership (probably in September).  This will aid our directors and general membership in planning for and around these events.  As changes are made, notices will be updated the next day on the web and also noted in the very next newsletter.

Third, the directors will try to actively recruit club members to work on and learn about their committee duties.  Hopefully, after a few years we will grow some new director candidates.  We will utilize the check offs for the standing committees from the 2006 application forms to start this process.  The Adopt-A-Trail program will also be revitalized (see Chad’s Article).  Also, if you would really like to work on a committee or particular event, call the committee chair (see the front of the newsletter); they will be really glad to hear from you!

Forth, we will investigate expanding the size and breadth of information in our newsletter.  We discussed several ideas for improvements including, pictures, safety articles, “history of the club” articles and contests (note this might mean more ads).  If you have ideas please call your board representative or call Kris.

If any of you are interested in filling one of the vacant officer positions, (we are most in need of a good note-taker for secretary), please contact me at 968-4936.  I encourage you all to attend the board meetings, generally the first Tuesday of the month (Supper 6:30 PM, Business meeting 7:00 PM – check the web for location or call me) and we especially need you to attend the general membership meetings. 

I look forward to leading the club and serving the membership this coming year.

President 2006-2007

 
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