Lehigh Valley Kayak and Canoe Club
PO Box 20194, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002
LVKCC MINUTES – November 7, 2019
Wildlands Conservancy – 3701 Orchid Place, Emmaus, PA 18049
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Executive Committee Members Present:
President — Linda A. Martin
Vice President — Pat Beltz
Recording Secretary — Joe Ondek
Treasurer — Dave Dawson
Membership Secretary — Paula Rempp
Webmaster — Dan Rempp
Members at Large — Pat Beltz & Jim Schulte
Education Instructor Coordinator — Scott Douglas
General Members Present (count): (27) Members (2) Guest
The meeting was preceded by a presentation from Jerry McAward, President of Jim Thorpe River Adventure, Northeast PA Kayak School and President of Lehighton Outdoor Center. Jerry grew up on Long Island, NY and began his kayaking adventures in the early 1980’s which eventually evolved into a career with Pocono Whitewater and future organizations. He explained the importance local clubs like LVKCC have in the global kayaking community and their ability to introduce new people to the sport through their training programs and opportunities to network with like-minded individuals. Jerry later shared his 12 day adventure kayaking the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
Linda Martin called the membership meeting to order at 7:34 pm and presented the following agenda
- Recording Secretary Report – Minutes October 3 – Joe Ondeck
- Treasurers Report – November – David Dawson
- Members Secretary Report – Paula Rempp
- Web Master Report – Dan Rempp
- Educational Instructors Report – Scott Douglas
- Old Business
- Gabions – Hans Wagner
- Walnutport Festival – Bob Brunda
- Bylaws Committee – Chairman Dave Dawson – Pat, Linda, Jane, Sheldon and Hans
- Lafayette Pool – volunteer(s) to help Pat Beltz – Volunteers to clean boats – Life Guard training
- Business Cards – Dave Dawson
- Christmas/Holiday Party December 6, 2019 Rudy’s Bar – Joanne Novak
- Slate of proposed Officers for 2020 and elections – Scott Douglas
- New Business
- Spring Sea Kayaking Trip – Murray Grove Lanoka Harbor NJ. – David Dawson
- Pool Reimbursements-
- January Executive meeting
Secretary Report
A motion was made to accept the October General Membership meeting minutes as posted on the club website.
MP – Gery Kirkner MS – Eric Schweitzer P – Majority O – One
Treasurer Report
Dave Dawson presented the October 2019 Financial Report.
- Expenses for October 2019 totaled $6,204.16
- Revenue for October 2019 totaled $496.83
- Ending checking account balance = $4,594.67
- Ending savings account balance = $14,275.71
Notable expenses incurred during October included the $3978 check issued to Lafayette College for the 2020 pool rental and a $1975 deposit for the scheduled Spring sea kayaking trip.
A motion was made to accept the October 2019 Treasurer Report.
MP – Dan Rempp MS – Hans Wagner P – Majority O – None
Membership Secretary Report
Paula Rempp presented the following membership statistics:
- 356 individual dues paying members (+10)
- 223 families represented (+6)
- 1653 Facebook (+10)
- 1161 Meetup (+25)
Webmaster Report
Dan Rempp suggested that going forward more LVKCC club events will be posted and scheduled using Meetup and members who have not already should consider joining. The objective is to have one primary source for coordinating future club events.
Education Report
- The 2019 education series culminated at Toh Fest. There were 8 participants that attended the beginners trip on Saturday, November 2nd and 5 participants for the intermediate trip Sunday, November 3rd.
- The 2020 education series begins with the Pool Sessions scheduled at Lafayette College.
Gabions in Lehigh Parkway
Hans Wagner did not have any updates on progress with the Allentown Parks Department to address the gabions on the Little Lehigh creek.
Walnutport Festival
Bob Brunda provided an update from the event that occurred October 20, 2019. Inclement weather had an impact on this year’s attendance with only 12 people taking advantage of the canoe rides. In addition to Bob, other club members that helped with the festival included Dan Morton, Nick Rosato, Jim Schulte, Sharon Karpizan, Dave Frei, Dan Rempp, Bill Smith, Randy Padfield, and Gery Kirkner.
Bylaws Committee
Suggested changes to the club bylaws were previously emailed to all club members and are posted on the website for review. A summary of the changes include:
- Article 3 – membership year will run from Jan 1 through December 31. Dues paid by new members joining in November and December will include membership for the following membership year.
- Article 5 – LVKCC Executive Committee members are limited to Officers elected by the club membership. Standing Committee and Special Committee heads appointed by the club President will no longer be considered Executive Committee members.
- Article 6 – clearly define responsibilities for Special Committees at formal club meetings
Lafayette Pool
Pat Beltz will coordinate participant registration and equipment needs. Volunteers are requested to help at the pool on the evenings the sessions occur. This includes collecting payments for individual and family practice sessions, helping coordinate activities poolside and boat inspectors.
Individual evenings will be posted on Meetup. If each member would commit to doing just one evening.
Jim Schulte announced that training for the Lafayette pool lifeguards is scheduled for Sunday, November 17 (time to be confirmed).
Christmas/Holiday Party
The party will take place on December 6th at the following location.
Rudy’s Diner Bar and Grill
1406 Center Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018.
Individuals can choose from four pre-selected menu items. Per person cost will be about $15 and you can request individual checks. There will be a cash bar and LVKCC will provide a sheet cake for dessert. Party registration will be posted on Meetup.
Election of Officers
Scott Douglas announced the list of individuals previously nominated for the open Executive Officer positions. Scott then opened the floor for each individual position to request new nominations. The process was closed with the final list of nominations for each position:
- President – Pat Beltz
- Vice President – Dan Morton and Skip Moyer
- Members at Large – Gery Kirkner and Sheldon Linn
- Secretary – Tracy Lenoir
- Membership Secretary – Paula Rempp
- Treasurer – Dave Dawson
A show-of-hands vote was conducted among the present membership and the result of the election is as follows:
- President – Pat Beltz (Unanimous)
- Vice President –Skip Moyer (Majority)
- Members at Large – Gery Kirkner (Unanimous)
Sheldon Linn (Unanimous)
- Secretary – Tracy Lenoir (Unanimous)
- Membership Secretary – Paula Rempp (Unanimous)
- Treasurer – Dave Dawson (Unanimous)
The term for the newly elected officers begins January 1, 2020. Congratulations to our new Executive Officers!
Spring Sea Kayak Trip
Dave Dawson announced the spring trip scheduled for May 15-18 in Murray Grove Lanoka Harbor, NJ. The trip will explore the north end of Barnegat Bay. Accommodations include individual dorm rooms with 2 beds, full kitchen and family/meeting room. Approximate cost is $150-200 per person for 4 days plus food. Camping is also available for approximately $75. A $50 non-refundable deposit is required to register for the trip which will be soon posted on Meetup.
Pool Reimbursements
Postponed until January Executive Committee meeting.
Executive Committee Meeting
Will take place January 10th beginning at 6:30 pm at the home of Dave & Caroline Dawson
499 Rosewood Dr.
Northampton, Pa. 18067.
(Despite the address, they actually reside in Cherryville, not Northampton. Google works well to find the location)
Business Cards
Dave Dawson had new cards printed that he handed out to members and guests present at the meeting.
A motion was made at 9:25 pm to adjourn the meeting.
MP – Jim Schulte MS – Skip Moyer
Respectfully submitted: Joe Ondek – Recording Secretary