Planning Meeting Minutes 5/2/08

Hello Everyone,

We had our summer planning meeting at the Lincoln Inn in Essex Junction, and 20 members were present. I am happy to say that there are many new club members and there seems to be a very much renewed interest in club activities. We talked about a lot of things and have put together a rough summer schedule of events but mostly we talked about club structure - how it will work - how we will keep members informed - how to spread the workload around more evenly. We made good progress and I can say that I feel we are in the best position I can remember to put together a stronger club. So here's a sketch of what we talked about:

Summer 2008 Events

Wednesday night fun nights - every Wednesday from June through September, weather permitting
Spring Run - May 17th -18th - Stowe Vermont
Ferry and lunch - June 22nd - Charlotte Ferry to Essex, NY for a lakeside lunch
Dave Soons Day - July date TBD - Ferry to NY, short drive, ferry to VT, hang out and swim and eat all day
Wine Tour - August date TBD - cruise the vineyards of the Eastern Townships, have lunch, return
Adirondack/Lake Placid Tour, September date TBD - Ferry, breakfast, ride, Lake Placid, return
Fall Foliage Tour - October date TBD - Leaf peeping, lunch, return
Holiday Party - December date TBD

All of the above events will be published in detail at the club website http://www.greenmountainmiataclub.org/ as soon as possible. The website is a bit behind, but efforts are underway to rectify that. Look for current information often. It will be up to speed in the very near future.



1. After much discussion we remain a member-run democracy, with no elected officers but rather a new way of dividing responsibilities on a revolving basis.

2. Monthly meetings will be held for all members on the first Friday of every month unless the first Friday is part of a holiday weekend, in which case the meeting will be on the second Friday of the month. Time and location will be announced and posted on the website. These meetings will serve the dual purpose of building relationships and of assigning responsibilities for the upcoming month. For instance: at our next meeting on June 6th sponsored by Linda Seavey and Joyce Silveira we will put together our schedule for Wednesday nights during June and make any additions to the schedule that people want to make. We decided on a date for July's meeting that will be sponsored by Larry and Pam Folsom on July 11th, location TBD.

3. Patti Cook and Pam Goselin have offered to be the contact people for submission of ideas for our Wednesday night fun nights. This means that if you have an idea of something you think may be fun for the club to do, such as a cookout, an outdoor concert or anything at all, you will have a way to spread the word to the membership. PLEASE feel free to be flexible. For instance, if there is something special that is happening on a Thursday evening such as a free concert and wine tasting, then feel free to bring it to Patti and or Pam's attention. They will see to it that the word get's out. We will have a button on the website http://www.greenmountainmiataclub.org/ labeled "WEDNESDAY NIGHT FUN NIGHTS" ( aka: "For a good time call Pam and Patti" ) This is where you will go to submit your brilliant ideas and you will be linked to Patti and Pam's email addresses. Just write up your idea, set the time and place and any other pertinent information and send it to Pam and Patti. They will take of the rest.

That's it in a nutshell, I hope it was clear. The most important thing is to know that this club is about having fun. Everything else is secondary and this should be one place that is uncomplicated and where you know that your input and your ideas are as important as anyone else's. That's why we have left out the board of officers. We all have equal say. If you want to have input into what we do and to feel connected, then come to our monthlky meetings and visit the website often http://www.greenmountainmiataclub.org/ The website will be updated very soon, so check back often for changes and updates.

Remember the first event of the season is coming up soon in Stowe, drivers meeting at the Commodore Inn is at 8:00 AM, it normally lasts for half an hour and is mandatory. If you plan on driving in the ride be at the meeting, we will depart as soon as the meeting is over. The same time and place for Sunday's ride. Look for details on the website soon http://www.greenmountainmiataclub.org/ and I will send an email reminder with details next week.

Think Sun and Warmth,
Tom Brown