BOD Meeting Minutes – June 2015

BOD Meeting of 1 June 2015

PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Larry Ohda, Randy Scott, Sam Parkinson, Harley Shepherd, Clay Buehler, and Terry VanDerBoom

ABSENT:   None

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 1735 BY PRESIDENT SAM VALENZA

Minutes of 4 May 2015 – Accepted as presented 6-0

  1. Treasurers Report – Accepted as read, attached by reference
  2. 2015 Projects
    1. Hand gun range pulley system – in process
    2. Construction of 5 stand deck – tabled
    3. Electrical power for 5 stand area – tabled
    4. Cameras for 5 stand and pistol range – tabled
  3. 2015 Events
    1. Vintage shoot – 20 June 20 – information on club bulletin board
    2. Registered skeet shoot – August 15 and 16
    3. Old Geezer shoot – 5 September – information on club bulletin bb
    4. Landfill Lunch – 8 September
    5. Turkey Shoot – 7 November – information on club bb
    6. Braggin Rights shoot – 10 October
  4. New Business
    1. Club offer to S&T to purchase on 5 May – No response – President will inform the general membership via his newsletter that no response has been received
    2. Conduction of shooting classes for personal gain
      1. Forbidden – a motion to direct the secretary to send a letter to a possible violator and possible repercussions – App 6-0
    3. New club policy regarding use of club facilities and property
      1. Motion made to establish policy to clearly state rules – App 6-0
      2. Policy must state at a minimum
        1. Must have Board approval
        2. Requestor must have a personal liability policy naming the Club
      3. Use of personal remotes on 5 stand
        1. May not be used
        2. Use prevents the club from knowing how many targets are thrown, which may affect how many resources the club may wish to use on 5 stand
  • Why only 5 stand ? Skeet and trap have counters on each machine and can use that information for allocation of resources
  1. Change to membership application – suggested we add DOB and primary shooting interest – after discussion – Withdrawn
  1. Business of members – None

NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING IS MONDAY, 6 JULY 2015 AT 1730

Respectfully submitted – Sam Parkinson, Secretary

President’s Message – June 2015

President’s Message

(June 2015)

Sam Parkinson, BOD Secretary, will be leaving us and moving to Wisconsin in July to be closer to his son and family. Sam will be sorely missed. His contributions to the club have been many and include serving on the BOD for the past six years to cutting the club grass for many years. On behalf of the Rockford Skeet Club I wish Sam great success and enjoyment in his new venture. Thanks Sam for all of your hard work and dedication. You have been a true asset in making the club what it is today. Good Luck to you and your wife Carol.

I have appointed Al Perry as Club Secretary for Sam’s remaining term which expires in March of 2016. I and the other BOD members are looking forward to working with Al. Thanks AL for serving the club by accepting this position. Congratulations.

The club submitted a formal offer to purchase the club land from the S&T Corporation on May 5. As of this date, we have not had a response. We are waiting for the S&T Board of Directors to accept, reject, make a counter offer, and/or ask for a vote from the stockholders. Hopefully we will get a response in the very near future.

The following is a new policy regarding training/instruction for personal monetary gain utilizing club property and equipment.

CLUB FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT, USE OF

Club facilities and equipment are intended for the express use of club members and their guests.  Members may request permission from the Board of Directors to hold special events or formal training/instruction sessions using club facilities and/or equipment.  Members being granted permission may not receive any personal remuneration for their services without prior permission from the Board of Directors. If permission is granted, the instructor shall have a personal liability insurance policy and the club shall be a named insured on the policy

VINTAGE SHOOT – June 20, 2015

This is a shoot where only vintage guns are used. It is only open to side by sidesand pre-World War II single barrel trap guns. 50 trap targets and 50 sporting clay targets will be shot. Lunch will be included. The cost of the shoot with lunch and awards is $20. The shoot will be shot between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.

When making a payment by check and using the deposit drawer in the club house, it is not necessary to use an envelope as long as a note is made on the memo portion of the check stating what the reason for payment.

One of the tools that are used to manage club business is the use of counters on our machines. By monitoring the counters on a quarterly basis, we can determine how many targets are thrown and then extract the number of rounds shoot on each field. This information can then be used to determine allocation of resources. The 5 stand/sporting clays machines do not have counters. The only way we can count the number of targets thrown is by using the counter on the club owned hand held remotes. When members use their own personal remotes, we cannot get an accurate count. Therefore personal remotes are no longer permitted to be used on the 5 stand/sporting clays venue. Also both club owned remotes have to be checked out every time they are used. Please print or sign the log book legibly.

We will be installing one target pulley system on the hand gun range in the near future. After this system is used and tested, additional systems will be added.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact Milt Schwanke at 815-988-2278 for weekend morning classes and Don Lyddon at 815-877-0754 for weekday afternoon classes. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection, and a $25.00 annual fee.

2015 Club Projects

  • Construction of a 5 stand deck – approved and on hold
  • Electrical power for the 5 stand – under consideration
  • Cameras for 5 stand and the handgun range – under consideration
  • Pulley systems for the handgun range – design being developed

2015 Club Events

  • Vintage shoot – 6/20/15
  • Registered Skeet Shoot – 8/15 & 16/15
  • Old Geezer Shoot – 9/19/15
  • Landfill lunch – 9/8/15
  • Bragging Rights Shoot – 10/10/15
  • Turkey Shoot – 11/7/15

Best Regards

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

BOD Letter to Members

Fellow Club members,

You may have heard talk about the Rockford Skeet Club (RSC) wanting to buy the land that the RSC sits on from the S&T Corporation. Well it is true. The RSC recently made a formal offer to the S&T. Although we have not had a formal response from the S&T the discussions that were held at the annual stockholder’s meeting were not favorable for the sale. Some of the S&T board members felt that the offer was too low even though the offer doubled the original investment of $500.00 per share.

The reason the RSC wants to buy the land is twofold. First, by owning the land the RSC is in total control of its’ own destiny. The RSC won’t have to depend on another entity to make decisions. Along with that, the RSC is in discussions to buy about 10 acres of the overshoot land. As you may or may not know our shot is falling on land that we do not own. We do, however, have an overshoot agreement that does offer some protection. It makes sense that we should own all of the land and not just part of it. You might ask why the S&T doesn’t buy the land. If that were to happen our rent would go up substantially which leads to the second reason as to why the RSC should own the land. Our rent has gone up this year from $7500 to $7800 and will remain at that level for 5 years and then will increase to $8100 per year for another 5 years under the current lease. So far the RSC has paid over $80,000 to the S&T. Currently each member pays an average of $31.00 per year. You might ask why not renegotiate a new lease. Well, we tried this year and were unsuccessful. The rent money that we are spending each year can be used to invest in the RSC for the benefit of the members.

Why was the S&T formed? The S&T was formed in 2004 as a means to finance the purchase of the land that the RSC was renting from another owner. The RSC, at that time, did not have the money and a loan from a bank for a gun club with lead on the land would scare most financial institutions away. Therefore the S&T was formed and shares were sold at an initial offering of $500 per share to any member in good standing with the RSC. Only RSC members could buy shares.

The shares are not transferable and have to be redeemed upon leaving the RSC or upon death. Also, no stockholder could own more than 10 shares. Currently, there are 30 stockholders holding 92 shares. The initial stock sale did not raise enough money to buy the land and as a result, two RSC members/stockholders loaned the S&T the balance of the money. Those loans were paid off over the next few years. Another reason for forming the S&T was to provide a firewall between the RSC and the S&T so that it would be harder to lose the land in the event of a law suit. Also, it was thought that the S&T could buy additional land as it became available.

It is the belief of the RSC Board of Directors (BOD) that this firewall is no longer needed or would be effective in shielding the club from a law suit. In today’s environment people sue anyone connected or remotely connected to an incident. Also the RSC has liability insurance to help protect it against a suit. The S&T requires the RSC to be a named insured on the RSC’s insurance policy which tell us that there is risk to all parties.

The RSC is offering $67,000 for the land which is the original S&T purchase price. The value of the land and the cash on hand equals a per share value of $1,067.22 as reported at the annual stockholder’s meeting on April 28, 2015 by the S&T Board of Directors. As you can see the value of the original stock offering price has more than doubled. That amounts to about an 8% return per year, not too shabby. Over and over the members of the RSC were told that this is not an attempt to make money. We firmly believe that the majority of the stockholders share this view.

There were thirteen shares redeemed in the last few months at a per share price of $1009.85. Why would anyone be entitled to much more than the redeemed shares? The S&T BOD stated at the annual meeting that they are not going to release the thirteen redeemed shares to the membership for purchase. Why, since they do have a list of members that want to buy those thirteen shares.

It has been a rough few years but we have moved from a club that was virtually broke to a club with money in the bank. Which leads to one very important point, the RSC has the cash to buy the land at the offered price. No loans, dues increase or rounds increase will be required. There have been contrary rumors and they are totally unfounded.

How does the S&T benefit the club and the answer is very little if anything. They don’t pay the real estate taxes, they don’t pay for liability insurance, and they don’t reinvest in the club or make any improvements. RSC pays for all of this. Protection from laws suits? Well, maybe, but that is questionable. Frankly, we simply don’t need the S&T anymore as it has outlived its usefulness.

Most stockholders bought shares to protect the RSC and not to make money. In fact, some members plan to donate some or all of the proceeds that they receive from the sale of their stock to the RSC.

The Rockford Skeet Club Board of Directors believes that by owning the land, the RSC will have complete control of its destiny, will save thousands of dollars in rental fees, and is in the best interest of the club and its members now and in the future.

Hopefully this makes the RSC BOD position clear. If you have any questions, please contact any RSC BOD member.

Best Regards,

Board of Directors

Rockford Skeet Club

BOD Meeting Minutes – May 2015

BOD Meeting of 4 May 2015

PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Larry Ohda, Randy Scott, Sam Parkinson, Harley

Shepherd, and Clay Buehler

ABSENT:  Terry VanDerBoom

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 1720 BY PRESIDENT SAM VALENZA

  1. Minutes of 6 April 2015 – Approved 6-0
  2. Financial Report – Presented, accepted, attached by reference
  3. 2015 Projects
    1. Hand gun range pulley system – in process
    2. Construction of 5 stand deck – tabled
    3. Electrical power for 5 stand – tabled
    4. Cameras for handgun range and 5 stand – tabled
  4. 2015 Events
    1. Vintage shoot – 29 June 2015
    2. Registered skeet shoot – August 15 and 16
    3. Old Geezer shoot – 5 September 2015
    4. Landfill lunch – 8 September 2015
    5. Turkey Shoot – 7 November 2015
    6. Braggin’ Rights shoot – 10 October 2015
  5. New Business
    1. S&T Property – Motion to make a formal offer to buy out the S&T – passed 5-0
    2. Information messages to members re: S&T purchase – to begin soon
  6. Business of the members – None

NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING IS MONDAY, 1 JUNE 2015 AT 1730 HOURS

Respectfully submitted:  Sam Parkinson, Secretary

President’s Message – May 2015

President’s Message

(May 2015)

The project to run electrical power to the handgun range building has been completed. Thanks to Bob Liphart and Tom Platt for coordinating this project and doing all of the wiring. Also thanks to Owen Anderson, Bernie Blaauw, and Larry Ohda for helping with the trenching for the electrical cable from skeet low house 3 to the handgun building.

I want to remind everyone that two people have to be present at the club at all times when shooting. No one is allowed to shoot alone. This doesn’t mean that both people have to be on the same venue (i.e. one person can be on the skeet range and one on the pistol range). A spouse, friend, etc. can fulfill this requirement. This is for safety reasons. If someone gets injured, then there is another person to help and make the call.

In the coming days I will be sending an email to all members regarding the club’s efforts to buy the land that the club sits on from the S&T Corporation.

Our annual spring cleanup was held on Saturday May 2. We had a great turn out with a lot of new members coming out. The grounds and club house are in good shape. Thanks to all that participated.

L.K. Roney donated a huge roll of paper for use on the patterning board. It is hanging in the storage barn. Feel free to use it anytime that you are patterning your guns. Thanks L.K. for the generous donation.

Thanks to Clay Buhler, Frank Cicero, Randy Scott, and Bard Yocum for doing the annual maintenance on the skeet machines. All machines seem to be working just fine.

Since the 5 stand venue has been reconfigured, Caleb Davis, 5 stand chairmen, has asked that members only shoot 1 of the 5 stands at a time, either shoot from the wooden stations or shoot from the metal stations, not both at the same time.

We have had some confusion on how to operate the skeet remotes. Sometimes the remotes have to be turned on. To do this, simply hold down the high house button until the lights stop flashing and remain on. The directions for operating the remotes are pasted on the wall just to the right of the rake holding the remotes.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact Milt Schwanke at 815-988-2278 for weekend morning classes and Don Lyddon at 815-877-0754 for weekday afternoon classes. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection, and a $25.00 annual fee.

2015 Club Projects

  • Construction of a 5 stand deck – approved and on hold
  • Electrical power for the 5 stand – under consideration
  • Cameras for 5 stand and the handgun range – under consideration
  • Pulley systems for the handgun range – design being developed

2015 Club Events

  • Vintage shoot – 6/20/15
  • Registered Skeet Shoot – 8/15,16/15
  • Old Geezer Shoot – 95/15
  • Landfill lunch – 9/8/15
  • Bragging Rights Shoot – 10/10/15
  • Turkey Shoot – 11/7/15

Best Regards

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

BOD Meeting Minutes April 2015

BOD Meeting of 6 April 2015

PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Larry Ohda, Randy Scott, Sam Parkinson, Harley Shepherd, Clay Buehler and Terry VanDerBoom

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 1700 BY PRESIDENT SAM VALENZA

  1. Approval of Minutes of 2 March 2015 meeting – Approved 6-0
  2. Financial Report – Presented, accepted, attached by reference
  3. 2015 Club Projects
    1. Hand gun range – pulley system to be installed soon
    2. Construction of 5 stand deck – on hold
    3. Electrical power for 5 stand deck – on hold
    4. Electrical power for hand gun range – in process
    5. Cameras for hand gun range and 5 stand – under study
  4. 2015 projects
    1. Spring Clean-up – Saturday, 5/2/15 – Motion to have wads picked up by machine – approved 6-0
    2. Landfill lunch – 9/8/15
    3. Braggin Rights shoot – 10/10/15
  5. New Business
    1. Vintage shoot for 6/20/15 – Details to follow – Approved 6-0
    2. Old Geezer Shoot for 9/5/15 – Details to follow – Approved 6-0
    3. Turkey Shoot – 11/7/15 – Details to follow – Approved 6-0
    4. 2015 Mowing – Sam will continue to do for $25 per mowing. Tru Green will be used again this year
  6. Business of members – none

NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING IS MONDAY, 4MAY 2015 AT 1730 HOURS

Respectfully submitted:  Sam Parkinson, Secretary

President’s Message – April 2015

President’s Message

(April 2015)

The project to run electrical power to the handgun range building has begun.  Bob Liphart and Tom Platt have installed the outlets,switches, fixtures, and wiring in the building. The trenching to bury the wire from skeet field 3 will be done in the next week or two.  Good job guys. The installation looks great.

Some of our members are not following the guest procedure and unfortunately may not be receiving the proper credit for guest fees and rounds shot. The following is our guest procedure. It is requested that all members become familiar with this procedure. Please print all of the pertinent information as requested on the envelope. Not doing so will cause issues for the member and the club.

  • Guest(s) and their host member shall print their names and date in the guest log book on every visit to the club.
  • The Guest will shoot at member’s round fee. The member will log all rounds (member and guest) on his/her page in the log book. The Guest will pay a $5.00 user fee for each day that he/she shoots. The $5.00 user fee will be deposited in the provided envelopes and will be placed in the club depository located in the clubhouse or mailed to the address shown on the envelope.
  • The member’s spouse; children and grandchildren (under the age of 25) may shoot under the member’s membership and the $5.00 guest fee is waived.
  • The guest are required to ware guest badges which are located on the bulletin board.

The following are the major topics that were presented at the annual meeting held on March 21, 2015.

  • The club is in the process of investigating the feasibility of buying the land owned by the S&T Corporation.
  • The club is also investigating the possibility of buying the overshoot land from the quarry owner.
  • When paying for rounds, all members need to fill out all the information required on the payment envelope.
  • Breakdown the target boxes before putting them in the dumpsters. Also, it is requested that the broken birds be swept out of the skeet and trap houses when the machines are loaded
  • The following were reelected to the Board of Directors: Larry Ohda – VP; Randy Scott – Treasurer; Clay Buhler, Harley Shepherd, and Terry VanDenBoom – Directors.

Our annual spring cleanup date is at 8:30 am on Saturday May 2. Bring out your shovels, rakes, and trimmers. No shooting will be allowed until all of the work is done. I hope to see you there. Lunch will be provided.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact Milt Schwanke at 815-988-2278 for weekend morning classes and Don Lyddon at 815-877-0754 for weekday afternoon classes. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection, and a $25.00 annual fee.

2015 Club Projects

  • Construction of a 5 stand deck – approved and on hold
  • Electrical power for the 5 stand – under consideration
  • Electrical power for the handgun range – in process
  • Cameras for 5 stand and the handgun range – under consideration
  • Pulley systems for the handgun range – design being developed

2015 Club Events

  • Spring cleanup – 5/2/15
  • Vintage shoot – 6/20/15
  • Registered Skeet Shoot – 8/15,16/15
  • Old Geezer Shoot – 95/15
  • Landfill lunch – 9/8/15
  • Bragging Rights Shoot – 10/10/15
  • Turkey Shoot – 11/7/15

Best Regards

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

2015 Annual Meeting minutes

Annual Meeting of 2015

Saturday, 21 March 2015

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT SAM VALENZA  AT 0900

  1. Minutes of 2014 annual meeting read and approved
  2. Treasurer’s report read and accepted – posted, included by reference
  3. 2015 Budget – presented, posted
  4. 2015 Projects
  5. 5 Stand deck – approved but on hold pending design acceptance
  6. Power to pistol/.22 rifle range – approved, work to begin in April
  7. Security cameras for pistol/5 stand area – waiting estimates’
  8. 2015 Events
    1. Clean-up day – Saturday, 2 April – lunch provided
    2. Registered skeet shoot – August 15 and 16 – Skeet fields may be closed depending upon number of shooters – trap and 5 stand open
    3. Landfill lunch – 8 September 2015
    4. Braggin’ Rights shoot – Saturday, 10 October 2015
  9. New Business
    1. Proposed/possible shoots (not yet Board approved) – More infor to follow
      1. Vintage shoot – 20 June, 1030-1400
      2. Old Geezer shoot – 5 or 19 September – 1000-1400
  • Turkey Shoot – 7 November, time to be established
  1. Land Corp/S&T
    1. Will make an offer to buy out and take possession of land
    2. Currently pay $7600 rent per year
  • Will require a 2/3 vote of stock holders to approve
  1. When paying for rounds etc., fill out the envelope completely
  2. When adding birds, please sweep out house
  1. Business of members’
    1. Birds – what are we using? Switched back to White Flyers when they dropped the price to be competitive with Champion  They were $2500 higher per semi load before
    2. Boxes – break them down please. Dumpsters get jammed quickly
    3. Would anyone like to help maintain the machines? You will be trained.

MEETING ADJOURNED AT 0930.

Respectfully submitted:  Sam Parkinson, Secretary.

 

BOD Meeting Minutes – 2 March 2015

BOD Minutes of 2 March 2015

PRESENT: Sam Valenza, Larry Ohda, Randy Scott, Sam Parkinson, Harley Shepherd, Clay Buehler, and Terry VanDerBoom

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 1730 BY PRESIDENT SAM VALENZA

  1. Approval   of minutes of 2 February 2015 meeting – Approved 6-0
  2. Financial report –accepted, attached by reference
    1. 2015 dues status – 244 members, down from 261 (-6.5%)
    2. 2015 budget presented – Accepted 6-0 Attached by reference
  3. 2015 Projects
    1. Hand gun range – pulley system – tabled
    2. 5 Stand deck – tabled
    3. Electrical power for 5 stand area – tabled
    4. Electrical power for handgun range not to exceed $1000 – app 6-0
    5. Cameras for hand gun range and 5 stand – tabled
  4. 2015 Events
    1. Annual meeting – RESCHEDULED TO 0900, SATURDAY, 21 MARCH
    2. Spring cleanup –Saturday, 2 May
    3. Landfill lunch- 8 September
    4. Braggin Rights Shoot – Saturday, 10 October
  5. 2015 Elections – Be sure and vote, 15 March deadline
  6. Lease renewal – paid $7,600 to S&T Corp
  7. NEW BUSINESS
    1. New drinking fountain purchased
    2. Skeet machine maintenance to be scheduled
    3. Meeting time moved from 1700 to 1730 hours
  8. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 1815 HOURS

NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING DATE IS MONDAY, 6 APRIL AT 1730

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:  Sam Parkinson, Secretary

President’s Message – March 2015

President’s Message

(March 2015)

We will be running power to the handgun range from the low house on skeet field 3. This project will start in early April. Two of the finest electricians and club members, Bob Liphart and Tom Platt, will be doing the work. Please yield the handgun range when they are working in the handgun building. A red flashing cease fire strobe light will also be installed in the event anyone has to go down range. Thanks Bob and Tom for donating your time and talents to work on this project.

The annual meeting has been rescheduled to Saturday March 21, 2015 from March 28. The meeting will be held in the club house starting at 9 am.

A new water cooler has been installed to replace the old one that malfunctioned. It dispenses both hot and cold water.

As I have mentioned several time, no one is to work on the trap, skeet, and 5 stands machines. The designated repair/maintenance men are posted on the bulletin board in the club house for each venue. Please call the appropriated individual, or me, if a machine needs repair and/or adjustment. It appears that someone was tampering with the trap machine which caused the belts to stretch out and required replacement.

The year-end financial statements and 2015 budget have been posted in the club house.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact Milt Schwanke at 815-988-2278 for weekend morning classes and Don Lyddon at 815-877-0754 for weekday afternoon classes. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection, and a $25.00 annual fee.

2015 Club Projects

  • Construction of a 5 stand deck – approved and on hold
  • Electrical power for the 5 stand – under consideration
  • Electrical power for the handgun range – approved
  • Cameras for 5 stand and the handgun range – under consideration
  • Pulley systems for the handgun range – design being developed

2015 Club Events

  • Annual meeting – 3/21/15
  • Spring cleanup – 5/2/15
  • Registered Skeet Shoot – 8/15,16/15
  • Landfill lunch – 9/8/15
  • Bragging Rights Shoot – 10/10/15

Best Regards

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club