Meeting
called to order at
7:02 PM by
Commander Bogardus.
Opening
Ceremonies The Colors were saluted; the
Chaplain led the members in prayer; allegiance to the Flag was pledged;
the POW/MIA Ceremony was conducted; and the Preamble to the American
Legion Constitution was recited. No guests were present.
Roll
Call
Officers present except Sergeant-at-Arms Stutz and Historian Novak who
were excused.
Finance Officer’s Report Stu Garner gave the balance of the accounts. Motion was passed to approve the financial report
Building Committee Report Director Schiavone reported that St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church has agreed to purchase the Hall and that the Masonic Lodge would still be interested if anything should happen on the sale of the property. The closing should be completed by 9/30, probably around mid-September. Vic also mentioned that our lawyer likes how our contact was structured.
Vic
spent about 2½ hrs. with a Building Inspector and
representatives from the church were there also. Vic gave a
brief summary of the Inspector’s findings and said the Church
reps didn’t seem to have any problems with them. The County
plans to be at the Hall on 9/20 for a site plan.
The Church will keep the motor home (we need to reimburse Rick for his
expenses) but they don’t want anyone living in it.
The other trailers on the property need to be removed. We
will have 30 days after closing to dispose of all the other items
(chairs, tables, etc.) and the Church will keep what we don’t
move.
Fred closed the building bank account since we no longer rent it out.
Service Office Report Several members attended the Port of Poulsbo meeting again to discuss the possibilities of using the Armory. The Port still wants $1.25/ft. rental and we have conflicting stories about going in with the Lions Club so the Armory won’t work for us.
The Navy Bangor option is also gone because they can’t have a Post 245 Service Office on the base.
The new City Hall has been delayed
a bit because a sub-contractor has left the project so we can use the
old City Hall a little longer.
Other ideas were discussed like checking the availability of the old
school building and Sons of Norway. Adjutant Allfrey said he
would write a letter to the Sons of Norway.
We are averaging between 7-14 people a week who visit the Service
Office.
Membership
Report
Adjutant Allfrey reported that we have signed 3 new members (Linda
Hollingsworth and two from Post 110). We have 227 paid
members.
Sick Call: Ernie Blind passed away. The meeting was suspended at this time so we could have a little ceremony for Ernie. Chaplain Skinner said a prayer and a black cover was placed over the Post’s American Legion Charter as part of the ceremony.
Coorespondance:
New
Business:
Good of the Order:
Adjutant Allfrey read a very nice ‘Thank You’
letter he sent to the Coast Guard for their assistance in the Memorial
Day Ceremony. The letter was sent in a frame.
Meeting adjourned at 19:58
Respectfully submitted,
Don Spinar
Meeting
called to order at
7:00 PM by
Commander Bogardus.
Opening
Ceremonies The Colors were saluted;
the Chaplain led the members
in prayer; allegiance to the Flag was pledged; the POW/MIA Ceremony was
conducted; and the Preamble to the American Legion Constitution was
recited. 13
members present.
Roll Call Officers present except 2nd Vice Spinar was excused.
The
meeting was suspended by the Commander to allow Mitch Murdock to thank
the Post
for its sponsorship and to present his speech for national competition.
He will
attend
Finance Officer’s Report Current balance of all accounts was read. S. Garner also reported that Post insurance is paid and in force and that all tax issues have been resolved with the County following a minor difficulty in the assessments of the various parcels. Motion by V. Schiavone, seconded by E. Jones, that the report be accepted. After discussion and questions, motion carried.
Membership
Report
The Adjutant reported that
we have nearly forty
renewals and two new membership applications in hand. The first report
will be
submitted after the weekend mail is collected.
Building Committee Report Director Schiavone reported the results of the several meetings during which the committee, which also includes Stu Garner and Dave Allfrey, evaluated the various options available based on the Post’s mandate to sell the property.
There
are two prospective buyers, the St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church and the
Warren G.
Harding Masonic Lodge No. 260, both of
After
a number of questions and considerable discussion, five motions were
made by V.
Schiavone for consideration by the Post.
It
was decided that if one of the two interested parties not purchase the
property
we would proceed without further action to obtain the services of a
Real Estate
Broker at this time.
First: That AL Post 245 will offer
the property and
buildings first to St. Elizabeth’s and then to Lodge 269 for
sale at the price
of $200,000, condition “as is”, with a date certain
of reply by 31 July 2010.
Motion seconded by E. Jones and carried. A letter will be sent to each
on 16
July 2010 advising that if interested to contact the Commander or Vic
Schiavone.
Second: That if the Church declines or offers less than the asking price, that its priority as the first contact be voided. Seconded by R. Skinner and carried.
Third: That the Committee has the
authority to negotiate
with either party, depending on circumstances, on behalf of the Post.
Seconded
by E. Jones and carried.
Fourth:
That,
after successful
negotiation the Committee will report such to the Executive Board for
concurrence and further acceptance by the Post. Seconded by P. Wilson
and
carried.
Fifth: That no sale be concluded without the services of a qualified Real Estate Attorney if no Broker is involved.
Discussion about Rick Reitmeier’s position followed. He indicated that he did not want the trailer unless he could be sold the property it is on and the trailer. It was suggested and agreed to that the subject will be revisited when offers are received.
Annual Picnic Report: A cleanup of the building and the exterior was conducted on 10 July 2010 by members, a family member and a VFW member who supplied the tractor to mow the area. It is sad to note that this is the best support we can get from our own membership of 251 members in good standing. The Post hopes that a greater number will attend the picnic and from then continue to attend our functions. Members were reminded that the Home Town Band of Poulsbo will perform. All arrangements have been made.
Communications:
The Post
received a Letter
of Appreciation and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Department
of WA for
the excellent support of the Evergreen Boys State Program provided.
The
Post received
a
Certificate of Appreciation from
the Department Chairman for the efforts of and results achieved by the
AL Post
245 Veterans Service Office.
The
Post received
individual
cards of appreciation
from each of the
Communications:
The Post
received a Letter
of Appreciation and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Department
of WA for
the excellent support of the Evergreen Boys State Program provided.
The
Post received
a
Certificate of Appreciation from
the Department Chairman for the efforts of and results achieved by the
AL Post
245 Veterans Service Office.
The
Post received
individual
cards of appreciation
from each of the
Unfinished Business: The Commander directed that
plaques and certificates,
as appropriate, be obtained and presented to the Suquamish Tribe, the
Coast
Guard Auxiliary Flotilla
of Bainbridge
Island and
other donors for their
contributions.
An email received from the Commanding Officer Naval Base Kitsap stated that assignment of Government owned space to non-military groups is not allowable by Government regulations. Immediate Past Commander R. Theal advised by phone call that the SUBASE’ idea is to create a coalition of Service Organization Members who would staff a Retired Activities Office with some committed volunteers because the SUBASE desires such an entity but cannot fund permanent staffing. Membership response was clearly negative; it is our intention to retain our Post 245 Service Office. Therefore, other avenues to obtain space for our SO and the Adjutant’s spaces must be considered.
The
discussion turned to the spaces previously available in the National
Guard
Armory, now owned by the
Earlier,
The only other option would hinge on the sale of the property to provide funding either to purchase rent a suitable space for our meetings and the place for the Venture Crew.
Kitsap
County Veterans
Advisory Board
Meeting Report: Adjutant
D.
Allfrey reported the
He
also provided a draft copy of legislation to be introduced this year
which
would categorize the 1% Real Estate Tax Deduction as a separate item in
the
budget and preclude recurrence.
A discussion took place about the use of money allocated to provide financial support for indigent Veterans similar to the Section Housing Cost Support provided to non-Veterans. It is administered under McKinney Act by the HUD-VASH Program (Housing and Urban Development–Veterans Administration Subsidized Housing). The desired outcome is to get homeless Veterans off the streets, give them temporary support from the County Veterans Assistance Fund, and follow that up with long-range mortgage-type financial support. Building 9 at Retsil is making the first part work, but the second is not.
The
money allocated has been very lightly used and it appears that there is
some
confusion in the administrative procedures among the several agencies
involved.
The Commissioner is to evaluate the current procedures and attempt to
get the
problem resolved.
The County provided a statistical report on the Fund’s activities through the end of June. It was discussed and will be fixed.
Good
of the Order: Newly-elected Department
Commander, Ron
Coughlin, was welcomed and
congratulated by
the Members. He stated his position as being totally committed to the
support
of Veterans and improving communications among the various levels of AL
Leadership. He provided this schedule of coming events.
The
Mid-Winter Conference will be at the SEATAC Marriott.
The
Department Convention is scheduled for
The
Fall Conference will be held at Bainbridge Island Post on October 23,
2010. A
major agenda event will be a fire suppression exercise which will
provide
hands-on participation for attendees.
The
Spring Conference will be held at Bremerton Post 149 on March 3, 2011.
He discussed the meeting with the FBI and Homeland Security during the Convention. TERRORISM LIVES and it is not necessarily because of Muslim-appearing persons from abroad; there are plenty of home-grown group of Americans who are to be feared as well. It behooves each of us to take note of, and report, any strange behaviors or odd questions. This worked during the Times Square incident in New York.
The
Convention went well and was closed on Saturday at a record early time.
Two
important issues were raised and resulted in resolutions which will go
the
State Legislature for action. His final words were that information
received at
any Post Meeting will be left there and any relief or change needed
will be
anonymous.
The
meeting was closed with the following rituals: prayer, a salute to the
Flag and
song at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully
submitted,
Dave
Allfrey, Post Adjutant
Meeting called to order by Post Commander Bob Theal @ 1907
Flag salute, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance were then given.
Roll call was taken and all were either present or accounted for.
A motion was approved to forego the reading of the last month’s minutes until the next scheduled meeting. 17 members were present at the last meeting.
Financial
Report:
As of the end of May, was given by the Treasurer, Stu Garner. We did receive funds from May's poppy sales and a donation from Port Madison Enterprises. A motion passed to approve the Financial Report.
Boys
and Girls State:
No word on current Girls State status but the boys are leaving next week end.
Bob received an invitation to attend Mitch Murdock graduation from Kingston HS and he plans to attend it. Mitch was sponsored by the Post in a recent oratory contest and he finished very high in it. He is the valedictorian in his senior class.
Jake Cabuag Presentation:
Jake started his presentation for his candidacy for Dept. Commander by giving his background. He wants to increase membership by various means, especially 'networking' and by mentoring members. An example of the latter is to keep communicating with members via email, phone, activities, etc. especially during retention drives. Networking would be with the Dist., Dept. and with the community and teaming with the Auxiliary to share information on events, etc.
Jake then address questions/comments about the lack of communication about Girlss State by repairing the gap with the Auxiliary by teaming with them like inviting them to the E-Board meeting to get their ideas.
Jake also stated he had a lot of success holding best practice work shops.
Ken Lee Presentation:
Ken also started his presentation for his candidacy for Dept. Commander by giving his background. He wants build self esteem in the American Legion. Ken then focused his presentation on 5 issues: open communication, mentoring, service to veterans, working at our programs and the media.
Open communication via email and the web and Ken also guaranteed to return any phone calls to him within 24 hrs. Give service by helping our hospitalized vets and calling on those that are sick. Working our SAL, Riders, Jr. Auxiliary, Auxiliary programs so we start acting like a family and working the media to spread the word on what we do (e.g. highway cleanup, etc.). Ken also stated that those wearing the "blue caps" are the most important.
Ken's response to the Boys and Girls State problem was we need to communicate, procedures/standards need to be upgraded with the various levels (e.g. Dept. and Dist.) and parents need to be involved. He also stated we need to get the cost down and maybe a different location needs to be considered.
When asked the question "What's in the American Legion for me?" his response was "What you put in, is what you get out". You can store discounts but it's for the vets that's important and the comradery.
Ron Coghlin Presentation:
Ron talked about the upcoming Dept. Conference on 7/8-11. He asked for our delegates and wanted us to register before 0900 on 7/10. He then talked about the upcoming Dist. Conference on 10/23 and asked if we could host it or at least co-host it with Post 172 and said we wouldn't lose money on it. We declined at this time!
Facilities:
We have less than $100 in the account and no contract yet so we can't rent it out except for those we already were committed to. We did get a sample contact from a local church and they specify $700 for weddings, $500 for religious events, $100 for 3 to 6 hours rental and $200 damage deposit. They also don't allow alcohol.
Alcohol was then discussed. Was a license needed or should we increase the rental if alcohol is used? One of our members knows a place that rents to weddings which alcohol is present and will see if he can get a copy of their contact.
The contact issue will be tabled until next month.
Building Committee Report-Vic Schiavone:
Service Office:
Several members attended the Port of Poulsbo's meeting to plead our case for renting the Armory. We later got a sample contract but it was way too expensive for us, $1.25 sq/ft.Flag Day at Bangor - Stu Garner:
Pat of the 'BBQ for Wounded Troops' prepared 120 lbs. of pork shoulder for pulled pork sandwiches. We had 12 volunteers from our Post, the Auxiliary and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).Post Officers Elections - Vic Schiavone (Chair):
Nominated and elected were:
Meeting called to order by Post Commander Bob Theal @ 1906
Flag salute, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance were then given.
Roll call was taken and all were either present or accounted for.
Guest Steve Concord from Stockbridge, WI was introduced and welcomed to the post.
A motion was approved to forgo the reading of the last month’s minutes until the next scheduled meeting.
Financial Report, as of the end of April, was given by the Treasurer, Stu Garner. A motion passed to approve the Financial Report.
A motion was passed to have Vic Schiavone become the caretaker for the Petty Cash Account, maintaining all associated paperwork.
FACILITY REPORT: Balance Total = $150.00. All scheduled rentals (3) have been paid for in full in advance, and are reflected in this report. $105.00 was spent on replacing the three fire extinguishers that were removed from the facility. A lengthy discussion was had on how and when funds received for facility renting can or should be spent. Discussion was also had on the use of a rental contract that would protect both parties. Commander Bob Theal took on the task of delivering a contract to each of the parties who have rented this facility.
A motion was made and passed, with one abstention, to cease renting Breidablick Hall as of midnight 26 June 2010.
We have 244 paid members of Post 245, with 3 renewals received this past month. It was four renewals but one member paid twice and his second dues submission was returned to him. As of this meeting our total paid membership is 247.
A pleasant report and discussion was had about Mr. Mitch Murdock, of Kingston HS, and his standing in the National Oratorical Contest. Also, we were informed that he has been accepted at Yale University.
SERVICE OFFICER REPORT: included a "Job Well Done" to all who have given of their time and energies. Three options were discussed as to a possible location for the Service Office as we are being forced to relocate. It was stated by the Service Officers that the Armory remains the favorite site, but that the other two, Bangor PSD Office, and the New Poulsbo City Hall Office, have their supporters as well. Notice will be give to all when a final decision is made as to where the new location will be, and when help in moving will be required.
Burger Sather’s health was brought to the attention of the Post, and prayers were asked for in his name. He is sorely missed by all. Ken Nyberg was mentioned in the same vein.
An example of the outstanding service and support provided by this posts Service Officer Corp was given by a post member and the gratitude of the person aided was extended to this Service Office.
Post 245 took in a total of $1659.94 on Poppy donations from this past week’s Viking-Fest activities.
Discussion was had on the subject of sponsorship of The North Kitsap American Legion "Senior" Baseball Team. Due to various circumstances this year it was felt that the Post should not sponsor the team at this time, and a motion was passed expressing this position. It was asked by the Post body that it be relayed to Mr. Russ Shiplet that he submits a request early in the upcoming year so that action could be taken in a timelier manner.
Due to the recent theft of three portable fire extinguishers from the facility, the replacement of such items being required at the Post’s cost, access to the facility has been reduced by the changing of the combination for which few members now have.
A reminder and request went out to all Post members asking them to attend the Memorial Day celebration that is to take place in American Legion Park starting at 1200 May 31st at the gazebo. Thus far Post 245 has donated $25.00. VFW Post 2463 is the lead on this and has not asked for more funding.
June 14th is Flag Day. It is the intention of Post 245 to celebrate this day by hosting a Bangor BBQ in honor of our military. Post 245, in concert with BBQ Pat’s and personnel from the Bangor Navy Galley will provide all that is required for this celebration. A motion was passed to give BBQ Pat’s $200.00 for the purchase of charcoal and other items he will need. Volunteers are needed to help Pat prepare for this event the day before and help during the event itself.
A motion was passed in support of BBQ Pat’s trip to Germany where he brings good American BBQ to our military there. This support will be in the form of a check for $500.00.
John Zantek read the following
statement to the members present:
"Members of this post met last month to discuss this building.
The meeting was open to all members and guests.
The consensus of the meeting was that retaining this property is not in
the post’s interest,
and that a motion be brought at the next general membership meeting to
pursue divestiture of the property.
Further, the motion would ask that a committee be formed to investigate
divestiture options and report to the post within 90 days."
A motion was passed by the members present to divest the Post’s interest in this property, and that a committee is to be formed to investigate divestiture options with a report that will be brought back to the post within 90 days.
Discussion was held on the Hall rental situation. Building Manager Fred Reitmeyer informed the membership of the upcoming rentals on June 12th (a private wedding), June 19th (a private party), and June 26th (Poulsbo Fishline event). Fred disclosed that he had a long standing Gentlemen’s handshake agreement with all of the hall renters. Commander Bob Theal volunteered to find a proper contract example and type it along with a Fee Schedule for review and approval at the June meeting. A motion and passed by the members present that no Hall Rentals would be taken in after June 30th until an approved contract was agreed upon.
POST
OFFICER NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS.
Past Commander Bill Bogardus informed the members present of the
interested individuals previously nominated for Post Officer positions.
After discussion, current Commander Bob Theal volunteered to remain in
office until a qualified member could be nominated and elected.
Bill Bogardus volunteered to become the Senor Vice Commander with Don
Spinar as the Junior Vice Commander. Stu Garner and Fred Reitmeyer
agreed to remain as the Post Finance Officer and Adjutant.
Jane Novak agreed to be the Post Historian. Ray Stutz agreed to be Post
Sergeant at Arms. Elections were held and completed.
Prayer and Song.
The meeting was adjourned at 2127.
Commander
- Bob Theal
Adjutant - Fred Reitmeyer
Finance Officer - Stu Garner
Sgt. at Arms - Ray Stutz (acting)
Chaplain - Ed Skinner
Historian - Dave Allfrey
Guest:
Command Master Chief Fahrney, Naval Base Kitsap
Bob opened the meeting by reading the AL Preamble and the Chaplain gave
a prayer.
Don Spinar took the minutes for this meeting and Ray Stutz
electronically recorded them to be transcribed later.
Adjutant
Fred Reitmeyer:
Commander
Bob
Theal:
Service
Office:
Finance
Officer (Stu
Garner):
Boys
and Girls
State (John Zantek):
Venturing
(John Zantek):
Facilities:
Guest
Speaker Master Chief Fahrney:
Nominations
(Past Commander Bill Bogardus):
Bylaws:
Miscellaneous:
Prayer and Song.
Meeting
Adjourned @ 2100
Respectfully
Submitted,
Don Spinar
Commander
- Bob Theal
Adjutant - Fred Reitmeyer
Finance Officer - Stu Garner
Sgt. at Arms - Ray Long
Historian - Dave Allfrey
Minutes:
Commander
Bob
Theal:
New
Member:
Service
Office:
Finance
Stu
Garner:
Boys
and Girls
State:
Facilities:
Bylaws:
Miscellaneous:
Prayer and Song.
Meeting
Adjourned @ 2030
Respectfully
Submitted,
Don Spinar