Post 245 Meeting

September 15, 2011

Executive Board Meeting

August 18, 2011

Meeting called to order at 18:08 by Don Spinar with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Seven members were present.

Picnic:

• At the time of the meeting, 22 people were expected to attend the picnic.  Now, 25 are expected.
• The Post will supply the dogs, buns, pop, water, condiments, ice, charcoal, napkins, plates and utensils.  Everyone else will bring a side dish.  The Fire Dept. requires us to also bring a fire extinguisher.  Any leftover items we go to the VSO.  Don Spinar will get reimbursed for the expenses at the Sept. meeting.
• We also will sell our old hats and T-shirts for $5 or two for $8. 

9/11 Freedom:

Bob Theal gave a recap of the upcoming Post 245 Freedom Walk on Sunday Sept. 11 at 10:00 and it should only last about an hour.  We will start from the Community Center, go up Front St and back and then end up at Legion Park across from Martha & Mary.  The Mayor and Fire Chief will be there and a chaplain will give an invocation.  Our Post will have the only ceremony/event in the State.  Bob will get the news out.

Chamber of Commerce

It was mentioned that the Chamber hasn’t been very helpful with our planned Freedom Walk so the Executive will recommend at the Sept. General Meeting that we don’t renew our $100 membership fee.

Financial Audit

Don gave a recap of the Financial Audit by the Financial Committee, chaired by Jack Hamilton.  The only discrepancy was $3.30 good to the Post so the audit was favorable.  The audit stressed that we follow the procedures previously established and stated we hadn’t always followed them.  Discussion followed concerning the procedures and Stu said he will try to get electronic copy of them.

Jack Hamilton has since resigned as the chair so we need to start looking for someone to take his place.  Even though we don’t have a requirement to do an audit every year, the Executive Board thought that it should be done yearly.

Future Financial Expenses

Don listed items we need to plan for.  The picnic, newsletter, Adjutant supplies (e.g. stamps, labels, envelopes, etc.), new safe deposit box keys (old ones lost), mailings for Post 110 & 68 transfers, Xmas party and a refrigerator for the VSO.  Don will ask for a donation of a refrigerator in the newsletter or ask Leif Benson of the Veterans Assistance Board.  Finally, it was thought a ‘petty cash’ fund be authorized ($50) for the Adjutant and VSO to make it easier for them to handle day-to-day expenses. 

Later Bob mentioned we will need to spend $150 per student (probably at most 3) for the Oratorical Contest and Jerry mentioned funding for Poppy sales.

Veterans Assistance Board & RCW 73.04.080

Don gave the dates of the next Assistance Board meeting (9/14, 10/12, 11/9 and 12/14) held at the Silverdale Community Center.  Don emphasized that as the incoming Commander, he will make it a priority that he get funding per RWC for the VSO.  He will try to contact Jack Hamilton for his advice in the best way to make the funding request.

Membership

Don gave our current total membership count but he added the PUFL and online renewals in twice. We currently have 146 members.

Mail Box

Don got the old mail box from Bill and it is at his house.  Placing it at City Hall was recommended and Don will follow up on this.

Poppy Sales

Jerry has volunteered to lead the Poppy sales this year but he will need funding authorization at the Sept. meeting.  We could have two drives, a two week span around Veterans Day & Memorial Day.  He will call the Dept. Auxiliary to place the order.  Any old poppies we had got ruined in the move from the old Hall.

Baseball

Bob received a card from a senior team coach thanking us for sponsoring the two teams and one of our players was nominated and selected as the Department’s ‘Player of the Year’.

Jerry mentioned the Babe Ruth World Series (for 13 year olds) will be played here in August 2012.  We should find a way to step in and help sponsor it (e.g. transportation and host housing).

Miscellaneous Items

• Dave Allfrey said he needed a replacement for the Veterans Day event.
• There is an old Post 245 sign on Hwy. 3 that needs to be removed.  We need to contact the owner of the property it is on.
• So far, we have three people (Bob, Jerry, Don) who will attend the Fall Conf. in Port Angeles on Oct. 1.
• Don wants articles for the next newsletter by 9/1.
• First round of Oratorical Contest will be running from Thanksgiving to mid-Dec.
• We need to submit applications for the various Department awards which are due by June 1.
• We need to build up our relationships with the Suquamish and S’Klallum Indian tribes.
• A recap of the last Service Officer training should be presented at the Sept. meeting.
• We received a $600 donation from a person our VSO had previously helped.  We purchased food cards from Albertsons with the money.  Terry Inman sent him a thank you letter.

AL Post 245 Meeting
July 21, 2011

1.    Opening Ceremony

2.    Minutes of previous meeting moved to accept, carried.

3.    A.  Service Officer Report.  Number of veterans served increasing.  Congratulations to Terry Inman for his efforts in the construction of the new offices

      B.  Finance Officer Report. Not available at this time.

4.    Our share of the Memorial Day lunch at Sons of Norway was $106.26.

5.    Motion to dispense with regular meeting to receive report on our two American Legion Post 245 baseball teams.  The coach, Dan Tetrick, reported that the Senior Team won the league; the Junior Team started a winning streak late in the season.  The post’s contribution went to uniforms, umpires, baseballs, etc.

6.     Resume Regular meeting:

     A.  New business:  Don had a printout concerning the picnic at Nelson Park.  Don needs an expense allowance for the Park. 

B.     We have a nominee for the AL baseball scholarship.

C.     We had some discussion about cell phones for the office.

D.    Questions were answered about who selected the baseball nominee.  Bob Thiel discussed the Department Convention held last week.  We did not have anyone nominated for Department Awards.  Girls and Boys State applications were up 31%.  Our post’s Boy Scout program was the top one in the Legion.  WDVA budget has been cut in half.  Jane Novak resumed the post of Historian.  Don Spinar will head up poppy sales this year.

E.     A member was concerned about the Post Commander and the adjutant being the same person.  However, there were no volunteers to take either post.  The outgoing Post Commander gave a farewell speech.

AL Post 245 Meeting
June 16, 2011

ELECTIONS for 2012 OFFICERS

The meeting started with Don thanking all who had a hand in getting the VSO ready, then the Bylaw rules for the elections were read.  The elections were done by secret ballot with Vic Schiavone and Terry Inman counting the ballots.

Following are the results of the election:

·      Commander – Don Spinar

·       1^st Vice Commander – Bill Bogardus

·       2^nd Vice Commander – Bob Theal

·       Adjutant – Don Spinar

·       Chaplain – Ed Skinner

·       Historian – Bob Theal

F    Finance Officer –Earl Jones

·       Service Officer – Terry Inman

·       Executive Committee Director – Vic Schiavone

BBQ

The meeting was then suspended for guest “BBQ” Pat.  Pat summarized the trip he will be taking to Europe and how the agenda was changed by the USO and the effect it had on all the arrangements he had prepared beforehand.  Even though things had changed, he will still be making BBQ for the troops’ spouses and those scheduled to go back to the States.

Pat told of the happiness he saw when he served his ‘back home’ BBQ and invited any of us to come along if they wanted (cost $1700-$2,000).

A motion to donate $500 to help defray expenses for Pat was made and approved.

The meeting then resumed.

Minutes

Even though there wasn’t a quorum at the May meeting, the May minutes were approved.

Finance Report

Stu stated the balances in the accounts through May.  Discussion followed especially concerning the balance in the Boy & Girl State account and the transfer of money from our CD to that account.  Vic went to the white board so all could visualize the flow of the monies.

Sick Call

Jerry Davis fell from a ladder and Chaplain Skinner will send him a get-well card.

VSO

John Zantek setup email accounts for the Post & VSO.  The new phone number is 360-779-5456.

Ron Coglon said funds are available from the Department to help support VSOs so maybe we can get something to defray our rental cost.  (Ron later gave Don a number of someone to call in the Department to see what the Department can do).

Vic gave a little history of the funds we used to receive when we were located at the Armory.

Terry Inman talked about the work that was done to get the VSO looking like it does and mentioned much of the work was done by a friend of his for nothing.  We passed the hat around so Terry could give him something for his efforts.

A motion was made and approved for Stu to purchase Quicken for the VSO computer for the new Finance officer (no specific amount was quoted).

Membership

We have 185 regular members + 35 PUFLs for a total of 220 members.

Boy & Girl State

Bob Theal said the girls had left for the conference.  John Zantek said we received ‘Thank You’ cards from a couple of boys even though they haven’t left yet.  One boy sent a letter stated he could not attend but it was in time so he didn’t need to reimburse us.

VSO Ballot

Don gave the results of the ballot that was mailed to authorize paying for the VSO lease (Yes-146, No-4, Undecided-2).  In the returned ballots, we also received two donations to help support the VSO; one for $100 and another for $10!

Much discussion followed about whether the ballot actually authorized the transfer of funds to replenish the account used to pay the lease.  Some thought the wording of the ballot was not specific enough and others (especially Don) thought it was.  The consensus of those present was that it was specific enough so the Finance Officer was given authorization to replenish the account the money originally came from.

Crew 42

John Zantek announced that Zackary Turley was named the Department of Washington 2011 Eagle Scout of the year (he is awarded a $1,000 scholarship).  Zack was Post 245’s nominee and for the 2^nd year in a row, our Crew 42 nominee has won this award.  John vows one of our Crew will always win this award in the future!

Don mentioned that Post Madison Enterprises and the Suquamish has donated money which we use to support some of our other youth-related activities and felt that we had slighted the Crew so wanted to know if we could make a donation to them.

Vic pointed out that at one time we received a donation of $5k for Crew 42 but we used that on our old Hall instead.  He felt it was a good time to give the $5k back to them.  A motion was made and passed that we return the $5k back to Crew 42.  John wanted to be clear that they will still need our support in the future for the usual items we fund the Crew today.

Ron Coglon

Ron announced that Jerry Charles will be the new Commander of 3^rd District and Ron will then become Vice Commander.

He stated that he would like to see more of us at the annual convention and would also like to see us present some proposals at the convention.  Next year, it will be held in Wenatchee.

He reminded us Port Townsend will host the District Seminar and there will be a Service Officer training at Port Hadlock in July.

Membership - Ron says we need to make an effort to bring in younger members and have some family activities.

Port Orchard and Retsil Posts want to merge.

Adjutant

Don requested $120 for the stamps, envelopes and labels for mailing the member cards for the upcoming 2012 renewals.  A motion was made and $120 was approved.

Don requested $160 for the next newsletter stating it will be an important one informing our members about the VSO, the new officers and upcoming renewals. A motion was made and $160 was approved.

Good of the Order

·      John Zantek has set up a general email account for the Post (alpost245@gmail.com) and a specific one for the VSO (alpost245vso@gmail.com).  He also wanted to make us aware that Dave Allfrey donated a very good computer for the VSO.  He suggested we setup separate accounts on the computer for service officer, finance, adjutant, etc.

·      John said the DSL isn’t up yet and we should install a password protected wireless so people can also use their laptops.

·      Bob Theal will be our representative at the annual convention; no others signed up.

·     Terry will take our old flags to his church to be properly retired.

·     There was a mix up with the speaker for last Memorial Day and the Kingston VFW feels we dropped the ball on this so they aren’t happy.

·     Don mentioned Raab Park wasn’t available in July for a picnic.  After a discussion, August was thought to be a better month anyway so Don will contact Parks & Rec. for an August date.  In any case, the park fee will be $40 ($30 for first 2 hrs. and $10 for each hour after that).

·    We will not participate at the Kingston July 4th parade.

·   Finally, we will have our next meeting on 7/21.

AL Post 245 Meeting
May 20, 2011

AL Post 245 Meeting
April 15, 2011

Meeting convened at 18:40 with the Flag, Prayer, Pledge, POW and Preamble.

Guests:  Ken Lee-Dept. Commander and Larry Garnish-Area 2 Vice Commander

Lester Alton, a new transfer from Post 68, was introduced.

Finance

Finance Officer, Stu, gave the report and it was approved.

VSO

Terry Inman gave a brief summary of the layout of the proposed VSO on Jensen Way and a hand-out of proposed modifications and the cost (minus cost for a window in the enclosed interior room).  Discussion followed.

The asking rent is $675/mo. plus utilities with two weeks free rent and there is plenty of handicap parking.  It has phone and cable capability.  We could also hold our regular meetings there and the Adjutant could use the space.

It was agreed that we need to put pressure on the County and Veterans Assistance to help pay for the rent since they have funds for this purpose.  Maybe even get the State to pressure the County.  Leif Benson, Veterans Assistance, has been quoted as saying that we don’t need help because we have some funds since we sold the old hall!  The County is holding a meeting on 4/27 and we plan to get on their agenda.

Some members stated we shouldn’t wait for the County to give us funds but we should sign a year’s lease then bring them in and show them what we have.

Using space in the new city hall was mentioned again but with conflicting information.  Some say that since the County wasn’t going to use space in the new hall and there will be room for us.  Others have been told there is no room especially since the police station will move in and the city has plans for the old police station (i.e. rent or sell it).

Some thought the Bylaws stated we need 2/3 vote from the entire membership to rent the Jensen St. property.  Because of this, $250 was authorized for the Post Adjutant to send out a voting form to the entire membership.

A motioned was passed that if a lease is approved that it starts on June 1.  However, the lease needs to be reviewed by a lawyer and we need to bargain the price down, especially if we offer to pay for an entire year up front.  Ken Lee said he would have the Department’s JA review the lease so we don’t need to hire a lawyer.

$250 was approved for the improvements that need to be made to the rental space.

Guest Speaker-Ken Lee

Ken mentioned the sale of 9/11 Memorial coins was a good way to raise funds and a sample print-out of the coin was passed around.  However, our Post would like to be sure they are made in American before we decide to purchase/sell them.

As far as the VSO is concerned, he said we need to contact the County; not him.   He suggested we invite the commissioners on the Council to our meeting to make them aware of the need for the VSO.

Much discussion was made of the Department’s online Boys State registration form on their web site.  Most thought it was a joke because of the lack of questions or essay and that it is only trying to get quantity and not concerned with the quality of the applicant.  Ken responded that we still need to sponsor the applicant so we can fine tune.  However, it was pointed out that our interview process is already finished by the time the Department’s process ends.

Miscellaneous items Ken mentioned:  The Retsil superintendent is accredited; our Post could try to transfer Post 68 members after next fiscal year; don’t use National’s on-line renewal method but handle it as usual thru the Department; there is no age requirement to attend the National College.

Legion Baseball

Bob Theal said the $2500 check for insurance and uniforms was mailed but they are trying hard to recover and use the old uniforms.  $2000 of the funds (from our General Fund) was what we received from Post Madison Enterprises.

Bob also said there is a meeting with Post Madison Enterprises on 5/4.

6/14 Flag Day BBQ

We will be having the BBQ at Bangor again this year with Pat doing the cooking.  $250 in funds was approved for this function.

Poppy Drive & Memorial Day

Bob wants us to be available for poppy sales on Viking Fest week-end and we have a tentative speaker for Memorial Day.

Membership

We have 220 renewed members and one new transfer.

Newsletter

Don Spinar said he is starting the next newsletter and would like any articles soon.  $225 was approved for the printing and mailing of the next newsletter.

Spring Conference

The form for the Spring Conference needs to be in by June 13.  Bob Theal made a motion that we fund 3 attendees.  The motion was approved.  If anyone wants to attend, tell Adjutant Don Spinar and he will put them on the registration form.

New Officers

Bob is head of committee to get a slate of officers for next year.  If we don’t get a complete slate, our Post can be suspended.  Anyone interested needs to get in touch with Bob.  A mention of this will be in the next newsletter.

Publicity

Jane Novak will try to get us mentioned in the local papers about our VSO and Boys/Girls State accomplishments.

Meeting closed at 21:00 with a prayer and song.  Next meeting is 5/20 at 6:00 pm at the fire station.

Poulsbo American Legion Post 245
General Meeting
March 18, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 18:28 by Commander Bogardus. The opening ceremonies were conducted; the Flag was saluted; there was prayer; the Pledge of Allegiance was recited; and the roll call of Officers was completed. The First & Second Vice Commanders, Adjutant and Chaplain were excused. The POW/MIA ceremony was completed and the Preamble to the American Legion was recited.

VSO

Poulsbo American Legion Post 245
General Meeting
February 18, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 19:08 by Commander Bogardus. The opening ceremonies were conducted; the Flag was saluted; there was prayer; the Pledge of Allegiance was recited; and the roll call of Officers was completed. The Second Vice Commander and Sergeant at Arms were excused. The POW/MIA ceremony was completed and the Preamble to the American Legion was recited.

American Legion Baseball

Previously Bremerton Post 68 had been their team sponsor because they managed the Bremerton baseball field and the teams had use of the field for no charge.  However, the Bremerton School District now manages the field and will charge for its use.  Since all of the players on both teams would come from North Kitsap, they felt it was more appropriate if Post 245 would be the sponsor.

Some things of interest in the presentation: It takes about $8K per team to play 40 games in a 6 week season.  There are about 12-15 players per team. The kids pay about $250 each but no boy is turned away if he can’t afford it.  They will play their homes games at North Kitsap H.S. and will pay $700 for the season for use of the field. Insurance costs would be an additional $400.  They will need to purchase some new uniforms this year. Usually uniforms are passed down for one season to the next.

The coaches indicated they were asking for a donation but just for us to sponsor the team. Of course, they would always accept any donations.

(Note: Later in the meeting it was approved that Post 245 sponsor both “Kitsap Baseball” American Legion baseball teams. Any donation we make will depend on a review of their proposed budget at the March meeting).

Finance Report

The meeting was resumed with the Finance Officer, Stu Garner, giving a run-down of the balances in all our accounts and future plans of each (i.e. converting some to money market accts. and transferring of funds between a couple of accts.).  The old building account was transferred to the general account.

A recap of the audit was then discussed and since the last audit, there was only a discrepancy of $.30. 

Commander Bill Bogardus & Finance Office Stu Garner spent a couple of hours at Kitsap Bank getting all of the accounts fixed (i.e. signatures, mailing addresses and correcting our IRS EIN #).

The work Stu has put into this job was duly noted by all the members at the meeting.

Venturing Crew 42

John Zantek gave a ‘State of the Crew’ speech (most of which will appear in the Post’s upcoming newsletter). 

The Crew’s charter has been renewed for 2011 and they have 14 adults and 19 kids with 3 more applications pending.  This season will start with an annual party at the Port Gamble Masonic Lodge which is their new home.

Of special note is the quality of the kids who are part of the Crew.  They have been invited to be instructors at future regional and West Coast events and have received many awards.  Crew 42 is well respected by all other Venturing groups.

Finally, the age requirement to join Venturing has been reduced from age 14 to 13 (meeting other requirements) so Crew 42 could see more applications in the near future.

Mid-Winter Conference

Bob Theal attended the conference and gave a recap:

• ·        VSO training will be held in the Seattle area sometime in the next six months.
• ·        It was recommended by the Dept. SAL to place our Squadron in an ‘inactive’ status instead of disbanding it.
• ·        Dept. Commander Ken Lee has already used all of his $10K funds so he received another $8K.
• ·        Bob turned over his travel voucher for review and payment, and a copy of the recently submitted 2010 IRS-990 form to Stu for filing.

Membership

Dave Allfrey reported we have 209 members but have recently received four more applications which makes us at 82.32% of goal.

Dave also mentioned that the Department wants a real USPS address instead of a PO box for bulk mail mailing.

Historian

Jane Novak will give Don Spinar the chip on the camera so he can burn a CD and place pictures on the web site and in the next newsletter.

VSO

Stu received a letter from the Naval Base Kitsap about having our VSO near the entrance to the Bangor main gate.  In summary, they said ‘NO, CAN’T DO IT!

Jane brought up the Masonic Lodge in Poulsbo as a possible VSO site.  Also mentioned was for Kitsap County Veterans Assistance Fund to provide a facility since they receive tax money for veterans-related matters like this.

Bill thought the Suquamish Tribe would not mind having us use the Suquamish church for this purpose.  He will ask Earl Jones to follow-up.

Adjutant

Don Spinar will act as Adjutant until a new one is elected in June.  Dave Allfrey will fill in when Don is gone in mid-May.

The Department and 3^rd District have our contacts and addresses wrong!  Don & Dave will follow up on this.

Boys and Girls State

John Zantek has received seven applications from North Kitsap H.S. (4 boys & 3 girls) and six applications from Kingston (1 boy & 5 girls).  Interviews will be conducted in March.

Because of the Girls State application form on our web site, we received one application from a girl in the Richland area.  This has been forwarded to the 12^th District President in the Tri-Cities area.

Miscellaneous

• ·        Don Spinar requested articles for the newsletter be sent to him soon as possible.
• ·       The Poulsbo gazebo has been reserved for the annual Memorial Day event.
• ·        Approved are the future expenditures of $50 for stamps for Stu and $225 for newsletter stamps and printer costs for Don.
• ·        The normal time for the March meeting has been changed to 18:30 and it will be a combined Executive Committee and General meeting.
• ·        Commander Bill will be away from mid-May to mid-June.
• ·        Tom Conner from the Dept. AL office sent a letter requesting donations for the victims of the recent White Swan fire.  Don will place his letter in the upcoming newsletter.
• ·        Bob Theal noticed we haven’t had a Sergeant-at-Arms at our meetings since August 2010.
• ·        The May 13-15 weekend is our annual poppy drive and we need members to sign up for it.
• ·        Bob Theal would like to invite Dept. Commander Ken Lee to our April meeting.

Poulsbo American Legion Post 245
General Meeting
January 20, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Commander Bogardus. The opening ceremonies were conducted; the Flag was saluted; there was prayer; the Pledge of Allegiance was recited; and the roll call of Officers was completed. The Second Vice Commander and Sergeant at Arms were excused. The POW/MIA ceremony was completed and the Preamble to the American Legion was recited.

Reading of minutes: Vic Schiavone moved, seconded by Bob Theal, that reading of the previous minutes be waived. Motion carried.

Finance Report: Vic Schiavone moved, seconded by Bob Theal, that the Finance Officer’s Report be accepted as read. Motion carried.

Audit Report: The audit by Jack Hamilton and Stu Garner was submitted.

Findings of Fact, Report of Financial Review:

Paragraphs one through thirteen outlining the findings were discussed in detail by the membership.

Opinions: 1. Post 245 accounts are properly maintained and correct. 2. The Post Finance Officer must be the single designated person for activities related to financial accounts in order to maintain proper recording and accountability.

Recommendations: Paragraphs one through sixteen contain a number of items relating to the current operating procedures. They were addressed as one motion except that paragraph seven, changes to the currently named Escrow Account was to be addressed as a separate issue. Following are the specific actions which will be in place by NLT March 31, 2011.

Items 1 through 4 are administrative in nature.

Items 5 and 6 are corrections to be carried out by the Finance Officer.

Item 7 suggests that account currently referred to as the “Escrow Account” be transferred to a savings account to be named “Poulsbo AL Post Reserve Account”. Further action will be taken to determine investment choices during the period July 1, 2011 to be accomplished NLT December 31, 2011. Funds, including earned interest, may be withdrawn only by a majority vote of the Membership. Only the Commander and the Finance Officer will be listed as signatories to the account. A separate motion by Jack Hamilton, seconded by Vic Schiavone, to follow these recommendations was carried. After discussion, this item was tabled.

Items 8 and 9 require a separate Post Office Box and Safety Deposit Box be provided for the Finance Officer. All bills, invoices, statements or other financial correspondence will be so addressed.

Item 10 requires that a formal invoice and request system be established such that the Post Adjutant will prepare and forward to the Finance Officer an invoice, when required, for large disbursements authorized by the Membership and recorded in the official minutes. Small and minor expenses will be reimbursed on the Standard “Request for Reimbursement”. Direct disbursements (such as membership dues) will be submitted for payment to an entity rather than a Post Member.

Item 11 requires that each financial donation received be acknowledged by a letter of thanks and a “Certificate of Appreciation”.

Item 12 requires that no credit or debit cards be used except by approval of the Executive Board. If used, the transaction receipt must be provided to the Finance Officer.

Item 13 requires that a copy of the State of WA Tax Exempt Form accompany the Request for Expenditure. When completed, the form must be submitted with the request,

Item 14 requires that deposits to any Post Account must be made only by the Finance Officer.

Item 15 limits the signature authority on all accounts to the Commander and the Finance Officer.

Item 16 requires that the Tax Identification Number (EIN) be used for all purchases to prevent payment of unnecessary tax. It also requires that these recommendations be accomplished before March 31, 2011.

A motion was made by Bob Theal, seconded by Jane Novak that the Post provide funds to defray costs of attending the Winter Conference at the Seattle Marriott Hotel. Motion carried, with a limit of $100.00.

After discussion of the fact the same people generally attend both the Meetings, that the schedule be revised to conduct a single meeting to commence at 7:00 PM. 

Boys State

There was a lengthy discussion about the Post’s position on support to these programs. John Zantek, Chair for last year’s activities, produced a model which was probably the best ever seen in this Department. The philosophy of Post 245 is that rules should reflect the goal of obtaining the “best qualified” applicants rather than just “as many as possible; money is not a problem. The Department of WA disagrees and imposes no limits on from whence the students attend school.

After considerable discussion of “pros and cons” it is clear that Post 245 will continue on the previously selected path. That is, we will support Kingston and North Kitsap exclusively and reject applicants from other locations. Jack Hamilton seems to think we should support everyone, although it is the majority position that we should not. He suggested that Post Representatives should meet with the Central Kitsap School District Superintendent to discuss his approach to this subject. The Committee will continue to process applications as they are received.

VSO

The Adjutant reported that Kitsap County Commissioner Bauer had not received our letter requesting assistance. The commander signed a second letter and it will be mailed the following day. It seems that the letter sent to Captain Olson, CO of Kitsap Submarine Base, had astray. Stu Garner was provided an additional copy and he will discuss the subject when a personal visit could be arranged.

Miscellaneous

There was a discussion regarding support for an American Legion Youth Baseball Team. After discussion, Bob Theal was asked to obtain further information from the coaches and report to the Post.

Vic Schiavone advised that the Babe Ruth Baseball League National Finals will be held in Poulsbo this year and it is expected to cost about $90,000 dollars. He reminded the Membership that will probably be a request for a donation later in the year. No action was taken

A Member asked whether Kitsap County had repaid the loan of funds last year from the Veterans Assistance Fund. The Adjutant will ask and report.

The post Historian, Jane Novak, was authorized to purchase materials for photo albums of the Post and its activities. As a test for the new invoice system to be emplaced, the Adjutant approved the new invoice form to be used to obtain the Finance Officer’s approval.

The Commander advised that the next Membership meeting will be held on February 18, at the Poulsbo Fire Department Headquarters.

The meeting was closed in due form with prayer. God Bless America was sung by the members.eadquartersH

Poulsbo American Legion Post 245
General Meeting
November 19, 2010

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Commander Bogardus. The opening ceremonies were conducted; the Flag was saluted; there was prayer; the Pledge of Allegiance was recited; and the roll call of Officers was completed. The Chaplain and the Sergeant at Arms were excused. The POW/MIA ceremony was completed and the Preamble to the American Legion was recited.

A motion was made by Jack Hamilton, seconded by Stu Garner to suspend the meeting to allow Mr. Arnie Bockus, Chairman of the Port of Poulsbo Board of Directors, a Past Commander of AL Post #96, W. Hartford, CT to address the membership.  Motion carried.

Our visitor went over the recent history of events regarding the closure of the Poulsbo National Guard Armory and its purchase by the Port. It was intended as an investment, but after renovation of the building, the Board found that there no renters in the market for space. He reiterated that as all the Board Members are veterans, they would have preferred to offer us a rent-free space, but financial considerations precluded it. He informed us that the building would be razed and that a parking lot would take its place.

He said that the Board wished to know if Post 245 would like to be involved in fund raising by selling bricks from the front facade of the building as mementos for the public. After several minutes of discussion, it was decided that we did not wish to participate.

Commander Bogardus re-opened the meeting.

Reading of previous minutes: A motion was made by Jack Hamilton, seconded by Jane Novak, that the reading of previous minutes be waived, as they had been posted on our Web Page.  Motion carried.

Finance Officer Garner reported the balances of our accounts. A motion was made by Dave Allfrey, seconded by Jane Novak, that the Finance Officer’s report be accepted as read. Motion carried.

Service Officers Report was made by VSO Earl Jones. The VSO Office was officially closed on Thursday, 21 October, 2010. All property was removed and placed in a storage facility in Poulsbo rented by Earl. Four Veteran laborers were hired through the Work Source Office in Bremerton, the transaction being handled by the Adjutant. There was a lengthy discussion on the failure to obtain a suitable location in the appropriate area of the County. No action was taken.

Mayor Erickson of Poulsbo attended the goodbye party arranged mostly by Historian Jane Novak. She said that she would like to keep the VSO in Poulsbo if at all possible. She explained why there was a holdup on the County space which earlier had been offered to us. Everything now depends on whether the Bainbridge City Court will move to Poulsbo. She had earlier offered to give us the basement space available in the Recreation Center on Front Street in Poulsbo, but was told it offered too many obstacles. The Mayor told us she would ask architect friends to see what could be done, if anything, to make it suitable. Dave Allfrey noted that we could have a free five year storage location if we accepted. No action was taken.

A further subject was the dedication stone located at the front of the former Armory, from which the engraved plague was retrieved by the National Guard, was to be placed in storage by Poulsbo Public Works, as a preclude to installing a new plaque commemorating all Poulsbo Veterans who gave their lives for our Country. When asked if we and the VFW would wish to be involved, he was informed by the Commander to contact us as more details became available. Memorial Day is a possible date of dedication.

Membership report was provided by the Adjutant. Our current paid membership stands at 168 paid members, or about 63% of this year’s goal of 251. Our PUFL members are not included in the Department summary so we actually have 203 paid members. We received a dozen renewals in today’s mail which will be sent in next week.

A Boys State Report was provided by Jr. Past Commander Bob Theal. There has been critical commentary among AL Posts regarding the Department’s position on quality of attendees versus quantity. We are asked to hold our official complaints about this until we hear more from the Department; apparently others are also unhappy. As a sidelight to this discussion, a motion was made by Dave Allfrey, seconded by Bob Theal, to move the funds committed to a Boys/Girls State CD.

There are three, at this time, students who are interested in competing in the Oratorical Contest for this year, although there may be others. They will be interviewed by Bob’s long time panel of judges. To clarify the previous fiscal activity for this event, the commitment for the sum of $150.00 each for a maximum of four entrants is confirmed. A correction was made to the October 2010 minutes, as requested by Bob Theal.

Bob reported that he had made several attempts to reach staff and recover the Flag Retirement Container from the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, based on a request from the Veterans Day Committee. He removed about six dozen worn flags from the container and he will give them to the Commander. He also has a number of flag kits available for the membership.

The SAL Charter for the Post has been closed. Bob Theal will advise HQ.

A motion was made by Stu Garner, seconded by Jack Hamilton, that the Highway Cleanup be cancelled, since the majority of attendees were from Venturing Crew 42. Motion carried. Bob Theal will notify the State.

Vinland School presented its Veterans Day Program on 11/10/10 from 9:30 to10:00 AM.  The Kingston HS Program is at 8:30 AM, also on November 10. Bob spoke briefly about the Annual Kitsap County Veterans Day Event.

Bob stated that the Auxiliary will again operate their Gift Shop at Retsil Veterans Home. All are asked to lend a hand there during the period Nov 29 to Dec 3, if at all possible.

The Commander presented our Historian Jane Novak with a digital camera he purchased for the Post during his vacation. He will be reimbursed. Jane suggested that a Post Album was a good idea. Bill said he had a number of pictures and agreed with the concept.

Venturing Crew 1042 John Zantek gave us a comprehensive report on the Crew’s activities. The number of the crew decreased from 28 to 22 due to college admittances, age, etc. In the near future, the age limit will be lowered and a number of recruits are expected. The National Youth Leaders Association (NYLA) has requested that the Crew again staff part of the Annual Philmont Activities for the third consecutive year. Note that many others don’t even get to go, let alone become staff members. Bravo Zulu!!!

The major event contemplated for them is a two week voyage on the Tall Ship Odyssey which will sail with a crew of youth and a couple of adults for a passage through the Straits and islands. Very impressive!

The Port Gamble Masonic Lodge has offered the basement of their building as a meeting place for the Crew. Since they spend a lot of time in that area, anyway, it is truly a win-win solution.

The Charter must be renewed for CY 2011. Motion by Jack Hamilton, seconded by Don Spinar, that $330.00 be provided for this purpose. Motion carried.

VSO – Further discussion on this subject. An email from Jack Hamilton earlier spoke to the State and County mandated responsibilities to support all Veterans. After discussion, it was agreed that Jack would write a letter to

Commissioner Bauer, citing this, referring to the $800,000 currently held by the County in the Veterans Fund and requesting immediate assistance. Dave Allfrey was asked to provide a complete description and a reference document on these subjects.

Jack will respond to the Naval Base Kitsap letter signed by Captain Olson’sletter regarding the use of space in the building we had earlier been offered.

Further information came from the Poulsbo Mayor regarding the use of the City’s Recreation Center on Front Street. She said that her architects said it could be made usable for about $20K from us and $20K from the City. There was an immediate outcry and it was decided that we would wait and see if any more details were forthcoming.

Jack Hamilton spoke about the perceived lack of planning by this Post. He suggested that a Strategic Plan Vision Exercise be adopted.  He suggested that an email or letter be sent to all members, asking for their input, with a mailing date of December 15, with a requested return by January 2011. $300.00 is to be set aside to preparation and mailing.

A previous motion was made to close the EarthLink account. This has not been done. There is a problem of with whom that company will deal with.

Stu mentioned that we still needed to talk to the Tribes about joining forces. The Commander will pursue this matter.  The Christmas Party was discussed in detail. We have been offered the use of the Port of Poulsbo Commissioner’s Building for our party to be held in on Friday, December 17^th.  Menu to be pizza and soda. (Editor’s Note:  The Dec. 17th Christmas party has been cancelled)

The Adjutant will provide copies of documents concerning the property sale and the storage locker provided by Vic Schiavone to the Post.