January 2021 HBC President’s Letter
The Hiawatha Bike Club Board of Directors met on Monday, January 4th. The approved meeting minutes are attached. Our main goal was to review and approve the 2021 budget. The Board approved a “slimmed down” budget to see us through another year largely influenced by the pandemic. We do not plan on having the Annual Volunteer Banquet since we didn’t have the Tour D’Amico last year. However, we are excited to plan a “Kickoff Picnic” in late May to reunite members for a fun outdoor event with safe distancing measures. Our IT team has been working diligently to simplify systems that will also be less expensive in the future. The approved budget has a $2,996 deficit, which will be covered by the Reserve Fund. We are grateful for the prior Boards and Audit Committees who have maintained a comfortable “rainy day” fund for the club through the years.
While it may not be possible for us to have the full Tour D’Amico event in 2021, we are discussing an alternative member event for Independence Day. We expect to know more next month, as the situation is fluid. I will update you when we have a solid plan. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we evaluate the situation.
We are grateful for our team of very talented and dedicated IT specialists who are working on improving the HBC website and infrastructure. Leon W. has implemented a new and improved waiver process in RideStats. This process ensures that members sign the waiver every ride year, as recommended by our insurance company. The waivers are signed electronically and saved permanently for the Club records.
Marty R. has spearheaded a conversion from Paypal to AffiniPay for the payment processor. This will save the Club significant annual cost because of AffiniPay’s relationship with our membership and website provider, Wild Apricot. Before your next renewal date, you will receive a reminder email from HBC with a link for renewing your dues. Please consider selecting the auto renewal option to avoid any interruption in your membership
2021 New Year’s Resolution – Get Out and Ride Now! See Greg S.’s informative and helpful article on winter riding tips on the home page of the website. Greg has also posted a self-paced 18 mile all trails route. Be sure to sign up if you’d like to try out this interesting ride. Not too soon to start accumulating your ride miles for the 2021 season!
All the best,
Shelli Hesselroth
HBC President
