September 2007 Minutes
 
 
 
The Arlington Lions Club
Arlington, Minnesota
We Serve
 
 
Minutes of the Arlington Lions Club September 5, 2007 Lion President Paul Wiemann called the September 5, 2007 meeting of the Arlington Lions Club to order at 7:35 p.m. at the Arlington Haus. Nine members were present. The May minutes (the club did not meet during the summer) were read by Lion secretary Hislop and approved. Lion Peter Arneson presented the treasurer’s report, which was also approved. Old Business 1. Lion President Paul reported that a $5000 check to the Sibley Medical Center was presented to the local hospital administrator. This leaves a final $5000 payment to be made in 2008. Lion Paul stated that Lions International prohibits debt from being carried into a merger with another club. This means that the final payment would need to be made in advance of the proposed merger with the Sibley East Arlington Lions Club. This will not be a problem. An appropriate time will be chosen pending the success of the merger vote. 2. A discussion took place regarding the Cub Scouts building. $4,260 is the amount left for the Cub Scouts to reimburse the Arlington Lions for the loan secured in their behalf. Since the loan has been paid, it is not a debt relative to the merger. It is a potential asset depending on whether the Cub Scouts pay off their debt. Further payments from the scouts will be accepted if offered. There is the possibility that the full amount may never be repaid and would, therefore, be considered a donation. 3. A discussion was held regarding the Sight First II campaign. See: Sight First Link for additional information. Sight First II will prevent blindness for millions around the globe. The club has yet to pick a fundraising project to fulfill our commitment to this Lions charity. Lion Steve Harter suggested having a 5th and 6th grade basketball tournament this winter. He stated that these tournaments could be very profitable due to entry fees and concessions in excess of minimal expenses. He said that the Gaylord school is probably more flexible in hosting the event due to available playing surfaces, but it would work in Arlington as well, perhaps cutting it down to one grade level. Lion President Paul said we should first try to make it a success in Arlington due to our local affiliation. There was sentiment to follow his suggestion. Lion Steve agreed to chair a committee to set up the tourney. Lion Hislop will assist. Moved by Lion Pat Liebl and seconded by Lion Richard Thomes to proceed with the tourney using the Arlington site. Unanimously approved. 4. Lion Hislop gave a report on the Mexican Haystack dinner held to repair and improve the nonfunctioning sound system in the Sibley East Elementary and Junior High in Gaylord. The new sound system is in and functioning well. It has already been used by two events this fall. The project received donations of $1000 from the junior high student council, $500 from the Sibley East Junior High Leos, and approximately $300 from the proceeds of the Mexican Haystack Dinner. This left the school district with $300-$400 in costs to complete the job. The goal had been to completely pay off the amount, but there was insufficient attendance to do so. The meal itself was very easy to do and was well received. Lion Steve Harter said that a better time to do the meal would be in conjunction with a boys’ basketball game. The club decided to follow Lion Steve’s suggestion. He suggested December 10 versus GFW and will check details. Lion Hislop will contact the SEA Lions to reform the original planning committee and proceed. 5. Lion Hislop reported on the joint meeting with the SEA Lions held at his home in June. The evening went very well and provided an opportunity for club members to meet their counterparts from the other club. 6. Our calendar project was discussed regarding the subject for the picture. A member of the fire department suggested to a few of our members that it is time the fire department to be the subject of the picture once again. Moved by Lion Mike Noack and seconded by Lion Steve Harter to ask the fire department to be available for a picture. Lion Pat Liebl will contact them to arrange for an appointment. New Business 1. The next Lions Region meeting will be in Le Center on September 12, 2007. Lion Darwin Mathwig is the Region Chair and will attend as well as Lion President Paul Wiemann and Lion Secretary Dan Hislop. 2. The Lions Track Meet was discussed. Mike Vrklan stated that there were too few Lions in attendance and questioned whether our name should continue to be attached to the event. Approximately 40 individuals are needed to run the meet. This greatly exceeds the number of members in the Arlington Lions Club. The Friday event also precludes a number of members from attending due to work considerations. Should the event continue? It was mentioned that this event used to be the Arlington Lions Invitational, but the word Arlington was dropped in order to tap the membership of the Green Isle and Sibley East Arlington Lions Clubs. Attendance from Green Isle, a much larger club, has been very spotty, at best. Is it possible that Green Isle continues to think this is basically an Arlington Lions event? It was suggested that each of the three clubs be assigned a specific number of slots to fill, such as 15-17 each for Arlington and Green Isle and 5-7 for the Sibley East Arlington Lions. This is doable. The event will be evaluated after the 2008 meet to see how each club responded. Lion President Paul will work out the details and contact the other two clubs. 3. Lion Darwin Mathwig and Lion President Paul Wiemann stated that the Arlington Lions Club has never thanked the Major family in an appropriate way for their significant donation to the club. The sentiment of the members was that an appropriated recognition should be given and various ideas were discussed. Lion Larry Sorenson suggested a bench and plaque at the Veteran’s Memorial, which would also be appropriate as Lion Robert Majors was very proud of his military service. The idea was tabled pending specific suggestions and costs, which Lion Darwin Mathwig will prepare. 4. Our Thanksgiving for Vision invitation was offered to the Lions in attendance. Many have been before. It was decided that Lion Paul will send out an email to offer the opportunity to the membership and, if necessary, to the general community. 5. The Lions Write Off was discussed. Lion Paul will get a kit to principal Jim Swanson at the high school. 6. A final merger meeting will be held on Thursday, September 13 with the representatives of the Sibley East Arlington Lions Club. Three items need clarification at the meeting: First, is to make sure that the SEA Lions have copies of the Arlington Lions Club Giving Policy. The club felt it was important to review the document with the SEA Lions. Secondly, the club wants the SEA Lions to review the policy of September 5, 2001 regarding the money from the Robert Majors estate. There are specific procedures that must be followed to access this money. The procedures were established to ensure that the membership would act responsibly in its fiduciary responsibilities and that all members would be fully informed if and when requests are made to expend these funds. Third, to inform the SEA Lions that the merger vote would be held with the understanding that the new club would be known as the “Arlington Lions Club”. The discussion regarding the club name recognized the contribution and history of the Sibley East Arlington Lions Club and the desire to somehow recognize this history through a renaming of the club. While there may be short-term benefit to facilitating a merger by including the name “Area” in the club name, it was felt that it would not be of long-term benefit to the merged club. The following reasons are to be presented to the SEA Lions Club on Thursday as rationale for the name “Arlington Lions Club” • The name Arlington must be in the club name as per international regulations • The name “Arlington Lions Club” has been a fixture in the community for over half a century. No matter what name is chosen, the community will call the club the “Arlington Lions”. • There is an existing, well-respected service organization in the Arlington community called Aid Associations for Lutherans, abbreviated A.A.L. Should the name Arlington Area Lions be used, it would create a second A.A.L. in the community causing confusion and, no doubt, ill will with members of A.A.L. • There is at least one Life Member in this community who is a member of the Arlington Lions Club. He expressed dismay over the possibility of the loss of his club name relative to his Life Membership rights. Lion Paul reported that each club must vote in favor of the merger with a simply majority being required. Ballots will be sealed and sent to each member. Respectfully submitted, Lion Secretary Dan Hislop