Williamsport Bicycle Club

Dear WBC Members and Fellow Cyclists

The officers of the Williamsport Bicycle Club held an organizational meeting on Wednesday, January 25th at the Country Store Cafe in Muncy PA.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the status of the club and develop a plan to strengthen the organization in this new year.  The officers believe in order to continue to support the current membership and to grow, a set of bylaws must be adopted.  The club’s previous bylaws were lost to a flood several years ago.  The new bylaws will provide the structure and guidance needed to properly function as a club.

The bylaws will also provide a formal officer nomination and voting procedure starting with the 2018 calendar year. Without a formal approach at this time, the existing officers have agreed to continue as follows. A few of the positions are new based on the bylaws currently under review.

President – Michael Hnatin (supported by “First Lady” Lisa Hnatin)
Vice President – Mike Boyle (aka Mike Horizon)
Director of Rides – Mark Burke
Treasurer – Bill Faust (aka Bill#1)
Secretary – Lisa Hnatin (Hey, she has an official title too!)
Webmaster – Ryan Muldowney

Marie Landis has decided to resign her position as club Secretary.  Mark Burke has served as the club Webmaster for the past year and has asked to be considered for the role of Director of Rides.  Until a formal nomination and election process is approved for the 2018 calendar year, the existing officers have reached out to active club members who exemplify the club spirit and ask for their interest in filling the open roles listed above.  In addition, there are opportunities for committee leaders within the club.

The officers also discussed dues.  The new dues structure and the timing for renewing membership will be outlined in the new bylaws.  Dues for the 2017 calendar year have been set at $10 per person, $15 per family and $8 for a junior membership.
 
To review and approve all plans and the new bylaws, WBC will hold an open membership meeting on Thursday, February 16th at the Springman’s Country Store Cafe in Muncy (530 Lycoming Mall Drive, in the Hallson Square Plaza near Keystone Furniture).  The meeting will begin at 6:00pm. Food and drinks will be available from the menu.

Lastly, the officers discussed the purpose of the WBC.  While bike clubs can be many things, it was felt we needed to remain focused while also allowing the club to grow based on membership interest and activity.  The following represents the officers beliefs of what the WBC is.

“The Williamsport Bicycle Club (WBC) promotes group road touring rides for its members, who represent a variety of riding and fitness levels and interest.  WBC rides are not races and adhere to a no-drop format.  While rides may push participants physically in the spirit of improving performance, WBC is not a race-prep bike club.”

There are many activities a bike club can support, including advocacy, safety, maintenance, racing events and others.  We believe participation in these activities is important for the sport of cycling.  We know WBC members will participate in a variety of activities and expose other members.  Should any member have a strong interest in a supporting activity, the WBC officers will consider creating a committee to pursue that activity under the governance of the WBC.  However, the purpose of WBC will remain focused on providing our members with opportunities to ride and enjoy our region on touring type rides.

The officers look forward to sharing our vision for the future and discussing cycling with you.  Please RSVP to the Prez at mdhnatin@verizon.net or by text at 570-279-1089 regarding the upcoming meeting.  We hope to see you there.

Yours in Cycling
WBC Officers