AEA Bike Club Meeting Minutes

January 14, 1999
  1. ELECTION: We unanimously elected a slate of officers that ran unopposed.
    1. Co-presidents: Grace Peng and Mark Polak
    2. Vice President: Dan Gutierrez
    3. Treasurer: Peggy Tsunoda
    4. Librarian: Jose Mendez (keeper of the AEABC library and bike travel cases)
    5. Ride Coordinator: no volunteers for general ride czar so we split up the job
      1. Orange County: Charlie Griffice
      2. South Bay: Bob Abernathy
      3. Westside: Dick Dickinson/Dave Kessler
      4. Family Rides: Brent Morgan
  2. STATUS OF BIKES, CASES, LOCKERS:
    1. Club bikes are fine; members are taking good care of them. Contact Jeff Childs to reserve bikes.
    2. Cases are fine. Ted Winer suggested (volunteered?) that we stencil property of Aerospace Corp. on them so that they look more like business equipment. The airlines impose a $50 each way surcharge on domestic flights for transporting bikes, but impose no extra fee on business equipment. Can we disguise them? Ethical questions were unclear. They are owned by Aerospace Corp.
    3. Library materials (maps and books about cycling in the local area) are moving from Mark Polak’s office to Jose’s office (lower level of the library). Mark should contact Jose for a convenient time to bring the box over.
  3. Bike LA III, the Mayor’s ride takes place this Saturday. We arranged carpools from the South Bay to the ride start at Cal State Northridge
  4. Bike ‘n Bagel tomorrow at the South Gate, 700-815
    1. Kessler wants to make sure that the table is staffed until 815 or however late we announce it will be open. The table had sometimes been knocked down a few minutes early and latecomers went away empty-handed. Bike ‘n Bagel volunteers arrive before 700 with the goodies to help set up. It is too much to ask them all to remain there the entire time. We would like to have volunteers to staff the table in shifts of 15-30 minutes. E.g. someone could take over from 730-800 and another person could take 815-knockdown.
  5. SHOWERS: the perennial question. The biggest impediment to bicycle commuting stated by most people is the lack of shower facilities on the AGO campus.
    1. The AF gym is not convenient for those south of El Segundo Blvd. It takes an extra 20 minutes to ride over there, lock up the bike, then ride back after the shower.
    2. Because A6 has the largest population of bicycle commuters, it was suggested that the planned restroom remodeling incorporate showers. Management nixed that idea because they are in danger of losing stalls to the ADA-mandated (Americans with disabilities act) remodeling project. There is simply not enough room in A6 for them. We came in too late in the planning process. Let’s try to act earlier when the rest of the buildings come up for ADA remodeling or earthquake retrofitting.
    3. It is rumored that one of the D? building has a grungy, but serviceable shower. This shower is like Bigfoot, no one has ever seen it, but everyone has heard about it. Please report on its whereabouts if you really have seen it. (Peggy? Cheryl?)
  6. ACTIVITIES:
    1. The Christmas lights bike tour was a success. About 7-8 people bicycled R/T from MB Pier to Seaside Ranchos in south Torrance, stopping to eat at Redondo Beach Brewery on the way back.
    2. Starbuck’s rides have resumed. Stay tuned for email announcing the monthly rides. (We have to let Abernathy know that he is responsible for these rides.)
    3. Club picnic will probably take place in March. We will plan in earnest at the Feb. meeting. Some ideas were tossed out for choice of location. Some people want to do the mini death-ride with the picnic up at the top. Batavia State Park is another choice. There are easy and difficult rides to choose from before getting down to eating. Mark and Grace’s original idea was to have an easy to moderate ride, suitable for all ability levels, in the south bay followed by a picnic. It’s your club. Come to the next meeting to help us choose. The picnic should provide a good incentive for paying membership dues (it will be worth it).
  7. WEBPAGE: the webpage is stale
    1. Charlie Griffice is the new webmaster. At the very least, we want to have the dates of the next meeting, next bike ‘n bagel and next club ride, and meeting agenda and minutes posted.
    2. We want to have a web feature so that people can post rides that they plan to do in the next few days so that others can contact them and join in. E.g. "I’m riding the PV loop after work on Tuesday, anyone else interested?"
  8. DUES: are due. They go with the calendar year. You can get forms and pay your dues at the next meeting or bike ‘n bagel. Alternatively, you can print a form out from the AEABC website and send the completed form with your check to Peggy Tsunoda.
  9. MEETING ADJOURNED.