From my observations over the years, and from the meeting last night, is it my belief that Connyak is a good organization that is run by very good people. Uncertainty, and at times concern, is brought on by overreaching the mission/focus of how Connyak chooses to define itself. Is it/should it be a: group of friends, paddling club, association, or 501c3 non-profit organization. If or when the entity overreaches, volunteers are summoned to do the work which can be, or perceived to be, thankless.
A big decision for the next meeting (which can always be changed during the life of the entity by a Board vote) is 1. Should the primary focus of Connyak be to maintain the website (with its many benefits such as the bulletin board, events calendar, classified, potential for newsletters, etc) and sponsor a picnic each year? The focus being primarily a social venue (with value added from the website); which is a mission that already requires considerable time from the volunteers. Or, 2. A social organization that has a secondary mission of safety and education. If the latter is decided upon, in my opinion, a greater level of bureaucracy is required to achieve these objectives in a professional manner. The intent of the added bureaucracy (paperwork and sub committees), and/or outside consultation and third party assistance, is to provide the best value to members and provide insurances to Connyak volunteers that there commitment is appreciated.