2009 Q1 Newsletter

Spring Edition April 2009

Cloud 9 Ranch Club From the President Inside This Issue Ranch Managers Report

2

Concrete VS. Grass

3

Activities Committee

4

Trading Post & Maids Report

5

Maids Laundry & Maintenance report

6

Obituaries

7

Wrangler Report

8

Restaurant & Office Manager Reports

9

Craft House & School House

10

Ranch Riders Club

11

Unofficial Meeting Minutes

12-18

Fun Addicts

19

Sale Barn

20-21

Congratulations to Greg Watts, our ranch manager, who has been elevated from interim manager to Ranch Manager. He has stepped up to the plate in difficult times and is doing a wonderful job. The members should be aware that the ranch is in an uncomfortable financial position. Some of the reasons are that maintenance fees and other user fees have not kept up with inflation, some members are not paying their maintenance fees and other obligations that are owed, extensive costs due to repairs of buildings, updating of the electrical system; bringing our wells and our service station up to new state standards and repair and update of vehicles and other service equipment are just some of the reasons for our financial condition. We are in the process of sending letters to delinquent accounts and instituting other ways to try and collect this money. It is imperative that members honor their obligations to pay their maintenance fees so that we can continue to provide all the services that the members deserve. In previous years we did not have a plan in place to address the issue of repairs and updating costs. With the newly reinstated Planning Committee, we are now able to address these issues. Chairman Ed Cavin and his dedicated crew of volunteers have spent many hours in research and in meetings to come up with their recommendations. The plan they have put together should help to lead the way towards financial stability. The increases in fees proposed by this committee are necessary and will require all of us to bite the bullet if we want our ranch to succeed. The gate will be impacted with the enactment of the new guest policy so expect delays but remember; their efforts in enforcing compliance will be saving all of us money and helping to resolve our financial problems. Please show patience. The Rules Committee and the By-Laws Committee have also been meeting and I understand that they are addressing many issues that need to be updated and/or resolved. I would like to thank all the committees for their dedication to making the ranch a very attractive and desirable place to be proud of. We should all volunteer some time to these committees to show our appreciation to them. Cloud Nine had a very good year with all the campers filling the place up on the three holiday weekends and keeping it busy the rest of the summer and fall. It was a pleasure to see all the people enjoying the ranch. Last I would like to give a big thank you to our employees. They put in many extra hours to keep the place clean, to make sure everything is kept working, in serving the members and in all the other areas that are necessary to keep this ranch functioning. ~Gene Muenks~

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RANCH MANAGER’S REPORT

We are vastly preparing for the season and are hoping to see you soon. Your C9R Staff has been very busy working hard to get everything ready. The 2009 ice storm sat us back working on down tree limbs. Thanks to owners for stepping forward and taking this task on, it allowed us to return to our job task at hand. The Maintenance crew have been working to complete the new bathhouse in wilder. We are looking at adding on to the Gate House - extend 10 - 12 feet. We had a pretty good turn out for our first Holiday season of the year. We only had two accidents that were reported. The poker run went extremely well all that took part in it had a blast. Don’t forget April 30th spark arrestors will be checked. Starting April 30th the ATV check in will be moved from the Gate House to the Ranger Station. The Ranch has purchased, new to us, a 1987 International Pump Truck. We went to an auction and turns out he was an owner of Cloud 9 Ranch. The vacuum and tank system were new in 2005. The Ranch has purchased two Kubota diesel powered mowers. The team has been using them and it appears they are going to work out really well. The ice machines have been ordered and are expected to arrive this week. The adult pool has been started, the C9R team found water lines broke, the repairs have been made and Joe is planning on pouring the concrete Monday. The Ranch has 10 new first responders they were the first group to complete this course in one month and all graduated—Out Standing Job!! 8 members of the Cloud 9 Fire Dept. are participating in basic firefighting twice a week. Once that is complete it will help us with the much needed training. Homeland Security has opened the 2009 grants. We are putting a grant in for the Ranch for $40,000.00 and it will cost us roughly $2,000.00. First responder equipment, ect. Other grants are out there and we are looking into them. If we can get a grant we can build a new fire station and must be capable of holding the members on the Ranch. We have talked with Washington about it, have to take your heaviest population and it has to house them. We will stay on top of this and looking at it a lot more. ~ Thanks, Greg A. Watts

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Concrete VS. Grass Before we were owners of Cloud 9 Ranch we were roller coaster fanatics, we did the Six Flags thing almost every vacation, now mind you my wonderful wife and I were married in 1990. We always go everywhere together on vacation, we would go to places that had concrete and very little grass or trees, we would stand in the lines for hours for 60 seconds of adrenaline rush just to walk and stand in another line to listen to young kids talking language that would make a sailor blush, our feet would be sore and for what, it was more work than it was play. Fast forward to 2005: I was always an outdoor enthusiast doing the fishing and hunting thing regularly gone a lot of weekends looking for that whopper of a fish or that perfect buck. My kids would sit in front of the TV of in game land looking for that perfect flawless game score of all time, my wife she would read her books or do housework, before the game system the kids went with me but as they got older I was not as interesting as I used to be. Now mind you I could not get my wife to camp or fish, she detested it, she despised baiting a hook and getting dirty, I took her fishing at Wolf Creek State Park in Shelbyville Il, and I baited her hooks” she caught a boat load of fish and was enjoying fishing for once, she even had a smile when other tournament fisherman were upset that a woman had out fished them. I mean the nerve that a woman could catch more fish than the pro. A few years later my wife and I were invited to Cloud 9 by my in-laws so we decided to go down and visit, WOW we had a good time! By the time we left I could not believe my ears when the kids and my wife were left begging for more. I had to look over and look at the woman sitting next to me when she proclaimed she wanted to camp more often, I thought my real wife was abducted by aliens! Well we found ourselves going back for each holiday weekend and a weeks worth of the Cloud 9 experience in July. Stephanie was hooked, I found ourselves by my devising a little plan of visiting the local motorsports shop buying a couple of Atv’s, I then started to see a glimmer in her eye I had never seen, she loved the Atv she loved getting filthy dirty, now mind you most women want diamonds or flowers for their anniversary, I soon found out my wife wanted pure power and the feeling of mud and dirt. So again by a plan of my devising I bought her very own ATV, I had to have a his and hers machine RIGHT? Next thing I know we bought a camper and traded in the kiddie ATV for two more ATV’s every member of our family had their own ATV now. The best thing about Cloud 9 is it fits our needs, it has camping fishing and Atving, but better than that it allows you to get to know your family

again and knowing there is actually grass under your feet. Living in the city desensitizes you, you find yourself not knowing how a deer inhabits the earth or seeing animals you would never see in the city. Living in the city you see no streams or timber, you really never experience the power of a fish when it’s on the end of your line, or the feeling you get when you bag that buck of a lifetime, you never experience what God has really put on earth. Living in the city there is no adventure, no adrenaline rush from trailing on your ATV all day long. Living in the city you find yourself in a rut longing for adventure and thrills of the outdoors. Camping at Cloud 9 you find yourself with never a dull moment, always surrounded by new friends enjoying the stars realizing your family just needed something that every member of it could relate to and partake in something together, the outdoors trees and grass. Cloud 9 has brought our family together and we always have something to talk about, my wife and I are proud owners of our Ranch, we are proud that we are part of something that has a meaning and that meaning is family. Now when I look at my family, I see James Michael my oldest the horse enthusiast , I see Austin Cody my youngest the Atv/dirt bike enthusiast, I see Stephanie my wife the Atv/camping fanatic, and I see me the proud father and husband of such an interesting family. Enjoy each day your family has at the Ranch and take it all in and you will be the better for it, toss the game system in the trash and live your life to the fullest, I have a motto in my life, I want to live not just exist! I still live in the city but I am and always have been a country boy, I travel six and a half hours to Cloud 9 and love every mile it takes us to get there because the end result is worth it. Get off the couch load the truck and head to the outdoors, forget the sidewalk forget work and really get to know your family. ~James Phillips

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ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE ANNUAL EVENTS

“Need to know what is going on?”

April 4th - 9:00am Highway Clean Up– Patio Room 10th- 5:00 pm Chico’s tacos– Patio Room 11th - 8:00am - Noon– Flea Market; 1:00 pm– Easter Egg hunt; 12:00pm Poker run Sign up at Patio room; Leave at 2:00pm and return at 6:30pm at Big-Top with drawings to follow. 25th 5:30pm– Hill Country Dog & Dish/fire ring behind pad #1&2. Bring covered dish & dessert. May 9th 5:00pm– Mother’s Day Potluck dinner bring dish & dessert - Clubhouse. 23rd 8:00am-Noon– Flea Market @ T-Top; 8:00pm Band $3.00 @ T-Top 24th 10:00am– Poker Run Sign Up @ T-Top, Line up @ 1:00pm return 4:30pm @ T-Top Drawings to follow June 20th 5:00pm– Father’s Day Potluck Dinner bring dish & dessert– Clubhouse July 4th 8:00 am –Noon– Flea Market; Poker Run Sign Up @ Patio Room , Leave @ 2:00pm Return @ 6:30pm @ T-Top drawings to follow ; 8:00pm Band $3.00 @ T-top September 5th 8:00am– Noon Flea Market, Ranch Band/ Karaoke 6th 10:00am– Poker Run Sign Up @ T-Top, Line up 1:00pm @ T-Top, Return @4:30pm @ T-Top drawings to follow 19th 5:30pm– Potluck Dinner– Clubhouse October 3rd 9:00am– Highway Clean Up– Patio Room 10th 8:00am –Noon– Flea Market 11th 10:00am– Poker Run Sign Up @ T-Top, Line up @ 1:00pm @ T-Top return @ 4:30pm to T-Top drawings to follow November 21st - 5:30pm Thanksgiving Dinner bring side dish– Clubhouse December 19th 5:00pm Member’s/Owner’s Christmas Party/Gift Exchange - Clubhouse 31st - 7:00pm New Years Eve Party/Karaoke—Clubhouse

Activities Committee Monthly Birthserved. day/Anniversary Party Activities Committee is held the third meets the second and Wednesday of each fourth Wednesdays of month at 1:00 pm to each month at celebrate birthdays and 10:00am in the Clubwedding anniversaries house. for that month. Ice Cream and cake are

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Trading Post report

EVERY WOMAN’S FANTASY MAN!!!

Maids Report

Here it is almost Spring time. We are looking forward to being open full time again. For some reason we like it better when we have a lot of people out here. The days go by much faster than the slower days. We are starting to get new clothing in some with new designs and some with old designs. We will have hot dogs and polish sausage and we are getting Nacho’s with chili and cheese. Looking forward to seeing everyone very soon. Come on out and enjoy your summer with us!! Thank You, Debbie & Staff

It’s a very busy time at maids laundry. We have completed cleaning the wood paneling with lemon oil in all the 17 ft campers. We are now starting to shampoo cushions and restocking all of the rentals. We are working very hard to get everything ready for our Spring visitors. We welcome two new maids to our crew Pammy Smith and Holly Towell. We would also like to thank everyone who helped clean up after the ice storm. Thanks, Pam Locke & Staff

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The flower beds are promising that Spring is very near. The aim is to refresh all of the flower beds with some new color’s for the season. About 90% of the plants are perennials so this will help for next year. We have planted evergreens at the 160 entrance. We also transplanted 9 native dogwood tree’s in the Club House area. We are in the process of completing the garden at the Gatehouse. It is something I love to do and I truly appreciate all of the help that I have had with it. At present we are working on the prowlers from repairs to replacing the blinds with new curtains. Thanks,

Maintenance Report

Maids Laundry Report

The Maintenance has been working very hard to be ready for the season. We have been cutting firewood, repairing picnic tables, replaced sewer caps, repairing campers, cleaning fire rings, cleaned up the front drive before the ice storm, installed a handicap restroom in the Club House, rebuilding the mini stage stop in Wilder and adding one handicap restroom, installing posts on water pipes in Lonesome Pines, replacing broken posts in all campgrounds, Cleaning up ice storm debris, brush hogging all areas, helicopter pad in Foggy has the trench dug, wires buried and ran to pad for the lights, just a few of the things we are doing to prepare for your stay with us. We can’t wait to see you here. Thanks,

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OBITUARIES

William Warren -Dec. 3, 2007

Rodney Harmon - Jan. 18, 2009

Dorothy & Sam Valenti -Spring 2008

Manuel Dunlap - Jan. 25, 2009

Raymond Schildt - July 4, 2008

Nancy L. Warren - Jan. 26, 2009

Bruce Johnson - Sept. 27, 2008

Leslie Cook - Feb. 2009

Al Durbin - Oct. 12, 2008

Mary K. & William J. Noud - 2009

Maurice Boyer - Nov. 18, 2008

Ellsworth (Pete) Pierce - Jan. 27, 2009

Patsy Miller - Jan. 1, 2009 Madison Cody - Jan. 1, 2009

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. ~ Author Unknown

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Wrangler Report Hello Everyone, We’ve had a very busy winter season. Along with caring for and feeding the horses and petting zoo animals we’ve also had several other projects we have worked on. The horses have came thru the winter in very good condition. We’ll be bringing them in this week to get them shoed and ready for riding. We plan on having them ready for trail rides Easter Weekend. The petting zoo animals are in great condition also, the nannies have added five new kids to the goat herd. Some of the projects we have worked on include repairing the holes in the fence along the property boundary to help prevent people from entering the Ranch without our knowledge. We’ve worked on the horse trails, barn, equipment maintenance, and rode some young horses to prepare them for the trail riding season. The past month we’ve spent a large amount of our time clearing debris and repairing damage done by the major ice storm we received in early February. We hope you all have had a great winter and look forward to seeing you at the Ranch this year. Thanks. The Wranglers Billy, Kellie, and Michael

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Restaurant Report

Office Manager Report

The Restaurant is a great place to come and relax after a long ride. We have great refreshing salads or try one of our Black Angus Burgers. During the season we’re going to offer Kabobs & Steaks for weekend specials. We are also going to make homemade desserts, such as cookies, pies, brownies, muffins, and many more other desserts. We are also going to start offering diabetic desserts and a salad bar during the day. So come on out and try some down home country cooking. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and a full stomach. Hope to see you soon!! Thanks, Tammy & Staff

Hello, I hope everyone is gearing up for a wonderful time at Cloud 9 this year. Gas prices are down so now you can come down an extra time or two. We have been very busy here at Cloud 9. We now have a handicapped bathroom in the clubhouse and a new handicap accessible stage stop is going up in Wilder. We have had some plants put in and are in the process of installing a goldfish pond at the gate. The grass crew has been very busy getting a huge pile of wood cut. They also had the front drive cleaned up quite nicely until the ice storm came along it will soon be back to that. They have also worked on picnic tables when weather wouldn’t allow outside work. So we have several new ones and some older repaired ones. We now have a few food vending machines around the ranch. Yeah we all like those late night snacks. The trading post has some new items that I think all will enjoy. She is also serving hot dogs, polish sausages and nachos. The restaurant will be having earlier and later hours. So if we want them to stay open these extended hours we need to make sure and patronize them. The pavilion will also have extended hours and be serving deli sandwiches along with pizza and ice cream. We are looking for ideas that focus on family entertainment. We need people to step up and volunteer to help out this summer. I know you don’t want to volunteer on your vacation but it could be an enlightening experience. Just wanted to share what has been going on at the ranch. ~ Thanks Julie~

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Craft House Committee The Craft House meetings will be held on the second Monday of each month at 10am in the Craft House. Volunteers are always welcome to come and join us. This year we will be having a Flea Market on Easter weekend, April 11th. Flea Market tables will be $4.00 each, and lines or things on the ground will be another $1.00. See Doris Hutto H.C. 29 or Doris Thomas H.C. 35 to sign up for a table. The Craft House will be open for the season on May 12, 2009. We will be having a bake sale on Memorial Weekend May 22nd thru May 24th, and will be accepting donations for the bake sale. You may bring them to the Craft House at 10am. The bake sale will start at 1pm. Please come and join us!!

School House Committee School House meetings will be held in the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Patio Room. The First Meeting will be on May 12, 2009. Everyone is welcome to come to the School House meetings. The School House committee will be having a flag ceremony held by the American Legion and we will also be honoring our veterans. If you have American Flags that you would like to be burned in the ceremony you may bring them to Doris Hutto H.C. 29 or Doris Thomas H.C. 35. The Flag burning ceremony will be on Memorial Day Weekend 2009. Please come and be part of the ceremony.

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11

Ranch Riders Club Information Hurry and get your ticket for the 50/50. We will be selling $1200 in tickets. The winner will get $599, We have over $900 sold already. All raffle tickets are $1 or $6 for 5. If you are interested in purchasing any raffle tickets you can contact the Club at [email protected] or go to www.ranchriders.org you can see pictures of our projects and items for sale on the web site. We have a nice electric winch that will be raffled at Easter. A very nice quilt was donated and will be raffled this summer. We have purchased a Garmin Extrex H GPS that will be raffled Memorial Day. We are going to have a personal ice maker to raffle on Labor Day. We have selected Trail #117 to be raffled this year. We have 23 trails left to be named. Once we have them all named we will be making a new map and copies will be available for purchase. Foggy Helicopter Landing Pad Update The power lines in Foggy have been buried and we are working on getting the concrete poured. We can still use donations to cover all the small items for this project. This landing pad will help speed up the emergency response in that area of the Ranch. Hopefully it will never be used but if needed it will be there. The ice storm caused a lot of trees and limbs to fall on the trails. it will take a lot of work to get them all cleaned up, so remember everyone is a member of the Ranch Rider Club and if you pick up one limb or one piece of trash from a trail you have made a difference. Thank You for everyone’s support, Ranch Riders Club

Responsibilities: • • • • •

•

• • •

Campground Host Position Descrip-

Campers, answer questions and assist them as needed. Accessible to campers for comments and complaints, If applicable Set example for others by keeping host site clean & neat. Observe the Ranch rules. Deliver messages received from the Gatehouse to campers in the campground. Help maintain campground– pick up liter, check stage stops for cleanliness and supplies in the afternoons & evenings. Replenish supplies as needed. Initiates request to maintenance, groundskeeping and/or housekeeping departments for assistance when the need arises. Provide communication with the Gatehouse on member’s pad selection. Check the campground register for accuracy on a daily basis. Explain Ranch rules in a pleasant & helpful manner. Report rule infractions to the Rangers.

Responsibilities continued: •

Reports campground rings that need cleaned.

Physical Requirements: • • •

Must be outgoing and love meeting people. Willing to serve as an ambassador for the Ranch. Physically able to walk and tour the campground everyday.

Additional Comments: • • •

Occasional evening off may be arranged with advanced notice. Holiday weekends excluded. Usage fee will be waived during the period of time the member serves as a campground host. Must be available from May through part of Sep-

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Unofficial Meeting Minutes Board of Directors Cloud 9 Ranch Club, Inc. March 21, 2009

The meeting was called to order at 10:15am by Gene Muenks. He then asked Don Scott to give the invocation. Roll call was taken Gene Muenks, Pres.; James Phillips, V. Pres.; Larry Armstrong, Sec.; Rex Tackett, director; Skip Wyman, director, & Don Scott director with Greg Watts, Ranch Manager. Matt Maher, treasurer was absent and asked that he be called if his vote is needed during the meeting. Approval of Nov. 15, 2008 open meeting minutes and closed minutes, Jan 17, 2009 open meeting minutes and Feb, 2009 phone meeting minutes. Skip made the motion to approve all, James 2nd the motion. Voting results are; Larry, yes; James, yes; Rex, yes; Don, yes; Skip, yes. Skip read the Feb. phone meeting minutes; James motioned to do away with the $24.95 charge for the 2night/3day ranch visit for first visitors only, Rex 2nd it. All BOD approved. Skip made the motion to do a $200 discount on the $950 sale price for the next (3) weeks, Don 2nd and all BOD approved. This allows the office to contact anyone and offer them this discount. Skip protested calling Matt if his vote is needed. Don Scott read the financial report:

General $201,281.90 Payroll $ 12,904.71 Assess. $ 10,346.02 LOC $ 6,071.62 Acct. Pay. $149,876.44

Committee Reports: Coffee Club financial balance $785.63 Activities financial balance is $2119.27 and $1000 of this is dedicated to the helipad construction. Lynn Thomas is now the chairman and they presented a plaque to Donald “Chico” Valencia for his tireless commitment as chairman for the last several years. They will be doing a Highway clean-up on April 4th meeting at the clubhouse at 9am to start and there will be lunch provided afterwards. All volunteers are welcome to join in. Conservation: The Purple Martin birdhouses did not get up as soon as they should have but they are done and the birds moved in immediately. Thank you to all the people who revamped them for this year. Because of lack of participation the two gentlemen who have worked tirelessly for the past several years stocking the fish and walking the Ranch boundaries to mark them have asked the BOD to find volunteers to do these tasks as they are not doing the work by themselves anymore. Craft House: They will be having a flea market Saturday April 11th if there are enough participants right now there are not enough. Financial balance is $5941.86 Schoolhouse: They will be doing the funnel cakes this year for fund raising; the first time will be Sat. April 11th at the clubhouse. Financial balance is $1314.29.

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Ranch Riders: General checking $ 221.73 Interest Bearing Acct. $1792.64 CD-helipad & skid fund $5547.75 CD mature 7/17/09 Total in all Accounts $7562.12 Expenses: paid in February 2009 New order of hats & visors- 172 hats $1094. Garmin GPS $ 100. Raffles: ATV winch-to be given away @ Easter 50/50 drawing Trail #117 to be named by winner Garmin GPS Quilt The Ranch Riders club is very thankful to the people who have been helping after the storms. Our next online meeting will be April 4, 2009 @ 7pm. They are still taking donations & the Ranch Manager is taking bids for the cement of the helipad. Ranch Manager’s report; Greg reported on the Jan 26, 2009 ice storm that caused a lot of tree damage and since there was a lot of volunteers who showed up on weekends and whenever they could to clear the campgrounds the grounds & maintenance employees were able to resume their regular duties. There is still a lot work to be done on trails and broken high limbs on the trees in the campgrounds. We have found out that we do not qualify for Fema but we may qualify for Sema because of the work we did on the county road. Greg and Julie have been looking into buying an ice machine and bagging our own. We would save a considerable amount by doing this and only have to use a vendor during major holidays to keep up. Don made the motion to approve $10,000 with a leeway of $1500 to purchase 2 ice machines, James 2nd the motion votes were; Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes. Next Greg informed the BOD that from the (2) mowers we have now (1) might be pieced together to use. He has been calling around to get prices and compare quality and durability by the different brands. Skip made the motion to allow the Ranch Manager $21,000 to buy (2) mowing machines and to finance up to 36 months, James 2nd the motion, votes are Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes. We lost our primary pump truck this last winter. Rex will work with Greg to find one. Lonesome Pine , Melody, and trailer row will open up April 1st, Wilder Springs and Fogey Hollow campgrounds will open May 1st. The Board then approved for Greg Watts and Julie Booth to be added to the direct deposit, ACH account, with Cheryll Duvall for payroll and to delete Mel Hands and Nancy Taylor. Gene announced a new committee, called the Fun Addicts. They will be organizing activities for kids aged from 1year to teens. They will begin their activities on Easter weekend. James asked for the BOD to start thinking about creating a marketing program to put ads in maga-

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zines, go to local town celebrations, & even free radio advertising. He would like to further discuss this and decide on this at the April 18th meeting. James motioned to leave the membership price at $750 thru Dec. 31, 2009, Larry 2nd it, votes are: Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes. Planning Committee’s Report March 21, 2009 The Planning Committee is still spend all of its time trying to find ways to solve the financial crisis of the ranch, instead of laying out a near term and long term plan for the ranch. In October 2008, we reported an "Uncovered Debt" of $128,000.00 and warned that it was still growing. We were right. By the end of the year, 2008, the "Uncovered Debt" had grown to $155,000.00", and is still growing. The new Maintenance Fees and the New Fees for Non-owners will have a small impact on the debt, but we are still keeping involved in finding other sources of revenue. Unfortunately a good number of board members either do not understand the problem or don't want to understand the problem, so we are having to look at revenue programs on our own. We have continuously asked board members and ranch members for suggestions, and have received very little positive input, but have received considerable negative input. One board member has recently posted 5 different times with negative comments on other board members and the total operation. Anyhow, here is what is going on: We are looking at the cost of various types of structures for cabins. We have looked at other commercial offerings of cabin rentals. We see nothing in the near future, but we have to have the information available. The ranch is still pursuing Fema trailers. We support the acquisition of Fema trailers. The 17 foot trailers have to go. We suggest that the entire board take a walk through of these units to see how bad they really are. We will develop a bid proposal for ATV dealers to bid on developing an ATV Sales and Service program. This is not a near term item. We have asked the office for information on the number of units in the storage compounds and the number that are actually registered. We know that we need additional storage, but not how much and we will also do a study on the possibility of charging for storage. We have asked for an inventory of all ranch vehicles with a maintenance schedule for each and the condition of each. We also have asked for a projection of the ranch needs for vehicles. We are deferring comments on the adult pool and the mini golf to the ranch manager. These are work in process items. (At this point I want to ask the board members if they understand what "Uncovered Debt" means. I also want to ask the audience the same question. I will then offer to stay after the meeting to discuss this subject.) Ed Cavin Gene read a statement that our Auditor wrote in 2005 concerning our tax-exempt status saying that we are well within the 35% rule for not-for-profit organizations. Adult Pool; The BOD decided on Joe’s Concrete to do the cement repair of the pool then we would

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put pool Rhino liner on and this will fix the problems. James motioned to allow Joe’s concrete to do pool repair per his bid, to include additional wall brace. Skip 2nd the motion, votes are Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes. Mini-Golf course, James made the motion to continue the repairs on the original miniature golf course, and to discontinue any other plans. Rex 2nd the motion, votes are; Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes; Gene, yes. A letter was read from Frank & Connie Gauthier asking to have the 20-day leave rule extended to May 15th instead of April 15th. James motioned to allow 20-day extended leave rule to go until May 15th . Skip 2nd the motion, votes are; Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes. Insert assessment description

James made the motion to approve Planning Committee’s Plan for assessments in order to clear up the misunderstandings. As per list of items: well upgrades $60,000 estimate, adult pool repairs $5,000 estimate plus money left from 2008, stage stop repairs $3,000 estimate, mowing machines $21,000 estimate paid over 36 months, and upgrade old pump truck $15,000 estimate. Larry 2nd, votes are; Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, no

Line of Credit- Larry informed us that it will be renewed in April and the bank has suggested we lower the limit to $150,000, which the BOD agreed to do. Rules Committee – James made a motion to approve the rule change on Pg 32 section I, violation of rules be added to the ballot, motion failed no second. The BOD gave approval for the Rules Committee: 1. That the Rules Committee be assigned the task of maintaining a master copy of the Rules Book, and that the Rules Committee Secretary or other designated Rules Committee member be responsible for entering into the master copy any new Rules approved by the membership at the annual meeting, any changes in existing Rules approved by the membership at the annual meeting and correction of any errors or omissions noted from the previous years’ book. Once completed, the master copy would be given to the Board for final approval. Upon the Board’s approval, a master disk would be given to the Ranch office staff for printing and distribution. No member of the Ranch office staff would have any responsibility for editing or be required or allowed to make any changes to the master copy. The office would only be responsible for printing and distribution after being directed to do so by the Board and/or the Ranch Manager. 2. That notification to the membership of any new or changed rules submitted by the Rules Committee and approved by the Board after the annual meeting is held, but prior to the next annual meeting, would be (a) printed on a separate hand out sheet (addendum); (2) included in a section of the 9-Lines called Rules Updates; and, (3) mailed to the membership as a part of the newsletter until voting takes place at the next annual meeting. Once these changes are voted on and approved by the membership at the annual meeting, the Rules Committee would update the master copy and make arrangements with the office for the new book to be printed and distributed.

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Larry reminded everyone the deadline for resumes for BOD are due no later than March 30th, your account must be in good standing or zero balance and be willing to sign a back ground check form. James motioned to approve the screening committee of Julie Booth, Kayde Ward, & Ed Horton, Larry 2nd votes are; Larry, yes; James, yes; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, no Chapel Committee report: Since the January 17, 2009, Board meeting, contact has been attempted by our Attorney’s at Pointer Law Office to Cloud 9 Chapel, Inc., with no response. As a result, Mr. Raymond Gross, Pointer Law Office, has prepared a “Petition for Declaratory Relief” on behalf of Cloud 9 Ranch Club, Inc., that has been filed with the Circuit Court of Ozark County this past week. A Copy has been given to all of our Board Members. In brief, the Petition is asking the Court to enter a declaratory judgment to Cloud 9 chapel, Inc., as follows: “ Respondents do not own or control the Property or any part thereof except any deeded interests consistent with the Ranch and that Respondent has no lawful right to set the terms of use, access or control of all improvements situated on the Property, and for such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.” According to Mr. Gross, who has been in contact with Mr. Gene Muenks, Board President, the court will serve the Cloud 9 chapel, Inc., through its Agent, Mr. Dennis Renken, with this Petition and they will have 30 days to respond. His office will keep us up to date on the progress of the case. Bylaw Committee report: Read by Gene The Bylaws Committee has worked reviewing the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. Attached you will find seven motions the Bylaws Committee is sending to the membership for the 2009 Annual Meeting. One additional motion should be completed in time to send then Annual packet and that is a motion to create an entire Article in the Bylaws that specifically address Committees. A draft of that article is being reviewed and edited by the committee at this time. In addition the Committee has discussed issues related to nepotism, an ethics form, and the issue of outside organizations setting up business on the Ranch. Those items are still being considered by have been recommended for further research and discussion by sub-committees. As always, the Committee encourages members to contact them on any issue that members feel the committee should address. Skips states that the 2008 April and May BOD minutes were never approved because Larry refused to rewrite anything and updates were never approved. Skip made a motion to have the minutes released as unofficial to inform members that they are not formally approved and official. Don 2nd the motion votes are; Larry, no; James, no; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes; Gene, no; failed due to tie. Skip asked to have the cost of attorney fees for the BOD disciplinary committee released to the membership. The estimated cost was $1800. Skip made motioned to send out his sheet of statements. Don 2nd the motion votes are; Larry, no; James, no; Don, yes; Rex, yes; Skip, yes; Gene, no. Motion failed

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Skip supplied the board a copy of Missouri statute 355.426. Skip then read the following: Cloud 9 Ranch Club Inc. is a not-for-profit camping club owned and operated by the member/owners. The member/owners elect 7 directors as indicated in the bylaws. A ranch manager is employed by the board to manage the ranch. On April 19, 2008 a vote was taken to terminate the manager. It was approved 4 to 3. While getting the final paycheck ready I was told by Mel he had 22 RV show hours at $21.64 ($4,760.80). I replied you do not receive RV show pay! Larry Armstrong said he does receive RV show pay it’s in the minutes. Larry is the secretary of the board. As president of the board at this time and being on the board 2 ½ years I was not aware of the manager being awarded additional pay for the RV shows. The only way this could be done is by a majority vote of the board. As I have not missed a meeting I could not see how this was approved. Pointer law office investigated this and found the additional pay was approved by email from previous board president Charlie Baker. We found this out at Pointer law office and 4 BOD members were present and Larry was on the phone. At this time Larry was the only director aware Mel was receiving RV show pay. I polled the previous BOD members and found only Charlie Baker and Larry Armstrong was aware of the RV show pay for Mel. It clearly requires a majority vote of the board to increase or modify the manager’s pay. There is no way for only 2 to approve this legally in our system. I checked the executive minutes I received from Larry and found no mention of RV show pay for Mel. It is well know Larry Armstrong and Charlie Baker are close personal friends with Mel. He referenced a conference call Dec. 15, 2006. Motion#2 After discussion Larry motioned we pay Mike extra for over 40 hours and pay for lodging and meals for working RV shows, Mike and Mel. Skip 2nd and motion passed. He referenced an e-mail about four months later from Charles Baker to Office Manager dated April 9, 2007 that read; Confirm OK for payment to Mel Hands and Mike Amburgy for hours worked on RV show per board vote. Charles B. Baker BOD Pres. He referenced executive meeting dated June 30, 2008. Larry Armstrong made motion to pay Mel Hands $43,000 to settle to keep it out of court. Matt 2nd 2 yes votes 3 no votes Failed. He also referenced the Settlement Agreement and Release that he, Don, Rex and Rosemary had voted into place in the May 17, 2008 closed meeting. Payment portion reads as follows; Cloud 9 Ranch Club, Inc. agrees to: to pay Mel Hands a total of forty-three thousand dollars ($43,000) to be allocated as follows: The sum of $6,536.94, which is already paid, receipt of which is acknowledged by Mel Hands, for accrued, unpaid wages at the time of Mr. Hands’ termination. The sum of $5,000.00 shall be allocated to payment for settlement of Mr. Hands’ claim for personal injury and/or related pain and suffering stemming there from. The sum of $10,000.00 shall be allocated to payment in consideration of Mel Hands’ entry into the non-compete agreement contained herein. The sum of $21,463.06 shall be allocated to payment for settlement of Mr. Hands’ claim for liquidated damages under his employment agreement.

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not, arising either directly or indirectly out of his employment by Cloud 9 Ranch Club, Inc. and/or the termination of that employment. He also furnished the board copies of three checks. The first one was for $5,390.38 (this is the $6,536.94 figure less tax with holding) signed by Ricky Johnson & Nancy Taylor. The other two were after the agreement was signed and they are $14,270.53 (this is the $21,463.06 figure less tax with holding) and the $15,000.00 ($5,000 + $10,000) which had no taxes with held. These were signed by Larry Armstrong & Nancy Taylor. Skip made motion to have Larry Armstrong, Charlie Baker and Gene Muenks investigated. The President ruled this out of order. Larry’s response to Skip: You can’t change History. History is history and trying to rewrite it, isn’t going to change it. What went on was a circus of mistakes and unethical happenings. In your effort to reallocate blame, you are doing yourself and those who aided you more harm. Any wrong doing was done under your guidance. The firing was done in an unethical manner without proper legal counsel. You and those who supported you authorized the $43,000 settlement in order to not undo your unethical firing, as the Ranch Attorney had given you as an option to get out of the mess you had created. You are dragging down with you the other three board members that supported you. I wouldn’t think they would appreciate being placed in that sinking boat. The other members of this board have moved on from that terrible period and are trying to do Ranch business. You seem to be having a very hard time letting go and helping us move forward. This is wasting your time and the board’s time. We have much more valuable things to do. Larry Armstrong, Skip would also like it stated that the draft petition from Pointer’s lawyers office was returned to the attorney without BOD approval, not all of the BOD had read it before it was submitted. (Reference Jan. 17, 2009 official minutes just approved) Skip noted that the guest pad fee is incorrectly stated on the current 2009 fee schedule and needs to be changed to $5 and that there is no processing fee approved. Office will do these corrections Monday 23, 2009. Gene had a forester do a survey and read the report. He found out we could designate a certain acreage to be overseen by the Missouri Conservation and they will help us for free to create a plan to improve that area for future logging. Meeting adjourned for closed session. Closed session was on misinformation and not Ranch business and was dismissed.

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The Fun Addicts plan to have fun and educational crafts, games, and many more various activities for children starting at age 1 up to age 10 (older children may participate if they choose, no one will be left out!) We also want to have family fun nights to let everyone have fun with their family without riding atv’s or just sitting around a camp fire, we would have activities for everyone to participate in. We will have meetings every Monday of the month at 4:00pm in the Patio room and anyone who wants to come can.

Easter Poker Run Winners 1st Place - Jason Pearson 2nd Place - Jeff Jaromack 3rd Place - Ed Mosiers 4th Place - Jack Scalf 5th Place - Nick Helmins

50/50 Winner Joan Guerrant *If you would like to help on the poker run for the 4th of July weekend please contact Doris Thomas at Lonesome #75 or call 417-2934500.*

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*EVERYTHING SOLD AS IS!!!* VEHICLES

$50.00 (No Title) 12 ft Mosure Camper - $250.00 (No Title)

1985 Custom 10 Chevy Truck - $800.00 Prowler Travel Trailer - $1,000.00 (Title) (No Title) 1970 Ford 1 Ton Truck - $150.00 (Title) LAWN MOWERS 1976 Chevy Van - $150.00 (Title) Ford Cickle Mower - $50.00 1971 Ford F-250 Truck - $500.00 (Title)

720 K Grass Hopper - $300.00 Cub Cadet - $600.00

CAMPER TRAILERS * ALL CAMPER TRAILERS ARE FOR SALVAGE ONLY!* 1994 34 ft Camper With Slide Out $1,000.00 (Title) 27 ft Camper Trailer - $200.00 (Title) 1979 17 ft Camper - $150.00 (No Title) 1990s Chevy Camper Shell - $50.00 (No Title) 1990s Ford Ranger Camper Shell -

EQUIPMENT International Hay Rake - $75.00 Horse Walker - $50.00 OFFICE SUPPLIES Ricoh Copy Machine - $35.00

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Basic Horse Training Our Wranglers will be providing a basic horse training class , on the Saturday before Memorial Weekend at 10:00 am, for the owners and non-owners who are interested in learning the following: 1. How to catch, halter, lead, and tie a horse. 2. How to properly groom a horse. 3. How to correctly saddle a horse. 4. Proper hand and leg position while riding. After your class you will be taken on a trail ride. This will cost $20.00 per person.

Cloud 9 Ranch Club, Inc. Po box 50 Caulfield, mo 65626

We’re on the Web. www.cloud9ranch.com Members WEbsite www.cloud9ranch.net

2008-2009 Board Members Eugene Muenks 159F Frene Ct Hermann, MO 65041 President

Larry Armstrong 3219 Edwards Drive West Plains, MO 65775 Secretary

James Phillips 1470 W Forest Ave Decatur, IL 62522 Vice President

Rex Tackett 1150 CR 8630 West Plains, MO 65775 Director

Matthew Maher 4002 S Fauser Ln Mapleton, IL 61547 Treasurer

Skip Wyman 18208 East 19th North Independence, MO 64058 Director

Donald Scott 2019 E. Ridge Dr. Excelsior Springs, MO 64024 Director