The Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce has experienced some trying times because of decreased membership and resignations of officers. Those still involved with the chamber and a recent influx of new members plan on making organizational changes to restructure and grow the chamber.According to the existing bylaws, the chamber board of directors consists of six positions: chairman, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and immediate past chairman. Each of these positions is a three-year term. The only currently filled positions are chairman and president.The commitment of a three-year term could be one reason some members are hesitant to step forward to help, according to an informal survey conducted in December by Ben Kley of Falcon Broadband. ìWe developed a strategy at the January meeting to go back and examine the bylaws and the original concept of the chamber, as it transitioned from the old Falcon Business League,î said Connie Johnson, board president. ìA lot of the board nominations to fill existing terms came from not enough people stepping up to take an active role. Everyone’s busy, but the demands of the chamber board don’t have to be that great.îDisbanding the chamber was discussed as an option at the November and December meetings. ìI felt that we would have let everyone down if we did,î Johnson said. ìThe moment we made that suggestion, I was overwhelmed by the amount of interest and emails from people saying ‘don’t let it die.í Folks sprung into action and asked what they could do to keep it going. It was exciting to hear that question ñ what they could do.îJohnson said the enthusiasm of new members combined with the upcoming changes to the bylaws for better relations among board members will prove that keeping the chamber going is the right choice. ìWe’re going to stay in the community and have a strong voice in community politics and growth,î Johnson said. ìWe’re going to come back stronger than we’ve ever been. You may not see it today or tomorrow, but it will happen.îThe February meeting will be held Feb. 5 at 7:30 a.m. at Grace Community Church in Falcon.
