NMMBA Board of Directors Meeting
Date and location: Wednesday, September 11th, 2024 Acme Twp Hall
Board present: Tim Reicha, Kim White, Tom White, Kate White, Mike Walters, Chad Jordan, Chad Schut, Heath Day, Brian Pugh, Tim Jenema and Steve Mentzer
Board absent: Brooke Ruble and Michele Andrews
Guests: Margarete Chalker and Todd Wanley
Mission statement—--> It is our mission to Envision, Build and Protect the mountain bike experience while respecting all forest users and uses.
Tim R opened the meeting at 6:35 pm.
The board then recognized the American lives lost on 9/11 with a moment of silence.
Financials:
Discussion began with talk on the various fund balances.
Most notably were the Project fund balance, Bike Leelanau(BL) and the Don Clewley memorial fund.
BL has a fund balance of $7244.14 after hosting the Trauma session.
Monies are still out there for the bike repair station being installed to remember Don Clewley.
Hagan memorial balance stood at $4124.14.
And the general fund balance was $20,491.38
Other information passed along by Kim was that registration/donations were coming in for Traverse City Trails Fest(TCTF).
Grants:
Kate informed the board that applications for the Pay Dirt grant had closed.
We will know what the outcome of our application is by the end of the month.
The Commons trail project is wanting to get started on their fundraising efforts.
They want a township feel to the trail project but could not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA).
TCTN:
Tom and Brian discussed the Kalkaska area trail development activities. It is made up of multiple phases.
Phase I has been applied for and phase II is what the discussion was about.
Phase II would include developing Kalkaska’s outer loop and connecting it to the larger network. Phase II will also include the GOREC connector which connects the Greilick property, the Boardman River Trail and the Muncie Lake trail system to the VST trail systems.
Kalkaska is looking at NMMBA to help with the design/build. Kalkaska will form a group to help with maintenance, etc, and to work with the local governmental unit.
These trails are the culmination of more than ten years of work.
Don Clewley was instrumental in getting the New River trail and the KART trail connected. There is an inner and outer loop that has been married to one another. This includes Sand Lakes, etc.
With the existence of mostly open trails, not a lot of construction will be required.
Pavilion package was delivered on Wednesday the 11th.
Tim J has donated an entire crew on Thursday to help with raising the timber frame.
On Saturday the 14th, a work bee has been scheduled to work on the pavilion construction.
Once the pavilion and roof are completed, staining the frame will then be scheduled.
Other notes of interest are the MIDNR has installed a new pay station next to the kiosk.
The DNR has also agreed to having a water pump on site.
Brian to execute a plan.
The DNR will do all water testing.
Amy Kennedy is exploring bike rack site options at the VST. It will be located in front of the changing rooms.
Trail crossing signs for the VST are in progress.
Heath brought up the discussion of developing a project for wayfinding/confidence signage for the VST.
He can help with community involvement.
Another project Amy is undertaking is to develop a velcro wristband. Modeled after ones used by the Vermont Mountain Bike Association to denote a yearly membership. More to come.
TCTF:
Mike brought the board up to speed on course prep.
There have been some people asking if they can chaperone a registered rider. Specifically riders under the age of 15.
After much discussion it was decided that non-chipped riders would receive a 50% discount on registrations. Making their cost $25.00.
Volunteer roles were spelled out at the meeting.
Friday night packet pickup will be handled by Steve, Kim, Kate. Rachel and John Roe will work the Saturday morning race plate pick up/check in from 7-9am.
Pre-riding the courses will be handled by Chad S. and Tom.
Kim will operate the NMMBA tent and finish line feed station with a couple additional volunteers.
Handling the parking duties at Timber Ridge will require 6 people.
Brian, Steve have signed on so far. 4 more will be needed.
Steve and another will work the NMMBA tent taking donations, answering questions and selling merch.
6 people have been lined up to work as crossing guards.
Chad Jordan will once again handle P.A. duties.
Recon ride:
A recon ride is scheduled for Saturday, September 14th. Those showing interest are Kate for the long course and Tim R for the short course.
Cody Sovis will be recruited to aid in the long course as well. But at a slightly faster pace.
Shop rides:
Chad S. led this discussion.
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Shop Rides: September 9, McLain Cycle/NMMBA Shop Ride at the VST. Chad discussed/informed the group of 25 riders of the work being done at the VST which included the changing rooms, bathroom, archway/fencing and assistance needed for the pavilion construction/assembly. Mclain Cycle informed the group of the potential visit to the area of the Specialized Epic Demo truck.
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25 riders (Mostly McLain Stone Hound Team riders with newbies mixed in); Board members present: Chad Schut and Tim Jenema. 630pm start time. Chad discussed current and future happenings with NMMBA: TCTF, Pavilion construction, Board meeting date and time for public comment from members/non-members. Tim talked about the Bike Park: Go ride it!
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Chuck Hathaway informed the group he is the designated first responder for rides based on the Mountain Bike Trauma Clinic through Bike Leelanau. He put his skills to work bandaging up a rider who sustained an arm laceration during the ride.
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Mike from McLains/Specialized discussed the latest happenings at the shop: The biggest news was the Specialized Epic Demo team looking for space/event/time in the next few weeks.
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The ride was one group, but split off to longer and shorter rides after the bandaging up of the rider. Mingling after the ride with refreshments and discussing NMMBA's mission vision, website activities, membership etc.
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Up next: Scheduling an Einstein Cycle and Intrepid ride in the remaining days of September.
Commons:
In addition to their fundraising plans, the Commons group has scheduled a work bee on Sunday, October 6th from 10am until 1pm.
Hickory Hills:
The Hickory Hills Advisory Committee(HHAC) is looking to seat a mountain biker on their board. More to follow.
Vasa Bike Park:
Tim J let the board know that happenings at the VBP will be included in the Grand Traverse County Parks newsletter.
Winter Trails:
Mike discussed grooming schedules, Vasa Fat bike race course and grooming badges.
It was decided to stay with the current design of the badges.
Bike Leelanau:
Chad rated the Trauma clinic a huge success! Norte, Cherry Capital Cycling Club(CCCC) and others were well represented. Kate suggested a winter version of the Trauma clinic would be a good idea. All were in agreement.
Provemont Pond is undergoing some retooling and should be back at it the week of the 16th of September.
Palmer Woods will have new trails by this fall.
Cadillac Pathway:
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Trust Fund - we are currently in the bid process to utilize the DNR Trust fund along with matching funds. These funds will be used to build an ADA access bike trail to the Clam River and back. Pave the remainder of the parking lot in front of the pavilion. Install informative signs at trailhead. Grant monies are held by Missaukee county.
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West Side Trail Build: DNR has acquired funds to finish the building of 6 miles of trail on the west side of Seeley Rd. They have had these funds for some time and there are many hoops to jump before they can be utilized. The current status is that NEPA documents were recently approved by MDOT. Design is underway, construction in FY25 but they won’t be obligated until bids are let for construction.
Board structure:
Tim R brought up the idea of creating Ex officio board member roles.
The board members would still contribute to the vision of NMMBA but not have traditional voting rights. This came up as several board members have been unable to attend regularly scheduled monthly meetings. When this happens, it skews the ratio of attending members and the number of votes required to have a quorum. These designated as Ex officio would still be called on for committee updates, among other requests. More discussion is needed and will be on the October agenda.
Glacial Hills:
We had 12 volunteers working out on the trails yesterday and boy was it a busy and productive day.
The crew spent the morning working at the Orchard Hill Rd trailhead where we are in the midst of a major parking lot expansion and reconfiguration. When this project is complete, we will nearly triple our parking capacity while also providing for a much safer and more enjoyable experience for our users.
During this time, we’ve temporarily closed the Orchard Hill Rd parking, but all trails are still open and there’s plenty of space at Eckhardt and Vandermark.
Special thanks to Dean Crandall for all of his work out there.
New Business:
Club Express Volunteer tools.
It was discussed as to publishing volunteer needs through Club Express.
A tool we currently utilize for our membership needs.
A new merch order may be in the books in advance of Iceman.
More on this.
With that the meeting was adjourned at 8:27pm
Submitted by
Steve Mentzer, secretary