Blog

June 21, 2022, 7 p.m.

In person: Frog Hollow Bikes, Middlebury

Board Members:

Bold indicated people in attendance

NOTE: There was not a quorum at this meeting, so no votes were made. 

Others in Attendance:  None

REGULAR BUSINESS

President’s Report

George represented ACBC at the trail day clinic at Hard’ack on June 4. It was hosted by the Franklin County MTB Club and VMBA and taught by Sinuosity (Brooke Scatchard and Mariah Keagy). The focus was on how to organize better and more effective trail days, and what steps to take to solve problems on the trails. There were 20 people from eight chapters. It was fun to catch up with bikers from other areas, and the Hard’ack trails were surprisingly good. 

George joined the VMBA trail counter committee. VMBA is exploring the idea of starting a trail counter loaner program. Nine people, plus Nick Bennette, on the committee

• Counters typically count people or bikes, but not both. Two counters are needed for both.
• VMBA wanted to understand what chapters might want, and what some chapters are doing currently (Slate Valley and Stowe are counting now, for example)
• Costs are high
  • EcoCounters (pyrobox = $3-4K, MULTI = $7-8K)
  • TrafX (VEH or IR, $2500/3, $600 ea.)
• Maybe consider trail cameras if we want to count? Cheaper, but maybe privacy concerns?

What would we do with the data? Stowe has counters. Can see where people are going. We could see where trails are underutilized. 

Sue to ask USFS if they permit trail counters on FS land. 

Treasurer’s Report

Carl was unable to provide a report due to difficulty logging into the bank account. Carl will open an account at NBMVT. 

Sue reviewed past meeting minutes and it was decided at the April board meeting that Carl Robinson, George Lawrence, and Ashar Nelson should be signatories on the new National Bank of Middlebury account. 

Membership Report (Activity from 5/16/22 to 6/21/22)

• New memberships
  • (1) Individual 
  • (0) Family of 2
  • (1) Family of 3
  • (1) Family of 4
  • (2) U25
• Returning memberships
  • (7) Individual
  • (1) Family of 2
  • (1) Family of 3
  • (0) Family of 4
  • (0) Family of 5
• 80 memberships
• 154 total members

Post meeting, Sue ran a membership report. In 2021, ACBC had:

• 56 memberships
• 114 total members

Andrew asked if the club can comp memberships to landowners such as Jeremy Parker, Jill Kopel, and Skimmer Heller. George to contact VMBA–they may already have a program in place. 

Social Media Report – Alan Hebert

Facebook metrics are all trending in the right direction.  Engagement is up on that channel.

I have been slightly lacking on Instagram.  Need more photos to make an impact.

Seth has uploaded photos to the shared Google folder. Post meeting, Sue sent the link to board members again. 

Trails Report Middlebury – Andrew Hirsch

Landowner says OK to sign Megawatt trail.  Carl has done work on Megawatt and High Power trails. Trails are riding great. No blowdowns from last weekend’s wind. Approval received from college for bridge replacement. Swap bridges from Washington St Ext. to the entrance at the end of Monroe St. George to contact Battell Trust people re: signing. Ask Battell Trust for half the funds? George and Andrew to get costs for bridge materials and present them to the board for a vote. 

Trails Report Moosalamoo – Ashar Nelson 

Connector route has been flagged and is in Small Projects review. Ashar is working with a private landowner to update permissions for the portion of the trail between the new Dutton Brook crossing and the existing bridge. Trail construction is slated for the 2023 season.

In related Moosalamoo news, the comment period for the proposed hut at Silver Lake is open – see the MA (Moosalamoo Association) or USFS website for information, and/or to share your thoughts. Please consider making a supportive comment if you feel that a hut would be a good idea at that location.

Trails Report Bristol – Seth Beck

June 18 work day canceled–no need. The new trail is finished and opened on Memorial Day weekend. Riding well. Need to do some drainage work. Put in a jump line. Put in new parking lot and road. Lots of mahogany decking will use on trails and signage. Next: look at the area north of the pump track. Tight back and forth. Ideas for additional two trails? Advanced technical downhill. If all were to be accomplished, there will be about 4 miles of riding. That’s the most that can be gotten out of that area. Traffic has definitely picked up. People coming from Charlotte and Ferrisburgh. Kiosk design–some place to put membership info. Slot to put info on next trail day. QR codes. trail report, donate, join. 

Trails Report Vergennes – Scott Hardy

No report

Events – none planned at this time

Special Projects 

NEW/OTHER BUSINESS

• Funding request ($1,500) for trail signage/parking area in Bristol – no vote taken; no quorum
• Trail raking. Raking is overkill and promotes erosion. Blow/rake narrower tread or leave it alone entirely. Create policy, post on the website. Worth raking on a new trail? Timing? A very brief discussion: 
  • Flow trails if not raked–gets greasy, clogs signage
  • Single track: leave leaves. 
• Moosalamoo video – MTB “models” needed: Sue discussed the video being created for MNRA and MTBing models needed. Sue to identify a date and request participation from club members. Oak Ridge trail is the designated area–easiest access for a videographer carrying equipment. 
• Other business: Discussion of how to receive notifications if there are issues on trails. Send them to the club’s Gmail account and Sue will route them as needed. 
• VMBA has some ACBC membership posters that we can post at trailheads (not in MNRA)
• Chas has been working on lengthening a trail within Rikert. Will be good for the winter. 

NEXT MEETING

July 19, 2022, 7 pm