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Minutes of the Board Meeting
December 13, 2011
Century 21 Realty
133 Brunswick Rd., Grass Valley
The board meeting was called to order by President Teri Personeni at 7:10.
Members present included:
President: Teri Personeni
Vice President: Melissa Ribley
Treasurer: Tracy Morgan
Secretary: Karen Schwartz
Board Members: Helen Harvey, Vicki Testa, Mary Lundin
Members: Sue Brusin, Willie Brusin, Mary Johnson (Past President), Jaede Maloslavich
2012 Board Members-Elect: Board Members John Connelly, Jeff Folz, Treasurer Kathy Southgate
President Teri Personeni asked for approval of the minutes from the November board meeting. The minutes were approved unanimously. She asked Secretary Karen Schwartz to draft thank you letters for Teri’s signature to raffle donors Pat Huntsinger and Judy Houle.
Teri asked Treasurer Tracy Morgan to provide an update. Tracy distributed a report for the period 11/07/11 to 12/07/11. She stated that the current bank balance is $12,564.43. We paid $428.61 for the food for the United Trails Day of which $321.45 will be reimbursed as follows:
$107.15 is due from Bicyclists of Nevada County (BONC), YBONC, and Nevada County Woods Riders (NCWR). Other expenditures included $750 for the Skillman water tank removal, $425 for 2012 insurance, $300 for 2012 rent for Golden Empire Grange. Revenues received included $2024 for 92 paid memberships at $22 each, plus several double payments, and $242 for items raffled off at the November meeting. So far there are 7 paid advertisers for 2012. Tracy also distributed a fiscal report update as of 11/30/11. Incoming President Helen Harvey and Treasurer Kathy Southgate will arrange a time to change the signatures on the GCTC bank account.
Old Business:
Teri asked Forest Service Liaison Willie Brusin to report, and he distributed his report dated 12//11 and provided an update on several trails issues and concerns comprised of the following items:
Loney Meadow : The Bowman Mountain trail relocation around the dairy barn continues to be on hold until Joe Chavez reviews the trail realignment; in 2012 we may work instead on the Island Lake trail above Upper Rock Lake, as it appears little else needs to be done.
Packer Lake : Willie, Sue, and Mary Johnson met with Keith Brown, the Head Recreation Planner for the Tahoe National Forest (TNF), to discuss plans for making the campsite more amenable to equestrian camping and realigning two miles of the adjacent Pacific Crest Trail. The equestrian campsite will offer overnight (by paid reservation) with two corrals at seven campsites, as well as free parking for day riders. GCTC will not be responsible for building the corrals.
Pioneer Trail : The $1500 cost of the NEPA report must be paid before we can proceed in 2012 with the realignment of the trail to avoid the rocky area. Willie recommended contacting BONC and Y-BONC to contribute to the cost. Upon approval we will pay $1000 for Conservation Camp inmates to perform the labor necessary to move the trail. Vice President Melissa Ribley suggested that we apply for a trails grant available through the American Endurance Ride Council (AERC). Karen will work with Melissa to obtain the grant application and with Willie to complete it.
Skillman : Willie and Robert Ribley connected the new horse water holding tank. Willie requested a check for $149.32 to cover the cost of materials. The cost reflects a 10 percent discount provided by A to Z Supply for the cost of the materials. Willie requested that Karen draft a thank you letter for Teri’s signature to Dan Wheat at A to Z. Signage will be installed for on the Burlington Road with a signage post at the intersection of Burlington Road and the Pioneer Trail. Willie recommended that part of the 2012 workday at Skillman be devoted to repair the trail by the new tank and cleaning up the tank replacement area, as well as putting up signage. A chipper may be needed for the cleanup. He also reported that there is a new combination lock on the campground gate. It appears the same camp host will be at Skillman in 2012.
Other : The new Off-Highway Vehicle maps are still not available.
New Business:
Membership Chair Mary Johnson announced that the GCTC 2012 membership directory will be available by March. Mary is forwarding the names of previous members who have still have not renewed to Email Notifications Chair Jaede Maloslavich for email followup. Those who express interest in renewing but don’t follow through will receive a telephone call via the phone tree.
Teri announced that a Poker Ride Chair is needed as Laura Duncan has declined to continue.
Willie repeated his request for four walkie-talkies to be used by volunteers to facilitate parking rigs during the Poker Ride. Mary Lundin offered a motion to approve an expenditure of up to $200 for the purchase, seconded by Kathy Southgate, and the motion was approved unanimously.
Newsletter Chair Lynn Mangel reported that newsletter ads cost $25 per year or $5 per issue,
and these revenues cover the cost of postage for mailing hard copies to members who decline to receive their newsletter via email. Therefore GCTC will not charge these members for the cost of postage.
Teri announced that the GCTC List of 2011 Accomplishments compiled by Mary Johnson will be posted on the website and included in the newsletter. Melissa suggested that Teri continue to be the contact person with Ron Brown, the GCTC website manager, and Teri agreed to continue when she is no longer president. Mary Lundin pointed out that the website needs to be updated, e.g., former Membership Chair Michelle Montgomery’s email is still listed on the Join Us page and there are no new photos displayed. Incoming President Helen Harvey requested that the website be updated to display the names of the incoming board members. Helen also inquired about the status of a Yahoo Group opened by Ron and suggested it be eliminated. Teri agreed to contact Ron regarding these issues.
Teri asked the board to generate a tentative 2012 calendar of GCTC activities to be presented at the January, 2012 membership meeting (see attached calendar). Lynn will format the calendar and forward it to Helen and Teri for review.
Teri asked Jaede, who is also a member of the Emigrant Trail Conservancy, to address the board regarding the status of the Emigrant Trail. Jaede reviewed the history of the trail, which dates back to 1844. The public easements near several residential sub developments were presented to Nevada County in 1993. Although the County accepted the easements it did nothing to maintain or protect them from encroachments or enforce public access. In 1998 The Bear River Recreation District received a $200,000 grant to develop the Emigrant Trail; however, the funding was redirected to other projects. More recently the County Board of Supervisors asked the planning department to research the status of the Trail and deliver recommendations by November, 2011, but the planning department asked for 18 more months to develop milestones with a timeline. Despite support from citizens and a variety of local and regional organizations, e.g., Bear Yuba Land Trust, Nevada County Historical Society, and others, the public has no access to the Trail due to encroachments by adjoining private property owners, and the future of the trail remains uncertain.
Jaede suggested that a letter from the GCTC board to the Board of Supervisors might prove important to helping the public gain access to the Emigrant Trail because GCTC has a well established history of involvement and expertise in planning and maintaining historic trails and working with government entities in Nevada County. She requested that a letter be drafted and signed by Teri before the end of the month, so she could hand carry it to the County Office and request a place on the agenda for their next meeting, on January 13, 2012, when the Supervisors will give directions to the planning department.
There was general consensus among the board members that GCTC should support public access to the Emigrant Trail, but Willie reminded the board that the issue of liability would need to be resolved with the county before GCTC should take on any responsibility for volunteer work on the Trail. It was agreed that Jaede will draft a letter and send it via email to all board members for comments. Karen and Jaede will then revise the letter as needed and send the final version to the board for approval. Karen will send the letter to Teri for her signature, and Jaede will see that the letter reaches the Board of Supervisors before the end of 2011.
Teri asked for questions or announcements. Helen asked to circulate a petition opposing the closing of two local state parks, Malikoff Diggins and South Yuba.
Melissa described several speakers she has scheduled for the membership meetings in the months ahead: Sharma Gapanoff speaking on her Tevis riding experience in January, and Alden Olmsted speaking about his father, John Olmsted, and his major accomplishments during a lifetime dedicated to preservation of historic trails at the March meeting.
Jaede briefly explained the m any features on our recently purchased projector.
There being no further business to transact, the meeting was adjourned at 9:22.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Schwartz, Secretary
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