MMSC Meeting Minutes |
|
875-6714 |
If
you missed a meeting, check here to see what was discussed.
"Please try to attend the meetings in person, we can use everyone's input!"
Club Meetings are held during the months of September through March. Normally they are scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. The location will again be at the Pearson Road Community Center, Pearson Road, Alton.
Scheduled meeting
dates are as
follows:
Meetings resume next season!
March 11, 2008
(7:00 pm at the Pearson Road Community Center, Pearson
Road, Alton.)
We need to discuss the conditions of the trails and any areas which may need repairs or future attention. Come to the meeting and participate. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard at making our trails the best that they could be, considering all the crazy weather we have been having. Thank you to all our members for your continued support.
Radar Run
2/17/2008
Radar run canceled! Sorry
that we are so late with this notification. We
wanted to wait as late as possible in hopes that the lake might be in a
condition that is usable to us. Unfortunately, this was not the case as of 3
PM today. There is a good crust on top but anywhere that hasn't been
previously well packed, there is a layer of about 6 inches of water before
you get to the true ice. This makes it impossible to plow a runway. If we
were to try to hold the run we would be mucking about in ankle deep water in
no time. The town is going to hold the winter carnival anyway. The airport
runway is listed as closed on their website but there are still a few planes
using it so we need to keep off it. They may open it tomorrow. There is a
large slush hole at the bottom of the boat ramp today and it WILL be worse
tomorrow. We had no choice but to cancel our Radar Run. Thank you to
everyone who so generously volunteered to help tomorrow.
1/14/2008
- We have been invited to participate in the Alton Winter Carnival. It will be
held on Sunday, February 17 from 9 AM until 4 PM. The Alton Business Assoc.
has been able to find a sponsor for our Radar Run. We need to let them know
if we will hold this event within the next few days. Our radar run will be
between 10 AM and 3 PM. If you can assist us by volunteering a few hours of
your time it would make it an enjoyable day for everyone. We need people to
sell tickets, record speeds, and assist with the flow of sleds on the track.
If we can not get commitments from enough people, we will have to pass on
holding this event. 3 or 4 people are NOT enough to pull this off. PLEASE
e-mail me if you are willing to help.
Minutes from December 11, 2007
Trail work is ongoing by many members but there is still a lot to do. Trail signs are in the process of being placed to help us all get around a little easier.
The condition of the bridge on the Frohock Brook Trail '22' is still unknown. If you have any information regarding this, please e-mail us.
The gate at the trail entrance on Avery Hill Rd has been opened for the season.
Excavation work has been completed on Corridor Trail '22' on budget for a cost of $2400.00, $1200.00 of which will be reimbursed to us from the state.
Excavation work has been completed on Trail 'R'. Unfortunately, costs ran $665.00 over our budgeted amount of $1800.00. Only $900.00 of this expense will be reimbursed to us by the state.
A section of Corridor Trail '22' off Alton Mt Rd is probably safe for this year but will most likely need to be relocated next year. Discussions are ongoing with a very generous and cooperative land owner for the exact placement of the trail through his property.
Registrations have been paid for the groomers and we are waiting for the state to send our stickers.
Alton Bay has an active airport runway. We would like to remind members that they have to stay off the portion of the ice which is devoted to the planes. There will be more signs on the ice marking off this area this year.
The State of NH has level funded our request for groomer hours "Grant-n-Aid" for this winter.
Minutes from November 13, 2007
NHSA has level funded our request for groomer hours Grant-n-aid for this winter.
Trail work completed so far:
Bridge at West Alton Marina had been rebuilt.
Bridge at Mt Major parking lot has
been repaired and redecked.
Trail M from Rt 140 to Rt 28 has
been cleared.
Clearing and excavator work has
been completed on Cor. Trail 22 between the junction of Trail M and the beaver
dam.
Some clearing has been completed on
Trail R and excavator work is planned, using the same operator as last year.
Parts of this trail is being rerouted in order to straighten out some hairpin
sections and to get some of the trail off the side of the street and into the
woods.
Work pending:
Bridge on Frohock Brook trail has
been damaged.
Bridge on M needs minor redecking.
Other business:
We have not been able to establish
if our Radar Run will be covered under the towns umbrella insurance during the
Winter Carnival. Single day event insurance runs about $400.00. Without the
towns coverage, we will not be able to hold this event.
A buyer is interested in purchasing
the land at Coffin Brook Sand and Gravel to set up a Motorsport Park. They
attended the meeting and have asked for our support in their endeavor.
Trail signs are in and will be
distributed soon
Minutes from November 14, 2006
Trail Grants -
We have
received approval from the NHSA for our requested number of hours for all our
groomers.
We have received the trail signs requested for this season.
A letter will be sent to the town of Alton to ask if they will be wanting us to
put protective decking onto the bridge at Jones Field.
Members have approved the purchase of any required posts, chains, locks, etc.
for the installation on the trail entrance on Avery Hill Rd and Davis Rd. We
still have not been successful in re-contacting
the land owner or the town regarding this project.
Members have authorized the purchase of 5 luminaries for a total of $50.00 in
support of the Easter Seals Camp Sno-Mo.
Pending or ongoing trail projects:
Extension of a bridge on trail M approximately 20 feet.
Erosion mitigation on Corridor Trail 22 near Rt 140 and on Trail E along the
railroad bed.
Rerouting of Corridor Trail 22 at Avery Hill Rd due to land development. Also
the clearing of a drainage culvert.
Repositioning of a bridge on Trail M which had been damaged due to the past
rainstorms.
Clearing of rock debris on Corridor Trail 22 behind the new high school.
Continued improvement of Trail R towards Dudley Rd.
Minutes from September 12, 2006
There were
only 10 members present at the meeting.
There are numerous washouts on the trails in various parts of our system.
It is probable that a majority of the clubs time will be spent dealing with
storm damage this year.
Trail '22' near Rt 140 had deep ruts. There is a bridge which has washed off its
footings along this stretch.
Trail 'D' near the State Forest has serious washouts. There is also a bridge
which will probably need to be lengthened.
Trail 'D' above the Mt. Major parking lot will need bridges redecked.
Trail 'D' along the railroad bed will need a new bridge. There are also numerous
trees down.
We are trying to negotiate the placement of a gate with the town road agent to
be installed on Trail '22' near Avery hill Rd. They have currently placed large
rocks there which will block access for the groomer.
Major trail improvement along this section between Avery Hill Rd and Davis Rd is
also in the planning stages.
Trail '22' between Rt 140 and Rt 28 has already had a section rerouted to remove
a hairpin turn. A member has volunteered to do some excavation work to improve
the rocky conditions of this trail behind the high school.
There have also been members who have volunteered to fine tune and finish
cleaning this section after the excavation work is complete.
The NHSA has approved only about one third of the projects which we have applied
for but did not specify which projects submitted were approved. We are trying to
get a clarification on this.
Minutes from January 10, 2006
Thank you to David Locke for the welding repair on the large drag. He saved a
lot of time and effort for us by being able to do the repairs on scene.
This season we have spent $21,796 on trail improvement so far. Many thanks to
the members who have loaned the club money so that this work could be completed.
A major thank you to Joanne for keeping track of all the paperwork involved in
grant applications and with the bills.
There is still some work to be done. There are still a couple bridges that need
to be built and some trail signing needed. Brush clearing is also a never ending
task.
We have not raised enough money yet to cover the cost of the new groomer. If you
haven't paid your dues for this year, please do so and consider an extra
donation to help with these expenses.
We are still looking for volunteers to put plywood decking on the bridge at
Jones Field. If we can not find anyone to do this, we will be forced to post the
bridge as 'No snowmobiles allowed'.
The town requires us to top deck this bridge if we want to ride over it. We have
the plywood but not the manpower. If you use this bridge, please help.
The old Polaris groomer has had some work done to keep it going but will still
needs work on the heat exchangers. Thanks for your efforts, Norm.
The annual Radar Run is scheduled to be held on Sunday, February 19. This is the
date of the Alton Winter Carnival. As usual, we need volunteers to help this
event go smoothly. Please come and help out. It can get pretty cold out there on
the ice. It is much easier if there are many people so that no one gets stuck
doing a task for too long. The event will be run the same as last year - 10 AM
until 3 PM - with prizes to be awarded at 3 PM.
Minutes from December 13, 2005
Trail Work - The major
trail improvements are almost complete:
Signing will be done along the newly developed section of
trail 'R' by Norm.
Improvements to trail D' are almost finished by Ben and Leon.
There is a new bridge on trail 'M' put there by Bob, Larry,
Leslie, Rob, and Bill.
The severely damaged bridge on trail 'D' in the State Forest
has been replaced.
Trail 'E' has had a bad section worked on by Doug and a local
construction person.
Trail 'R' along Coffin Brook Rd. will need more improvement
work next year.
Due to the weather and mechanical problems, the trail
improvement will not be completed this year on trail '22' behind the high
school.
The big groomer has
snapped a weld but has now been repaired. Luckily, most of the trails had gotten
their 'base coat' grooming done before the break down. One of the small groomers
has had some needed welding done. We should be ready for any new snow. The
trails are still pretty wet but are starting to freeze up. The new groomer has
been shipped from Canada and should arrive some time next week.
We need to develop a new map for next year, possibly incorporating
it into a topographical map.
As a note to members: Any signs which you might need for your
section of trail must be ordered by the last meeting we hold in March.
We have spent all our incoming funds on trail improvement and are
now running on loans from members. It looks promising that we might break even
by the end of the year.
Winter Carnival - The town has informed us that the Winter
Carnival will be on Sunday February 19. We will be holding our annual radar run
on this date. Please make a note of this and come help.
Membership applications are being dropped off at Parkers and
Hillcrest Marinas. This might help generate new members and some additional
income.
Minutes from February 8, 2005
Radar run - Feb.19 - 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Prizes to be awarded at 3:30 PM. You must be present to be awarded a prize. Volunteers are desperately needed to help run the event. Any help during these times will make this an enjoyable day for everyone, even if it is just for an hour or so. Set up for the day will begin at 9:00 AM.
The price will be 2 runs for $5.00.
The event will be sponsored by the generosity
of Tornos World Class Motor Sports in Lebanon, Maine. Their support is
greatly appreciated. Also, many thanks to Robertson Power Sports in Sanford
Maine and to The Olde Bay Diner in Alton for the donation of prizes.
We will look into moving the rocks which block the trail on Rt
28 by one of our members. The owner of the property does not appear to be
able to move them in a timely manner.
We need to order more trail arrows for next season.
Minutes from January 11, 2005
The Annual Radar Run will be held on February 19 in conjunction with the Alton Winter Carnival. Our event will be held from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Any volunteers who can help during this event will be greatly appreciated.
The cost for tickets will remain the same as last year 2 runs for $5.00 or 5 runs for $10.00. There will be a trophy awarded for the fastest sled in the unlimited class and plaques for the fastest speed in all other classes.
We are going to look into whether we can have a hot dog and
hamburger stand. This year will see the return of the 900 class as well as a
new class for 4-stroke machines. Plans will be finalized at next months
meeting on February 8.
All of our outstanding bills have been paid. We are still
waiting for a small reimbursement from the NHSA for some trail work.
There is still some needed work on the trails:
Clearing on corridor trail 22 behind the new high school
On trail D near Alton Mt Rd, including the re-decking of a bridge
Clearing on the trail between 22 and Route 28 near the sand pit. (Trash
has been removed from near bridge)
Informational signs needed in numerous locations.
Minutes from December 14, 2005
The next meeting
of the Mount Major Snowmobile Club will be on Tuesday, January 11 at 7:00
P.M. at the Pearson Rd Community Center. The center is located off the Old
Wolfeboro Rd.
We need to start planning for the annual Radar Run to be held on the
Bay during the Alton Winter Canival in February.Your input is important. Please
come to the meeting.
The Tracker groomer has new front tracks, has been restudded, and is
ready to go WHEN we get snow.
There have been major improvements done to numerous sections of
our trail system. Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard.
The bridge on Corridor "22" at Rt 28 has been dedicated to the
memory of Joshua Hemeon. Stop by to see the plaque.
Many thanks to Bob and Vickie Bergeron, Richard Locke Jr., Marv
and Wendy Everson, John Teller, Brad and Meg Jones, Ron Charles, and Dean and
Deborah Skinner Jr. for their generous donations.
Minutes from October 12, 2004
Bridge decking has been purchased for
numerous bridge rebuilding projects:
Trail 22 at Rt 28, Trail D in the State forest, Blue trail in the Bergerons'
trails.
(Note: Rt 28 and Blue trail bridges have been completed.)
A plaque has been ordered in the memory of Josh Hemeon and will be installed at
the bridge on Trail 22 at Rt 28. There is a 4 to 6 week delivery time for this.
A small dedication ceremony will probably be held some time in December.
All the outstanding loans have been paid for the groomer which was purchased
last year.
Oct 20 Excavation work should start on approach to Bergerons mountain on trail
22.
Work on Trail 22 near Rt 140 should be right after that. Brush clearing needs to
be done prior to excavation work.
A letter requesting permission to place protective decking on the bridge to
Jones baseball field will be sent to the town of Alton. It will then, of course,
have to be installed.
Minutes from September 14, 2004
Excavation work work will be
looked into for the following locations: Trail 22 near the top of the mountain,
Trail 22 near Rt 140.
The Merrimack Valley Trail Riders are willing to pitch in both time and money to
help rehabilitate trail 22 up the mountain.
We have been approved for up to $2,500 reimbursement from the NHSA
for building projects.
We will submit to the NHSA for the grooming grant at the same number of hours as
last year.
Application has been made to NHSA for grant money to pay for the new groomer we
purchased last year with the loan from a couple of our members.
Bridge work
Needed on trail D near stone wall and Grays property. This area also needs to
be brushed back
Redecking on yellow trail halfway down Bobs driveway
State Forrest all bridges need to be looked at and repaired/redecked as needed
Work party schedules to be posted on the Web site. Come help.
In paperwork received at the meeting it was discovered that the
NHSA is now requiring ALL club members to also be
members of the NHSA. They have agreed to do this at the request
of the insurance company which carries all the liability insurance for the NHSA
and all the clubs. According to a phone conversation with the NHSA, they are
having a meeting on Monday September 20 regarding this matter. There have been
numerous complaints from different clubs. Outcome pending.
Minutes from March 9, 2004 (last season)
The Radar Run was a big success. A total of 86 sleds participated with a total of 326 individual runs. First place finishes:
500 Class Wes Whittier 76 MPH
600 Class Mark Watterman 84 MPH
700 Class Eric Guy 89 MPH
800 Class Eric Guy 88 MPH
Unlimited Class Bud Pratt 109 MPH
Suggestions for next years Radar Run:
More snow fence is needed to prevent
spectators from getting too close to starting line.
Expansion of classes to: 500,600,700,800,900/1000, Unlimited, and possibly
4-stroke.
Look into the possibility of getting a tall trophy for unlimited and smaller
ones for the other classes.
Look into getting a repeat of the gift certificate prize donations and advertise
this beforehand.
Large cardboard speed recording posters worked very well and will be repeated.
Everyone was greatly impresses by the quality of the track this year. Excellent
work by everyone.
Special thanks to Ben and Leon for their efforts.
If anyone needs signs for their section of trail, they must submit their request to Joanne by mid summer.
We need to pay special attention next year to getting town permission early and getting the plywood in place on the bridge at the ball park. It was never put into place this year.
Trail work needed for this summer:
Bridge re-decking and leveling on 2 bridges, State Forrest side of Alton Mt Rd. Trail improvement and possibly bridge construction on trail D between Alton Mt Rd and Jesus Valley Rd.
Major opening and excavation work on 22 between Rt 140 and Rt 28, including a possible
35 foot bridge or major rerouting. This will reopen a trail which has been closed for a few years.
Excavation work between Rt 140 and the sand pit.
Bridge needed on backside of mountain (or possibly a culvert) on trail 22.
Bridges are to be constructed of rough cut 2x12x 14 cut in half, giving a usable width of about 72.
Brushing of all trails.
Grant in Aid request needs to be written and submitted to NHSA very soon for any projects.
We are looking for someone who may be willing to research land ownership to make trail connectors and can possibly contact land owners for permission to use these pieces of land.
Membership forms to be revamped this year to include e-mail addresses and an option to receive correspondence only by e-mail to save on the cost of postage.
Price of membership was voted to remain the same as it is this year.
Meetings will continue to be held on the second Tuesday of each month at the same location.
The first meeting will be held on the second Tuesday in September, which is Sept.8.
Minutes from December 9, 2003
19 members were present this evening.
Trail closing: A
large section of trail near Straightback has been posted 'No trespassing'
Early snow caught us before any
excavation work could be done and we will probably lose then chance to get some
of our trail work money from the state this year.
More Grooming - The members present have
voted to lease another new Mogul
Master drag and Scandic groomer from our own
funds. Hopefully, we can apply for purchase and
reimbursement from the State for
the next year. Work is progressing on the rehabilitation of the old
Polaris groomer, which will be used in the south Alton area.
The purchase of new tracks for the front wheels of the large
Tracker groomer was also approved.
The Annual Radar Run will be held on February 15 from 11:A.M. until 3:00 P.M. during the Alton Winter Carnival at the bay. Volunteers are desperately needed. If you can help, be at the bay on the 15th by 9:30 A.M. We are also in need of someone who is willing to plow a race strip on the ice for this event.
Classes of machines will be the same as last
year- 500, 600, 700, 800, and unlimited. A trophy will be made for the unlimited
class and plaques for all others.
Minutes from last year (January 14, 2003)
26 members were present this evening.
There has been a bypass cut to avoid the well at Jones Field. The fence is down and the trail is now open.
No parking signs will be placed at the end of Jesus Valley Rd by Ben, due to a complaint that people are blocking the home owners access. Please do not park there and ride slow. We need these trails and do not want to risk loss of permission to ride there.
The trail from the intersection of "22" and "D" to the bottom of the trail to Straightback will be marked with 15 MPH speed limit signs. The home owner walks there and doesn't want to be run over.
The new groomer is almost ready to go. We are waiting for one part. Hopefully it will be in operation this coming weekend.
Money matters permitting, we are considering buying a small Mogul Master to go with the recently purchased groomer for the south Alton area.
The turnout for both the ride-in and the poker run were disappointing. It was voted to discontinue these events due to lack of interest. This will hopefully allow us to focus on our Radar Run, which usually does very well, with possibly more participation from our members.
The trails are in excellent condition. Many thanks to Bob, Ben, Leon, and Rob for their grooming efforts.
The State of NH has been billed for reimbursement of grooming expenses and a construction grant for the month of December 2002.
Anyone who has pictures (preferably digital ) which they would like to share can e-mail them to us at info@mountmajorsnowmobileclub.com and we will put them on the web-site. Also, don't forget the free-for-members classified section.
The Radar Run will be held Sunday February 16 from 10:00 AM until 2:30 PM. Prizes will be awarded at 3:00PM. We desperately need volunteers to help set up and run this event. Please be at the Bay at 9:00 AM if you can help prepare the area for the event. Also volunteers are needed throughout the day to relieve the people who are working on the lake. This involves starting the racers, reading the radar speeds, recording the speeds, and registering participants. Six hours is a long time for a small group of people to be out on the ice. It would be nice to have many people in shifts so that no one gets too cold. If you can help, e-mail us, call us, or just show up. Signs will be placed advertising the event will be placed in various locations, thanks to Liz and Joanne.
The next meeting will be held on February 11 at 7:00 PM at the JP China Restaurant where we can finalize our plans for the Radar Run. Please attend.
Minutes from December 10, 2002
24 members were present this evening.
Our youth safety class, which was held on Dec.7 under the instruction of Virginia Bergeron, went very well. There were 23 children and 6 adults present. Many thanks to Virginia and the club members who assisted her.
A $50.00 membership donation was approved from the club to the New Hampshire Snowmobile Museum.
Efforts are continuing to reopen closed portions of Trail 22.
The
club has been approved by
State of NH
for the
following
Grant
in
Aid :
Reimbursement of up to $4150.90
for grooming expenses.
Reimbursement of up to $3100.00
for future improvements along Trail 'D'.
Future Events
We are going to try running a free classified section for our members on our Web-site. If you have an item you wish to sell, e-mail us the details and it will be placed on the site.
The Radar Run will be held Sunday February 15 from 10:00 AM until 2:30 PM.
