Executive Committee meeting of 04 December 2013

04 September 2013

< Meetings >

05 March 2014

Executive Committee meeting of 04 December 2013

Wednesday December 04, 2013

Executive Committee meeting of 04 December 2013

Reidun called the Executive Committee to order at 6:00 p.m. at Ken Hertz’ home.

Officers present: Reidun Nuquist (President); Ken Hertz (Treasurer/Membership Coordinator); Kevin Ryan (Publicity Coordinator); John Buddington (Webmaster); Kathy Gohl (Vice President); Mike Wetherell (Director); Mari Zagarins (Secretary)

Also present: Andrew Nuquist (Member); Dave Hardy (GMC Director of Trail Programs)

Officers absent: Nancy Jordan (Trail Talk Editor); Fred Jordan (Trails and Shelters Coordinator)

1. The committee approved the minutes of the September 4 meeting.

2. President’s report:

Reidun acknowledged Eric Seidel for recommending the Jordans to jointly receive GMC’s Volunteer of the Year award. Other Montpelier section members were also recognized at the award ceremony in September, including Doris Washburn, Charlene Bohl, and Joe Bahr.

Reidun reported that the outreach table at the Montpelier Farmer’s Market on September 7 was a success. Volunteers participated from the section and also from the Young Adventurers Club (YAC) to recruit new members and hand out brochures.

The section will sponsor a Taylor Adventure Series program on Friday, January 17, at the main club. Presenters Kathy and Jerry Kilcourse will discuss their trip to the Pyrenees to hike the Camino de Santiago. Reidun will ask Pete Antos-Ketcham what’s expected from the section and what GMC staff will provide. Kathy agreed to coordinate the cookie/cider table, and Kevin will make posters.

3. Vice President’s report:

Kathy has been tracking down a venue for the section’s 2014 annual meeting. According to section bylaws, the event must take place in April. Two affordable spaces are the Parish Hall of Christ Church and the Senior Center, both in downtown Montpelier. Ultimately, Kathy recommended Parish Hall on its available date, Saturday, April 5. The venue rental would cost $50, and though it won’t come with a sound system, the section can borrow one from the club. [Later proved to be inaccurate: the sound system is not transportable.]

Kathy mentioned Steve Lightholder and Duncan Wilkie as possible speakers on their Appalachian Trail hike. Reidun mentioned Bob and Martha Manning, Vermonters who co-authored ‘Walking Distance: Extraordinary Hikes for Ordinary People,’ which includes a summary of their Long Trail hike. Speakers should be settled on by January for the story to be featured in the Spring issue of ‘Trail Talk.’

Kathy observed that, with several exceptions, average participation in section outings has been low. A possible problem might be that the calendar listings ask participants to call trip leaders for the meeting time and place. This may screen out shy people who are reluctant to speak to strangers on the phone. On the other hand, including the meeting time and place in listings will prevent trip leaders from knowing who’s coming, and they’ll be unable to cancel for bad weather or screen participants for their preparedness. Andrew suggested paying closer attention to the data and checking for other possible factors, including the difficulty ratings of hikes not being well attended.

4. Trails and Shelters Coordinator’s report:

Though not present at the meeting, Fred shared his fall work hikes update via email: waterbars have been cleaned to the bench on Bamforth Ridge, and to the second set of stairs on the Elephants Head trail. With assistance from the main club’s trail crew, the section stained Sterling Pond Shelter. Fred recommended that Fall work hikes be finished as soon as possible, whenever weather conditions warrant trail work.

Fred has decided not to maintain a section chainsaw, but to get help cutting large trees from the GMC trail crew.

Regarding the Morse bench, which is deteriorating with time, Dave Hardy observed that the state has not been enthusiastic about replacing trail benches in the past. He suggested keeping the sign and the lookout in place as memorial markers, and letting the bench go unrepaired. If the section feels strongly about keeping the bench, Dave can talk to the state.

5. Treasurer’s report

Ken reminded the committee that the section voted to donate up to $3,000 to GMC for the Winooski Bridge project. But donating this amount will put the section $706 behind its agreed reserve. If we donate the full amount now, we will be unable to donate again to the club next year. He proposed a motion for the committee to authorize the full $3,000; John amended the value to $2,300 (the amount that the section is currently ahead of budget). The amended motion passed unanimously.

6. Membership Coordinator’s report:

Ken reported that section membership counts are slightly down.

7. Publicity Coordinator’s report

Kevin observed that calendar submissions to the Times Argus haven’t been getting posted. This could be because the paper filters out hikes that aren’t in the Montpelier area. We could resolve this by only providing meeting locations (in Montpelier) rather than actual trip destinations.

Kevin continues to create informational brochures about the section to display at Onion River Sports. He has noticed that only few are being taken, but he is willing to keep doing it.

8. Director’s report:

Mike reported that the board met for a special meeting in November to approve a health care package for club staff. Jean Haigh has been calling all directors to provide updates about Will’s departure.

The YAC has hosted a variety of well-attended hikes this fall.

9. Report from Director of Trail Programs Dave Hardy

The Winooski Bridge project has literally hit a rock. The contractors’ progress has have been slowed by an unanticipated rocky layer, which could be either boulders or a ledge, on one side of the river.

Dave repeated the message regarding Will Wiquist’s resignation as GMC Executive Director that has been circulating in the media. Director of Development Maisie Howard is serving as the interim Executive Director, and Dave and Jean are working with her to keep things going.

10. Montpelier Section and The Trekkers (Andrew Nuquist)

Inspired by a Middlebury group called the Silver Streakers, Reidun, Andrew, and others co-founded The Trekkers. The group is different from the regular Montpelier section in that it focuses on short-notice outings and events during the week. Voicing concern that the group is not insured, Andrew proposed the following motion that the Trekkers become a subsidiary of the section:

That the Trekkers are a component of the Montpelier Section, with an emphasis on offering week-day, short-notice outings. As for all section outings, trip leaders must be GMC members.

The motion was tabled for further discussion at the next EC meeting.

11. Next meeting: Later announced by e-mail to take place on Wednesday, March 5, at Reidun’s house.

Respectfully submitted, Mari Zagarins, secretary