September MORE Board meeting

 

Board Members Present:

 

Ernest Rodriguez – President

Carlos Alfaro –  Activities Director

Jeff Niner – VA Advocacy Director

Tom Howe – Membership Director

Bob Caverly – Vice President on phone

Mike Stoll – Treasurer

Steve Harper – Communications Director

 

Attendees:

Steve DonTigny – Executive Director

Jonathan Kidwell – Trail Boss

Jason Miller – Former Board Member

Tim  O’Donnell  – Emmitsburg Trail Liaison

Rob Lowe – Former Board Member

Carlo Alfano – River’s Edge Trail Liaison

 

 

Ernie – financials abbreviated.  Mike Stoll will take over the books.  Aaron will help us get through the audit.  Looking forward to a monthly financial report so we can make informed investment decisions.

 

BOARD DECISION  – Mike Stoll was unanimously approved as the new treasurer for the remaining three year term.

 

MoCo Epic – Steve Dontigny:  Last couple of weeks putting out flyers, organizing food, beer and logistics.  Suggested we get our own dumpster.  Working on a few things non-MoCo for MORE but most of the time is dedicated MoCo workload.  Approved permits coming back.  Working on marking issues.  Need orders for shirts.  Registration is a bit behind.  Numbers should go back up to 2017 levels.  So far 430.  Last year at this time 460.  Sponsorships – Bryce, gravity soul, won’t get whole foods for water.  Food ordered.  Someone suggested we order extra Gatorade.  Letters need to go out to the aid station supporters.  Looking for volunteers for aid station – on the website.  Waiting to hear back from State Highway and Seneca Creek.

 

Ernie- we need to limit how much we ask Steve Dontigny to do until MoCo is over.

 

Steve – Trailhead news – who is more – Steve, Bob and Ernie will get it out.

 

Ernie – Patapsco Trail Fest.  Just need volunteers.  Sounds like it may be doubtful if the hurricane comes through.

 

Ernie – Fall Camping trip.  Phil and Sharon do a great job.  No rain date, Big Bear trails are built to withstand any rain event.

 

Future event planning – Winter Party – Carlos.  Guinness – possible.  The Grange – open.  Carlos will look into options and report back.

 

Next meeting – October 14 – Jeff’s boat Serenity – if we don’t move the MoCo.  More discussion on needed on how that will work.

 

Tom – Spring Fling planning committee – in progress.

 

Ernie – sponsorship for Gravity Soul  –  $500 last year.  Would like to repeat that.  Will use ½ MoCo reinvestment funds for sponsorship.  Dave was ok with it.  Motion carried to provide $500 for Gravity Soul.

 

Carlo – Dave and Tim have been very helpful.  In 2016 1.3 miles were hand built.  Received an SHA Grant in 2017.  Going through the process to contract out the work.  Will be the fourth venue for NICA.  Have enough trail and open field for spectators to do it this year.  NICA expects 450 people in town that weekend.  MORE will provide funds to backstop for RTP Grant until State Highway Administration (SHA) provides reimbursement.  Dave has been speaking to SHA and the reimbursement process is much better with a better expectation of reimbursement.  MORE will front the $30,000 up front cost for the Rivers Edge grant.  The City of Brunswick is contributing an additional $15,000 toward the project which may be used as a match for the 20% grant obligation.

 

BOARD DECISION – to front the $30,000 for the RTP grant – Tom seconded.  Carried unanimously.  Brunswick will provide matching money as required by MORE rules.

 

Ernie – Dirty 30 is an IMBA event in Bentonville October 26 – 28.  They’ll be presenting a National Volunteer Award and a Local Volunteer Award.  Ernie is attending and has been asked to present the National Volunteer Award.

 

Jonathan – planning/retreat.  Family has property for retreat.  Available with two houses 11 bedrooms.  Need dates on the calendar.  One or two nights of the weekend.  Flexibility in November or do it in January for transition.   Group decided January.  11-13 – will be the transition meeting for the new board members.

 

Elections – MD Advocacy, VA Advocacy,  Activities Director and Membership Director are up for election this year.  We’ll start messaging now.

 

The MORE board is actively encouraging females to run for open board positions.  Women’s rides, skills clinics and events have been very successful.

 

Tim suggested we have a board meeting at a NICA event.  Inclusive to the next generation.

 

Action for board members – we need to reach out to women to advertise open positions on the board.

 

Maryland update – Ernest Rodriguez – MORE will sponsor Gravity Soul again in 2018.  Many of our members participate and it’s a great community building event.  The MoCo team is hard at work and can always utilize MORE volunteers.  The Patapsco team has been extreemly busy with all the rain this Spring and Summer.  Patapsco is doing a great job of messaging closed or damaged trails.  Bacon Ridge secured approval for an additional 10 miles of trail.  The City of Annapolis is looking at adding trails at their Waterpark facility.  Schaefer, Seneca Ridge and Rosaryville all have new trail liaisons. Look for opportunities to meet and help with trail work on the MORE calendar.

 

Maryland Outdoor Recreation Committee – Dec. 2019  a report is due.  MD State funds may be available support MoCo epic infrastructure, organization and communications.

 

Tim O’Donnell reporting on Emmitsburg Trails – have 100 dollars for Emmitsburg restricted fund – will deposit soon.  Emmitsburg will offer Camping at $10 a head if we plan a mountain biking event with the City of Emmitsburg.  Emmitsburg also has a local brewery that will welcome MORE members before, during and after rides.  Emmitsburg sponsored the NICA coaches’ instruction workshop and will probably do so again this year.  They have a grant from RTP for parking and improvement of trail signage.  Emmitsburg has developed a youth summer jobs program with SHA money.  Suggested we create an Inventory of power tools so liaisons may share tools instead of buying new.  It would be nice to share weed whackers and other tools.  We should quantify economic and lifestyle impact of mountain biking/outdoor recreational assets.  Young people with STEM jobs – looking for lifestyle, before job.

 

Action Item – Identify Maryland Outdoor Recreation Committee participants with DNR’s Dept. Of Commerce.  We need to assure outdoor recreation and specifically mountain biking interest are represented,

Steve DonTigny – We had a request from a private land owner near Sidling Hill in Southern Maryland to assist in creating an inventory of trails and possible Bed-n-Barn overnight stays.  Deep Creek.

 

VA update – Jeff Niner.   Carlos attended a meeting with BLM.  BLM is interested in re-engaging the Friends of Meadowood group which includes MORE, radio planes group, dog walkers and park users for community support.

MORE’s longer term goal is to connect Meadowood to the other parks like Fountainhead, Laurel Hill, and Bull Run to create a Western Fairfax loop.

 

Jeff’s working on getting a trail at Lake Fairfax named for Marc Genberg.

 

BROT – Ernie applied for a $40,000 corporate grant from Dominion Energy which we did not get, however they will participate in a corporate work day on the BROT October 25th.  They will provide 25-30 volunteers.  MORE will need four or five crew leaders to assure work is completed safely and effectively to maintain sustainability of BROT trails.  They will start at the parking lot at Fountain Head and possibly Bull Run Occoquan trailhead at Wolf Shoals.  Ernie and Jeff met with NOVA parks to discuss work day planning to support the BROT with corporate volunteer labor.  MORE would like to have access to more of the Bull Run Trail as we continue to prove value in planning, organizing, funding and mobilizing volunteers to maintain Bull Run Trails.

MORE is actively recruiting a trail liaison for the BROT.

 

CFC –  MORE is participating in Combined Federal Campaign for government employees again in 2018 and 2019.  New cards with our charity number (89276) have been ordered and will be stuffed in MoCo Epic registration packets.  We will also advertise our charity number on our webpage and social media pages.