Athens Bicycle Club Meeting Notes
September 26, 2006
Present: Joey Boyle, Atira Parker, Jim Schulz,
Pete Kotses, Meredith Erlewine, Ellen Gerl, Eileen Schulz, Dave
Messina, Malcolm Idleman, Paul Schulz, Hannah Schulz, Aaron Burk,
Tim Creamer, Tom Wolfe, Jeanie Creamer, Kelly Shaw, Chip Krieg
1. Strouds Run Trails
Pete passed around maps of proposed new trails that would complete
Sundown Trail to the Strouds Run dam. There is a section that goes
out of the park into Pete Couladis’ property; this is what
the easement that the Athens Conservancy is pursuing would cover.
Next steps: Waiting for go-ahead from state, then trailbuilding
will begin. Randy Wachter and Chris Hardman will be making the approval.
Pete, Dave and Joey, who have been in communication/negotiations
with park and city officials, feel confident that If the park transfers
to the city cyclists will retain all of the accessibility, if not
more, that we have gained at Strouds Run. Pete said that Kevin at
the city always is positive about the idea of bikes getting in there,
and Joey commented that if it were up to the city, we would already
have more new trails built there.
Joey commended everyone who has worked on the Strouds project,
noting that the level of diplomacy and patience required was impressive.
There is a good bit of maintenance that needs to be done at Strouds,
in addition to the new trail building. Work parties will begin in
November, once the leaves have fallen and sight lines are clear.
2. OU Map Project
Pete described a project that he and Tom have been working on with
the OU cartography department that shows suggested roads (not routes)
for road riding in the Southeastern Ohio area (all of Athens, all
of Meigs, and portions of every neighboring county). They have been
working with Bob Eichenberg, Margaret Pierce (director of the cartography
center) and some grad student interns. The map complements the COP
maps, overlapping a bit in Hocking and Vinton counties. The style
isn’t exactly the same.
They will apply for an Athens County tourism grant to cover printing
costs, and might also look to the club for a donation of $500, perhaps
more.
Club members suggested other potential sources of funding: The
Athens Foundation, the O’Bleness Foundation, and the tourism
bureaus of the other counties featured on the map.
Meredith offered to help with fundraising.
Tom noted that the club likely would hold copyright on the map.
3. Lake Hope Update/Trail Day
Malcolm said Sidewinder has been neglected for a while and will
head up trail maintenance days for that trail on November 11 and
18. Meet at 10 a.m. at the Sidewinder Parking Lot. He will send
reminders out on the club list closer to the dates.
He also updated the club on the activities of the Friends of Lake
Hope group, explaining that the Friends’ fundraising activities
allow donors to specify where the money is to be used, including
mountain bike trails.
4. Douthat Trip
Paul proposed a trip to Douthat State Park in Virginia for the weekend
of Oct. 14. Anyone interested should contact Paul Schulz via telephone.
5. Halloween Time Trial
There will be a mountain bike time trial on Saturday, Oct. 28. This
is the day of the annual Halloween block party in Athens, and the
time trial will have a scary theme. Racers are encouraged to race
in costume. More details to come.
6. Court Street
Tom mentioned that OU has plans for putting bike lanes on one block
of court street, between Park Place (by the new student center)
and the next light at President Street. The bike lanes, as proposed,
pose some potentially dangerous problems for cyclists, pedestrians
and motorists. It’s poorly designed, and Tom has some thoughts
about what could improve the plans. Tom plans on taking his concerns
to Ray Hazlett.
8. New Business
a. Club Web site
Tim mentioned that he is concerned the ABC Web site is too outdated
and doesn’t reflect well on the club. He suggested it should
be kept more up to date, so that we look better to outsiders. He
volunteered his time to update the site.
Pete noted that Tracy isn’t posting anything because nothing
is being presented to him to post.
Club members agreed that Tim and Tracy should talk to each other
before the next club meeting and come up with a plan for improving
maintenance to the club Web site. Tim will call Tracy, and they
will present a proposal to the club at the next meeting for how
to improve ABC Web site maintenance.
Tom mentioned that once the road map is done he’d like post
routes for various loops on the Web site (cue sheets for loops).
b. Sasquatch Fest
Club members Marco and Tina Deshaies will host a bike race and
campout on Saturday, Oct. 7. Exact time to be announced. The race
is fun-oriented, and all levels are encouraged. It will be approximately
15 miles and requires map-reading skills. All racers will be paired
with a buddy. For more information, contact Aaron Burk.
9. Next Meeting
Pete will find out when Athens City Council plans to do the second
reading of the proposed Strouds Run acquisition and propose a meeting
time and schedule soon after that reading. Meeting will be at Chip’s
house.
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