February 2021

Rhode Island Chapter

New England Mountain Bike Association

February 2021 Meeting Agenda

RINEMBA January Meeting: 7:00 p.m. February 2, 2021 by Zoom.

1. Thank you Jenna for the minutes, Shannon for cat herding.

   1. Member #’s, account $, etc.

2. Welcome to any newcomers.

3. John Machata trail grant. DEM meeting internally.

4. NST maintenance: Alan to repost to hopefully get better response.

   1. Alan needs a waiver signed to participate

5. New riding area development.

   1. Contact from Tiverton school dept to help with “a small jump park? Pump track? Or gravity trail?”

      1. Chris Hughes got in contact, person wants to build a bigger pump track, but doesn’t know where to build/who to contact. Likely not going to happen

   2. Contact from Glocester about singletrack on land trust. Nothing beyond initial contact.

   3. Contact from Urban Dirt (primarily gravel riding) about collaboration. Playing phone tag.

6. Woody Hill access

   1. Glenn trying to get different access point, working with town

7. 2021 event calendar. Likely no events until late 2021 or 2022. TBD.

8. Tent - still looking. Plan for purchase mid-year (see above).

9. Legal task force did not meet in Jan. Starting email chain to determine next steps.

10. Ideas for 75 problem?

    1. Force limit with registration? (overflow would still appear to be the event; food truck bail)

    2. 2 day event?

    3. Beginner, intermediate, advanced start times?

    4. Staggered start times.

    5. Regulatory relief (see above).

11. DEM survey. Thanks to folks who posted.

    1. Interesting that NEMBA was specifically named

    2. Based on concern for funding, trying to identify who uses state lands.

    3. Runs through April, might get results by the end of 2021.

12. Web Site Review

    1. Review images, ask for permission to post, remove photos of dogs being careful of lease law

    2. Fill in FAQ section (when can you run your dog? When do you wear orange? What are the riding hours? Official rule information. How to follow a GPX track while riding? Basic technology tutorials)

    3. Chris can provide quick tutorial on navigating if necessary

    4. Update events page to include zoom link

    5. Can include link to merchandise, if we get it made. Support

    6. Can add more “friends” to the page. Maybe those with ‘business class’ memberships. Include those organizations that we donate to. Add Westerly Land Trust.

13. Mission Statement - Chris Flanagan.

    1. Chris Hughes suggests shortening to 2-3 sentences

    2. Mission statement was derived from original. Prime directives should be posted in a different area than the mission statement.

    3. Consider removing “dedicated to development” redundancy

    4. To be reviewed again in March

14. Shirt et al order discussion - Chris Flanagan.

    1. JMAC Studios (Westerly) came up with some design ideas (shared in facebook chat)

    2. Concern about retail management

       1. Could compress ordering time frame, get printed, one mass mailing

       2. Could partner with shops to sell, could sell on consignment, or we sell to them at cost and they resell. Unclear if shops would be willing.

    3. Could have an initial order, set up shop with Dennis shipping/fulfilling orders Understanding shipping could take up to 2 weeks.

15. Adventure ride series - Melissa/Tabitha.

    1. Events catered to different rider abilities

    2. Extend event(s)/challenges so you had enough time to complete. Some time frame between April-June

    3. Different categories or rides that you could participate in (example, technical climbs, completed loops). Maybe allow people to plan their own routes, and prizes based on judging of photos.

    4. Free with new or renewed membership, small fee for existing members toward fundraiser (different organizations, trail maintenance)

    5. Have a facebook live event at the end to present winners, and wrap up the event

    6. Need help acquiring routes especially those areas that are less familiar, interesting landmarks and destinations, getting prizes and swag (waterbottles, stickers, bigger prizes), make video intros for different riding areas.

       1. Chris willing to donate stay at his house in NH for late fall, as raffle prize, silent auction, etc, with proceeds going to food bank.

    7. Example of existing event is the Wompy Winterfest. Have an event page on trailforks, info, routes, etc.

    8. Next step is to form planning committee, then start setting action items, planning routes, etc.

    9. Need to provide demo/tutorial video on how to follow a GPX track, also allow printed map

16. New Business from board?

    1. Chris Rideout would like to start a “orange awareness” campaign.

       1. Start with infographic on social media including links to places where you can buy, post fliers at bike shops.

       2. Buy vests in bulk with NEMBA funds, distribute for free with NEMBA logo

       3. Alan to reach out to DEM to see if they can enhance their signage/info

    2. Cost of membership increasing to $40, amount sent back to local chapters will increase. Can also buy a secondary membership for another chapter for a lower cost.

    3. Wayne working on reviewing the insurance info for NEMBA

17. Comments/requests/concerns/questions/complaints from newcomers?

    1. Consider potential uses of funds from grant money, etc. Creative, new uses.