TRAIL TAMERS NEWS LETTER
December 2007
To the membership: From the president.
I hope all the members are receiving their issue. Contact me at minard_lafever@yahoo or 607-937-5614. I hope all members like the newsletter, if anyone has any items or news to put in the newsletter, just let me know. WINTER is in the air. THINK SNOW.
The Trail Tamers meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month at 7:00pm at Monterey Jack’s, which is our home base. Come out and sit in on the meeting, and then watch some football on the big screen and enjoy some Monday night football and in house specials: 16” cheese/pepperoni pizza $10.25 and $1.50 drafts.
Land owner list: We are still updating this list. As in the past if there are land owners not on our list please let me, or another member know so we can add them to our list. We still need land owners from the Hornby, including the trail that enters Monterey from the Hay Rake Road; also, the trails to Lost and Found and Waneta Inn from the Sugar Hill trails.
We have been working on signing. We still have more to do after deer season. Some of this can hopefully be done on snowmobiles.
We still have a few locations to GPS, but it is coming together. We should be having a work bee soon on the Waneta trail so we should be able to get that GPS done soon.
- The Trail Tamers enclosed 20’ trailer is now lockable and we are starting to put items in the trailer for storage. There are tools that we need to get to put in the trailer so we have them for work bees. If there are any members that have any hand tools or tools that they have extra of and would like to donate to the club, it would save the club from buying them. That also would include bolts, lags, or hardware, etc.
- Update: Jeff Sutton has offered to go and pick up the drag for the club from the Track Siders Club. This will give us the components for the Skandic and we will have a larger drag to go behind a medium size groomer.
- Update: We have ordered a portable garage for the large groomer. This way it is portable and would be free of property taxes. Jeff Sutton offered to donate the concrete for the floor and anchoring the garage to it.
- Update: The new winch and snatch blocks for the large groomer are here. We will schedule a work bee in December to get this installed onto the groomer.
Just a reminder to members – Our trail funding from NY State is paid 70% and 30%. This 70% is sent to our club based on registrations sent in by December 1st. That means the more members that register their sleds by this date helps to get our finding sooner. Case and point; we are still waiting for the 30% from last year.
Officers as of 1/1/07 Board Members
Minard LaFever – President Ron Gillespie Jamie Day
Bernie Riley – Vice President Jeff Sutton Tom McDougal
Dan Tieman – Treasurer Tim Sleve Steven Aldrich
Sally McDougal – Secretary Eric Machuga
Bernie Riley – Trails Coordinator (new appointment)
Trail Boss’s Sign Committee (volunteers needed)
Melvin Bates – Monterey Area Minard LaFever Joe Mattison (Sled Ed)
Tom McDougal – Monterey Area Steve Dyer Steve Aldrich
Eric Machuga – Bradford Area
Mike McCullough – Champers/Beaver Dams area
Trail work for 2007
- We should have the permit for E Trail by mid November
- The town is installing a ditch crossing at Maple Lane and Evergreen Hill Road, also (2) sluice pipes on Donovan Hill Road.
Trail Update:
- Chambers Road (Hay Rake) has been worked on. It is not completed yet, but it is ride-able for this season. Tim LeBarron spent a lot of time with his bull dozer to get this done. A BIG thank you Tim.
- We still need to install (2) sluice pipes on the Mohawk Trail above the camp.
- We had a work bee to finish Sponge Bob Bridge. All of the railings are on. We still need to finish the approach wings. A thank you to Big John and the rest who helped out.
- We have had the E Trail brush cleared from CR22 over to Switzer Hill Road. The brush is cut back wide enough for good clearances. This will be nice once we get the rest of E-Trail fixed from A-Trail to CR22.
- We are going to schedule a work bee for snow fence and signs at the corner of CR22 and Aikens Road after deer season. This is a private property section near Mark’s Marine that needs temporary signing to mark the trail.
If any members don’t know: When we perform work on trails or have work bees we are allowed to use 4 wheelers that are registered and insured in NY State. We have permits for this. If you want to become involved to some extent, to clear brush or check signs, etc, we can inform you how to get the needed permits for this. In this way, you can do this as your time allows, not necessarily only when we have work bees. Now mind you, this is not for joy riding on state land but this does give members the ability to ride their 4 wheelers on state land trails for the betterment of the Trail Tamers Snowmobile Club.
TO ALL MEMBERS:
Memberships are due. We are sending the new application with the newsletter. THIS IS NOT the form to take to DMV. You will need to fill it out and mail, bring it to a meeting, drop off at Monterey Jack’s, Pony Express or any other way you can think of to get it to us and we will give you the form for the DMV. If you bring it to Dan Tieman he will give it to you, if you mail it to Trail Tamers Snowmobile Club P.O. Box 64, Beaver Dams, NY 14812, Dan will mail the form back to you. Dan is at Monterey Jack’s every 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 7:00pm for the club meetings. Memberships are the same as in the past: single membership is $25 and family membership is $30.
We are planning a youth snowmobile course for Saturday, January 5, 2008. Club member Joe Collins has received his certifications needed to instruct this course and has volunteered his time. Thanks Joe. If you know someone or have a child from ages 10 to 18 years old that needs this course let me or someone know as we have a sign up list. The course is limited to 25 students, so sign up soon.
Club Christmas Party is scheduled for DECEMBER 15, 2007 at 1:00pm. This is a Saturday. We have a sign up sheet for kids 12 years old and younger for a gift from Santa. The cut off date to sign up is December 7
th. Tom and Sally McDougal have volunteered to collect the gifts. You can call or e-mail them to sign up at 607-566-3912 or e-mail
slackmac@Earthlink.net. Please let other members know. As in the past there is a dish to pass for club members. The club will supply burgers and dogs. It was confirmed at the club meeting on 11/5/07 that Santa will be making a visit to distribute gifts to the kids. The last day to sign up kids will be Friday 12/7/07. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THAT DAY. THANK YOU.
Please let any property owners that you may see about the Christmas Party on December 15th. Property owners are welcome to come as a guest of the club. No dish to pass is needed from them. Just a smile.
At the meeting on 11/5/07 it was decided to reserve the dates of January 20th, February 17th, and March 16th for Poker Runs. Snow will be here. These are all on a Sunday, which has worked out for the club very well in the past.
Club member Big John Schoffner was involved in a MVA and is still recovering from the injuries. Keep John in your thoughts and prayers. He will be missed on work bees for awhile.
We have some space available if anyone has items that they would like to list for sale in the newsletter: snowmobile, clothing, 4 wheeler, etc.
Also for membership the NYSSA Super Raffle Tickets should be here the week of December 3rd. All the tickets we well, ½ of that money collected goes to the club. So get involved and contact a member to get some tickets to sell.
The Farmers Almanac is forecasting a snowy winter.
