November 9, 2016 – Itascatur Club Board Planning Meeting

Coldwell Banker

Attendance

  • Sandy Perez
  • Kevin Brauer
  • Maurice Spangler
  • Carolyn Spangler
  • Arlette Van Wyhe
  • Mike Perez
  • Janine Weideman
  • Phil Sailer
  • Shannon Barnett
  • Nicole Lalum (Park Rapids Chamber of Commerce)

Meeting Agenda

  • Registration of Treasurer – Mary Peterson
    • Mary Peterson has resigned from the treasurer’s position due to other commitments. She will remain a member of Itascatur but will no longer be on the board.
    • Maurice has resumed the treasurer’s duties. He will need a copy of the minutes and/ or a hand written and signed notice from the President and Secretary. (Shannon wrote up a note to the bank and Sandy and Shannon signed it.)
    • Treasurer’s report: $26182.05 in checking account. Maurice has all outstanding bills paid, including club insurance.
    • Mary brought up the question of our involvement in paying for the Cafetorium for the Kinship Spaghetti Feed. Itascatur reserves and pays $175 for the use of the Cafetorium Friday and Saturday of Headwaters 100 weekend; Kinship puts the Spaghetti Feed on Saturday night and Itascatur uses the kitchen facilities Saturday.
    • Sandy suggested that we inform Kinship of their responsibility to pay their share of Cafetorium fees for Friday night’s spaghetti feed and also that they will be responsible for reserving the space for their use in 2017 and going forward. Maurice will talk to Jennifer Therkilson
    • Shannon will look to see if there are any more incoming monies from Zap Event for the Headwaters 100.
  • Website Update
    • Sandy had someone request dates for the 2017 Headwaters 100 on the website so he could promote it to his group. Shannon will get the dates changed ASAP.
    • Headwaters 100 2017 – Neil was going to look into our pricing and compare it to other comparable rides to see if our pricing is too low. When that is decided, Shannon can set up the Zap Event registration for 2017.
  • Soaring Eagle Ski Trails
    • Janine says Mike W. has got the snowmobiles are ready to go for the upcoming season. Janine will start scheduling Open Houses and coordinating volunteers after Thanksgiving.
    • Mike Lichter has sold a stand of birch and aspen near Hwy 71, but won’t be cutting until next year or possibly the year after so it shouldn’t affect ski season.
  • Spin Bike Update
    • Nikki Torkelson has been offering spin bike classes through Community Ed with great success – all recent sessions have been filled to capacity with a wait list.
    • Another Ultimate Spinning class is being offered and is also full.
    • Because the bikes are being used, a group of volunteers inspected the bikes and came up with a list of items that needed to be repaired/replaced. The group’s list came to $169, a cost which will be split with Community Ed (along with any labor costs associated with repairs).
    • Itascatur is still talking to Ron from Northland Cycle about being the maintenance person but is interested in talking to a qualified individual who would be willing to do it.
  • Bike racks around town
    • Sandy has been working on getting bike racks placed around town. (Currently bike racks are slated for Depot Park tennis courts, Nemeth Art Center, and the Fitness Park by the community garden.) She is hoping someone can step in and take over the task. Phone calls need to be made to find a concrete contractor to place foundations for the racks, order and install the racks.
  • Annual Meeting
    • Set for Sunday April 9, 2017; time TBD.
    • Officers up for reelection: Neil (Bike Director), Phil (member At Large)
    • Arlette’s term as past president will also be done.
    • Sandy would like the present officers to investigate possible replacements before the meeting, if they wish to be done with their terms.
  • Nicole Lalum – Park Rapids Chamber of Commerce
    • Nicole Lalum from the Chamber of Commerce addressed the group. She thanked Itascatur for their Chamber membership. She also thanked Sandy, Arlette and Janine for being a part of the group that welcomed a travel writer with Explore MN who wrote a blog piece about cycling in the area.
    • Chip Lohmeier and the city parks board is inviting community members to form a citizen’s task force to set up a master recreational plan for our area. Itascatur members have a unique perspective in relation to bicycling, skiing and other outdoor activities and would be able to represent Soaring Eagle and the Headwaters 100. This wouldn’t be a long term commitment. Anyone interested can contact Nicole for more information.
    • Also the MN Bike Opener will be held on May 20 next year. Nicole invited Itascatur members to volunteer their time, talents and ideas to help with this exciting, fun event. This will be the third year for the Bike Opener and this year the chamber will be advertising further afield, across the state and to Canada. Possible activities this year include:
      • Strider bikes for kids from Detroit Mountain
      • Stunt bicycle team with an anti-bullying message
      • Possible promotion of Bike Month from the Downtown Business Assoc.
      • A 5K Color Dash will be the next day, Sunday May 21, to round out the weekend.
    • Meetings will begin after the holidays. Nicole will contact Itascatur to let us know so we can invite the membership to attend.
  • Mike Perez brought up the Crocus Park land for possible mountain bike trail development. It’s available and has potential as a great destination spot for mountain bikers if someone with the time and talent wished to develop it. Itascatur has the means to help but not the knowledge. If anyone knows any mountain biking aficionados who would like to talk, contact Mike.

Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Minutes