Meeting Summary, February 8, 2018
Attending: Waldburger, Palmer, Clark, Hultgren, Yakovleff, O’Keefe, Weinland, Hellman
The meeting was begun at 6:34 pm in the Nash Zimmer Transportation Center. The meeting summary for the January 4. 2018 meeting was reviewed and approved by consensus.
Hultgren reviewed the status of the Bike Mansfield bank account, noting that he had paid for the Bicycle Friendly Community signs for the Town lines and given them to the Town’s Public Works Department for erection.
Strategies for boosting membership were discussed including press releases, Facebook, displays that will feature the safety tips cards (and plug Bike Mansfield), etc.
Due to the March 24th UConn bicycle race and the activities around it, the workshop covering what to do to your bike as you get it ready for riding in the Spring needed to be pushed back to mid-April (11th, 18th or 19th). Hultgren will talk with Aaron Paterson to see if those dates would still be workable (note: they are not!).
Hultgren said he was still waiting for a proof of the safety tips card from the printer, but it wasn’t ready for this meeting. It is expected within the next few days.
Hellman outlined the planned ECCC sanctioned UConn cycling club races which will be held on March 24th. He said that because the races are on Town Roads and State Highways the State Police and a number of volunteer marshals would be needed to help run the race. He said that Bike Mansfield could have an information table at the start/finish, and that he would have a volunteer signup webpage on-line soon. He asked for help in publicizing this race.
Waldburger summarized the recent South Windsor Walk & Wheelways meeting where the bicycle education program in the South Windsor schools was discussed. He had handout materials which he will send to Hultgren to send to the email list. He also reported on the BiCiCo meeting in Hartford facilitated by BikeWalkCT. He said that BikeWalkCT was now recruiting for an Executive Director. Information from both the SW meeting and the BWCT meeting will be summarized and placed on the BikeMansfield.com website. Finally, he said that the public meeting on the CT Bike Master Plan was rescheduled for February 20th at Founder’s Plaza in Hartford.
Clark said she had begun to contact UConn staff about getting its Bicycle Friendly University effort restarted. Hellman said that UConn clubs had community service requirements that could possibly help with this. Clark and Hellman will coordinate on this.
Yakovleff said he had two rides scheduled this year so far for the scouting group in Ashford. The first will be May 5th to ride the East Bay trail in Rhode Island (approx 30 miles & flat), and the second will be the Cape Cod Rail Trail on June 22-23-24 (approx 50 miles and flat). Bike Mansfield members are welcome on both rides (contact Nord nordy177@gmail to let him know you want to participate). He also reported that a BMX trail at the Ashford Scout Camp was being constructed this year.
Due to the length of the meeting, the goals/activities for 2018 discussion was postponed to the March meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 pm.
Lon Hultgren, Secretary Treasurer
info@bikemansfield.com