Maine Snowmobile Association
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483rd Directors Meeting
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December 13, 2011
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Augusta Civic Center, Augusta
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The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m. by President Harvey Chesley. A motion was made by Aleta Rioux to accept the secretary's report of the October 18, 2011 meeting since there was no directors meeting in November. A second was made by Roy Tassinari and the directors voted to accept them as printed.
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| Treasurer's Report - Treasurer Marion Pinkham read the following report- |
| Monthly income-$54,585.52; Monthly Expenses-$51,624.47; Net Revenue-$2,961.05; Checking (11/30/11) $28,038.50; Credit Line- $0.00; |
| Building Fund- $49,757.43; |
Brian Wass Safety Fund- $770.56
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President's Report - Harvey Chesley thanked Aleta Rioux and everyone who helped her with this year's Super Raffle. He also thanked the donors for their support, many of them for many years of support. He recently attended a Central Maine Power line extension workshop which he said was positive for snowmobilers to use the trails this year with minor limitations. He indicated Scott Ramsay would have more to say in his report. He also thanked Faith Ames for playing the Christmas music as she has done for many years.
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Snowmobile Division Scott Ramsay mentioned it was nice to see so many people in attendance this evening. He stated he has been attending the CMP related meetings and reported on them. He feels they will be a hard transition in some areas with the expansion project which are happening from Winterport to Pittsfield and on to the Bingham areas. He indicated the work will be ongoing through the winter and there will be equipment being moved along the power line trails during the day. He also mentioned the work may be on weekends as well and asked all to please be respectful and to be aware there may be delays. Scott will be checking with them frequently and indicated they are willing to work with us but that safety is the number one concern. CMP does not want to keep shutting down equipment when snowmobiles attempt to travel through so be aware there will be times when the trials will be closed temporarily such as when the feller bunchers and chippers are running. The possibility exists that helicopters may also be used to place poles in place. The downeast area on the Sunrise Trail is almost complete so there shouldn't be much if any disruption in that area this year. The RTP grant deadline has passed and there were several motorized applications this year. The municipal trail grant deadline has passed with all grants submitted. He reminded everyone the club grant deadline is December 31st .
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Executive Director's Report - Bob Meyers thanks Faith Ames for the Christmas music. The office is still down one person as Peg has not been cleared by the doctor to return to work yet. He and Peg thanked everyone for all the cards sent to her while she recuperates. He reported memberships are coming in at a great pace, with Elaine working hard to get them all entered.
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Super Raffle tickets were also coming in at a good pace. An online interactive ITS map is in the works which will have links to clubs on it. Jimapco is working on the project which will be funded by selling advertising on it.
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MSA is now on Facebook and tonight's top winners will posted as they are announced.
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| The MSA show was a disappointment this year. There have been discussions with the Civic Center to change the date for the next two years to a later weekend. The show will be held the 3rd weekend in 2012, October 19-21, 2012 and in 2013 it will be October 18-20. |
Mark your calendars for March 3, 2012 for the Ice Gold Tournament to be held on North Pond to benefit the Pine Tree Camp, Project Learning Tree and MSA.
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New directors were asked to stand and given their names tonight. Jim Fitzpatrick of Bowlin/ Matagamon SC, Bruce Bean from Mt Tom, and Bill Brazier from the Moonlite SnoSkimmers were present.
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Executive Vice President - Jim White attended the NH snowmobile show on December 3. He indicated it is a different type of show than others and he had gotten some ideas that might work for the Maine show.
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| Western Region - Mac Dudley could not attend this evening but she sent a written report, which Jim White read. She wished everyone good luck on the Super Raffle and sent a big thank you to all the clubs for the sales and good luck to the two clubs for the most tickets sold and to the lucky club who will be drawn to receive $500 for the most tickets sold. |
| The Hillside Family Riders of Lewiston will be hosting the Executive Committee and Directors meeting on January 17 at the Pedro O'Hara Restaurant , 134 Main St, Lewiston. Dinner will be $10 per person. Please contact the MSA office for reservations. |
Hillside Family Riders also have a petition going around the state to get signatures from people who ride on. If you would like a copy of the petition or more information please contact Josh Laliberte VP of Hillside Family Riders via email at Joshua.Laliberte@td.com. The last item from the Western Region is the announcement of a Tri-State reciprocity weekend between Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. This free weekend will occur January 27-29. Registration from any of these states will be recognized by the others. If you plan on riding in Vermont you will need proof of liability insurance.
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Northern Region - Dave Stevens could not be present but sent a written report which was also read by Jim White. Right now there is trail signing and brush work ongoing with most of it completed. A couple clubs have finished some bridge work. ITS 83 in Houlton will follow the same reroute as last year. The bridge over ÒBÓ stream will not be finished this year. Caribou is still working on trails as a result of damage caused by the hurricane. There are no major issues at this time that Dave is aware of. A common discussion continually revolves around Roxanne Quimby but they figure in the north that will be the case for quite some time to come.
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The good news is the Meduxnekeag Ramblers have agreed to host the March 10, 2012 directors meeting. They are a short distance from Houlton just off Route 1 in Littleton. The riding is exceptional in the county in March so check the Houlton Area Chamber for area information. Make your reservations early as the places fill up fast and enjoy some of the best riding in the US or Canada.
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Eastern Region ÐEileen Lafland reported at least two regional meetings will hopefully be set up in January. Trail work has been ongoing by clubs in the region. There has also been some talk of new equipment being purchased if the clubs can secure funding. The interest is there, but Mother Nature is not cooperating with no freezing weather or snow in sight.
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Central Region Ð Mark Blake- no report, absent
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Coastal Region - Bob Lafontaine stated there have been two regional meetings in his area to date where John Titus from CMP was the speaker. He thanked his regional directors for their help on the regional meetings. On January 4 there will be a trailmaster meeting at the Tri-Town club.
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Trails - Mike Grass spoke about respecting landowners and how to take care of them. The ITS system is whole but some major reroutes on ITS 83 in New Sweden will be happening. The Nordic Lakers have dropped out but Red Arrow will be picking it up. The ITS mission statement update is being worked on. He feels the digital map will be good with an I-phone or GPS .
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Scholarship - Dick Peck was absent
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Safety - Everard Hayes was absent
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| Super Raffle - Aleta asked everyone to please support the businesses that have supported the Super Raffle. At last count income was $33,444 . The top two selling clubs from each region were announced. Northern Region - Rockabema and Fort Kent; Coastal Region - Bowdoinham and Windham, Central Region Ð Anson/North Anson, North Augusta; Eastern Region- Glenburn, Quad County; Western Region Ð Interstate Snogoers, Bridgton. |
| The contest winner was Rockabema. |
Aleta is looking for auction items for the annual meeting.
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Hospitality - Brenda was not present. Please send information to her.
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Old Business - There was none.
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New Business - A comment was made about the way BRP ran the Million Dollar giveaway this year.
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50/50 Winner - Jim White won $136
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| Pot of Gold - Northern Lites of Farmington/Industry was drawn, but they were not present. |
The last order of business was the Super Raffle Drawing.
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A motion to adjourn was made by Roy Tassinari and seconded by Clint Davis after the drawing was concluded at 8:25 p.m.
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Respectfully submitted,
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Eileen Lafland, Acting Secretary
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