November 2024 Minutes

Co-Chairs: Liz Scherer & Mitch Waldman

Mtg took place in person indoors at the Village Station.

Commenced at 4:04 p.m.; ended at 4:36 p.m.

Members in attendance = 31

NEXT MEETING is February 3, 2025 @ 4:00.  - Venue : TBD

FYI: Meetings are scheduled for the 1st Monday of 2nd month of each quarter

(i.e. first Monday of Feb/May/Aug/Nov)

NEXT WORK DAY:  TBD

NEW MEMBERS: Welcome to the following new BCTC members:

  • Renee Bourbeau – will oversee upper Nancy Womack Tr. (Ponder Pt. to Summit) with Robert Wolfe and Liz Scherer.

  • Gary Kirchner - will oversee Jeep Trail with Joe Morris and Alan Moffatt.

DEPARTED MEMBER: Dave Evans, BCTC member, recently passed away. Photos of Dave  working on the trails were shared.  Dave will be missed. Condolences to his family, including his wife, mother, and two sons.

HONORED MEMBER – LIZ SCHERER!  Liz has been a member of BCTC for 25 years, joining BCTC in 1999.  As a surprise for Liz, Mitch created a fun ceremony at the meeting to honor and thank Liz for this achievement.  Several BC POA Board members and POA staff surreptitiously joined the BCTC meeting in order to offer their thanks and congratulations and to present Liz with a crystal standing plaque honoring her service to BCTC.  Thank you, Liz, for all you have done and continue to do for BCTC!

SEARCH FOR NEW MEMBERS:   In need of a new member; opening for the Red Loop Trail.  Applications are available – request same from Mitch or Liz.  Trail building & maintenance experience and chainsaw experience a plus.

RECAP OF STATUS OF TOP 4 GOALS FOR 2024:

  1. Steps: Replace deteriorating railroad tie steps & install timber steps where needed. Significant progress has been made, and this project continues.

  2. Removal of railroad tie timbers: Due to presence of creosote in RR ties which is a toxin that can get into the soil, BCTC has been removing the RR ties wherever they occur on the trails ( steps, barriers, bridges, benching, silt fencing, etc.).  Significant progress has been made, and this project continues.

  3. Erosion control & correction:  Projects at Choctaw and Meadows Trails have been completed.

  4. Secure & stabilize the ruins located throughout the community (see more on that topic below).

MEMBER AVAILABILITY INFO & “FLOATER TEAMS”:

  1. If you will be unavailable for a week or more, please inform Mitch Waldman via text or email of your schedule. BCTC will use this info to find other members to fill in for your trail if it needs supervision or maintenance during your absence.

  2. Floater Teams: Looking for volunteers who are willing to fill in for other BCTC members who are unavailable due to injury, vacation, etc., and who may be willing to work on emergency  or unexpected projects, as needed.

FALL REMINDER: Keep your trails clear of leaves – It’s a safety issue.

  1. Leaves on the trails can be slippery and thus create a hazard. They also hide tripping hazards (roots; rocks, etc.).  Removing the leaves exposes those hazards. OF NOTE:  Keeping the trails clear of leaves in the fall garners much appreciation from the community.

  2. Leaf blowers are ideal for this job. NOTE: Gas-powered leaf blowers can be heavy and, due to noise generated, are not permitted to be used on Sundays in Big Canoe.  However, battery operated leaf blowers, being much quieter, can be used on Sundays.

COMPLETED - RECENT BRIDGE PROJECTS:

  1. Bridge on Upper Falls Trail – lumber cross treads were replaced. Photos were shared showing the “before & after” and work in progress.

  2. Cable Bridge on Jeep Trail – cable was replaced.  Photos were shared showing the “before & after” and work in progress.

  3. Reminder: ask for help and/ or for materials when these structural repairs are needed.

COMPLETED - BORROW PIT EXPANSION & CLEAN UP

  1. BCTC tools, equipment and supplies are stored at the “Borrow Pit”.  Historically, 2 of the 5 bays in the open shed structure were available to BCTC for this purpose, and the remaining 3 bays were storage for items used by BC Public Works and Landscaping staff and maintenance crews.  Recently, BC removed its items from this shed and 100% of the shed is now available for use by BCTC.

  2. BCTC will use bay #1 for storage of equipment and supplies; bay #2 as a staging area for construction projects; and bays #3 - #5 as storage for the heavy equipment belonging to Dion Golden that he utilizes on BCTC projects.

  3. Clean Up & Restoration of Borrow Pit area and Shed.  A number of BCTC members participated in this work, including:

    • Removal of remaining “junk” items within and around the shed.

    • Drainage and erosion control performed in and around the storage area & shed; areas were leveled, as needed; and a layer of gravel was installed and spread where needed.

    • Overgrowth and overhanging tree limbs were removed.

    • Path was cut around the shed/storage area

    • Construction of lumber/rebar storage rack by Joe Tipton (installed in bay #1)

    • Fake “security” cameras and signs will be installed around the area to discourage trespassers / vandals / thieves.

  4. Before & after photos were shared. Great job!

COMPLETED - RESTORATION OF CABIN LOOP TRAIL – OUTSIDE VOLUNTEER HELP

  1. UIG, Inc. (the water company servicing BC) annually selects an organization to support with volunteer work.  This year, it was the BCTC.  On August 9, 4 volunteers from UIG each contributed 3 hours of work to help rebuild the Cabin Loop Trail.  In addition to the significant muscle they provided, they also brought a skid steer to help with the work. BC Public Works delivered a load of gravel.  Work completed included:

    • Area around the cabin was graded.

    • Erosion mitigated

    • Trail widened.

    • Trail drainage improved; gravel was spread to help with this

  2. See article by Liz Scherer dated August 9, 2024, at bigcanoetrails.com

STORMS:  BLOWDOWN REPORT

  1. Info below reflects period between last meeting of 8/05/24 and this meeting date:

    • Total trees fallen:  48 downed trees reported

    • Total BCTC hours spent on clean up:  263.5

    • Total number BCTC members involved in clean up:  37

    • Total number of trails affected:  36

  2. Huge amount of work, and BCTC received many thanks from community members.

UPDATE – PRESERVATION OF BC RUINS:

  1. Leadership Big Canoe has agreed to include the preservation of the BC ruins as a 2024 project for LBC members to work on .  It is expected the project will include research on how to properly secure and stabilize the ruins and how to fund any needed work or supplies.  BCTC member Mickey Greene will be the LBC mentor on the project.

  2. Known BC ruins include ruins (e.g. indigenous structures, bridge foundations, chimney stacks, etc.) located on/near the following trails: Meadows, John Williams/Covered Bridge, Choctaw, The Chimneys, and Indian Rocks. In addition, there are multiple moonshine still sites located along or near various trails.

DIAMOND DOG PARK ACCESS: A portion of the paved Perimeter Trail has been used for vehicle access to the Diamond Dog Park.  This trail is a narrow trail, originally intended for bikes and walking, but it is receiving a lot of vehicle use for convenience purposes.  For safety reasons, and to help preserve the trail, use by vehicles will be limited to handicap use only.  The Dog Park Committee members will be informed of this at their next meeting.

DONATIONS FROM BC ORGANIZATIONS.   BCTC received a donation from the BC Ridgerunners (amount TBD) and a $1,500.00 donation from the BC Wildflower Bunch.  Thank you for your generosity!

UPDATE ON BC OPERATIONS DEPT.  Announced at last week’s BC Board meeting: The BC Landscaping and Public Works departments have been combined into a single “Public Works” Department which is now headed up by Mathew Parks (congratulations, Mathew!).  He is now the BCTC contact regarding trail issues.

REMINDER TO LOG YOUR TIME:  Log your time at bctrails.info.   Time spent by BCTC volunteer members is time the BC POA saves in employee hours. Helpful metric to have.

Stacy Johnson