May 2024 Minutes

Minutes from Regular Quarterly Meeting on May 6, 2024

Mtg took place in person indoors at the Village Station.

Commenced at 4:00 p.m.; ended at 4:43

Members in attendance = 20

Guests: Thelma Romeo – Leadership Big Canoe 2024 participant seeking volunteers (see below)

NEXT MEETING is August 5, 2024 @ 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

PROJECTS

  1. Borrow Pit Project:  Larger and better organized space is needed. Also want to get the lumber and rebar off the ground.

    • BC POA is making a second bay in the storage pavilion available for BCTC use.

    • Work on the BCTC bay(s) can begin once the POA removes its equipment and supplies from the bay adjacent to the current BCTC bay. Update: On 5/15, Lydell Mack (Dir. Operations for Big Canoe) said his guys are still tied up on multiple projects and storm clean up but committed to us that they will have this done by the end of July.

    • Dion Golden will grade the area with his grading equipment, and then gravel can be spread over the two bays to create a better surface area.

    • Joe Tipton drew a design for a storage system for the lumber and rebar. One or two of these can be built to facilitate the storage of these materials.  Lumber may need to be purchased to build these storage units.

  2. Memorial benches & memorial trees located along the BC Trails.

    • There are a few unsanctioned “memorial benches” that residents have placed along some BC trails.  Due to BC resident concerns regarding removal of these benches, it was decided that the existing “memorial benches” will be “grandfathered; they will not be removed nor will they be maintained.

    • No new unsanctioned memorial benches or unsanctioned memorial trees will be allowed on the trails.

  3. Removal of railroad ties and silt fences continues.

    • Approx 2000 pounds of RR ties have been removed from the BC trails

    • Silt fence removal:

      • Wildcat Blazing Star area involved removal of 5 runs of silt fencing of 50 feet each and removal of over 100 stakes.

      • Jeep Trail – partial removal still required. However, Alan Moffatt talked to Jacob Van Zant (BC POA employee) and BC POA is planning to re-grade the trail road from Laurel Ridge, so POA will have equipment there at that time that can finish the job.

      • Wooded area just below the old Bocce courts, near the Soccer Field area – may require use of Dion’s heavier equipment to remove the stakes.

  4. Spring vegetation cutback.

    • Be sure to cut back the vegetation along your trails. With the warmer weather, chiggers and ticks can be a nuisance when the vegetation brushes up against a hiker.

    • Tools to use: Loppers, pruners, weed eaters

    • Round Up (ready to use) is available for use to combat poison ivy along your trails.   

INFORMATION

  1. Tools:

    • Tool training videos are available online on the BCTC website. SEE: https://bigcanoetrails.com/tools
      Includes info on proper use of a mattock, pulaski, McLeod, others

    • Cant Hook (log roller / log lifter) is available at the borrow pit

    • Missing Tool: a rock bar (value $75) is missing from the borrow pit.  Please look along your trail work area and among your tools to see if it was left behind or picked up by mistake.  A search for the rock bar will also take place at the borrow pit during the clean up project.

    • Inquiry from BCTC member: Thoughts regarding battery powered chainsaws?Consensus: Gas-powered chainsaws are more powerful, but the battery-powered are good for branches & limbs. Liz has used her battery powered chainsaw on up to 16” diameter branches. TIP: Use a larger battery for more power (see item 2 below re: battery discussion).
      Liz SUGGESTION: Buy a battery powered chainsaw for the more common smaller jobs, and reach out to other BCTC members with a gas powered chainsaw for the larger jobs.

  2. Batteries: Modern Battery System Overview – Presented by Jonathan Foulkes (BCTC member)

    • Batteries get hot! This reduces battery life, and can be a hazard when grabbing a battery or storing it in your pack. Be aware.

    • A larger battery will charge faster and won’t get as hot.

    • Storage over winter: keep a battery charge of 80% - 100%

    • Discount batteries: see CamelCamelCamel.com  [Liz Scherer uses this site] Open an account; enter the product number you are searching for and your target price.  The site sends you an email when your product is available for that price.  Sales occur on Amazon.

    • Tip: Check the expiration date of the battery as this will affect the warranty period remaining.

    • TIP per Liz: add an adapter so that you can use the battery(ies) used for your tools to power your computer and phone.

  3. New Trail Signage Materials:

    • Lydell Mack (Dir. Operations for Big Canoe) has approved the use of a new material called “Color Core” for fabricating signage on BC trails. It is the same material used to create the garden plot tags at the BC Community Garden next to the borrow pit.

    • Color Core is a high density polyethylene material. It is an environmentally friendly plastic with multiple layers of contrasting colors so that signage lettering can be engraved into the different layers of the material.

    • Using a CNC router, Joe Tipton can engrave the trail signage names and other trail info onto standard sized strips of the Color Core material.  Using stainless steel screws, these signage strips can then be attached to pressure treated lumber backing material which can then be installed on the signage posts located along the trails.

    • Suggestion: It was  suggested that tamper resistant screws (and/or tamper resistant nuts) be used to discourage sign “collectors” from removing the signs once installed.

  4. Archeological and Artifact Finds

    • A new still site consisting of 6 stills (!) was discovered by a resident that notified Jan Murphy (BC historian) of its presence.  BCTC is currently looking into possible avenues to make this site accessible for hikers to view.

    • To date, 6 – 7 still sites have been located on BC property.

    • Various  archeological ruins have also been discovered.

    • BCTC has suggested that future Leadership Big Canoe classes consider that “securing the ruins in BC” be a future LBC project.  This would involve talking to experts to determine how best to prevent vandalism and further deterioration (eg prevent leaning chimneys from toppling).

UPCOMING VOLUNTEER & SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES

  1. Volunteer: Leadership Big Canoe Day of Service – presented by Thelma Romeo, LBC Class of 2024

    • LBC is seeking volunteers for a “day of service” on June 10, starting at 9:30 am.

    • Thelma’s LBC class has elected to provide volunteer service to the thrift store and food bank in Dawsonville on Hwy 9 known as “The Place”.

    • The service is intended to improve the visual impact of the thrift store and food bank  to increase its visibility for clients and  individuals seeking to donate items.

    • The service will consist of painting, planting landscaping, and other general “spruce up” activities.

    • A sign up sheet was made available at the meeting. Additional opportunity to sign up will be made available in future editions of the online BC “Living” magazine.

  2. Volunteer: Boy Scout Hike on August 25 at 3:00 pm (per Bob Kenyon, BCTC member)

    • This event is used to help the Boy Scouts recruit new scouts from Tate Elementary.

    • Contact Bob Kenyon for more info.

  3. Social: Appreciation Event Hosted by The Black Bear Society.

    • The Black Bear Society of BC is again hosting an appreciation event for the BCTC members.  It will be at the Black Bear Pub on Wednesday May 15 from 5-7 pm.

    • BCTC members are encouraged to wear their neon yellow trail committee hats to identify themselves as members, as each member wearing their hat will receive two tickets for beer or wine.  Pizza will also be available. Plus, a group photo!   

NEW MEMBERS NEEDED FOR BCTC

  1. BCTC will soon be losing 3 members.  Brian and Rita Boje are moving out of Big Canoe, and Dave Cox is headed back to work full time. You will each be missed!

  2. Seeking new members to replace them. Mitch and Liz will be revising the BCTC charter and new member questionnaire shortly in order to hand pick the right team member adds.

Stacy Johnson