Author Archive: Joan Potter

Meeting Minutes – December 2014

MINUTES of CentreBike General Meeting

December 09, 2014

Meeting held at the State College Borough building.

Present:

Jim Serene, President
Meagan Tuttle, Vice President
Paul Barsom, Treasurer
Joan Potter, Secretary
Anna Morrison Nelson
Jean Bemis
Sue Barsom
Paul Rito
Lynda Crow
Brian Dempsey
Brucie Serene
Nan Moschella
Kirsty Lloyd
Dave Chase
Eric Durante
Catherine Grigor
Henry Margusity
Ed Jenkins

The meeting was called to order by Jim Serene at 5:30 pm.Â A quorum was present, and the meeting was ready to proceed with business.

Minutes of the October 21, 2014 meeting were reviewed. Sue Barsom moved to approve; Brucie Serene second; all in favor.

Joan Potter noted there are 52 recorded members, 25 are current in the past 12 months of which 7 are new members.

Paul Barsom presented the Financial Report:Â $86 received for memberships; $26 paid out for Survey Monkey expense; ending balance = $4,058.41.

Shared Use Path Survey Update

There were 203 responses received to the survey. The input gathered on frequency of use of the South Atherton bikeway was presented to the College Twp Council meeting on Dec 4^th with very positive results – they approved hiring Scotts Landscaping to provide winter maintenance on the bikeway to the border of Harris Township. Next step is persuading Harris Twp to assume maintenance of the remainder of the path to Boalsburg. Â

‘Doing Business As’ CentreBike Status

LegalZoom.com was used to file an Application for Registration of Fictitious Name with the PA Dept of State Corporation Bureau (document appended). CentreBike can officially be used to represent Centre Region Bicycle Coalition.

Election of Executive Committee Member

A motion to approve the nomination and elect Brian Dempsey as a member of the Executive Committee was made by Paul Rito; Sue Barsom second; motion passed unanimously.

Marketing and Communications Committee

Anna Nelson, Committee Chair, reported on the input gathered from committee members assessing the current situation and the proposed recommendations. The focus:

Develop a new visual identify for the CentreBike brand.Â Create a new logo, color scheme, tag line, etc., utilize branded emails with a new email client and limit the listserv for outbound communication only (no discussions), and plan a launch of the new CentreBike identity in Mar/Apr.
Improve member communications. Provide immediate confirmation (automated message) to new members with a friendly message sharing upcoming events, send annual membership renewal notices, and develop newsletter to share activities, achievements and upcoming events.
Promote CentreBike to the community. Plan special events; partner with businesses and organizations to promote cycling.
Update the website.

(A member noted that the new automated message should contain info on how to log in to website.)

Events Committee

Meagan Tuttle, Committee Chair, reported the first event was a success: Â Maintenance & Mittens was held at FreezeThaw Cycles on Dec 6^th. Information was presented on how to care for your bike in the winter and what to wear to stay comfortable. The second event will be the CentreBike Holiday Party for members and non-members, which will follow tonight’s meeting and is being hosted by FreezeThaw Cycles.

Bike Safety

Good discussion around the recent controversy over bike safety with ideas on how CentreBike could lead a Bike Safety Initiative in the community: start a safety campaign within the biking groups (SCCC, NMBA, PSU Cycling); public promotion with a full page CDT ad or billboard showing photos of who bikers are – mothers, fathers, teachers, doctors, etc. Â Attend township meetings and talk during “citizen input” sessions.

Clarifying Roles of CentreBike and Centre Region Bicycle Advisory Committee (CRBAC)

Brian Dempsey explained why CRBAC was created and its purpose as a separate entity from CentreBike. Â Suggestion to provide CRBAC informational updates on CentreBike website.

There being no further business to come before the meeting, it adjourned at 7:10 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Joan Potter, Secretary

Meeting Minutes – October 2014

MINUTES of CRBC General Meeting

October 21, 2014

Meeting held at the State College Borough building.

Present:

Jim Serene, President
Meagan Tuttle, Vice President
Paul Barsom, Treasurer
Joan Potter, Secretary
Jean Bemis
Travis Prebble
Sue Barsom
Paul Rito
Linda Crow
Brian Dempsey
Anna Nelson
Lydia Vanderbergh
Roy Greenfield
Joyce Eveleth
Brucie Serene
Geoff Wilson
Paul Rito
Anna Morrison-Nelson
Alan Stoekl
Jean Bemis

The meeting was called to order by Jim Serene at 5:30 pm.Â A quorum was present, and the meeting was ready to proceed with business.

Minutes of the September 18, 2014 meeting were reviewed. Brucie Serene moved to approve; Sue Barsom second; all in favor.

Paul Barsom presented the Financial Report: $155 was received for new memberships and $393.38 was paid out for expenses related to the Mayor Ride and the Bicycle Advocate award, leaving a balance in the checking account of $3,998.41.

Shared Use Path Survey Results

Paul Rito presented a summary of the survey responses received to-date. To increase survey participation, Brian Dempsey suggested sending the it to the NMBA membership, and Meagan Tuttle suggested the PSU bike permit list.

Outstanding Bicycling Advocate Award

On October 20^th, Jim Serene and Paul Rito presented the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors with the Outstanding Bicycling Advocate Award for expansion of winter maintenance on the Township’s shared use paths.

Election of Executive Committee Members

A motion to approve the nominations of Paul Rito, Anna Morrison-Nelson, Alan Stoekl and Jean Bemis was made by Meagan Tuttle; Brucie Serene second; motion passed unanimously.

Marketing and Communications

Anna Nelson suggested forming a committee to focus on marketing and communication efforts. Travis Prebble said he set up the website many years ago and recommended upgrading to use WordPress. Meagan Tuttle mentioned this is good timing to communicate upcoming winter biking. Brucie Serene moved to approve committee formation; Paul second; all in favor.

Volunteers for Marketing Committee:

Anna Nelson, Chairperson
Paul Rito
Meagan Tuttle
Roy Greenfield
Joyce Eveleth
Jim Serene
Joan Potter

The Knight Foundation’s “Knight Cities $5M Challenge” Grant Application

Meagan Tuttle outlined the requirements for the application, stating that there were numerous options we could consider. Melissa Bopp’s idea was mentioned: collaborate with the Borough and Chamber of Business & Industry (if interested) to develop training and educational materials to help companies incorporate biking initiatives into their businesses and help them become a “Bike Friendly Business” through the League of American Bicyclists. A suggestion was made to form a Grant Writing Committee. Paul Barsom moved to approve; Lynda Crow second; all in favor. Meagan Tuttle agreed to be the Chairperson.

Name Change

Jim Serene recommended that we change the name of the Centre Region Bicycle Coalition to CentreBike. He reviewed the comments that have been received, both positive and negative. Discussion followed. Paul Barsom suggested just “doing business as” (dba) CentreBike instead of officially changing the name. After discussion about the legal implications and suggestions of who to contact to get clarification, there was a motion to adopt the name CentreBike legally or dba, and use the tag line “Centre Region Bicycle Coalition” where appropriate. Anna Nelson moved to approve; Paul Barsom second. 15 in favor and 1 opposed. Motion passed.

Musser Gap Trail Dedication

Meagan Tuttle represented CRBC at the ceremony. The Musser Gap Trail is a shared use path that connects Route 45 with Whitehall Road.

There being no further business to come before the meeting, it adjourned at 7:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Joan Potter, Secretary

Great Ride with Mayor Goreham!

Summary of Oct 4^th Ride with Mayor Goreham

Hi All,

Saturday morning began with a few rain sprinkles and a cool breeze, however that did not deter an enthusiastic group from enjoying a 7-mile ride through town with the State College Mayor, Elizabeth Goreham. Participants included CRBC members, school officials, a bike police officer, members of SCCC and Penn State Bicycle Club, and folks from the community.

After the ride, we enjoyed coffee & bagels in the Sidney FriedmanParklet and shared stories with the Mayor and her husband, Dr. Jack Matson. In spite of the weather, the event was a success and everyone had a good time. Mayor Goreham stated she’s looking forward to another similar ride next Fall.

So, why ride with the Mayor? In a recent edition of American Bicyclist magazine, there’s an article about Betsy Price, the Mayor of Fort Worth, Texas. Mayor Price has made it her goal to spearhead “a citywide initiative focused on promoting active lifestyles and healthy habits”. Mayor Price is a big supporter of bicycling as a form of alternative transportation, and is leading the charge to improve bicycling infrastructure, safety, and community acceptance. Under her tenure, the city has added miles of bike lanes, and dedicated $1.2 million for trails and signature events for cycling. She is convinced that improved bicycling is good for community economic development.

We are fortunate to have a Mayor who is supportive of our bicycle community. However, she will need our support when it comes to convincing other officials that improvements and events for bicyclists are worthy of government time and money. Only a strong bicycle organization like CRBC (which may soon be known as “CentreBike”), can make that happen. If you’re a current member of CRBC, thank you. If not, please consider joining today and help to support a more cycle-friendly Centre Region.

Hope to see you at our next event…

Jim Serene

President, CRBC

www.centrebike.org

https://www.facebook.com/centrebike

A voice for ALL cyclists in the Centre Region!