• 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.  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:  $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 4th 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.  

    ‘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:

    1. Develop a new visual identify for the CentreBike brand.  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.
    2. 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.
    3. Promote CentreBike to the community. Plan special events; partner with businesses and organizations to promote cycling.
    4. 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:  Maintenance & Mittens was held at FreezeThaw Cycles on Dec 6th. 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.  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.  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.  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 20th, 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

  • Ferguson Township recognized as Outstanding Bicycling Advocate

    Ferguson Township recognized as Outstanding Bicycling Advocate

    Since CRBC’s founding in 2000, there has been much activity and progress building cycling facilities regionwide. We took notice that much of that activity has been happening in Ferguson Township. Blue Course Drive, Science Park, Gatesburg Rd,Foxpointe/Autumnwood and now Havershire are just a few of paths that have been opened in the last few years. Preliminary results of our recent poll indicates that they are among the most used paths in the area.
    Elliot Killian receives OBA award from President Jim
    Serene and ex comm board member Paul Rito

    Ferguson’s consideration of cyclists and pedestrians when new developments or new or rehab street projects are proposed is unmatched in the area. There is one reason for that: connectivity. While there are paths here and paths there what sets Ferguson apart is the connectivity. One can ride over 15 miles almost exclusively on off-street paths just in Ferguson Twp. If you include low traffic roads and on-street paths, that mileage increases significantly. They have been extraordinarily responsive to our requests for path maintenance, and the recent improvements on Whitehall Rd both by PennDOT and Ferguson have added a level of safety that has been desperately needed in that corridor. It is well appreciated, as it adds to the safety of all road users, motorists included. Ferguson’s planning and execution are a model that the other communities in the area should strive to match. The icing on the cake was the recent announcement that 4 more paths will be maintained in Winter. Without winter maintenance, the network cannot be reliably used for 1/3 or more of the year.

    In recognition of outstanding dedication and commitment to making the Centre Region a better place to bicycle we recognize Ferguson Township’s contributions with our Outstanding Bicycling Advocate award.

    Ferguson (2014) joins previous awardees Trish Meek of the Centre Region Council of Governments (2011), and Tom Remick of College Township (2013). 

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