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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

Elliot Killian receives Outstanding Bicycling Advocate award for Ferguson Township

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). 

Great Ride with Mayor Goreham!

Summary of Oct 4th 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!

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