Ski-Bees' Volunteer Crisis Highlights Common Problem among Area Clubs
By Karen Ladd, Colebrook News and Sentinel
Local snowmobile clubs are finding themselves in the same bind as many civic groups, with fewer people volunteering to serve as officers and undertake much of the behind-the-scenes work. Because the snowmobile clubs' success is so important to the North Countryıs economy, a meeting was held in Colebrook last week to discuss ideas for the future.
The Colebrook Ski-Bees are especially in crisis right now, with several key officers not planning to seek reelection in April. President Bob Lemieux, treasurer Phil Monson and secretary Michelle Hinds will leave their positions vacant, and vice-president Darren Little has said he will not seek the presidentıs job.
In addition, trailmaster Arthur Beauchemin said he is "still unsure" whether he will remain in that job. "He needs some help," Mr. Lemieux said, as he is currently handling two territories by himself that are normally covered by two people. "By June 30, if we don't have those four people in place, the club will dissolve," said former president Clay Hinds.
Mr. Lemieux, Mr. Monson, Mr. and Mrs. Hinds and club member Harry Brown hosted a meeting on Thursday at the Colebrook Country Club, to address the Ski-Bees' problem and the bigger picture for the whole area. Participating were New Hampshire Snowmobile Association president Craig Mayo of Sanbornton, and Great North Woods operations manager Sandy Young and area supervisor Clinton Savage of the N.H. Bureau of Trails.
The Ski-Bees were one of the first clubs in the state to groom trails, starting in 1966 with maintenance of the Keith Haynes and Diamond area rails using personal drags. In the mid-1970s the club bought a Bombardier to pull wooden drags, and in 1998 merged with the Bungy Beavers. Both had been mainly social clubs up to that point, revolving around rides out to Diamond Pond for supper at Sportsmanıs Lodge.
The club has now evolved into what amounts to running a business, with paid personnel operating groomers that cost well over $100,000, and maintaining extensive trail systems that require agreements with over 300 landowners. "Ten to 15 years ago we saw a big growth in miles," Sandy observed, and Phil noted that riders' expectations have risen as well. "They expect those trails to be smooth," he said.
Clay said that for operators, grooming ceased to be a hobby some time ago, and became a job for which the level of responsibility increased along with the cost of the groomers. "You can't send eight to 10 volunteers out in these hundred-thousand-dollar pieces of equipment and expect them to come back in one piece," he said.
All of these factors have made serving as a club officer less attractive, and fewer people are volunteering to take these jobs on. "Other clubs are in the same boat," Bob said, and Mr. Mayo agreed. "All the clubs, big or small, at some level are facing the same thing," he said. "It's the same core of five or six people running everything."
Mr. Brown said the clubs' roles are not viewed as running a business, but they should be. "This is such an economically valuable asset," he said of the area's trail system. "It's imperative that it not be looked at as a volunteer or hobby sort of thing." Solving the problem, he said, won't involve "just looking for volunteers who are going to burn out in six years;" rather, he said, "It's finding a vision."
There was some discussion about the possibility of regionalizing trail maintenance, allowing the clubs to step back from that responsibility to focus on organizing events and fund-raising. Phil agreed that managing the groomers should be a paid job. "If you don't pay someone to manage it as a full-time job, nine months out of the year," he said, the trail system is "not going to be here in six months."
Clay agreed, saying that without some immediate support, the Ski-Bees may not be here next year. "I'm in favor of consolidating the clubs regionally and hiring people," he said. "You can't have a manager maintaining trails, moving groomer operators and equipment around and still do his own job, or run his own business."
Harry asked whether the state could become involved. Sandy pointed out that the Trails Bureau's responsibility is to assist, and Phil asked what would happen in this area if one or more clubs were to fold. "The Pittsburg Ridge Runners asked this question in September or October," Sandy said. "The answer was that the Trails Bureau would try to come in and keep the north-south and east-west corridors open."
With limited funds and staffing, Mr. Savage said, "We realize our staff has to be bigger. But unless we have a different funding source, that's not going to happen." Mr. Mayo pointed out that in Concord, "everything is in turmoil these things weıre talking about are things the state is trying to cut."
The clubs receive funding from the Bureau of Trails' Grant In Aid Program: signs, construction and maintenance projects such as culverts and bridges are 100-percent funded, and the purchase of trail grooming equipment is funded at 60 percent. Funds for the Grant In Aid Program come from OHRV registration fees and unrefunded gas taxes. Registrations, Mr. Mayo pointed out, have been down for the past two years.
Clubs also get funds from the state's Recreational Trails Program, generated from tax money paid on fuel used by OHRVs. RTP funds can be used for trail maintenance and restoration, purchase and lease of trail maintenance equipment, construction of new trails, development of trailside facilities, and easement or property acquisitions.
Thirty percent of RTP funds are reserved for motorized trail projects. The program will fund up to 80 percent of project costs, and any one organization may receive a maximum of $30,000 in one grant year.
At Thursday's meeting, several ideas for the future were discussed, including the possibility of a meeting of the North Country clubs to gather input, followed by a summit with state and federal officials. "However we can come up with a solution to run this machinewe're looking for options and ideas for where we go," Clay said.
The Ski-Bees meet on the first Tuesday of each month, at 7 p.m. at the Colebrook Country Club; officer nominations take place in March and elections are held in April.