2008 Board Meeting Minutes

March 11, 2008

Attending: Carol Beckman, Eric Billmeyer, Mary Burger, Steve Jennings, Ed Lynch, Karl Stang, Eric Swab.

Meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m.

Minutes from the previous meeting had the wrong date, which should have been February 12, but were otherwise approved.

Financial report:  On file.

Karl has automated generating thank you notes.

Steve reported on the operating plan. He obtained signatures from Jack and Brent.

Steve talked to Frank about the shingles at the A-frame. They had arranged for the helicopter crew to take out the shingles. Eric S. will talk to the CMC folks.

Steve received e-mail from Rick Elsworth. FOTP can send a representative to the partnership meeting, in Golden, March 25. RSVP is by Wednesday next week. Steve believes he can go.

We need to determine dates for projects in the operating plan. Thursdays are set.

Elk Park Knoll can be July 12. Eric B. thinks it might need two days. We already put in not to camp. Eric suggested a second day in August. But the plan says one weekend in July. The freshmen seminar will be there around August 22, Thursday and Friday. August 9 is a second day for Elk Park Knoll. Eric B. will check his calendar for sure.

Another project is Americorps or Youth Corps.

Steve called Legends and Legacies. They are filling quickly. They are set up for car camping. For Barr Trail they could stay at Barr Camp if we arrange for Barr Camp for cooking. Barr Camp is busy that time of year. We need to determine the location for the work. We could have a volunteer day and a Youth Corps week. Having the volunteer day more accessible would be good. They might camp at Glen Cove and work the top part of Barr Trail. Cost is $5600 per week. American Hiking Society does one week vacations. They’re another option, and would probably enjoy working on Pikes Peak. American Hiking Society rates the difficulty of projects. We’d need to plan now to get on their schedule for next year. We could try to schedule Legends and Legacies for two weeks back to back to work on Barr Trail and Devil’s Playground. National Forest Foundation and State Trails will give matching grants to organizations. State Trail grants are for two and a half years. Eric B. suggested trying to use FOTP funds for matching grants to be able to get more work done. We also need to inventory the needs for Barr Trail. Devil’s Playground has needs that are better known. For grants, we need someone to write them. Steve has done it once. Eric B. offered to help. Eric B. suggested doing the inventory this summer and trying for grants based on the needs identified. For Devil’s Playground, we’d want to go for later in the season, August, to have less rain, but before September, which can have snow and when college students are back in school.

We need to schedule a work day on Barr Trail. Gail tried to schedule a day before Barr Trail Mountain Race. Steve will coordinate with Gail. June 28 is before the race. August 2 is another day for Barr Trail. The snow should be gone from Barr Camp down by June. August is fine. A good part of the inventory should be done by then.

Steve will e-mail the dates to Karl to put on the web site. Eric S. will put the work day information in the CMC newsletter for May.

Summary of dates is:

May 29 to Sept 18 Seven Bridges, alternate Thursdays.

July 12, August 9 Elk Park Knoll,

June 28, August 2 Barr Trail.

Steve will e-mail Karl when the dates are official so Karl can post the info on the web site.

Steve will contact Legends and Legacies to schedule Devil’s Playground. They bring their own tools, but FOTP can supply tools if they need any.

Newsletter:  We can put in project dates. Steve can write about the inventory on Barr Trail. We need Pondering the Peak. Karl wondered if we could include a Ring the Peak update or South Slope update or WAAG update. Horsethief Park with the Beaver Pond might warrant mention in the newsletter. Forest Service wants to wait on fixing the problem. There is some question as to whether it’s a beaver dam or natural blockage in the stream. Eric S. is watching it. The newsletter could include information that FOTP is aware of the problem and working with the Forest Service on the problem. Karl wondered about explaining the change in the project schedule because people will probably ask. The Ring doesn’t have any new trail easements. Volunteer numbers have declined. Eric S. volunteered to write something on Ring the Peak, especially the southwest section, that we’ve been working and exploring possibilities. Steve proposed having the newsletter done for next meeting, to fold and stamp. Due date for articles is Monday, March 24. Send submissions to Steve. The newsletter needs a print out of all contributors for 2007. Karl will send a list to Steve. Karl will bring labels to the next meeting. Eric B. mentioned that Copy One on West Colorado Blvd. gives a non-profit discount. They will bill. The date for the annual meeting sometimes goes into the newsletter, a save the date notice. November 1 is the proposed date. Steve will call the Department of Wildlife people.

Mary will put up a sign on Seven Bridges about the maintenance project and dates. The sign stayed better last year. Mary expects to finish Seven Bridges. She’s investigating moving maintenance projects to Saint Mary’s Falls trail. Colorado Springs Parks controls the trailhead and section over the tunnel.

Tool sharpening party will be September 20. Mary will write a note for the newsletter. Karl will put it on the web site. Mary will send Karl the description.

Steve mentioned the Pikes Peak ski area proposal. Mary was contacted. Discussion about what to say about it ensued. General discussion seemed to be to await developments.

Eric S. worked on a sign for trailheads and had a sample. He also wants suggestions for locations to put them. EdLowe Road, in Catamount Open Space, is one possibility. Flash Graphics does metal signs. Raspberry and Putney Gulch off Crags road are two more. Mary has had signs laminated and last for a year or two.

Eric S. is looking for the current owner of mining claims near Little Pikes Peak that cross the highway and trail. The Forest Service is also checking. Eric S. found the right person in the El Paso County Assessor’s office. She is checking on ownership of all mining claims in El Paso County. She has identified ten claims and owners of eight of the claims. One lives in Green Mountain Falls and one in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Those two own eight of the ten. Mary Ann Davis is one owner. Mary proposes writing to the known owners. Steve suggested talking to Jeff H. We need to know which of the mining claims the trail crosses. Eric S. has survey maps from BLM. Sections are not square and are not digital. The highway might have moved from the wagon road. Barbara Wright is a Pikes Peak Highway historian and might have information. Eric S. will try to find her. Dianna has found corner stakes for some claims, and tried to plot them. Jeff H. is also interested in the information. Eric S. offered to pursue info on the two other claims, and, when the snow melts, to try to determine which claims the trail crosses.

Eric S. mentioned for the Gillett portal, with a road into Cripple Creek reservoirs 2 and 3. The Timberline Fishing Club is there, leasing the fishing rights. No one knows the boundaries. The lease expires at the end of 2008. Eric S. talked to the surveyor. Three or four property owners hold the land that the road crosses. Eric S. is checking for easements. He’s heard vague mention of twenty foot easements. There are two issues: getting across the private land, and, once onto Cripple Creek reservoir land, where to go from there. A portal at Gillett would require a NEPA. It would be included in the rest of the packet for the trail. A NEPA will be required for that. Eric B. raised the question of who would take the lead on that, FOTP or Forest Service. Eric S. has done volunteer searching for the Forest Service.

Steve talked to REI for dates. Karl will put the work dates on VOutdoors.

Carol asked Ed and Eric S. if they had gotten together on old sign posts.

Eric S. talked to the Outdoors newspaper people. They will put a link to the Ring on their web site. Eric will link to them. Mary suggested linking to the Gazette’s Happy Trails.

Steve will e-mail dates to Dave Philipps.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

February 12, 2008

Attending: Michael Bartmess, Carol Beckman, Mary Burger, Steve Jennings, Ed Lynch, Karl Stang, Eric Swab.

Meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m.

Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Financial report:  On file

We’ll remove Karl Stang from all the Friends of the Peak accounts and CDs. Karl has no objections and the board agreed. We’ll add Steve and Carol to all accounts and CDs. The result should be that all Friends of the Peak accounts and CDs have three people: Mary Burger, Steve Jennings, and Carol Beckman.

Steve e-mailed out the proposed operating plan. Karl pointed out a correction on premiums to members. We discussed last month that we’re low on decals so will not send those out. Mary noted that the problem with Horsethief Park needs to move from opportunities to the introduction about things we’re doing. Eric wondered about adding investigations for connecting the Ring, but a statement on investigating new alignments is included. Mary and Steve met with the Forest Service. Jeff is interested in plants in the area, and mentioned mapping seed areas, identifying areas with problems with noxious weeds, pulling noxious weeds. Working in the Glen Cove area is another possibility. Steve believes that we already have enough projects. Perhaps seeds and weeds would be a possibility for next year. Jeff has maps on property lines and asked if people would be interested in walking the area to find the property line markers and landmarks. Eric S. mentioned that he does a lot of wandering around, and could look into that.

Most of the results of the meeting with the Forest Service are in the operating plan. The alternate Thursdays will begin on May 31. Those will go to the middle of September. The project schedule is different this year. The only projects to register for are Elk Park, Barr Trail, and alternate Thursdays. Steve asked Eric B. to head the Elk Park project, and is waiting for a response. Steve reached Bob Hostetler, of the Trail Dogs. We need to get paperwork in for Americorps and Youth Corps in February, or maybe March. Karl will put up dates on the web site when dates for projects are established. Eric S. proposed putting project information into the CMC newsletter, which is monthly.

CMC reroofed the A frame on Barr Trail and left the old shingles up there. Forest Service asked for help getting those out. Eric. S. will check on CMC’s plans for those.

Sue Miller said that they have two more trail head bulletin boards. She put one at the Crags. She thought about the spur on Barr Trail, from the hydro plant short cut. Possible locations are Bear Creek Trail off High Drive and Seven Bridges.

Steve asked about the WAAG. The WAAG endorses the Pikes Peak master plan. The plan calls for a 501c(3) organization for much of what Friends of the Peak does. It calls for the 501c(3) to control the permitting process for areas with limited access. Mary wonders if FOTP would want to handle this. It sounds like a concessionaire job. It would require coordination with Utilities and Forest Service. It sounds like a job for Park and Rec. A possibility is to have a class that people must take before obtaining a permit. Steve noted that being gatekeeper could be a detriment to goodwill. CMC has a series of basic mountaineering classes.

Eric S. reported on a piece of ground off the Pikes Peak Highway, that appears to be privately owned. Eric checked with Jeff H. There are six old mining claims in the area. Jeff has no indication on who the owners are. The Devil’s Playground route cannot be designated as a system trail because of questions of ownership.

Eric also looked at access to the Gillett portal. A Cripple Creek utilities road comes up there. Utilities moved the gate up the road. Eric is trying to determine if the properties have easements for the road. There are six property owners involved. The two largest properties have easements, but not for the road. The other four seem to have a dedicated road across the north sides.

Karl mentioned the e-mail addresses for FOTP. Project registrations and questions, etc., go to one address. We can have multiple e-mail addresses. Some people use the project sign up form to send comments or questions, without a registration. Mary and Steve will receive all the messages. Treasury and tax related items will be forwarded to Carol.

Steve will send out the operating plan to the Pikes Peak Highway, CS Utilities, and Forest Service for approval.

Meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

January 15, 2008

Attending: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Steve Jennings, Ed Lynch, Karl Stang.

Meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.

Mary had a list of duties and positions and distributed copies.

The board reviewed the list.

An item to add was coordinating the annual party. Mary proposed giving that to the president.

Mail pick up is done by the data master.

The account statements should go from the person who picks up the mail, then to the president, then to be passed around to the board members, then finally to the treasurer for more financial oversight.

Project coordinator should have a debit card to buy materials and such.

Project coordinator stores the tools. FOTP does have a shed for tools. The shed can move. The project coordinator stores project support materials such as ice chests.

Another role is marketing. That role will obtain premiums, such as t-shirts, and also handle advertising. Advertising would include any newspaper items, such as the helping hands column in the Gazette. Another task to handle is putting projects on voutdoors. The webmaster currently handles that. The president deals with questions for Friends of the Peak from the media.

Mary will update the list and e-mail it out.

Election of officers:

Steve was unanimously elected president.

Carol was unanimously elected treasurer and secretary.

Projects:

Steve reported on Barr Trail. Steve contacted trail dogs from e-mails off the web site. He received some responses. Steve is trying to coordinate with all the trail dogs to learn where they stand. Phoning is the next step. Steve won’t receive word on the grant proposal for a few months. The grant people have decided against hearing presentations on proposals.

Mary had a list of other projects for 2008, and would like to discuss them at the next meeting. Mary would lead projects for alternate Thursdays, be adviser for Devil’s Playground, and lead a Ring the Peak project for the beaver pond.

REI has sponsored projects in Red Rock and is receptive to grant proposals. Karl had a contact name that he gave to Steve.

Adding more trail information might draw people to the web site who then might also volunteer.

Mary mentioned work on the WAAG and trying to develop some sort of road map to provide direction.

Another project for 2008 is recruitment, specifically for the board.

The meeting with the Forest Service is Jan 24, 9:00 a.m., at the Forest Service office. Steve mentioned the seminar project he would like included.

Mary received a message about the reroute on Devil’s Playground and a call later, complaining about the design. Steve also received a call.

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.