|
|
KyMBA Community
|
 |
|
 |
| Author |
Messages |
|
rhdy
Little Ring
Posts:90
Registered Users
 |
| 11/25/2008 11:17 PM |
|
| http://www.bikekentucky.com/node/545 |
|
|
|
|
pat_collins
Little Ring
Posts:91
Registered Users
|
| 11/26/2008 12:26 AM |
|
| Wow, heck if I know, we'll see what Dulin has to say I would guess it is a case of whomever had the original paperwork throwing it in the trash instead of "forwarding" it on to the KYMBA Mailbox, but that's just a guess. |
|
|
|
|
fasterdulin
Big Ring
Posts:107
Registered Users
|
| 11/26/2008 12:59 AM |
|
Thanks for passing that along. I'm sad to say, that while we've been working through a lot of the bigger-picture admin issues with IMBA - insurance, irs status, membership management, payment protocols, etc - this has only recently come to our attention. I was under the impression that we were up-to-date, but I guess not. My fault - I'll clear it up asap.
Also, while I'm working this out, let me try to assemble something that resembles a financial update for everyone. Regarding the annual report - again, I thought we were current through the end of the year - I'll get it fixed quick as I can. What little money was spent was used for club insurance, tools, educational materials, a little bit of marketing and the IMBA TCC visit to Frankfort. We kept a lock on any unnecessary expenses, which as many of you might remember, wasn't always very popular (we tanked the jersey order because of the lack of pre-sales and our reluctance to spend money without a clear strategy for recovering club money). This year we also paid insurance, purchased some new tools and opted to send some of our chapter leaders to a trail building class in Western KY. In all cases, expenditures were reviewed and vetted by officers (former treasurer) and every effort was made to keep things totally transparent and well above board.
Again, I will get everything updated as soon as possible, but would love to have a full-time treasurer (and a back up treasurer) by the end of the year. We still have close to 10K in our accounts and don't foresee any additional expenditures for some time.
In the interim, I will do my best to keep everyone up to date and please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks again for the note. |
|
|
|
|
RJ Reynolds
Big Ring
Posts:144
Registered Users
|
| 11/26/2008 10:42 AM |
|
| Jesus Dulin! You are running this club INTO THE GROUND!!!! |
|
|
|
|
MEK
Big Ring
Posts:389
Registered Users
|
| 11/26/2008 10:53 AM |
|
| Quote: |
|
|
|
|
fasterdulin
Big Ring
Posts:107
Registered Users
|
| 11/26/2008 4:39 PM |
|
Got to the bottom of the issue - it's all good. Should be back on track in about a week. Since RJ mentioned it, I'd like to add that Jesus was either on the phone or away from his desk when I called, so I don't have any new news from him at this time.
Again, anyone with some interest and skill in finance or accounting (or data entry or graphics or wordsmithing), please don't be shy. We can certainly use the help.
Thanks again for the note, rhdy, and thanks to everyone for your support. |
|
|
|
|
MEK
Big Ring
Posts:389
Registered Users
|
| 11/26/2008 5:06 PM |
|
| I'll be glad to draft a letter to our previous sponsor. |
|
|
|
|
pat_collins
Little Ring
Posts:91
Registered Users
|
| 11/26/2008 11:31 PM |
|
| Huh MEK??? Seems lately your posts confuse me more and more...... :-) |
|
|
|
|
chuck_clark
Big Ring
Posts:345
Registered Users
Louisville
|
| 11/27/2008 12:13 AM |
|
Being part of this club going on 10 years now, I have seen a steady series of a few motivated people or maybe just a prez get worn down from all the work and negativity.
Dulin, I think you need to ask for help and gather people with you instead of taking it all on your shoulders. I remember you making this a big focus of your life, but it's simply too much and easy to get behind on a lot of tasks in doing so.
You know, with the ability to webinar, online chat, etc. through this site or some other, KyMBA could easily get some "meetings" done and action items delegated. As a frequent follower of this site, I couldn't tell you anything that KyMBA has plans for or items we are currently focusing on. I think the potential, and now documented, loss of Sal Hallow should be recognized as a failure of KY mountain bikers and KyMBA. I don't care if we have $10 or $10K in the bank. If it doesn't go to bettering mountain biking, then what good does it do?
Am I just way off base here? Been known to go there, but I think Don makes some good points.... |
|
|
|
|
pat_collins
Little Ring
Posts:91
Registered Users
|
| 11/27/2008 1:38 AM |
|
Chuck, I agree with you on some points and disagree with others, let's start with where I think you are dead on. A common problem with any volunteer led organization is that folks who are originally very motivated tend to have everything loaded on them until they become completely burned out. I think Dulin has done an amazing job and, believe it or not, doesn't sound completely burned out to me (yet). I agree that we need to get some meetings together, and I don't think these need to be virtual for every meeting, why not do one in person in Louisville to start, the NKY chapter has in-person meetings up there. I will do my best to attend if we can get one together, I recommend upstairs at Cumberland Brews (mainly because I like their beer).
I disagree that Sal Hollow can or should be viewed as a direct or indirect failure on KYMBA's part. When dealing with the USFS you can only do so much and they'll do what they want as a general rule (at least what I have seen). Also, it's not just a loss, there is going to be several miles of new singletrack on the ground and professional, purpose-built singletrack kills multiuse trails, just hit Brown Co. or the FATS in South Carolina if you disagree with me on that one. Another thing that is hard for a lot of people to get behind is the notion of strategic planning and development. Dulin and other members of a core group (Mainly Dulin) have been "planting seeds" all over the state for a couple years. In places like Cherokee, Northern KY and soon JMF these seeds have blossomed and many others are poised to take off in the next few years. That process will, no doubt, result in losing some existing trail in areas in exchange for newly built sustainable trail. Through our work with the KRTA and the state's committment to Adventure Tourism along with our repaired relationship with Metro Parks I can only see an increase in the quantity and (perhaps more importantly quality) of riding opportunities in the bluegrass. It is important to understand that just because there isn't a cloud of dust from bench being cut that doesn't mean we aren't making progress.
In closing, I recommend everyone step up and give the time you have, if that is 1 hour a week then give that if less that's fine too. An example, I have a limited amount of time with 2 young kids and a wife finishing up nursing school so I have to manage my time carefully, I don't really get to do trail work anymore as I chose to direct my limited time toward representing the MTB community as a member of the Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority. In the past 6 months I have presented to a Senate Subcommittee on the benefits of MTB Trails in the Commonwealth and assisted in the passing of legislation to make it much easier to get private landowners to agree to open their land for recreational use. Also, we have had meetings with State Parks and Fish and Wildlife to attempt to establish a relationship where previously there was none. Point being, do what you can when you can to avoid burnout for everyone. It might be great to actually put together a collaboration site somewhere that would allow members to see a working list of items that need to be addressed so they can see where they can help.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving,
Pat
|
|
|
|
|
chuck_clark
Big Ring
Posts:345
Registered Users
Louisville
|
| 11/27/2008 2:04 AM |
|
Pat,
I know my post may seem like a complete dig on Dulin, but it shouldn't be viewed that way. I've worked next to the guy building trail and he has done wonders negotiating with parties as you suggest. It just bums me out that things get lost with our lack of... I don't know... ability to accomplish things even 1/3rd as grand as some of the states just adjacent to us.
If things are on the horizon, why can't their be more open communication among us about it? Frankly, I'm really tired of off-topic posts. There's very little KyMBA content left. I'd love to hear about what people are working on, etc.
In regard to your post, where is the professionally done singletrack in KY you are referring to? FATS is in South Carolina and Brown County is in Indiana as we all know. Mammoth Cave is building a gravelly path paralleling the roadway for the "cyclists." I've seen it. It sucks. Well, maybe my mother would like it on her hybrid, but I'd rather ride fireroad than that.
Lastly, other than some trail crews which I have struggled to attend (excuses: 60 hour work week, two children under 5, teach out of town 10x/year and just finished doctoral education, etc.), I haven't seen any requests for help. Well, we do need a treasurer. That was just on this thread. |
|
|
|
|
scopes monkey
Big Ring
Posts:116
Registered Users
|
| 11/27/2008 11:36 AM |
|
| I've offered to help before and the offer still stands. I've only been into the sport a few years but would love to help out where ever help is needed. |
|
|
|
|
fasterdulin
Big Ring
Posts:107
Registered Users
|
| 11/27/2008 2:26 PM |
|
All good points and there is no question that there is a lot of room for improvement. I will be the first to say that - as the defacto leader - I am not nearly as diligent about delegating as I should be (which is precisely why we have to go through the reinstatement process with the secretary of state). Things slip through the cracks and in this particular case, it's all on me. I will also be the first to say that I have been really inconsistent when it comes to keeping people up to speed on what we've been working on - and that's more a function of time than secrecy. It takes a while to write it all up in a post. Regardless, I stand 'guilty as charged' on both issues and hope to make some major improvements in the very near future.
That said - like any all-volunteer organization - we have struggled with people backing out on their time commitments and subsequently run into problems maintaining leadership continutity. (that's not a knock on anyone - people's time is precious and this is an issue that almost every volunteer organization in the world wrestles with). In short, though, we can't run an organization if we don't have accountability and we can't have accountability if we can't keep a regular "staff" in place. Our club is registered as a corporation and as such, there is a level of "corporate" behavior that we are expected to demonstrate. Annual reports, insurance, financial management, budgeting, membership management, swag management, marketing, outreach, etc - it all requires people that can spend the time, work together without ego and follow the process through from year to year. Like any business, if there is a lot of turnover - for whatever reason - the consistency is lost and we are back to one or two people doing the work of ten. Anyone who's ever worked in HR can tell you what that kind of turnover "costs" a real business. The hardest part about turnover, though, is the processes of catching up and cleaning up after the person has departed. For example, I am still dealing with the effects of a poorly structured club-sponsorship deal that went south (well before I came on board as an officer of any kind). Because there was no structure in place for managing these kinds of deals, promises were made without any formal documents and it essentially became a game of he-said-she-said. You can't do much if you are left with no paper trail, no documentation, no culpability, no proof of anything. Great intentions, bad execution - but what can you do?
I make this point to highlight one of the many pitfalls facing a volunteer organziation like ours - not to point fingers or make excuses for how things have evolved. While it's not always obvious, we have made some major strides around the state and I sincerely believe we can make this work. I look at groups like the Kentucky Horse Council and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association and the AMA and I see what it takes to make a successful organization work - but more importantly, I see how critical it is to have a strong, professional organziation built to represent the interests of kentucky mountain bikers. It is a lot of work and requires quite a bit of time, but if we lay the groundwork properly, develop contingencies in our staffing and management practices and maintain a clear and consistent communication strategy - then we will succeed.
There is always more to discuss, but please know that we are working hard and while it isn't going to make everyone happy all the time, we are doing what we can to make mountain biking a permanent part of the kentucky recreational landscape. If you are interested in helping out, please contact me outside of the forums and let me know what you're thinking. Again - these are all great points and I sincerely appreciate everyone's patience and support. Have a great holiday and ride safe.
PS - just to clear one of Chuck's points up, the "Mammoth/ Sal Hallow" issue is very complex and I will post more details in another thread, but the short version is - Sal Hallow was opened to mountain bikes in a way that was marginally legal and could very easily be challenged by other users. (under NPS mandates, the unit supervisor has limited authority to make those sorts of decisions and in the case of Sal Hallow, it was never written down, never sanctioned by Washington and therefore, never really legal. The equestrian groups challenged it and they would have won had it gone to the next administrative level)
Under the new plan, Congress will authorize the creation new single track trails for hiking and biking only. Six plus miles of permanent, legal and purpose built single track. (side note: the rail trail is completely unrelated and was funded as a "historic interpretive trail" - the NPS folks know it's not a "mountain bike trail") |
|
|
|
|
BarryL
Little Ring
Posts:81
Registered Users
|
| 11/27/2008 3:34 PM |
|
Hey Mike... I would consider making an announcement of a specific time/date for a meeting for any and all that are serious about stepping up to lead. List the basic offices you MUST fill to move forward, then all those you'd LIKE to fill.
If enough committed volunteers show up. Then we can revive Kymba and move it along. Make it clear though...if we don't get the commitment, let it dissolve and you can get the monkey off your back..as well as everyone else... We can still have trail days as a group by using Bikeclicks...
I lead One single Scout pack, and I know the feeling...if you've got good volunteers that are committed, and you only need a few, things can be so much easier for everyone... but trying to haul it around by yourself, puts pressure on you, that you don't need, if no one else is going to help out...and the org. suffers as well...
I just think it's time for a "put up or shut up" call to arms, or disband and let's move on...
|
|
|
|
|
PR
Big Ring
Posts:519
Registered Users
Jackson County
|
| 11/27/2008 7:05 PM |
|
Who has the membership list? Any records on paid dues? We need to send a letter/email to everyone, and also to everyone on this site, for a new memebership drive. By 1-1-09.
Get me the list, and I'll do that.
We also need a monthly post or a monthly newsletter that updates us on whatever the club is working on statewide.
And I still think we need stronger regional clubs. I'd be glad to attend a monthly meeting somewhere down here, and possibly a quarterly meeting in the 'ville.
I'll be glad to help out with whatever, down here in seky. |
|
|
|
|
chuck_clark
Big Ring
Posts:345
Registered Users
Louisville
|
| 11/27/2008 11:10 PM |
|
I'll help.
Dulin: PM me with what your needs are. |
|
|
|
|
Chris Ward
Big Ring
Posts:217
Registered Users
|
| 11/27/2008 11:20 PM |
|
I just like to say that I think Mike has done an excellent job at leading the club. He is one of the few people I have seen recently do something besides post suggestions on a forum. Anybody can post on this forum and a lot of people have no problem giving advice but when it comes time to step up to do something we just hear a lot of excuses.
People can make all of the suggestions they want to make on this forum. Feed back is always great. Until we actually have people stepping forward in a bigger capacity there is no one that can make the suggestions happen. It really pretty obvious but feel it has to be pointed out because we have had this problem for the better part of a year.
With that said, I agree with Barry. We need to have a formal meeting. Anybody have idea where we should meet. Does someone have access to a conference bridge? As others have said we need people to step up. The more that get involved the better organization we will have and the more we can accomplish.
As far as Sal Hallow being blamed on KYMBA, I don't thank you can say that by any stretch. I believe the Bowling Green league of cyclist had a lead role in that and they did the best they could. Fact is that is horse country down there and they have a lot of power. I'm sure the park service received an overwhelming response from the equestrian riders that would be hard for us to over come especially when we have problems with people being involved that we have. I believe we have the numbers in the Louisville area to compete with the horse back riders but people just are not motivated.
You can go out to Cherokee park on a nice summer evening and easily see 40 mountain bikers in a couple of hours time. That doesn’t include the people out riding at Waverly or some of the other parks.
A good example of the turn out problem is the JMF master planning meetings. At both the meetings I went to horse back riders out numbered us nearly 4 to 1. I bet if everybody who was on this site that went riding on the evening of those meetings showed up to the meeting instead of taking a ride or made it a priority that number would have been the reverse and our area in JMF would be given a higher priority for funding than what is getting now. I went to a couple of the Floyds fork planning meetings and they went the same way, we were out numbered by the equestrians. All of these meetings were posted on the site well in advance as are most trail days and other activities. I have said this before, but if we can have over 80 people show up on Sunday morning for a race than we can have better turn out at these other events.
We can have so much more in KY if we just have people willing to step forward and commit a little time.
|
|
|
|
|
pat_collins
Little Ring
Posts:91
Registered Users
|
| 11/28/2008 12:59 AM |
|
Chris, I'm on the meeting thing, I am going to lock down a conf. room with whiteboards big enough to hold everyone and a conf. bridge. Will post details next week for a meeting to be held the following week. Meeting will be in Louisville but the Conf. bridge will allow all interested parties to participate. If you want to make a difference then make it to this meeting either in person or on the phone. Again, details to follow early next week.
Thanks everyone,
Pat |
|
|
|
|
Chris Ward
Big Ring
Posts:217
Registered Users
|
| 11/28/2008 8:52 AM |
|
| Good deal pat. Please keep us posted. Let me know if you need anything. Hopefully turn out will be so good you will have to find an auditorium! |
|
|
|
|
BarryL
Little Ring
Posts:81
Registered Users
|
| 11/28/2008 6:24 PM |
|
| I have offered and it still stands, for marketing/communciations/PR, including newsletter email, web etc... Let me know when/where the meeting will take place should you decide to go that route... |
|
|
|
|
|
| You are not authorized to post a reply. |
|
|
|
ActiveForums 3.7
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|