VTGC Summer Meeting. August 29th, 2012 at Elmore State Park. Margaret: USFS, CJ Scott, Amy Kelsey, Dave Hardy, Lenore Budd, Monica Derrian, Kate Hilfiker, Sherry Winnie, Alexis Nelson, Jessi Hudson, Will MRPA, Tom Stussey VMBA, Sam Rickley, Antoine Chesaux, Ed O’Leary, Jon Atkinson, Mike Stafford, Me, Walter Intros and Welcome Ry Parcell: minutes are on website, approved from 4/26 meeting Treasurer’s Report: Amy Kelsey: a bit of income from symposium, grants from specific projects, Survey Monkey $48 per month, got a debit card, pay powershift once a year. Symposium: goal to break even, , 501c3 application will be proceeding this fall: good for us to do based on discussion with accountants. Dani Cady: taking on membership responsibility, towns are being more careful and want annual reports, sent letters to towns last year, need to continue to do if we want towns Projects we do are to benefit recreation trails: website and Trail Ethic grants, membership is what helps us to do Symposium Committee Reports: Membership Committee: Dani Cady cannot be here, but she has done a lot of work, focusing on letters to go out: town, individual and organizations. Committee needs some help. Flyer for Symposium to be included in letters, trying to shift to website membership: can do more behind the scenes with that, Sherry: maybe seeing downward trend due to Irene, we should also reach out to recreation trails retailers: (could Dani and committee look into that?) Walter: Trail Ethic, work we’ve done, etc. could be promoted to towns. Vote is different: need representative to be there, need 5-10% of population to endorse, but we don’t have resources to do that. Lenore: will work with Dani to promote Trail Ethic, committees have budgets that are easier, happy to help find right recipients in towns, Amy: we should look into creating products to sell with Trail Ethic logo/tenants (signs, etc.). People need to be aware that this resource is out there, so definitely include in letter Outreach Committee: Ry Parcell, cannot commit fully, we are recruiting chair, Symposium is most important, but a lot of outreach besides that can be done, if anyone is interested, please let Walter know, will save update on Symposium for after lunch after Sherry’s report ANR Relations: Specific Names for the surveys: banner on website, maybe that could change, to announce new surveys, share what you’ve learned already to get people to take , will send structure of report to board as well as people from past two meetings
Cap on gas tax: how will this survey be structured? Survey will be educational piece, Alexis: don’t know if commissioner could do anything, would need legislator support, could Council just endorse it? The Council has been looking to make this happen for years, Walter: if there is a better more efficient way, then please run with it. Will: don’t know if a survey would have helped, it’s a lobbying effort that will get it done, as well as support of commissioner, VAST, others, takes years of lobbying effort, Walter: how did you grow that knowledge base for supporting lobbying? Bike-Ped coalition, had a person who could go to the statehouse, a coaltion of organization Walter: survey as educational tool, need trickle down effect, could people who have experience on this topic please Lenore: funding sources are unknown to grassroots trail users, we should include this information and links in survey as educational tool Jon: would there be any power in making a resolution in supporting raising the gas tax cap and a rec trails coordinator? Already done that Conversation with commissioner: make press release, boil it down, how do we get this down to a few paragraphs? Gas tax Me: need some coaching on press release, is the commissioner ready to be quoted about the recreation coordinator? Sherry: Need a change agent in order to lobby for legislative change, political engagement process, Tom Stevens and Adam Greshen: Mad River Riders have contact (Jon) would love to hear from Council Funding committee: Chapin cannot be here, not having time to devote to this committee, would like to ask for anyone who would like to take the reins -lifting cap on gas tax -rec trails license plate -Outdoor Heritage Fund: linked to lottery ticket AOT: Transportation Enhancement Changes, did not respond to requests for Kevin Russell or anyone to come, bulleted list: MAP-21, July: Transportation Enhancement program- 75 letters received, this program was eliminated, now Transportation alternatives, non profits cannot apply anymore, municipalities can apply for nonprofits, on hold until they can interpret new program, what happens to $250,000 to VYCC? How can nonprofits use that? Civil Liberties
section provides funds for VYCC? Can we ask Kevin? The word “trail” is now included, so we may want to get more information in order to partner with municipalities MAP-21 and how it affects RTP: governor’s had the ability to determine how funds will be spent, continued etc. We advocated for a continuance of program, organizations as well, a lot of support from Welch and Sanders, RTP came thru, rolled back funding to 2009 levels, consolidated similar programs, power to governors to determine how to use funding, RTP was kept separate, Shumlin did not opt out, RTP is precarious piece of funding and we rely heavily on it, topic of funding statewide should be at forefront of Council, diversifying funds, Sherry: VT will receive $1 million per year for next two years, pretty much same requirements/rules, still larger plan at top to consolidate programs, think about how we collaborate with VTrans is important, bike/ped community is strong, VT is “snow state”: we get a higher apportioned amount of rec trails monies based on snowmobile registrations SCORP: Ed O’Leary: in order for a state to receive Land and Water Conservation fund programs, need current SCORP, VT does not have current one, so ineligible, the money is being banked for us though by NPS. Ed received a SCORP grant with UVM, to do surveys, etc. Monica is grad student at UVM, did surveys, Antoine is intern: focusing on Trails and Greenways Plan (Ch. 4). Goal is in next month is for them to be done, Ed will then vet it with public by mid-November at latest it will be completed to be submitted to NPS and hopefully approved by the end of the year. Nonprofits are ineligible to apply, but municipalities can apply, partner with them, about 650 projects throughout state, since 1965. Annual basis FPR receives apportionment, keep half for state parks’ projects, half are competitive grant process, last done in 2010, gave out close to $200,000. Monica: data collection started a year ago, approached through supply and demand lens, tried to simplify it,2nd Chapter: did an inventory looking at supply, asked about about 50 different infrastructure details, as well as state and federal agencies and nonprofits, 3rd chapter is demand chapter, survey sent out to 2000 VTers, looking at many different recreation activities, about 50% response rate, as well as visitation data from land managers. 4th chapter: Issues and satisfaction level, priorities in improvements needed, 5th chapter is action plan, identifying strategies for action in next five years, how will vision be achieved, need Council’s input on action plan and priorities. Sherry: in order for RTP funds to be used, need VT Trails and Greenways Plan, we voted to keep it active, is it going to be separate in SCORP, Ed: want to come up with way to consolidate action plan, make it more user friendly How can we provide comment? VAPDA will help get the word out, post it on VAPDA website, couple of webinars, can it be put up on member websites/shared, send comments electronically to Ed.
Antoine: Trails and Greenways plan: used old plan, might have different format, reached out to user groups and others who would be helpful in revising section, passed out hard copies, Ed can email attachment to anyone who wants it, if your group has not had a conversation with Antoine, and wants to, contact him SCORP at Symposium? Hot Topics, post it at events, etc. Dave Hardy’s Notes Continued: RTP Update; Sherry Winnie: Trails and Greenways Summer Meeting. Process: 5 member RTP grant review committee representing motorized, non-motorized, community trails, private landowners, and VTrans. Funding is awarded as follows: 30% motorized, 30% non-motorized, and 40% mixed This year there were questions about applicability of RTP funds to Class 4 roads Commissioner Snyder was asked to weigh in to clarify RTP/Class 4 road policy in writing; FPR is against funding projects that can be undone by legal use of road, and FHWA policy is less than clear about applicability of funding to Class 4 roads as well. The clarification process did delay the grant approval process. Ultimately the VAST and VASA proposals were weighed and scored by the committee and the motorized funding (the 30%) went to VAST. VASA’s proposal scored low and was tangled in the Class 4 road debate. Sherry announced the 19 out of 29 grant applications that were approved by the commissioner for funding plus all six mini grant applications that were funded. Another new wrinkle for next year will be the requirement that new trail construction on private land will require at least long-term (10 year plus) easements. This is both an FPR and FHWA requirement. Easement templates are available; grant funding can be applied to acquiring easements. Putting easement templates (with owner’s permission) on website is under consideration. Sherry also indicated that it was time again for the council to determine if RTP funds are distributed fairly and has asked that we examine the existing grant criteria. She will forward document to email list for review. She needs input by October 1, and has asked that all comments go to Walter who will forward them to her. There are four vacancies on the RTP review board. She thanked the members who were stepping down: Sheri Larson (private landowners), Luke O’Brien (non motorized), Jennifer
Waite (community trails) and Greg Reilly (VTrans). She’s looking for new volunteers for a twoyear term. A good question brought up is are there site visits (answer was to date no given the winter time frame of application process). Commitment is reviewing the applications (35 this year) and attending a full day meeting. There was more discussion of Class 4 roads: FPR is exploring ways to allow RTP funds onto Class 4 roads because they are important for recreation. Maybe if town can guarantee the investment (repair weather and unanticipated user damage?) it could be allowed for unmaintained roads. Another concern is the federal grant guideline criteria associated with low clearance vehicles.