2009 Summary / 2010 Objectives

It has been a long while since I have provided a club update. A few weeks ago, long-time members got together and reflected on 2009 and 2010 objectives. This article provides a summary of both.

Thanks!

John Raub
JCBC President

2009 SUMMARY

Advocacy Work

1. Great participation in getting the Glacial Heritage Area (GHA)resolution passed / supported by the Jefferson County Board and the Department of Natural Resources.
2. Participated in GHA Jefferson County Board meeting, two Trek Bicycle Corporation meetings, DNR meeting and regular GHA meetings.
2. Holzhueter Farm project has started. This Jefferson County park will contain mountain bike trails and non-mountain bike trails. It is just east of Waterloo.
3. Jefferson County Bicycle Plan re-write participation. The plan will be used to serve as a guide for county road project re-work and inclusion of cycling infrastructure. Additionally, it will be a strong master plan that can be presented when applying for cycling infrastructure grants. The plan is targeted for completion in early Q2 2010.
4. Donated financially to bicycle statue placed next to the Glacial River Trail in Fort Atkinson.
5. Conducted a bicycle rodeo at Ride The Rock.

Tour de Fort

Our annual bicycle rally that raises money for Jefferson County bicycle related initiatives raised over $5,000.

Membership / Donations

Received $625 in membership / donations. This money will also be used for bicycle related initiatives.

Weekly Rides

Our weekly Wednesday morning ride continued to be successful. Thanks John McKenzie.

The Thursday night ride did not have great attendance, but it had a fantastic host that put on a great ride! Thanks Bob Perkins for all of your work.

Club Meetings / Website and Newsletters

This is an area that suffered. Despite having a new website in place, mid-way through the summer, club meetings were canceled for lack of attendance. With the birth of my daughter, website updates and email newsletters were few and far between. I take full responsibility for this decrease in communication.

2010 OBJECTIVES

With so many members not having a significant amount of time to commit to club activities, we are scaling back a few things in 2010. Therefore, our primary objectives and focus will be:

1. Tour de Fort: Focus on building ride participation for Tour de Fort and making it the best ride in Jefferson County. We will focus the majority of club member volunteer time to this project.
2. Advocacy Work: Continuing to push for better bicycle infrastructure (whether it is off-road paths or better shoulders) will continue. Completion of the bicycle plan re-write, grant writing and participation in the Glacial Heritage Area project will be keys to this objective.
3. Fundraising Campaign: In an effort to increase the amount of money available for bicycling related initiatives, we will initiate a fundraising campaign in May. Our goal will be to raise $1,500 via direct mail solicitation.

2010 - CASUALTIES

1. We are discontinuing the Thursday night ride, however, Wednesday morning rides will continue. An unofficial Saturday ride might be launched (not club sponsored).

2. There will be no club meetings or email newsletters. Communication will be primarily via the website.

As interest and volunteers come back into the picture for these items, they can be discussed and re-considered.