TRĀL
GENERAL MEETING
August 11,
2010
Present: Chari Ainsworth, Don Covert,
Patrick Frawley, David Gronlund, Randy Hill, Steve Hill, John Juliano, Stacy Logan, Kevin Patterson, Amy
Racki, Bob Theobald, Kevin Thompson, Perri Bachini , Art Wirtz
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM
by Kevin Thompson.
Area Updates
Mesquite – Kevin reported that Mesquite is
still pretty clean, but there hasn’t been a lot of people out there because of the heat. There were
shooters in the area, but since the fire restrictions have been lifted, they are free to shoot.
Bulldog – Patrick reported that he hasn’t
been out there since last month, but he hears it’s still pretty clean out there. He said he did hear
that people were still driving off the south side of 3554. He also said that the hill slid down
into the wash as a result of all the rain we had.
Forest Service Update
There’s nothing new to report on the Travel
Management Plan. Everything is status quo for now. Amy did say that they needed
help GPSing loops and trails. She noted that they are still inputting data and reviewing the
environmental Assessment. The Vehicle Use Map is still on track to be out in December, which is
coming up fast. Dave asked if the Cave Creek area was part of the review, and Amy stated that
they did review the Cave Creek routes.
B-Line Construction Update
Sugarloaf – Construction should begin in
January in the area of Sugarloaf. Art suggested that people not stage at Sugarloaf starting in January
because the contractor for ADOT will be dumping excess material in the area on the weekends, and will close the
road during the dump times. They could receive a closure order at 6AM on the day the road is to
be closed, and it may not reopen until 6PM, If you’re parked in the area, you will not be able
to get to your vehicle or get your vehicle out. If you are caught riding through the area during
closure times, you may get fined. ADOT is trying to make it as safe as possible for pedestrians
and the drivers, and they would prefer that pedestrians not be on the road while trucks are hauling.
Mesquite – Mesquite will be closed starting
September 15th and will remain closed for approximately 1-1/2 months. The B-Line will be
reduced to 2 lanes from 4, and the deceleration lane at Mesquite will be closed, making it unsafe for people trying
to turn or cross into Mesquite. The south bridge across Mesquite Wash will be under construction
and digging in the wash will be done as bridge supports get installed. Amy asked for ideas on
how to warn people that they will not be able to go under the bridge. It was suggested that the
orange construction fence be put up with warning signs, and then place warning signs at the Mesquite turn-off from
4-Peaks Road and the Great Western Trail.
New
Projects
Perry would like to see fencing put up
along the 402 (4-Peaks) wilderness area to keep shooters out. People are pulling the fence down, or
cutting the wire, and accessing the area to target shoot.
Amy reported that she has received 20
kiosks and could use our help to install and update them.
Pobrecito needs to be
finished. Patrick also suggested that ramps be built in the parking lot for people to unload their
rides when they don’t have a ramp. He said many people are pulling off the designated areas to
back up against a hill to offload their rides, which is resulting in the hill being torn up and others to start
parking outside the area designated for staging.
We need to install signage on designated
roadways/trails. Amy has a training class that we can take so we know how far off the roadway/trail we
need to place the signs, etc.
Art needs 3 or 4 people to work with the
Forest Service in the spring, probably around February, in the Bushnell Tanks.
Kevin Patterson suggested that the ADOT
contractor place some large boulders under the concrete structure at Sheep’s Camp. The floods have
undercut the structure badly and something needs to be done to slow the water. Art thought it a
great idea, and said he will be able to negotiate with the contractor to do things for us because of the money they
will save from closing the roads and staging areas.
Art suggested we look at Mesquite after the
roadway is done and see if there’s anything we could use there that he can get the contractor to do for
us. Since they have the heavy equipment out there, he may get some use out of it.
Don suggested placing big boulders around
the proposed staging areas in Sugarloaf, once they are built, to keep people from making new trails out of
staging.
Open Discussion
Training – Amy passed out a list of
training classes proposed for 2011. Everything we have asked for is on the list along with some that she felt we
would think interesting. For example, there is a class on “Plants and Wildlife”, another on “Noxious
Weed Identification”, and “Riparian Resources”. Others include First Aid, Installing Signage on
Designated routes, Radio Training, Leadership Training, Trail Construction/Maintenance, and Trail Condition
Assessment.
September 25th will be the Salt
River Clean-up. Amy would like TRAL to come out and set up a display and help out.
Chari will coordinate the event for TRAL.
Amy received the new display the Forest
Service will loan to TRAL. It’s perfect for events, easy to set up and take down, and comes with
Velcro tabs so we can change out pictures or postings for different events.
Amy received two A-Frame signs that she
will loan to TRAL. The signs come with changeable letters so we can set them up for all types of
events.
Amy received approval to purchase helmet
skins for riders for when they are doing volunteer work for the Forest Service. The skins will be
green with the yellow “Volunteer” badge printed on them.
Art would like to pursue getting an
enclosed trailer for our use. We could store signs and other material in it and pull it out to events
so Chari wouldn’t have to keep everything at her house. He said he may be able to get a skin
wrap to put on it with the TRAL logo on it.
With nothing else on the agenda, and no
further discussions, the meeting was adjourned at 8:14 PM
|