The Montpelier section of the Green Mountain Club held its annual meeting on
April 8, 2011, at the T. W. Wood Art Gallery in Montpelier. About 45 people attended. After a social hour and potluck dinner, the president John Buddington called the meeting to order at 7:08 by, as tradition would have it, banging on a white oyster pail.
A. Old Business
1. Approval of the minutes of the 2010 annual meeting. MOTION: Accept the minutes as written. MOTION CARRIED.
2. Announcements. The president introduced the GMC representatives in attendance: Dave Hardy, director of field programs, and Geordie Hall, a director and member of the marketing committee.
3. Approval of the reports of the section officers. Reports were distributed at the meeting and are available on the website.
President's report by president John Buddington. This year was John's last as president, and he was pleased to report that the section is in about the same shape as when he first took office.
GMC Board of Director's report by director Cynthia Martin. Cynthia noted that the board was concerned not only with getting new members but with engaging current ones. She encouraged members to attend upcoming GMC meetings in Waterbury, including one aimed at volunteers and the annual meeting. She hopes there will be a new executive director of the GMC by May 2.
Treasurer's report by treasurer Bob Lorenz. Bob took us through the various expenditures for April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2011, including a payment to the main club for the continuing work of removing Watson camp.
Trails and Shelters report by Eric Seidel, made by John Buddington. John said that the section had held its usual spring and fall work hikes, that the trails are in good shape, and that the muddy access trail to Bamforth Ridge shelter has been worked on a bit and is fine for now. No special trail work is planned for this summer.
Membership report by membership coordinator Fred Jordan. Fred's written report indicates that membership numbers are about the same as those of previous years.
Publicity report by publicity coordinator Kevin Ryan. Kevin took questions from the floor. It was remarked that the publicity seems to be reaching out in that we've been getting people on hikes from farther afield. Vermont Sports was suggested as a good place to look for additional publicity.
Website report by web clerk Ken Hertz. Ken fielded some questions about the enormous amount of time he has spent on the website.
Outings report by vice president Charlene Bohl. Charlene presented a detailed written outings report, including an analysis of how the process of putting together the schedule has changed over time. Her oral report highlighted the work of Nancy Jordan, who has been editor of Trail Talk for twelve years. She presented Nancy (in absentia) with a GMC fleece jacket in honor of her work; she also presented Ken and John with a GMC hat, remarking that it was the end of the Buddington era.
MOTION: To accept all reports as presented. MOTION CARRIED on a voice vote.
4. Trail work. Dave Hardy reported that this year may see the tying up of some loose ends, including the resolution of the problem of the at-grade railroad crossing east of the Jonesville bridge. He hopes to form a small committee, with Fred Jordan as representative for the Montpelier section, to discuss the Winooski crossing. There will also be a study of the Barnes Camp at the base of Mt. Mansfield. And he hopes to complete the cleanup of Watson Camp, which requires cutting up the remaining metal, moving it to the ski lift area, and getting it down the mountain.
This past field season he found himself with federal money along with a lot of paperwork and three trail crews. This coming year he has some carryover funding, two paid trail crews, plus a volunteer crew at Mt. Tabor. Some work at Peru Peak will include cutting logs on site, work at Birch Glen Camp will include use a horse logger, and the planned restoration of Glen Ellen Lodge will probably require an air lift. Dave also reported that the Forest Service may have a suspect in the burning of the Tucker Johnson shelter. Its rebuilding will likely be delayed until next year while the Killington section seeks a better site that's not right next to a steam, as the old one was.
B. New Business
1. Approval of the proposed budget for the year April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012. The proposed budget is attached to the agenda and is available on the website.
Thomas Weiss queried whether the section's cash reserve was sufficient to recommend an unbalanced budget. Ann Burcroff requested that the section donate an additional $2,000 to the main club for use in trail work. Reidun Nuquist remarked that the main club needed the money more than the section did and would be grateful for it. Thomas suggested that the additional money be directed toward the Winooski crossing since it is part of the Montpelier section's trail responsibility.
MOTION: Allow the Executive Committee to donate, at its discretion, the additional amount of $2,000 to the Green Mountain Club for work on the Winooski crossing. MOTION CARRIED on a unanimous voice vote.
MOTION: To approve the proposed budget as amended. MOTION CARRIED on a unanimous voice vote.
2. Report of the Nominating Committee, 2011-12, by Ann Burcroff. The slate of officers, for terms of one year, as proposed by the nominating committee of Joan Heller, Fred Jordan, and Ann Burcroff, was as follows: president, Charlene Bohl; treasurer, Robert Lorenz; secretary, Kathryn Gohl; trails and shelters coordinator, Eric Seidel; and membership coordinator, Ken Hertz. There was no nomination for vice president.
3. Election of section officers. A motion was made from the floor that John Buddington be nominated for vice president, but it was declined by the nominee. MOTION: Direct the secretary to cast one ballot for the slate of officers nominated by the nominating committee. MOTION CARRIED on a voice vote.
C. Adjournment
MOTION: To adjourn. MOTION CARRIED.
The business meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. and was followed by a slide lecture by George Longenecker titled "Bears, Backpackers, and Backcountry: Rocky Mountain National Park."
Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Gohl, Secretary
Agenda
The agenda , as distributed before the meeting.
It includes the officers' reports.
