TMSC – Newsletter - Twin Mountains Snowmobile Club

Twin Mountains Snowmobile
Club
P.O. BOX 519, BOBCAYGEON, ONTARIO, CANADA, K0M 1A0
Volume 1
www.twinmountainssc.ca
Fall 2008
President’s Message
Greetings from your Board of Directors. Thank you for purchasing your permit
from Twin Mountains Snowmobile Club. A new season is about to begin and our
volunteers have been very busy again this year. Thank you to all the volunteers!!!!
This summer and fall so many projects have been completed or are underway
that I can’t list them all. Larry Hulsmans has been so busy fixing trail sections,
overseeing projects, helping demolish then rebuild our groomer shed, and going to
meetings that it is like he has a full time position at TMSC. He is also a groomer
operator. Thank you Larry for all of your volunteer labour. If you see Larry,
thank him for his tireless work.
I singled out Larry this year because he has gone above and beyond. There are
many more volunteers that give us this type of commitment as well. I am sure I
would forget someone if I started to list them all, so I will just say THANK YOU
again to ALL of our volunteers.
The new 2009 permits have arrived and are ready to be purchased. This means
a new season is around the corner. The trails will be ready and better than ever
this year, especially if we get as much snow as last year.
Last season TMSC was the club with “All Trails Open” for the most weeks of
the season. This has been made possible because all of our trails are on firm
ground. We don’t cross swamps, lakes or creeks without culverts or bridges, so
we don’t have to wait for the ground to freeze before we groom. Any area that
becomes a problem due to washouts will eventually be upgraded in order to make
our trails better and safer each year.
The buzzword this year has been “Risk Management”. This issue has caused
us lots of headaches and longer meetings. The new reality is that volunteers have
to undergo some training in order to help us out. We are in the process of
developing a Risk Management Document as well as training some of our
volunteers for proper use of a chainsaw and CPR. Not all volunteers will need to
be trained but everyone must be aware of “Managing Risk”. Here’s to safety
through red tape.
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I am looking forward to another great snowmobile season. If you have any
questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me. Your input is important in
making this a great place to snowmobile. See you on the trails!
Wayne Haagsma
President
Twin Mountains Snowmobile Club
Vice President’s Trail Report
Once again summer has left us, cooler than usual, and a whole lot wetter! It is
now time to check our trails for wash outs and
fallen trees, etc. Our top trail worker, Laverne, and his band of eager volunteers,
have been clearing most of the fallen trees off our main trails, but we still have a
lot of private trails to check. We will be starting them in early October and I will
try to notify the landowners involved at that time, so that you will know when we
are on your property.
All gates will remain closed until the 1st of December. We are still having a
problem with trail #455 (Ritchie Trail) and we were hoping that everything would
be OK this year, but we have not yet received his OK. Our Club put a lot of work
and expense into that trail, and a lot of sledders enjoyed the scenery and wildlife in
this area. I am still hoping that he will have a change of heart and give us the OK.
Permission has been granted by the OFSC to open a trail to Kinmount, running
north from Crystal Lake Road. This trail was used several years ago, but has been
closed for some time. We have also received permission from the municipality and
the residents living in the area. This trail will give riders another route to
Kinmount instead of using the railway bed at Burnt River. This trail will be an
extension of trail #430, which runs north of #420 (on our Porcupine trail).
Due to increased vehicle traffic on the road, we have moved the E 108 trail off
of Bass Lane Road, enabling us to groom it better, and increase safety for sledders.
We will remain in the same area, just not on the same road.
We have also repaired a couple of other areas on E 108 – we eliminated a bad S
curve, and improved the big hill, which gave us problems with the large groomer.
Another area on the 7 Minute Trail (#465) has been straightened (near the triangle
area), as it appears we will not be using the section of #460 (Bass Lake Road)
north of the #465 junction in 2009/2010.
Thank you for all responses and inquiries regarding our trails. Sorry if I didn't
respond to some e-mails as I was having computer problems last year.
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We are up and running this year, so feel free to call me if you would like to help
out in any way with trail work, or if you spot a problem that needs attention.
Here's hoping for another great winter of beautiful trails.
Larry Hulsmans
Vice President TMSC
Trail Co-coordinator
(705) 738 - 9572
e-mail: [email protected]
Trail Patrol 2008/2009
Well it will soon be the start of another season and hopefully our trails will be
in great shape again. Hopefully everyone in the Twin Mountains area will
purchase a permit this year, as they are still available at last year’s prices. Your
co-operation in displaying a valid permit on all of your machines will be
appreciated and could save you money in the long run. Starting in the 2009/2010
sledding season, there will be a special Vintage permit for those sleds that are 15
years or older. It is believed that the permits may be half the price. It may pay to
run those older sleds a bit longer.
I am sorry to say that we will miss a very important member of our club. Gary
Gurzi passed away August 28, 2008 and he will be missed by us all. Gary joined
our Trail Patrol group three years ago, and last year became our newest Driver
Trainer. He put a lot of time and effort into both jobs and always gave it his all.
He is survived by his wife and two children, and their families.
We will be running our driver training again this year again with the help of
Bob Leach. Tim Embury will be completing additional training in order to assist
Bob. Dates are listed in the Coming Events section.
Our Trail Patrol people will be out patrolling our trails again this year. Our
people are there to offer help and assistance for those of you needing it. We also
will be looking for those trying to ride without a permit. The Peterborough OPP
and STOP will also be out, and if you are stopped without a permit, they will issue
you a fine of $250. Please have your permit with the proper dates for 3 day and 7
day permits, and have it placed on your machine. A permit not on your machine
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will be treated as not having one, and you will receive a fine if stopped. Also
ensure you have your driver’s licence, proof of insurance, and your ownership
with you at all times.
Have a great winter and hopefully lots of great, safe riding.
Ron Storms
TMSC Trail Patrol Coordinator
In Memoriam
As Ron mentioned, it is with great sadness that we announce the
passing of Board Member and Driver Training Instructor Gary Gurzi
on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at the age of 64. Gary was a very active
volunteer with Twin Mountains Snowmobile Club after moving to the
area. Our deepest sympathies go out to Gary’s wife Lynne, children
Mike and Melissa, and families. He will be sorely missed.
Our Thank You
We would like to express our extreme gratitude to Carol Stella for her
dedication and hard work as our Landowner Coordinator over the past few years.
Carol did a fantastic job for our club managing files and keeping them current,
contacting landowners, filing paperwork, and other tasks too numerous to
mention. We wish Carol well as she steps down from this position.
In Carol’s place, we offer our sincere welcome to Marilyn Hulsmans who has
graciously agreed to come on board as our new Landowner Coordinator. We are
looking forward to having Marilyn as part of our Board of Directors.
We would also like to thank our 2008/2009 Newsletter Sponsor HB Cycle.
Please see the HB ad at the end of our newsletter and be sure to drop in for a visit.
Coming Events
Saturday October 25th, 2008: Risk Management Training at the Old Hastings
Club House in L’Amable
Saturday November 22nd, 2008: Landowners Appreciation Dinner at
Caygeon Lanes in Bobcaygeon, Social Hour at 6:00 pm, and Dinner at 7:00 pm
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Sunday November 23rd, 2008: SLEDARAMA at the Morrow Building,
George and Lansdowne Streets, Peterborough. 9:00am-5pm. Admission $5.00,
Children under 12 are free. For more info go to www.ramashows.ca
November 29th, 2008: Driver Training @ Caygeon Lanes. Please contact Bob
Leach at 705-738-3774 for more info and times.
December 31st, 2008: Driver Training @ Caygeon Lanes. Please contact Bob
Leach at 705-738-3774 for more info and times.
The Ski-Doo Million Dollar Club Support Program partners with your local SkiDoo dealer to donate up to $1,500 cash to your local snowmobile club this fall.
That's right, Ski-Doo is putting a Million Dollars on the table across Canada as a
way of saying thanks to our hard-working clubs and volunteers who build and
maintain Canada's more than 135,000 kilometres of trails.
Participating clubs will enhance their grooming and trail operations this winter
with Ski-Doo cash, so your snowmobiling will be even more enjoyable! What's
more, you can help...
Simply visit www.ski-doo.com and download a blank Million Dollars Club
Support Program Certificate. Fill the certificate in and drop it off at our
Newsletter Sponsor, HB Cycle, or your nearest Ski-Doo Dealership and your club
will receive $10 Cash.
Offer valid from September 1st to November 15, 2008
The Groomer Shed
As you may recall, our old groomer shed collapsed under
the weight of the snow on April 1st of this year. Once all of
the logistics and insurance particulars were worked out, the
Club was able to begin working on the new groomer shed.
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Our construction team, consisting of Bob
Simpson, Larry Hulsmans, Steve Toms, Lavern
Clark, Wayne Haagsma and Jim Thomas, began
in August and worked feverishly to tear the old
building down, and to salvage items that could
be reused. Once this was completed, work could
begin on the new structure.
Two rows of block were laid
around the existing cement pad,
some additional concrete was
poured, and construction began.
The walls were built in sections
and subsequently erected and
fastened in to place.
Roof trusses arrived on the 17th
of September and the roof was
up in two days.
The steel for the roof arrived at the site on the 22nd of September and our crew
went to work the next day putting it up, under the watchful eye of the new
Building Inspector.
The siding went up
the week of October 6th, and construction is
ongoing. Daily inspections also continue.
The project is sure to be completed
before the snow flies.
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Permit Information
Season Permit Price Before December 1, 2008 $180.00
Season Permit Price After December 1, 2008 - $230.00
3-Day Permit Price - $90.00
7-Day Permit Price - $120.00
Replacement Permit $10.00 with old permit or receipt for old one.
Permit Vendors 2008/2009 Season
HB Cycle - 705-328-2453 - Season
McGregor Sportsline - 705-738-3300 - Season, 3 Day, 7 Day
Birch Point Marina - 705-738-2473 - Season
Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce - 705-738-2202 - Season
Oak Shores Marina - 705-657-9488 - Season, 3 Day
Pirate's Cove - 705-738-1352 - Season, 3 Day
Snow City Cycle & Marine - 416-752-1560 - Season
Outdoor Power Equipment - 905-877-0314 - Season
Kinmount Independent Grocers - 705-488-2211 – Season
Gateway Variety – 705-738- 6721 - Season
Crystal Lake Marina - 705-488-2011 – Season
Wayne Haagsma - 705-738-2333 - Season, 3 Day, 7 Day, Replacement
Ron Storms - 705-738-4085 - Season, 3 Day, Replacement
Permits are also available for purchase online @ www.twinmountainssc.ca
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