TRAILBUSTERS SNOWMOBILE CLUB, INC.
PO BOX 193
LEE CENTER, NY 13363
President:
Mark Destito/336-1727 January
2009
Vice President:
Dennis Hesse/337-5373
Secretary:
Millie Piersall/336-5089/indytraks@twcny.rr.com
Treasurer:
Dave Peer/336-0593
Monthly Meetings 2nd Tuesday of Month/Lee
Town Hall/7:30 PM
The snow came early, the season is well under way and grooming is done almost daily. This is the first time in many years that the groomer went out before Christmas and hopefully the snow meltdowns will be behind us. We were unable to groom trail C7H to Lee Center due to standing corn well into our grooming season. Now the corn has been cut and the one field which is still standing we were able to brush a hedgerow so the groomer could pass along the corn. The Lee Town Park is NOT OPEN TO SNOWMOBILES and should be avoided. Snowmobilers are not staying on the trail along Evergreen Cemetery either even though the trail through there is double staked with signs. Just because there is an open field next to trail doesn’t mean it is open for anyone to lay down their own track and buzz around. Stay on the trails or we will lose them!!! We have already received complaint calls from landowners regarding sledders riding off the trail.
Trailbusters Trail Party: Coming up THIS WEEKEND, SUNDAY, 18 JANUARY 09 - the club trail party will be held at the groomer barn on Sly Hill Road from noon to 3 PM. This is open to all our members and landowners and their families. The groomer barn is accessible by both car and sled (9183 Sly Hill Road or on Trail C7) and party will be held regardless of the weather. We will have food, desserts, soft drinks, coffee and soda and a 50/50 raffle. Members are welcome to bring a dish to pass, but not necessary. Come and have a good time and meet your fellow club members.
Blessing of Sleds: On Sunday, 11 January 2009, Pastor Dan Goewey and the congregation of Grace Baptist Church, 8539 Turin Road (Route 26N), Rome, NY were gracious to host this first time event for the club. The Trailbusters received a lot of publicity as this was televised by Time Warner Cable Channel 10, Utica Channel 2, Syracuse Channel 9 and the Rome Sentinel. If you missed the coverage, you can watch the video on the Channel 10 website. We had a good turn out, both of the groomers were there and we even had two sleds from law enforcement. The church plans to make this an annual event. We thank Pastor Goewey and everyone at the church who welcomed us and for serving all the refreshments, including a large decorated cake.
Memberships:
There are still members who have unpaid dues.
For those members who do not have email, a membership form is
attached. If you plan to remain a club
member, complete the form and return it with your dues ASAP as your name has
been deleted from the membership list.
Those with computer access can renew online through our club website, www.trailbusters.net or print a
membership form there and mail it to the club.
The club welcomes the many new members who have joined us this
year. Thank you for selecting the
Trailbusters.
Save Those Gas Receipts: The club is again collecting gas receipts for gas purchased for snowmobile use. The club can apply for an 8 cent refund from NYS for each gallon used. If we get enough receipts this could amount to a sizeable refund. We have a box and signature sheet at Stewart’s in Stokes/State Route 26N (Trail C7) and Nice N Easy (Trail C7) at Hawkins Corners/State Route 26N. In addition to depositing your receipt, you must sign your name to the sheet for each purchase. For members receiving this newsletter via regular mail, for your convenience, we are attaching a signature sheet for your use. You can save your snowmobile gas receipts from anywhere you purchase the gasoline, attach them to your signature sheet, sign for all your purchases and mail them to the club at the end of the season, no later than 15 April 2009. Members with email, go to www.trailbusters.net where you can print your own signature sheet. Remember, only save receipts for gas purchased for snowmobiles. Hopefully, by keeping track of your own purchases we will have a larger participation rate for this program as many pay at the pump and don’t make the trip into the store. This can be a great fundraiser for our groomer fund, please help.
Website Grooming Reports: Our webmaster, Joe McCarthy is again posting daily trail reports this season. Usually the updates are posted by 10:00 AM. Be sure to check the website for these reports and other worthy news.
2009 Oneida County Trail Maps: These maps are now available and can be purchased at these locations on our trail system: Route 26N (Trail C7) Red Moon Saloon, Mike’s Sport Shop, Schoff Polaris; and Route 26N (Trail C4) at Mom’s Diner and The Milk Plant in West Leyden.
Safety Course: Our safety course instructor, John Beggs, taught this course in early December 08. Marks given were all above 90, with one perfect score. We appreciate John’s time and efforts in organizing this event to prepare our youth to operate snowmobiles in a safe manner.
Exhaust System in Groomer Barn: Many thanks to John Beggs for designing an exhaust system at the groomer barn that enables starting the groomers inside and venting the exhaust out without filling the building with dangerous fumes. Additionally, John along with Darwin Piersall worked many hours to fabricate and complete the installation. We also thank Larry Casalenuovo for donating the two fans.
Our appreciation is extended to our hard working volunteers who are so involved in keeping this club’s activities going, from trail signing and staking, groomer maintenance, building maintenance, landowner issues, membership bookkeeping, cornfield issues, trail funding justification and records, groomer operators, scholarship award selection, trail parties, fundraising, website updates and so forth. Sometimes it all seems so overwhelming. Get involved, attend meetings, and support your club.
In closing, enjoy the season, ride safe and ride right. Remember to yield to the groomer, NYS law says so, keep back at least 100 feet when following one, pass on left only when safe to do so or when signaled by the operator, and dim your lights when following the groomer.
Groomer Fundraising Campaign: The club has launched a groomer fund campaign to raise funds to purchase a newer groomer. Details are outlined in the letter to all members from the club president. Email recipients will receive this via email. Postal recipients are receiving it along with this newsletter.
See you at the trail party on
Sunday/18 January/Noon to 3 PM
Ride Right – Ride Safe