Tri-County Snowmobile and ORV Club News
December 2022 Meeting News
Here is some highlights from our December 2022 meeting :
Membership Count
Business: 32 + 5 Premier
Standard: 44
Treasurer’s Report
November 1, 2022: $1,821.31
November 30, 2022: $11,652.95
Expenses Paid Since Last Meeting: $27,129.61
Print Blvd: $1,870.60 for trail maps
Forslund Building Supply $1,359.41 for trail junction kiosks
Rod Carlson’s 5 invoices totaling $23,899.60- Snowmobile Projects 2, 3, 4, & 5
Income Received Since Last Meeting: $45,487.50
MISORVA Miracle Millions Grant: $1,200.00 towards the trail map kiosks
State of Michigan: $8,032.50- Snowmobile startup funds
State of Michigan: $9,970.00- Reimbursement for 2021-2022 grant projects
State of Michigan: $21,000.00- Partial funding for snowmobile projects 2, 3, 4, & 5
Toro: $300.00- Brian Elliott’s volunteer time
State of Michigan: $4,985.00- Reimbursement for 2021-2022 grant projects
Income Received at Meeting: $490.00
Business Memberships: $450.00
Standard Memberships: $40.00
Bills Proposed to be Paid: $2,819.84
Bilski Enterprises: $2,705.00 to fill large hole on Trail 115, reimbursement with remainder of ORV Project #1 funds and $725.00 of ORV contingency funds
Greg Olender: $29.84 for two trail maintenance lunches. Once lunch for Greg and Terry Lidbeck and one for Greg and Leo Skowronek.
Lee Coates: Approximately $50.00 for candy for the Christmas parade. Jen Kirk has the sales receipt and will provide the exact amount.
Fittante & Colenso: Approximately $35.00. Jen Kirk has the invoice and will provide the exact amount.
Roger Peterson made a motion to approve the treasurer report and pay the bills. Motion voted on and approved.
DNR Report
1. Sturgeon River Bridge project has been awarded to Zenith Tech in the amount of $792,500.00. Rob Katona working on the project schedule. Work will start soon.
2. Black Creek bridge will be complete on January 13, 2023
3. The 2008 Fendt is scheduled to have the Verizon snow groomer fleet management hardware installed on December 9th at 3:00 pm.
4. 2022-2023 Snowmobile Grant has been executed. Waiting on startup funds.
5. Greg Olender went to Wickman’s Marsh and cut the short poplars Rob Katona pointed out as a safety issue.
6. Mike Gorieski delivered the signs to Al Bilski’s farm.
ORV Report
The Bilski Enterprise invoice used the remainder of the ORV Project #1 funds, so this project is complete.
Groomer & Brushing Report
1. Brushing complete on Trail 2 east to Normenco Junction. Trail 115 has been brushed.
2. Lee Coates is available to run the brusher this weekend and next weekend.
3. This week Rick Trepanier is doing the fall maintenance work on the groomers.
4. Jen Kirk needs to organize a meeting to determine who is available to groom this year.
Travis Woodward and Jared Gendron can each do 1 – 2 days per week.
Lee Coates will groom in the evenings.
John Niggeling will be having surgery so he will not be available for grooming.
Rick Trepanier will do some shorter routes.
TJ Spencer offered to groom Saturday nights. He will need training.
Drew Gaffney would like to do a couple short routes or one long route.
5. Greg Olender emphasized the Club needs to be grooming 4 days a week in order to have good trails.
6. The tire chains from the back tires of the 2004 Fendt will fit on the 2014 Fendt front tires with some shortening.
2022-2023 Snowmobile Trail Projects
Project #1- Beaver Control: $800.00
Project #2- Bridge Approach on Wells Grade: $6,000.00 Assigned to Rod CarlsonProject complete
Project #3- East of 6 Mile Lake Rd: $5,000.00 Assigned to Rod Carlson Project complete
Project #4- Wickman’s Marsh: $10,00.00 Assigned to Rod Carlson Project complete
Project #5- Don Mattson’s Property: $5,000.00 Assigned to Rod Carlson Project complete
Project #6- Reroute on 115: $3,000.00 Not assigned
Rod Carlson’s four projects are complete. Jen Kirk has Rod’s invoices but there is not enough money in the account to pay the invoices. Jen submitted to the State of Michigan for partial reimbursement. Once the funds are deposited, Rod’s invoices will be paid.
Old Business
All but one trail map kiosk has been installed. The last one will be installed Spring 2023 at the junction of Trail 5 & Trail 16.
2022-2023 ORV Trail Projects
1. Project #1- Iron Mountain Area: $9,500.00
Al Bilski has filled in all the holes in the Iron Mountain area and leveled the Branz property. Al used $7,520.00.
2. Project #2- Dickinson County Road Commission Road Restoration: $19,000.00
Work usually performed in September of each year.
New Business
1. Jen Kirk has delivered maps to many of the Iron Mountain area businesses.
2. Up North, groomer tracker app, will provide free accounts to the Club’s Directors and Officers.
3. Elections will be held in January. Current Officers:
President= Jen Kirk
Vice President= Steve Swallow
Treasurer/Secretary= Rhonda Peterson
ORV Coordinator= Mike Harper
Groomer Coordinator= Jared Gendron
4. Current Directors: Al Bilski, Roger Peterson, Matt Tinti, Fred Smith, and Greg Olender
5. Matt Tinti brought up two holes that need to be filled in. The first hole is near the tunnel. It is marked with a post that can be seen from US Highway 2. The second is a hole below Norway
Mountain.
6. Discussion on improving the roller so it rolls instead of slides. Cheapest solution is adding snowmobile tracks to the roller. Jen just replaced her track, so she has one. Another
suggestion was to talk to the owner of Sled Quarters in Kingsford.