February Newsletter

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!

The February meeting was a great success. There were over 200 people present at the Abbey Rest. in Sheldon. The turn out was better than anybody could have hoped for. I hope that all of you were able to attend and get involved in some of the great discussions that were had between not only the club, but the different towns that were represented there, and the Vermont State Police. The direction that the club has been taking over the past few months is nothing short of remarkable. We continue to get phone calls and e-mails asking not only how folks can become a part of our organization but also offering help, support, material, equipment, money, and last but not least “land”. I am very excited with the progress we have made in less than a year, and the coming year looks to be even better. I would like to personally thank all of you that have shown your support and given your time when called upon. Without each and everyone of you this endeavor would have not made it as far as it has.

VASA NEWS

I attended the monthly VASA meeting in Berlin this week. The meeting was very interesting and was attended by 6 out of the 12 clubs in the State. There was allot of talk about the new bill being passed in July in regards to ATV use in the State. This is a very big win for ATV riding. It will make it easier for us to approach local towns for use of the Class III and Class IV roads. It will eventually help lower the costs of the insurance policy that we have in place for the landowners and towns. NCAA is working closely with VASA to get a budget put in place that will help us get the money we need to continue to establish trails and get the roads marked for ATV use. The Annual Meeting will be held in Montpelier on April 19th. I encourage all of you to attend. There will be more information in your mailboxes soon from VASA.

TRAIL UPDATE

I attended the Enosburg Select Board meeting this month also and we had great success in simplifying the process to allow use on the un-paved roads in that area. The requirements to visit the Town Clerk, pay a 1 time $7 recording fee, show proof of Insurance, drivers licence, etc. will be waived. .As of April 3, 2003 barring any complications or appeals with town residents the Enosburg Class III and IV roads will be once again open to ATV use. The only requirement will be that you are a member of VASA. That requirement alone means you must be registered and belong to a club. This was a big move in the right direction for ATV use in Franklin County. Please do your part by staying off of the roads until further notice as you will be fined if approached by Law Enforcement. We are prepared to do some more work on the trails in Enosburg that we started prior to hunting season last year. Look for dates and times in the very near future. If you are available to help please get a hold of Andy or myself so we can put your name on the list of people to call.

The club has also been approached by some local rescue/fire depts. There has been a need in the past for ATV’s when it comes to Search and Rescue and getting to places that vehicles cannot get to. We are working with those towns at this time to set up some type of system. We are also working on purchasing a rescue sled to assist. If you would like to be a part of this please call and let us know.

We have the new stickers from VASA so you will be able to renew your memberships after Friday the 21st. The same locations as last year have agreed to assist in getting folks signed up and renewed. Please do not take a VASA plate unless you need one as our inventory of those are a bit low until I can get more. You can visit Brault's, Top Cat, Senesac's, or Land Air. If you know of other places that would be interested in helping please get me the information so I can contact them You can of course still sign up at all NCAA meetings. The next one will be held at the Abbey Rest in Sheldon on Friday March 7th at 7:00 pm sharp. The more folks that renew prior to that will make the meeting go by a bit faster. Remember that you will need your registration and VIN number information when you renew and or sign up. The fees are still only $35 per year per machine.

As always please feel free to call or e-mail with any questions, concerns, or ideas.

We are always available to answer any questions and help when needed.