Summary: Contact a CTM officer by tomorrow afternoon, Nov 16th, to submit names (and reasons) for people to be on the interim committee. The interim committee will be in effect for approx 90 days and will not oversee bolting in Pogue Hollow.
Attendance: 24
Positive Stuff
The climbing community has really gotten everything we asked for and more. We got more land than we wanted. Also, our relationship with the County is everything and more. They have asked for climber input on how things are to be run, which is great.
What happened
Charles Bergh (from the County) called a meeting about 3 weeks ago with Kurt Neilson, who is another County person, he's the ranger in charge of the area the park will be in. Charles invited 3 climbers, John Myrick, Scott Isgitt, and John Hogge (current owner of Pogue Hollow. Pogue Hollow is also to be sold to the County along with Reimers Ranch.) And they could invite one other climber. They were told of this meeting the day before, so John called around and found someone available so Barry Wilson also attended the meeting. There were also representatives from Fly Fishing and Mountain Biking. No one was told what would be discussed at this meeting. As it turned out, the County was asking for input on how the park should be managed, which, again, is awesome.
Charles had conveyed that the County wanted a separate route application approval committee distinct from any existing committee. For example, he did not want the current erock committee to oversee Reimers/Pogue Hollow or for the current Greenbelt committee to take the new area on as extra work. The county has no problem with the same person serving on two committees, but a separate committee needed to be formed.
There is currently no bolting allowed at Pogue Hollow nor will there be any allowed until the County gives the go-ahead. They will be conducting environmental studies, which usually take about 90 days. So basically there needs to be an interim committee to support the County and respond to what the County needs. This would include dealing with any safety issues, how to develop a new area, how to manage trails to be put in, advocate for large enough parking, discuss signage. Three or four people on this interim committee would need to attend all of the County meetings and be dependable liason's to the County.
So at this meeting 3 weeks ago the climbing representatives felt that they needed to supply the County with some names for an interim committee. One reason they felt the urgency to put names on paper at that time was because of trespassers and one illegally bolted route. John Hogge thought that if there was a bolt-approval committee in place that the County might allow routes to go up legally more quickly, thus preventing any more rogue routes. John Hogge, the current owner of the land, who is in the middle of selling to the County (Reimers is a done deal, Pogue Hollow is not signed over yet at this point) was thinking that a committee needed to be formed, and it didn't even occur to him to have an election. So with John Hogge wanting a committee formed John Myrick, Scott, and Barry put together a list which they all understood to be temporary.
Things decided
The CTM officers together with Scott Isgitt and John Hogge will take input from the climbing community on who should be on the temporary interim committee. They will pick the members of the interim committee (which will not oversee any Pogue Hollow bolting) by the 22nd of November. The 24th of November, Thanksgiving day, is the estimated day the County will assume responsibility for the park. If you have input on who you think should be on this committee please contact a CTM officer by tomorrow afternoon, Nov 16th. The CTM will also take into account the County's request that any committee overseeing maintenance of the park should be representative of as much of the climbing community as possible.
The interim committee will also be charged with determining the selection process
for the permanent bolt-approval committee. They will attempt to complete this transition
90 days from November 24th. They will be in charge of figuring out how to solicit
public input for this selection process as well.