Present: Ala Al-fuqana ( WMU faculty), Jun Oh (WMU faculty), Kap Ro (WMU faculty), David Jones, David Riggs, Gordy Vader, John Olbrot, Jonathan Evans, Marc Irwin, Mark Lemons, Michael Krischer, Mike Boersma, Monica Tory, Pam Sotherland, Paul Sotherland, Renee Mitchell, Rick Whaley, Scott Baron, Steve Ricci, Ted Robinson, Terry Butcher, Terry O'Connor, Tim Popp and Valerie Litznerski
Welcome & Introductions
Renee Mitchell called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.
WMU Bike Research Project Presentation
The WMU Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities is looking for volunteers/participants, to test an app that they are producing, to ride and instrumental bicycle in order to study bicycle dynamics, and to ride a bicycle simulator.
The WMU faculty is developing a Bikeable Route Mobile App for cyclists to report risk factors and provide reliable information to create routes and identify safe locations to ride. The faculty would like to open the app to individuals, such as the members of the KBC, to test it. The faculty will survey participants and ask for input before and after the app is used and that survey will be available online shortly for input from the community prior to the release of the app. The app is scheduled to be available on multiple platforms, such as iOS, android, and windows phone, at the end of March. The faculty is looking for diverse group of cyclists who ride at all skill levels in urban and rural environments. They are using some Strava data and enhancing it with additional data. They will record data about riding habits and what conditions and routes are favored by cyclists.
The data instrument equipped bicycle will be ridden on a specific route and cyclists of different skill levels will ride on the route. Information about how the cyclists react to different conditions will be collected and analyzed.
The bicycle simulator will test the cyclist on a simulated ride through campus to see how the cyclists react. This is currently in development and the estimated completion will be in a few months.
Friend of Bicycling
A thank you e-mail from Ron E Reid, Supervisor, Kalamazoo Charter Township, was shared with the club. They were honored to receive the reward when simply doing what they felt was right for the community.
Kalamazoo Bicycle Club Jerseys
The Jerseys are expected to arrive in April.
Maple Hill Trail
Meg Zapalowski, Vice President of the Southwest Michigan Mountain Bike Association, sent an e-mail to the club to thank the club for their donation. A social gathering was hosted by the SWMMBA the week after the meeting, open to members of KBC among other supporters of the trail.
KBC Ride Captain
The position of KBC Ride Captain will be assumed by Terry Butcher. He will help to support and organize club rides so that they are more inviting to a greater number of cyclists.
Treasurer Report
Mike Boersma presented a financial report. There is $928.79 in our Pay Pal account (this represents online membership payments from KBC members), $4527.53 in our checking account, and $11,156.96 in our CD.
Other Topics
The new KBC website has been discussed. A new website design will be an upcoming expense and hosting needs to be reviewed, as there may be more competitively priced options. The website committee has met and is currently looking at quotes and reaching out to designers.
The KBC is also reviewing payment methods and also on-site credit card transactions for rides and also looking for an apparel manager to manage the inventory of hats and jerseys.
There was a discussion of how social media can be better utilized to expand the reach of the club, increase participation in KalTour and to recruit new members. Facebook events can be created and the board members and club members can extend personal invitations to friends and other teams and groups.
In the future, the Pedal Press may be in PDF format. The KBC is investigating the efficiency of using this as a format.
Marc Irwin surveyed the meeting attendees for a tag line to put in the KBC brochure that is currently in development. There will be a press release to let that community know that the ride season is beginning.
Mike Krischer asked for volunteers to help plan KalTour. A Facebook post will be placed online to ask for participation in the planning meeting, to be held on March 15. (Editor's Note: See the article about this meeting elsewhere in this Pedal Press.)
Bike Camp brochures for 2016 were passed out. Pam Sotherland, Paul Sotherland, and Scott Baron will be on the Bike Camp Committee to plan and organize bike camp. There have been 30-60 participants in the past at camp sessions. There are three different ride groups for campers that will need the support of volunteers.
Ride leaders were sanctioned. They are David Riggs, Gordy Vader, Jonathan Evans, Monica Tory, Terry Butcher, Terry O'Connor, and Tim Popp.
The clue has a need for a ride leader that will lead groups that are slower and are no-drop rides. Individuals who are willing to lead rides that are less than 15 mph are requested to reach out to the KBC.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Val Litznerski, KBC Secretary