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**Baker Grooming Dollars are Going Fast. **

A

_AJ_

Well-known member
At the meeting last night it was announced that there was 7 days of grooming dollars left. Randy has been doing a heck of a job trying to get the most bang for the buck. The heavy snowfall we have recently received is both a blessing and a curse. The good side is obvious, but the bad side has to do with snow removal and rising fuel costs.

The state grooming funds are thin and do not cover the expenses incurred for snow removal and road plowing. Anyone who has been up recently has seen the 10" and growing on the road all the way to the parking lot.

The state doesnt cover the plowing costs, and will only pay for the grooming if folks can get to the snopark.

For those that wonder where their donations come into play, this is it.

NWGC has collected your donations at different events and used a large portion of them today using heavy equipment to plow the road. It was cut down to gravel apporoximately 1/2 way to the snopark and the rest will be done asap along with the clearing of the parking lot itself. Thanks Randy.

The club is having its annual play day next Saturday March 12th. For those interested, they have planned to cook lots of burgers and dogs for everyone.

Whether you are or are not a member, please stop by and grab lunch.

Besides tasting great, your 5 bucks will be directly applied to extending our riding season.

Better yet, $20 gets you a family membership!

Follow the smell of grilled onions and campfire in the meadow and come say hello. The mountain is in incredible shape right now and you will have an incredible day!

AJ
 
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Good post AJ, sorry, saturday is the 12th. Come on people, if your not a member, join, if you are, please attend. Good times are had by all.

EW
 
please donate!!! post the link with paypal and send in 10 bucks. we should be riding baker through may,,,,,!!!!!!! come on people!!!!!:face-icon-small-ton
 
I do not think they are---that is a forest service road.

Could be wrong--lol

Great way to spend a day---head on up and make it happen--great times and great grits ya all.
 
NWGC is a great club and deserves what everyone can help with.....

with that said, it seems that every year is challenged with funding. this year we've only had good deep action in the last couple weeks. Is it simply the rising fuel cost along with the last batch of decent snow or is it underfunded to begin with? I guess I'm perplexed on why it's a similar issue every year and with this year only really having decent snow the last bit of time. What do we need to do to make the system fully funded so we don't have this cry out for funds every year, no matter what the conditions are like for long or short periods of time.
 
Well....... It's a little bit of both fuel prices and underfunding.

As you guys know, the state is very poorly run and in dire financial straits. Unfortunately, our snowmobile program is very low on their priority list and the budgets that were established did not take into account the sky rocketing fuel costs. Nor do they care that it takes a lot more fuel to push this wetside snow around.

If we just received 6 or so inches of dry fluff every once in awhile and the temps stayed in the teens, it would be entirely different.

As far as the snow removal program goes, the county used to use their grader and keep the road open to the first large snopark as a favor to the State. They are only obligated to keep the Baker Lake Rd. plowed to the Dam for PSE.

Not sure of the specifics, but the county and the State are at odds over dollars and the favor of clearing our road 13 to the snopark has long been taken off the table. From the sounds of it, that arrangement is long gone.

This kinda thing is beginning to happen all over. Just read the Ahtanum post and you can see what the Ski Benders are having to deal with.

I for one hate asking for cash all the time. I try hard to not come across as another money grab. That's why I promote membership in the club and invite any and all to participate in our functions. We have had fantastic support from you guys and local businesses. Don't think for a minute that it goes unappreciated.

Our club financial records are kept very well and we value our reputation for honesty and integrity. The donations collected for grooming and snow removal are you for that and only that. Our club minutes are posted for the world see on our website and our financial reports are there.

The groomer does his best to forecast this all out. He can't make everyone happy all the time and has an obligation to the State. By contract, Randy must maintain Schrieber's,Blue Lake, Finney Creek and Segelson. That's alot of driven miles and not very many paid grooming miles.

We are really lucky to have a local groomer that loves the sport of snowmobiling as much as we do. He goes over and above so often I can't even begin to tell you.

I don't have the answers to solve these issues. All I can say is do what ya can to be a part of the solution and not the problem. Please join your local and let the membership numbers speak volumes to the state when we keep bringing our issues to them. It really does have an impact.

Feel free to ask any questions and i'll do my best to give you an honest answer. If I don't know, I'll ask around at get back to you.

Thanks in advance for any support you guys give.

See you on the hill.:D

AJ
 
That was a great summery. If our club has a couple hundred members the state says so what. But if we have a thousand (being riders and their families) it speaks volumes.
 
And to add to AJ post on underfunding the state only gives you funding for miles groomed. And unfortunately our total miles are not alot compared to other areas. But costs quite a bit more to keep in shape. We have fought and fought to get more money and its just a difficult battle. Seen it in this area since I was a youngster going to funding meetings with dad and grandpa to get the funds for Skagit and Whatcom County grooming. Several years ago when the state owned the groomer and equipment the moneys went a little further due to just paying operating costs. With a private groomer you have to pay the contractor for his wage and machinery. Thus the same amount that was there before has to go farther but in return less grooming. The system SUCKS!!!!!
 
Exactly-

Unlike other areas, our grooming contract is owned and operated by a private contractor. We do not have the luxury of having the equipment owned by the club and run by volunteers or the price of labor.

The fact that the groomer has to be truck transported all over Skagit County and the fuel, wages, maintenance and profit comes off the top before a single groomed mile is paid for. Nobody likes it, but thats the way it is and if it were my private business and my time, I would be compensated as well.

The problem is that the state does not recognize the exceptions to the rule that Baker and Anderson have. They do not realize how many people use the Schriebers snopark. They simply count up the miles and pay a small amount per.

This is where the number of memberships speak volumes. $20 / year for an entire family is chump change in this sport. We want to keep it affordable for all and have the numbers to have some clout while dealing with our government.

How many times have you guys been to Baker after a big storm? Who has seen it up there when 20 -30 trees are blown down over the road and all access is blocked. Do you think the State cares about that? They sure as heck don't and they don't pay the groomer or the club members for their time, saws,gas and tools to clear off all those trees.

The club is actively working on getting a grip on this program. Volunteers have been racking their brains to come up with more ideas. They have established grant committee that had there application score very high last year and just mis the cut. They have some ideas and will give er' hell again this year. We are also working hard to get a warming hut up on Baker and Anderson. This is no easy task in the NRA and there are numerous major hurdles.

I could go on and on....this is not my intent and I'm not whining. I just want folks to be aware of what the Northwest Glacier Cruisers are all about and in turn, hopefully gain their respect and support in the efforts to keep this sport around.

Rant Over- Cheers and thanks for listening!:face-icon-small-win
:focus:

AJ
http://www.northwestglaciercruisers.com
 
After doing some research I have some questions about this information.

The state doesnt cover the plowing costs, and will only pay for the grooming if folks can get to the snopark.

AJ


I thought the county was responsible for plowing the road to the first parking lot.

The county used to have the contract and now the grooming contractor gets $2500-$3000 to plow to the snopark at Baker. Has this money already been used? Those dollars are not included in the grooming funds. It is separate from the ROUGHLY $60,000 the contractor get for grooming.

As far as the snow removal program goes, the county used to use their grader and keep the road open to the first large snopark as a favor to the State. They are only obligated to keep the Baker Lake Rd. plowed to the Dam for PSE.

AJ

The County did not do the plowing as a free service to the state; they had the contract for plowing that the groomer holds now.


Exactly-

The fact that the groomer has to be truck transported all over Skagit County and the fuel, wages, maintenance and profit comes off the top before a single groomed mile is paid for. Nobody likes it, but that’s the way it is and if it were my private business and my time, I would be compensated as well.

http://www.northwestglaciercruisers.com

The contractor has around $60,000 to groom every season and nothing is taken off the top, the contract pays for grooming not trucking. That is the cost of operating. The Baker contractor has a higher rate of around $155 an hour because of the large number of miles of trucking. The $60,000 is for grooming only according to the state..

Also after talking to the state I found out that the contract is up for bid this year so the rumor of another grooming contractor could be true.
 
Sounds like you've done some homework. I can't confirm nor deny those figures without asking some folks, but they don't sound to far off.

If the 3000 number were accurate for plowing and snow removal, how far do you think that would go? I/e.........additional trucking, wages,heavy equipment, fuel for all.

Baker has received so much snow, that estimated 3 grand would be burned up in no time.

I welcome criticism as this effects me too. I report as I understand it and if I mistate something, I would hope to be questioned. I plan on researching a bit more myself and will share my findings.
I can't help but notice that this was your first post. Are you a prospective bidder on the upcoming contract?

I will say this, the donations given are all going to the cause of extended grooming and snow removal.

Thanks to those that choose to help.
 
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"As you guys know, the state is very poorly run and in dire financial straits. "

How much are we paying for the KINGDOME????
 
Baker has received so much snow, that estimated 3 grand would be burned up in no time.

I welcome criticism as this effects me too. I report as I understand it and if I mistate something, I would hope to be questioned. I plan on researching a bit more myself and will share my findings.
I can't help but notice that this was your first post. Are you a prospective bidder on the upcoming contract?

I will say this, the donations given are all going to the cause of extended grooming and snow removal.

I think it is great that a club and its members support a contractor, the only question i have does your contractor report on how those funds are used since it is a private business.

No i am not a prospective contractor but there are strong rumors of a large company in the area looking at this contract.

"As you guys know, the state is very poorly run and in dire financial straits. "

How much are we paying for the KINGDOME????

Please be more specific when saying the "state" is poorly ran. I understand the government has its issues but Washington State Parks Winter Rec is where grooming dollars are allocated from and they are great people to work with. (Yes i understand their budget comes from the state government). I would hate for them to think we are talking about them. They are always willing to help and work with the public.
 
Small budget correction

Actually, the State Parks Winter Rec program is self-funded. All of the money comes from two sources. Sled tabs, and a very small cut of the gas tax. (and the gas tax money is based on the number of sleds registered)
Be very thankful that we do NOT get any funds from the state general fund, otherwise they would be able to pull our funding much easier. We still have to watch out for the state reaching out and sweeping our funds like they did with the NOVA fund a few years ago, but that takes more effort than just reducing a budget by a percentage.
The budget problems for grooming and snow removal are felt by most areas to some extent, but Baker does seem to be on the short end of the stick as far as the snow removal budget.
 
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