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President's Letter The RMC Moves Forward This newsletter is a direct result of feedback to our recently established Long Range Planning Committee, headed by Ben Phinney. The committee found that many club members were unaware of the growing challenges faced by the RMC today. (Further details can be found in Ben Phinney's article, in this issue of the newsletter.) An expanded newsletter is, therefore, our first step at improving communications between the board and the membership. Beginning with this issue, the RMC newsletter will be published twice a year. Through it, we hope to inform the entire membership about all that is happening within the organization. By also including the writings of fellow members, we hope that the RMC newsletter will further the mission statement of the club to, "promote enjoyment of the Randolph area through hiking, trail development, upkeep of camps and shelters, and sharing in the collective knowledge of its members." We invite all members to contribute articles or letters to the editor so that we can share points of view about our club - it is a club for all of us, after all.
What has occurred, however, is the realization that RMC has genuine need for permanent space in the valley. As Edie Tucker said at the annual meeting, the RMC should seriously consider the Bowman offer, as she and Dan could not guarantee continued use of the Jones Cottage and the sites for the tent platforms and the tool shed into the indefinite future. The investment the club has already made in the tents and their platforms and in the tool shed would not be lost, as these could easily be moved to a new site. The benefits to the Trails and Camps of a centralized location for their work crews and tools has already been demonstrated over the past few summers. Morale is up and output is improved through efficiency. A final note. At our last board meeting, Treasurer Michele Cormier reviewed our expenses and income. We've included that information, elsewhere in this issue. One noteworthy fact: fully 96% of every dollar RMC receives goes right to work on the mountains we love. Only 4% goes towards administration! What other non-profit can make that claim? And it's all because of the behind the scenes, hard work of many volunteers. You can help, by volunteering for a trail or camps project, leading or participating in a club hike or social event, or just sending along your constructive ideas. It all helps. Whatever shape your support takes, you can rest assured that it bolsters the morale and enthusiasm of all the Club's members and our especially our hard working core volunteers. Happy hiking,
Mike Pelchat, President
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Perhaps
the most interesting news for the club this past year involves
the possibility of acquiring the Bowman Base Camp building at
the bottom of Lowe's Path. At the August annual meeting, I read
a letter from Bowman owner David McMurtrie, who was offering
the building and surrounding land for sale. The Bowman property
presents an opportunity for the club to provide permanent housing
for our summer trail crews and caretakers, secure storage for
our priceless archives, housing for retail items, and ample meeting
space for activities-all literally right at the foot of one of
the club's most important trails. A committee comprised of Neal
Brodien, John Eusden, Doug Mayer, John Scarinza and Edith Tucker
was established. The committee worked diligently throughout the
fall. At this point, however, it looks as if the building, as
offered, is simply too dilapidated and would require too great
an investment to bring up to snuff and then to operate. Of course,
we will keep you posted with an update in our next newsletter.