super__dan
11-11-2006, 01:31 PM
On Wednesday we had the first Batley committee and members meeting for a couple of years. We discussed the state of the club, the outdoor track, indoor racing etc. A few people I believe were quite down going into the meeting.
However it was incredibly productive and I left very positive about the future of the club. I'd like to put this on the internet so members who didn't attend and our regular visitors understand where we are now and where we are going. This is what I remember and is not from the official minutes of the meeting.
Outdoor track - We realise the track and facilities are not as good as they once were. We did not apply for a 2007 national but intend to work on the track through next year for improvements to apply again for one in 2008. We have a still potentially serious problem with the rostrum that the company who built the houses at the back seem to have told all the buyers that the rostrum was going, whilst at no time having dialogue with the club. Since the skate park was built the residents are having problems with the kids hanging about on the rostrum and throwing things from it, lighting fires etc. Therefore to ensure the long term security of the rostrum we intend to fence off (security fence) the rostrum as a minimum but ideally the whole track if grant money can be obtained. If no grant money can be obtained it will take a lot of the clubs money to fence off the rostrum but we recognise it must be done.
Track work has been decided on re bedding the straight so it is flatter, astro turfing the clay corner and over the concrete section in the middle. Further plans would be a third jump next to the double so you can down slope it and maybe some more stuff time, funds and resources available. The rostrum also needs work once it has been secured.
The club has been run by only 3 people officially for the past year, Steve who has done a LOT, Dianne who has been very ill (but I am very pleased to say is on the road to recovery) and Brian Hopps. Tom and Mike Cockerill have also done a lot. It was clear at the meeting more people are willing to help out on a formal/informal basis which is good for the club. We do need to encourage more people to race there next year as the club only makes money from outdoor events. What was clear though is that the small committee can't commit the time to coming to every meeting and so indoors and out we NEED everyone that comes (members or not) to help with the track at the start and end of the day. People have tried charging extra to encourage people to stay but it doesn't work. But people who race at the club need to know that help is required else the people running it will quickly have had enough and the future of the club is in serious danger.
So PLEASE if you club race at Batley, help us with the track at the start and/or the end of the day else the future of the club is in jeopardy!
We intend to have another meeting in a couple of months to discuss things further and really start planning the track work for the start of next year.
Dan
However it was incredibly productive and I left very positive about the future of the club. I'd like to put this on the internet so members who didn't attend and our regular visitors understand where we are now and where we are going. This is what I remember and is not from the official minutes of the meeting.
Outdoor track - We realise the track and facilities are not as good as they once were. We did not apply for a 2007 national but intend to work on the track through next year for improvements to apply again for one in 2008. We have a still potentially serious problem with the rostrum that the company who built the houses at the back seem to have told all the buyers that the rostrum was going, whilst at no time having dialogue with the club. Since the skate park was built the residents are having problems with the kids hanging about on the rostrum and throwing things from it, lighting fires etc. Therefore to ensure the long term security of the rostrum we intend to fence off (security fence) the rostrum as a minimum but ideally the whole track if grant money can be obtained. If no grant money can be obtained it will take a lot of the clubs money to fence off the rostrum but we recognise it must be done.
Track work has been decided on re bedding the straight so it is flatter, astro turfing the clay corner and over the concrete section in the middle. Further plans would be a third jump next to the double so you can down slope it and maybe some more stuff time, funds and resources available. The rostrum also needs work once it has been secured.
The club has been run by only 3 people officially for the past year, Steve who has done a LOT, Dianne who has been very ill (but I am very pleased to say is on the road to recovery) and Brian Hopps. Tom and Mike Cockerill have also done a lot. It was clear at the meeting more people are willing to help out on a formal/informal basis which is good for the club. We do need to encourage more people to race there next year as the club only makes money from outdoor events. What was clear though is that the small committee can't commit the time to coming to every meeting and so indoors and out we NEED everyone that comes (members or not) to help with the track at the start and end of the day. People have tried charging extra to encourage people to stay but it doesn't work. But people who race at the club need to know that help is required else the people running it will quickly have had enough and the future of the club is in serious danger.
So PLEASE if you club race at Batley, help us with the track at the start and/or the end of the day else the future of the club is in jeopardy!
We intend to have another meeting in a couple of months to discuss things further and really start planning the track work for the start of next year.
Dan