President's Report
PRESIDENTS REPORT JANUARY 2012
Well it is getting on close to the end of January and still no sign of snow. Mother Nature can certainly work in mysterious ways, as last year we were getting good snows by now but with no frost in the ground, the season ended quickly in early March. This year we have the ground frozen well but can not get the snow. We can only hope that when it does come it will stay till late March this year.
The past twelve months have been very busy for the PEISA and all those connected with the Association. Last year when the snow came early in the New Year it was great to see, but with so much wind involved it made it very difficult to keep up with the trails as we would not even be done grooming sections and it would be drifting in again. The problem was compounded and made even worse because of the troubles we were having with some of our old equipment, especially in the Central area of the province. Springside lost an engine part way through the season and that meant about two weeks without a groomer. The old Tucker in the Central area had far too many problems to describe, mostly with tracks, but this led to many headaches and frustrations for Earl and his crew. Hopefully those issues are behind us and when the snow does come we will have no equipment issues.
Our warden program is getting better all the time and last year the total number of stops on the trail was close to 1100. There were 38 tickets issued for no trail permits and no registrations, so it was good to see most snowmobilers are purchasing their permits. Last years permit numbers were the highest in many years, as they were close to 1700 between regular, vintage and 3 day passes. We must all remember that we should never ride with someone who does not purchase a permit and remember this slogan” PERMITS POWER GROOMERS”!!!
When the snow left there was still a lot of work to be done by members of the Board over the summer and into the fall. It began when a committee met with some government officials to see what steps we had to follow to find assistance in purchasing new equipment to replace some of our aging fleet. After many months and delays (provincial election) we made a joint announcement with government in early December about the purchase of new grooming equipment. We purchased a demo Soucy system and a new drag. It is a groomer that is similar to the one in the Eastern area of the Province that we have been using for a couple of years now and has proven to be a good fit for us here on PEI. We thank the PEI Government for their assistance and appreciate the support we receive from all levels of government. The new groomer is here and will be used in the Central area of the Province which should make for a lot less sleepless nights for those involved in the grooming and hopefully no cold trailside repairs.
Another committee worked hard through the summer, early fall and into early December and the PEISA was pleased to present a Snowmobile Show, held at the Civic Centre in Charlottetown. It had been over 10 years since their had been one held with all four manufactures at the same event and with the help of our 4 dealerships, the show ended up being a huge success. All of the dealers had a good selection of new 2012 sleds for viewing and the used sled corral was not as busy as we figured but it is something that may take off as we move forward. The used parts and accessories section was a huge success for those involved as there were thousands of dollars changing hands.
One of the best parts of the show was the contribution by businesses that snowmobilers support and having many of them there with booths was an added attraction. Also these businesses and others donated great prizes that were given away at the show. I am going to list the businesses and prize winners for all to see:
TRAIL PASS DOOR PRIZES
These were donated by businesses and were given out at show;
OUTRIDERS COOKHOUSE
REDS CORNER RESTAURANT and LOUNGE
THE DUTCH INN
THE KENSINGTON CLUB
SPRINGSIDE SNOWMOBILE CLUB
GREENFIELD STORMRIDERS SNOWMOBILE CLUB
KENSINGTON BAYRUNNERS SNOWMOBILE CLUB
D&D LAWN CARE
WINSLOE IRVING
KMT AUTOMART
MATTHEWS LIME SPREADING
O’LEARY AUTO PARTS
AT BOYLES LTD
O’LEARY PETRO CAN
KENSINGTON AGRICULTURAL SERVICES
YOGI’S FOOD @ BAR
PEAKE’s TEE RESTAURANT
Thank-you to all these business for the contribution of a portion of a trail pass and please snowmobilers support these businesses if you can!!!
WINNERS OF TRAIL PASS GIVEAWAYS
Brian McCarron, Ben MacQuarrie, Kirk Ashley, Derrick Gardiner, Josh Arsenault, Colin Cahill, Rachel Speelman, and Steven Meerburg
DOOR PRIZES FOR BUYING PASS AT SHOW
Green Diamond Equipment Jacket Donald MacPherson
Island Petroleum case of snowmobile oil Glenn Tuplin
Georges Deck @ Recovery Industrial paper towel @ dispenser Austin McQuaid
KMT Automart Power wrench Austim McQuaid
Select Auto Parts $25.00 NAPA gift certificate Robbie Betton
Motvan Glen MacLauchlan Three Shirts Kyle Compton
Brian McCarron
Paul Tatlock
Motovan Glen MacLauchen Snowmobile Mitts Kevin Merson
Millers Esso $25.00 gas card
The show was a huge success as over 800 people came through the doors and everyone was pleased. Big thanks to the Committee who did most of work including; Linda Constable, Mallory Hambly, Tyler MacLean, Keir Sheehan, Jamie Doyle, Daryl Lewis, and Dhuey Pratt. Also there were many who helped out preparing for show including Kevin Doyle, Alan Richard, Stephen Shaw, Richard Livingston, Andrew Lewis, Karissa MacLean, Sheridan Morrison, Madison Doyle and ,Matt Dickieson.
Also at the show the PEISA was presented with a snowmobile from Acrtic Cat and Toy Master . It has been close to 15 years since the Association has been given a machine to use, because at one time they use to get 2 or 3 per year. We thank Arctic Cat and Gary at Toy Master for their generosity and recognizing the efforts the PEISA has putting into promoting snowmobiling on PEI and hopefully we will be able to keep up the same effort. The machine is for the President to use for the winter and will be sold in the spring as a demo unit. All other associations in Canada receive these gifts also, with the bigger provinces receiving several machines to use.
In closing, I would like to thank the entire Board for their efforts including the newly designated youth members who have contributed a great deal and will only be a greater help as they get comfortable with the process.
As poor as the snow season looks right now we as snowmobilers will forever be optimistic that it willchange to the good and that snow will come.
\ Thanks DALE HICKOX
Please remember two things please “ OHHH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE!!!!!! And PERMITS POWER GROOMERS
