CRAMBA: Stony Creek Skills Park

[PK]

Thanks.
I'm planning a major cut-back for the shrubs this fall / winter after the leaves fall.
Saw vs trimmers... It needs it.

Pete

[JahkneeFive]

Ok main pump track loop is trimmed, blown, and clean. Now we need some people to get out and enjoy the purdiest darn track around.

I'm going to try to get out later next week after work to tackle the jump and platform area.

[PK]

AWESOME!!!!
Thank you very much!

Pete

[JahkneeFive]

so good news is all three drop ramps are now functional, i found the elusive free range picnic table clearing out the landing area, and i cut a rough entrance from the first dirt jump to the drops(I also cut a launch lane back up the hill to get some speed up).

Bad news is i got my finger caught in the electric hedge trimmer right before i finished and had to go to the ER(some super glue and 15 days and ill be all fixed) so i had to bypass one of the log obstacles on the rough cut for the time being(2nd one is rideable but a tad soft).

The whole area was pretty rough and overgrown, so it really needs to have some people start riding it to keep it from getting overgrown again. The small ramp was completely overgrown by a tree and one of the two log obstacles has a small tree growing in the middle. i'll get back out there this fall, but the place needs a massive overhaul. The more i uncover, the more it looks like it used to be a really good place to have some fun and up your skills. Definitely a good way to get kids hooked.

[PK]

Thanks for doing that trimming.
I heard about your injury from park management.
Please call and give them a status report asap. (586) 781 4242.
Either talk to, or leave a message for Gary Hopp.

Thanks again,
Pete.

[Mack]

Darn lucky you still have a finger. I had a run in with my gas hedge trimmer. Thought
for sure I cut off the first joint of my index finger. Many stitches inside and out, and
all is good. My own fault, got carless.

[JahkneeFive]

Just got back in town so I'll give them a call to update. I'll probably be out there with the kids saturday figuring out what section to address next. I'd like to figure out a way to get some signage, I think half the problem is most people don't even know the place is there and then don't know about the different sections, especially that there is a 'kids' pump track/circle for the little ones.

[PK]

I think it's awesome that that place is getting some love from someone that enjoys using it.

Just so you know, CRAMBA has an official agreement with the park that allows it the ability to do agreed upon trail work / maintenance.
Make sure you get permission from the park to do the trimming you'd like to do before you go out there.
They'll have a volunteer waiver for you to sign.

If you do the work as a CRAMBA member, there's a waiver for them too on their website somewhere.
If you do the work outside of CRAMBA, just make sure you let the park know that as they currently are associating you with CRAMBA.

That place was all signed when it was first built but most, if not all of those signs have fallen in disrepair or were removed.
An area map on the Kiosk might be the right thing to create.

Thanks again,
Pete

[JahkneeFive]

Looky what I found today.

Before:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mu4HmpFvu8ndjiDn8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2LmEtUpQMrMHDHS17
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2QdMT4QTHz32t1wv6

After:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/G15z2Bw7geB79Vpq7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/E92WmTQXcEbSooFH9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q8UtWrYVcFSLWkhM7

Lots more to go, but that was all the time I had today. It really needs to have a bushhog or industrial mower go around the outside, that grass is knee high and thick. I bet i spent 85% of my time trying to weedwhack a path to get to the bigger bushes and trees to cut down. Platforms are pretty solid, but most of the bridges need to be replaced.

[c0nsumer]

JahkneeFive:

Hey there! Thanks for being a CRAMBA member and for all the help you've given to the trails and features at the Skills Park. I'm glad to hear you're healing up well after your incident. It's definitely interesting to see how much stuff is/was out there, eh? (If you'd like to see some photos from the grand opening ~10 years ago, I've got a bunch here.)

I'd like to take a moment and build on what PK / Pete says above and clarify some things about permission to do work at Stony.

CRAMBA has an agreement with the Metroparks (read it here) that we will do no work on the trails without giving three days notice and getting permission to do the work. Prior to scheduled traildays, or even ad-hoc work done on weekends, our trail coordinators work out the approval and permission with the Metroparks, and only then does CRAMBA have permission to work. Without that permission, no work is considered authorized or approved by the Metroparks, and thus CRAMBA. (PK / Pete is the Trail Coordinator Stony as a whole, urbaindk / Dave for the Skills Area.)

So what does that mean for you? In short, for more trimming at the Skills Park, or any other place within Stony, we ask that you work through CRAMBA to get approval before doing any more work.

As the Skills Area needs work your help is very welcome, but we have to be careful to not break our agreement with the Metroparks. With the big Shelden Trails redevelopment under way, we need to keep the relationship with the Metroparks great. All approvals for the trail work has to flow through our Trail Coordinators as they are the official liaison between CRAMBA and Stony Creek. Any work done outside of this is considered unapproved by the Metroparks and leaves those doing the work without support from CRAMBA.

The easiest way to reach Pete and Dave is via the Stony Creek CRAMBA email address (stonycreek@cramba.org).

Thanks very much, and we'll see you on the trails!

(If you'd like to reach the CRAMBA board directly, please email board@cramba.org and one of us will reply.)

[This is an official message on behalf of CRAMBA.]

[JahkneeFive]

Just to clarify I always check in with the main office to get permission prior and make sure the work and area I'm doing it in are ok. So far each time they have been fine with the work and given me permission to do the trimming. I do make sure that I identify I am doing the work as a volunteer with CRAMBA and that the trimming/clearing is limited ONLY to existing access/trails/features. My apologies if I've caused any rubs thus far.

However, if there is a more official process I need to follow then I'll make sure to follow the process going forward.

[c0nsumer]

Just to clarify I always check in with the main office to get permission prior and make sure the work and area I'm doing it in are ok. So far each time they have been fine with the work and given me permission to do the trimming. I do make sure that I identify I am doing the work as a volunteer with CRAMBA and that the trimming/clearing is limited ONLY to existing access/trails/features. My apologies if I've caused any rubs thus far.

However, if there is a more official process I need to follow then I'll make sure to follow the process going forward.

Thanks for stopping in and checking with the park, but I think this brought about some confusion. Since the work you've been doing is not part of a trail work day done in accordance with the MOU, it's not work done on behalf of CRAMBA. While you personally are a CRAMBA member, work that you do isn't automatically on behalf of CRAMBA.

I hope this clears it up a bit. If you'd like to chat outside of here, feel free to drop me a note at steve@nuxx.net and maybe we can hop on the phone or so.

[PK]

Tuesday, Oct 02 JahkneeFive is going to be out there doing more trimming.
Give him a hand if you can.
He's likely going to be up there in the morning but if others want to show up, he'll adjust his schedule if possible.

Pete.

[JahkneeFive]

Roller coaster platform is now back in business. The right side bailout is still a little rough so.... dont fall or if you do fall left... Pulled out a boatload of thorn bushes so be warned there might be some remnants around the area. Right side drop and trail exit should be open in the near future, for now enjoy the left decline exit.

[PK]

FYI. "Rollercoaster platform" is actually called "Flo the Fro".

Pete