CAROLYN GRANT
The North Star Rails to Trails Society held their Annual General Meeting in Kimberley on Wednesday evening, April 23, and according to newly elected Chair and President Rob McIntyre, it was a roaring success.
"It was certainly beyond the expectation of the four current directors," McIntyre said. "42 people showed up — from all different interest groups. They are all enthusiastic about the trail.
"We were expecting maybe 25 people, so to see 42 was really great for the existing directors."
As published in the Townsman/Bulletin last week, the remaining directors had been very concerned about having enough volunteers to effectively manage the trail. That is no longer a worry.
McIntyre says outgoing president John Mandryk outlined the past year, recognizing that four people can only do so much.
"We really needed some help and it came in bucket-loads," McIntyre said. "The energy kept rising. It was good to see representatives from both cities there out of their own interest."
The new board for the Rails to Trails Society has the following members:
Four existing members remain; John Mandryk, Peter McConnachie, John Dunbar and Al Skucas.
McIntyre steps in as president, a role he carried out in 2010 when the Society first formed.
And new are Bob Roy, Stu Deeks, Nina Andermatt, Karen Ritchie and Laura Briane.
"After the election we had quite a good discussion about what perceptions of the trail are. People volunteered to be on sub-committees. It was just a positive, great night," McIntyre said. "There were lots of suggestions and ideas."
McIntyre says the new board will start right up with regular meetings to set a direction and focus for 2014 and the future. They will then look to all the people who signed up to volunteer to help them out with initiatives.
"Everybody is bringing different skill sets to the table and we will be looking for inventive ideas. We are looking forward to an exciting future."