New machine means happy trails for JORBA
Sunday, December 16, 2007
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
Christmas is almost here, but for Jeffrey Mergler and the other mountain bike aficionados in the Jersey Off-Road Bicycle Association (JORBA), the best presents won't come until this summer.
That's when JORBA expects to obtain a Ditch Witch or other type of motorized trailbuilding machine. The machine is just one of many tools JORBA will be buying in the coming months thanks to being awarded $45,990 worth of federal grant money this year.
Mergler, executive director of the non-profit, statewide organization, said he already knows the first places the new machine will go. "Allamuchy State Park and Stephen State Park are going be our first focus," he said. "There is a lot of land there that has great potential. Those are the first places we'll put that machine this summer."
Mergler, a 41-year-old who has been hooked on mountain biking since 1998 (a year before JORBA was formed), gets a little giddy thinking about the great trail work that can be done with the type of walk-behind machines being purchased.
"It will have a 6-way adjustable blade, like on a snowplow, that's about three feet wide," he said. "It's kind of like a little bulldozer, and it comes with a bucket loader as well, so you can haul dirt around. We can use it to build a lot of really good trails really fast."
Money for the machine will come out of a $24,250 grant, part of about $2 million awarded to various organizations in the state as part of the Federal Highway Administration's Recreational Trails Program.
A separate, $21,740 grant to JORBA will be used to pay for other trailbuilding equipment, including chainsaws, a heavy-duty brush-trimmer and an assortment of hand tools, said Mergler.
One caveat facing JORBA is the fact that the organization must first buy the equipment, with its own funds. Once that happens, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will issue reimbursements from the grant money.
The arrangement creates a bit of a hardship for JORBA. Although the group has about 500 members -- most being members of mountain biking clubs that are affiliated with JORBA -- it doesn't have much of a budget.
"We're just a small, little non-profit," said Mergler. "We have to go buy things and then get reimbursed after the fact. The state doesn't just hand over the money. We'll probably be doing some out of pocket purchasing."
The new grants are not the first for JORBA. Mergler said the organization received about $8,000 last year and is still using the money to buy hand tools for its trail maintenance efforts.
All trail work done by JORBA is approved by the superintendents of the county and state parks where it occurs. Mergler also said all trail work is done in accordance with the time-tested standards and guidelines of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA).
Mergler hopes that better trails will draw more people to the sport he loves.
"I ride several times a week," he said. "I absolutely love it. It's become a lifestyle of mine. I'm a true believer that mountain biking is a good activity for the whole family for exercise and, honestly, for sanity."
http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1197786422124280.xml&coll=1
Sunday, December 16, 2007
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
Christmas is almost here, but for Jeffrey Mergler and the other mountain bike aficionados in the Jersey Off-Road Bicycle Association (JORBA), the best presents won't come until this summer.
That's when JORBA expects to obtain a Ditch Witch or other type of motorized trailbuilding machine. The machine is just one of many tools JORBA will be buying in the coming months thanks to being awarded $45,990 worth of federal grant money this year.
Mergler, executive director of the non-profit, statewide organization, said he already knows the first places the new machine will go. "Allamuchy State Park and Stephen State Park are going be our first focus," he said. "There is a lot of land there that has great potential. Those are the first places we'll put that machine this summer."
Mergler, a 41-year-old who has been hooked on mountain biking since 1998 (a year before JORBA was formed), gets a little giddy thinking about the great trail work that can be done with the type of walk-behind machines being purchased.
"It will have a 6-way adjustable blade, like on a snowplow, that's about three feet wide," he said. "It's kind of like a little bulldozer, and it comes with a bucket loader as well, so you can haul dirt around. We can use it to build a lot of really good trails really fast."
Money for the machine will come out of a $24,250 grant, part of about $2 million awarded to various organizations in the state as part of the Federal Highway Administration's Recreational Trails Program.
A separate, $21,740 grant to JORBA will be used to pay for other trailbuilding equipment, including chainsaws, a heavy-duty brush-trimmer and an assortment of hand tools, said Mergler.
One caveat facing JORBA is the fact that the organization must first buy the equipment, with its own funds. Once that happens, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will issue reimbursements from the grant money.
The arrangement creates a bit of a hardship for JORBA. Although the group has about 500 members -- most being members of mountain biking clubs that are affiliated with JORBA -- it doesn't have much of a budget.
"We're just a small, little non-profit," said Mergler. "We have to go buy things and then get reimbursed after the fact. The state doesn't just hand over the money. We'll probably be doing some out of pocket purchasing."
The new grants are not the first for JORBA. Mergler said the organization received about $8,000 last year and is still using the money to buy hand tools for its trail maintenance efforts.
All trail work done by JORBA is approved by the superintendents of the county and state parks where it occurs. Mergler also said all trail work is done in accordance with the time-tested standards and guidelines of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA).
Mergler hopes that better trails will draw more people to the sport he loves.
"I ride several times a week," he said. "I absolutely love it. It's become a lifestyle of mine. I'm a true believer that mountain biking is a good activity for the whole family for exercise and, honestly, for sanity."
http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1197786422124280.xml&coll=1