The following message went out to members of the IMBA-SORBA Atlanta Chapter, both current & lapsed, this morning. More details will be posted as it evolves from both emerging/changing groups. This is new territory for us all so please be kind & patient...
Your IMBA-SORBA Atlanta Chapter is changing to better serve you! The Atlanta Chapter has been operating with appointed volunteer boards based at each of its supported trails for the last 7 months. This restructure was put into place for 2013 as an experiment to help localize mountain bike advocacy in a city of over 5 million people, while maintaining a direct connection to an international association (IMBA). During this time, the following changes have been made.
•The appointed board for the trail system at Hard Labor Creek joined the SORBA Athens Chapter due to its distance from Atlanta.
•The appointed board for the trail system at Allatoona Creek is in the process of joining IMBA-SORBA West Georgia. This newly named chapter is an expansion of the Paulding SORBA Chapter, which is simultaneously in the process of changing their chapter name to IMBA-SORBA West Georgia. Leadership for the West Georgia Chapter is structured locally by county, and currently includes 10 board members for trails supported in Cobb, Paulding, and Douglas Counties. Other counties can be added, but are required to prove local volunteer support. This chapter will be available for membership in the months ahead on IMBA.com.
•The appointed board for the trail system at Sope Creek has combined with the appointed board for the Lionel Hampton Beecher project and now represents the Atlanta Chapter as one board. Leadership for the Atlanta Chapter currently includes 6 members that are local to the city of Atlanta. They’ve spent the last several months further developing our relationship with local land managers, and they’ve set a boundary for Atlanta Chapter supported trails to a 30 minute drive-time from the city’s downtown area. This structure localizes the chapter’s advocacy efforts with City of Atlanta Parks and provides a way to avoid traffic congestion!
Over the course of the next few months, the Atlanta Chapter’s website will begin to reflect the changes in the form of events and content, as Allatoona Creek events and content begin to move over to a newly formed website for the West Georgia Chapter. Elections for both chapters are planned for this Fall, as well as notifications for how to update your membership and how to access the new websites once they go live. For questions, visit our facebook pages or attend your next member meeting!
•The next Member Meeting for the Atlanta Chapter is coming up on August 20th at 7:00pm at the Atlanta Food Truck Park & Market: 1850 Howell Mill Rd. Atlanta, GA 30318.
•The next Member Meeting for the West Georgia Chapter is on August 26th at 7:00pm at the Pitner Road Dog Park: 2450 Pitner Rd. Acworth, GA 30101.
This message comes to you on behalf of all our appointed board officers & volunteers. We appreciate your support & continued membership!
Annabeth Purcell
IMBA-SORBA Atlanta Chapter