The Groomer
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The first meeting to discuss the prospect of buying some grooming equipment or groomer took place in the Wyllies’ garage at Sutherlands Lake on May 22, 1993. Discussion was centered around the bumps and moguls in the area and the focus was on the possibility of buying some grooming equipment to smooth out the bumps. The meeting’s purpose was to find out if there was enough interest and the overall opinion of everyone present was unanimously, yes. [/wpcol_2third] [wpcol_1third_end id=”” class=”” style=””]
[/wpcol_1third_end]A Committee was formed and asked to look into the cost of purchasing equipment, cost of operating and how to pay for the equipment. The Committee held its first meeting in Truro on June 8th 1993. They came up with the idea that if each snowmobile family could pay or contribute $200.00 as a membership fee ,then this would give a good start to help pay for the groomer. Trail passes costing $50.00 of some description would be given to people who donate less than $200.00 as well. All these fees would could drop in years to come if fund-raising efforts took off. The Committee also reported that they needed 70+ members to make this work, along with Corporate donations and fund-raising activities.
On July 17, 1993 another general meeting was called and it was agreed that we could have a Club without a Clubhouse by forming an association for grooming trails. By the end of the meeting it was decided to go ahead and start the ball rolling, and so the Club without a clubhouse came to be known as “Sutherlands Lake Trail Groomer Association” and it would become incorporated before the end of the year. Over $13,000. was raised by these family memberships and individuals that summer and fall to help with the vision of the trail groomer. Fund-raising and Corporate sponsors contributed the rest, and the very first groomer in the area was purchased in the fall of 1993 with delivery that December.
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The Clubhouse
A special meeting was held May 14, 1996 in the Wyllies’ garage (temporary Clubhouse) to discuss building a Clubhouse or a building for the Groomer. A Committee was appointed and it was decided to go ahead with the idea and that the 40′ x 60′ building be multi-purpose housing the Club and the Groomer.
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To generate money for this project, 210 shares were sold in the amount of $250.00 each and were paid back as money became available. Over 20,000 was raised from 33 Corporate sponsors. Ongoing fundraising also took place. On November 23, 1996 the official opening of Sutherlands Lake Trail Groomer Association took place with a pig barbecue donated by Macleods Farm Machinery and Polaris in Onslow.