Coalition of Arizona Bicyclist’s Annual member’s meeting 10/15/2024

This year, the annual business meeting will be held via video tele-conference, and a dial-in number will also be available.
A business meeting and election of open board of directors seats will be held.

  • Tuesday, October 15 , 2024 at 6:30PM Arizona Time.

Meeting is open to the public, anyone who wishes to attend please contact cazbike@cazbike.org no later than 10/14 to obtain the connection details.

Not a member of the Coalition, but would like to be? Click here to join.

Nominations, or self-nominations for the Board of Directors are still open, and as always we’re looking for volunteers in any capacity.

see 2023 annual meeting minutes.


AGENDA 6:30 – 6:35 pm

  • Mingle and open discussion

6:35 – 6:50 PM

  • moving CAZBIKE forward, Sara Anderson

6:50 – 7:00 PM

  • Treasurer’s Report,
    Board Elections, See below. Additional nominations are open

 


TREASURER’s REPORT

Report for September 2023 to share at Annual Meeting:

To be supplied

 


BOARD ELECTIONS

Those board members whose seats expire in 2024 will be re-nominated for another 2-year term. In addition, there are three open seats. And there are two new nominations below.

  • Tom Armstrong, Sierra Vista (2025)
  • Ed Beighe, Phoenix (2024)
  • — open — (2024)
  • Gail Hildebrant, Glendale (2024)
  • Bernie Hoenle, Fountain Hills (2024)
  • Bob Jenson, Phoenix (2024)
  • Michael Kuzel, Scottsdale (2024)
  • — open — (2024)
  • Eric Post, Tucson (2025)
  • Earl Ratledge, Mesa (2025)
  • — open — (2024)

 


BOARD ELECTIONS: new nominations

Larry Kirch:

I am originally from Scottsdale. Spent a few summers in SE Minnesota after high school while attending Mesa Community College. Eventually finished college in Winona, Minnesota at Winona State University. I got my Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and worked in Florida for 5 years at 2 Regional Planning Councils and 2 Counties around Orlando. I worked in a suburb of Milwaukee and then for 20 years as the Director of Planning and Development for the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

In La Crosse we built many miles of bike trails on old RR beds and got La Crosse to Silver designation with the League of American Bicyclists. I moved back to Arizona and worked for the City of Apache Junction. I was the one that proposed to MAG that they fund bicycle and pedestrian plans through the Active Transportation Committee. Apache Junction created an Active Transportation Plan, as did several other cities with those funds. We applied for Bronze designation a few years ago and were unsuccessful. There is not a sustained effort at the city or the city management support for a bike ped committee. While at Apache Junction I advocated for shoulders on Apache Trail to Canyon Lake. To no avail. State Highway, consistent with State Bike Plan, but ADOT would not put shoulders on a state highway, blamed it on the National Forest Service. They could blast rock to widen the road for boaters but not improve the road for cyclists. I also worked with ADOT on the USBR 90 and came up with the route through Apache Junction and wrote letters of support for that.

In retirement, I am back and forth between Scottsdale and Winona, Minnesota. I work as a consultant for a small city of 5,000 people in SE Minnesota called La Crescent. La Crescent was just awarded Bronze by LABA for their 20 years of effort and accomplishments. I got to know Dorian Grilley at the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota in some work I am doing to connect La Crescent to Houston Minnesota along an old rail corridor known as the Root River Trail. The trail is now 40 miles long but does not extend east to the Mississippi River. It stops 21 miles short.

 

Sara Anderson

Owner, Proxsea.co
Founder, Bike To Wherever – Phoenix

Sara is a community development expert with 15 years of experience spanning government, education, nonprofits, membership, and business sectors. Her career has focused on fostering social capital and pride in place through events, programming, and campaigns. In 2019, Sara founded Proxsea.co, a consulting firm helping clients enhance stakeholder connection and engagement.

Sara’s community projects include founding Bike To Wherever – Phoenix, facilitating the Phoenix Bioscience Core Art’s Committee’s Artist + Researcher Exhibition Program (ARx), managing the CitySkate ice rink, and organizing events like Arizona Restaurant Week and the Downtown Phoenix Wine Walk, Urban Ale Trail and VIVA PHX. Sara produced the popular Zombie Walk, which grew to 20,000 attendees under her leadership. Additionally, Sara played key roles in events during XLIX Super Bowl,the ATC Comedy Festival, and various fundraising efforts.

Previously, Sara was Regional Marketing Director at RED Development, where she supported tenant relationships and community initiatives in Arizona. As Director of Events for Downtown Phoenix Inc., she expanded the organization’s involvement from 11 to over 150 annual events. Notably, she received the 2019 Distinguished Service to Exceptional Children Award for her work on the Upward & Onward at CityScape project.

In her free time, Sara enjoys biking, pursuing creative ideas, and connecting with Phoenix’s vibrant community. She also founded The Wurst Festival Ever, featuring “Suns Out Puns Out” Phoenix’s first pun competition, celebrating her love of humor.

Jack Ketcham

Given my background in both active transportation advocacy and leadership, I believe I can bring value to the organization.

Since December 2023, I’ve served as President of Tempe Bicycle Action Group, where I’ve led several key initiatives aimed at strengthening the connection between cycling and local governance. Some highlights include organizing a transportation-focused candidate forum, conducting a candidate questionnaire, and spearheading our “Election Cycles” group rides, which brought candidates and community members together to engage directly on transportation issues. I also reintroduced our annual Bike Count, which had not been conducted in Tempe since 2018.

Professionally, I’m the Head of Engineering at After.com, a venture-backed company focused on simplifying direct cremation and pre-planned final arrangements for families, where I manage all of our software and technical initiatives.

 


MEETING MINUTES  #minutes (approved at 11/19 board meeting)

Coalition of Arizona Bicycles Minutes
October 15, 2024

Call to Order

The CAzB was called to order at 6:35 p.m. using Google meetup and call in.

Roll call

  • Officers and Board members
    • President – Ed Beighe
    • Vice President – Bob Jenson – absent
    • Treasurer – Gail Hildebrant
    • Secretary – Thomas Armstrong
    • Earl Ratledge
    • Eric Post
    • Mike Kuzel – absent
    • Bernie Hoenle
  • Guests present
    • Jack Ketcham
    • Sara Anderson
    • Randy Dittberner

New Business

  • Sara Anderson presented a framework including three goals and three phases to move the CAzB forward.
  • Everyone present provided a brief summary of their background and what areas they are working on.

Old Business

  • Nominations for CAzB board members
    • Current
      • Ed Beighe
      • Gail Hildebrant
      • Bernie Hoenle
      • Bob Jenson
      • Michael Kuzel
    • New
      • Sara Anderson
      • Jack Ketcham
      • Lary Kirch
  • Earl Ratledge second nominations
  • Nominations passes
  • Gail presented the treasury report
  • Nomination for CAzB president
    • Sara Anderson
    • Gail second
  • Nomination passed
  • Nominations for
    • Vice President – Bob Jenson – absent
    • Treasurer – Gail Hildebrant
    • Secretary – Thomas Armstrong
  • Nominations passed
  • Sara requested all board members write a short bio and send it to her @ connect@proxsea.co

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Thomas Armstrong, secretary.

 

 

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