As a longtime member of both the Prince George Snowmobile Club and ATV B.C. clubs, I was dismayed to see the local clubhouse locked on Scott Road this past Sunday.
I estimate there must have been around 200 people that showed up for a beautiful sunny day to join an ATV poker ride.
I along with several volunteers volunteered to help construct the club house in the fall of 2005 after local MLAs Pat Bell and Shirley Bond made arrangements for a significant provincial grant from the Infrastructure Program Rebate to help construct this great building at a cost of over $100,000.
It features a water heated floor, pellet stove, a large seating area, a very large well-equipped kitchen as well as three flush toilet washrooms.
When I asked the officials from the ATV club why the club house wasn't opened they said they had an issue with rent to open up the building.
If my estimate was correct, there would have been about 200 people paying $25/head for entry fees for the poker run, or about five thousand dollars generated for this event.
It is really too bad to see the great event was put on in the gravel pit with only one outhouse up on the hill.
The trails for the poker run are maintained by these clubs as well as the recently formed Tabor Mountain Recreational Society. I really wish there could be just a little bit more cooperation and sharing of resources (and volunteers) since I have been enjoying Tabor Mountain for most of my 62 years.
Mike Sexsmith
Prince George
