PMBA Statement on Recent Events in the Wissahickon

During the summer of 2010, a trail was constructed from the area of Pachella field through to Gorgas Lane. Construction of this trail was not approved by the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department, nor was it  discussed or approved by the PMBA Board. This trail contains features that are generally used by mountain bikers. Several  Board members of PMBA were implicated in assisting with this construction and one board member was implicated as the leader of the building activities. Although these individuals were acting on their own accord and not with PMBA Board authorization, the actions were clearly in violation of the spirit of our organization and its values and it was a clear mistake for Board members to have engaged in such activity.

The remaining Board members of PMBA became aware of the existence of the trail at various points during the summer. At its July PMBA Board  meeting the trail came to light to all Board members present and was heavily debated, but the Board failed to take any formal action at that time.  In retrospect, a formal action should have been taken, although the Board had incomplete information at that meeting and the two Board members closest to the issues were absent.   At about this time and in the following month, others in the Wissahickon  community became aware of the trail and  indicated significant displeasure at its construction and continuing existence.  In addition, the Board continued to debate the issues involved, including what the Board's most immediate action must be regarding the trail.  At the August Board meeting, it was decided that, although PMBA had not approved the construction of the trail, its existence reflected poorly on PMBA and its mission to cooperate with the land managers and others in the community with respect to Wissahickon park construction projects, especially given that PMBA Board members were involved in the trail's construction.  Therefore, the Board voted unanimously to present the trail to the City Department of Parks and Recreation and to offer to remove the trail for the Department should that be its decision. After meeting with representatives of the Department and walking through the trail, PMBA was informed that the Department intends to demolish the trail at some future date and would welcome PMBA assistance.  PMBA’s  offer to assist in this process remains outstanding.  

Because the term of the Board member who led the effort to build the trail in question was scheduled to end before the procedural requirements for removal under the bylaws could be met, and because that Board member declined to run for reelection, the Board took no formal removal actions.  That member's Board status terminated at the end of  August.

Again, in retrospect, the  PMBA Board acknowledges that it should have recognized the seriousness of this issue at an earlier date and should have taken more immediate action to assure that none of its Board members, nor any PMBA resources, were involved in the  construction of the trail and should have taken firmer action with respect to unauthorized trail building in general. To that end, PMBA is implementing a code of conduct that reinforces the prohibition on construction of unapproved trails by Board  members, addresses other important items and provides clear guidance to Board members as to the standards to which they must adhere.  PMBA recognizes that one of its primary functions is to advocate for better trails for its members and that this mission will be severely jeopardized by any building of unauthorized trails. 

As time passed in July and August, the involvement of additional Board members in the construction of the trail became known to both the Friends of the Wissahickon and IMBA .  Both organizations  expressed severe displeasure as to the Board's actions, or failure to act in a more swift and decisive manner, relating to the issues at hand.  IMBA threatened charter  revocation and very recently the Friends of the Wissahickon’s board took action to temporarily suspend partnership activities with PMBA until PMBA clarifies that it takes these unauthorized actions seriously, implements measures to prevent this  situation from occurring ever again, and completes the full chapter charter integration process with IMBA.  The letter from the Friends of the Wissahickon suspending its support of PMBA is provided with this statement.  This suspension letter was also sent to the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The PMBA Board is taking this issue very seriously and has committed to change.  First, pursuant to IMBA's direction, PMBA will require all Board members to sign a Code of Conduct that clearly and specifically proscribes unauthorized trail building of any kind and clearly describes the  consequence of removal for same.  This Code applies to all IMBA chapters.  This Code will be signed and in effect within days, but no later than the end of September.   In addition, PMBA will work with IMBA to fully integrate the Philadelphia Chapter into the IMBA chapter program.  The goal is to complete this integration by December 2010.  The integration entails many administrative tasks and, as a point of information to members, PMBA will retain its identity.  Going forward, the Board will continue to consider the past actions of its Board members and will evaluate their fitness to continue to serve based on the totality of all circumstances and based upon their commitment to uphold PMBA's mission moving forward.  

This is a sad day for PMBA, but this club has worked hard on many issues and it is imperative that PMBA shape up so that its great work is not in vain.  PMBA has dedicated thousands of hours of authorized trail labor to the Wissahickon and at other locations; it will be assisting with trail construction at  Noxamixon State Park; it has held monthly  clinics and trained hundreds of riders to be  responsible trail users, including several National Take A Kid Mountain Biking events; our annual fundraiser, the "Rally in the Valley" has  grown every year with 250+ riders in support of the preservation of the Wissahickon; PMBA  has supported Neighborhood Bike Works with hundreds of bike parts and has held summer training sessions for disadvantaged youth to get them outdoors and on bikes; PMBA was instrumental in working with the City of Philadelphia in developing relationships with bike users in other Philadelphia parks; and so much more.  These actions show that PMBA is a force for good in the community of Greater Philadelphia and now it is incumbent upon us as Board members, and regular members, to restore our reputation to it proper place. 

See responses from both FoW and IMBA representatives regarding the PMBA BoD Statement above:

From: <frank.maguire@imba.com>
To: "Paul Harris" 
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:26:05 -0400
Subject: Re:

For the officially signed version, see attachment below

File Attachment: 

Letter to PMBA 091410.pdf