Guests:

Tom Carey  (speaker)  (Wight), Jim Sysko  (speaker)  (Wight)

Members We Missed:  Andrews, Crockett, Dunham, Fraher, Hart, Laux, Moran-Laux, Roma, Steven, Tyler, Whitney, Zinchuk

New date for wine-tasting event:  March 16

As an off-shoot to the District's World Peace and Understanding event on Feb. 23, we were asked to bring contributions for the local food pantry to our Feb. 19 meeting:  non-perishable items or money.

Tom Carey, with Jim Sysko's assistance, presented plans for a zip-line project in Rumford.  As many people know, Jim's 5,000 ft. zip line on his Newry property is one of the longest in the world.   The proposed Rumford project would take scenic advantage of the Rumford Falls, which Tom described as having the highest vertical drop of any falls east of Niagara Falls.  His ultimate plans envision seven different zip line routes, although the project would proceed in stages.  Each route would have three parallel lines.  Many of the routes end up passing under Rumford's Memorial bridge.  Jim displayed the high-tech stainless steel mechanism that rides along the cable and supports the rider, and then surprised most of us by showing a braking mechanism he had devised featuring a wooden dowel needing periodic replacement.  In answer to "why not something more durable than a wooden dowel?", Jim explained the important need to protect the cable against any kind of wear.  Although riding zip lines is not for the faint of heart, Tom visualized a lot of interest both summer and winter, noting the highly visible location next to Rt. 2 with a lot of recreational visitors passing by year-round.  

~~ Walter