China Four Seasons Club and TIF funds

by Mary Grow

At the Jan. 27 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee meeting, committee members debated recommending 2021-22 funding for the China Four Seasons Club, which maintains year-round trails throughout the town.

The club is based on a shoreland lot on the east side of China Lake, with a clubhouse and a beach open to club members. Club President Tom Rumpf plans to add a storage garage for trail maintenance and other equipment.

In past years the club has received TIF allocations, usually $50,000 a year.

Committee member Jim Wilkens was skeptical about using TIF funds to help a private organization build a new building. Member Jamie Pitney pointed out that TIF money can be allocated to businesses in town, so clubs should also be eligible.

Committee member Brent Chesley said he hears China’s trails praised by residents of other towns. Mickey Wing added that a lot of people bring their four-wheelers to ride in China; their trucks fill up recreational parking lots.

Rumpf was in another meeting the evening of Jan. 27 and could not contribute to the TIF Committee’s discussion. The next day, he sent committee members and Hapgood an email that included a summary of the economic benefits of trails. According to club records, trail-users spend more than $100,000 a year in China for food, gasoline and other items.

Volunteers do most of the trail maintenance work. This past year, Rumpf wrote, the club built three new bridges, one 80-feet long; rebuilt four miles of seriously deteriorated trail; and rerouted three trails at landowners’ requests.

He pointed out that recent state laws require trails to be 10 to 12 feet wide, “basically a gravel road,” and beginning in 2022 state inspectors will close trails that are not up to standard.

The club gets state aid for trail maintenance and runs fundraisers. Part of the proceeds from the Four Seasons of Trees raffle in November 2020 was donated to the town to provide Christmas help for needy families, Rumpf wrote. The club and the China Village Fire Department are holding an ice-fishing derby Sunday, Feb. 14 (see The Town Line, Jan. 28, p. 1).

In addition to trail maintenance, Rumpf said other Four Seasons Club goals are to promote outdoor safety education, on land and on the water, and to encourage community involvement.

Rumpf said in the past, the TIF Committee has not requested a formal application for funds. The Four Seasons Club has submitted a less formal proposal. Each year, he said, the club has sent the committee a list of finished projects, with detailed receipts and illustrative photos.

Rumpf intends to submit an application for 2021-22 TIF funds.