FRIENDS OF YAMHELAS WESTSIDER TRAIL
Friends of the Yamhelas Westsider Trail is guided by a volunteer board of directors. Directors serve three-year terms and are elected by organization members at the annual meeting. One part-time program coordinator facilitates daily FYWT operations and development.
BOARD MEMBERS
WAYNE WIEBKE, President
Wayne is a long-time Carlton resident who recently moved to McMinnville. He has been active with converting the abandoned railroad into a trail off and on since 1991. He has been a member of the present FYWT organization since its founding in 2012 and is currently serving as Board President.
STEVE HARLOFF
Steve and wife, Jane, raised their two kids on rural property just outside of Yamhill where both kids attended Yamhill-Carlton schools. Steve taught in Oregon schools for 40 years and now loves active involvement in various nonprofits. Young Harloff family members speak passionately about how the Trail would have helped them to safely get to Yamhill-Carlton school activities. When Steve is not working with the Friends, he is a musician, a disc golfer, and an avid soccer fan.
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ALLEN HOLSTEIN
After finishing a master's in Horticulture, Allen began a career in vineyard management in the Willamette Valley in 1980 and has witnessed the development of that industry. As a life long outdoorsman, Allen has enjoyed all that Oregon has to offer. He became a FYWT Board Member in 2022 and hopes to develop outdoor features closer to home. He is a member of Chehalem Park and Recreation District Trails committee and lives in Dundee.
PHIL FORVE
Phil and his wife Liesl moved to McMinnville Oregon in April 2020 from Minnesota to be closer to family and to enjoy the abundance of the Willamette Valley. Minnesota and Oregon residents share a passion for the enjoyment of activities in the great outdoors all year-round. We look forward to helping our community create a safe opportunity for active transportation and healthy recreation for Yamhill county residents and visitors alike with the development of the existing rail right of way.
DAN ARMSTRONG
Dan is a MAC HIGH and OSU graduate. After a career in the Navy he and wife Patty settled on a small ranch just outside Yamhill in 1996. There, they tend goats, chickens, a vegetable garden, a frit orchard and honey bees. He recently completed twelve years service on the Yamhill County Planning Commission.
STEVE WICK
Steve is a native Oregonian and resident of Yamhill County since 1992. He and his wife own a 60 acre farm on the northern edge of Yamhill County, where they have grown wheat, hay, ornamentals, Christmas trees, and Hazelnuts. Currently much of the land is in grass seed production. A portion of their farm is forest. Steve also spent over thirty years in the High Tech industry; in technical, supervisory, and management roles. He and his wife enjoy walking, biking, and horseback riding on various Oregon trails.
KURT KREITZER
Kurt is a native Oregonian and OSU graduate. He, and his wife Natalia, moved to rural Yamhill County in 2011. Kurt worked at Intel, gaining decades of engineering, planning, and management experience. You can often find him out with his wife, hiking, biking, and enjoying the horse trails. He hopes to bring safer trail options to Yamhill County.