I. MEETING ATTENDANCE AND OPENING

Voting Members: Paul Guyas, Mark Priddy, Tristan LaNasa, Zack Scharlepp, David Yon, Judy Alexander, Heather York, Robert Skrob, Tom Perkins, John Sivyer and Mary Jean Yon

Non-Voting Members: Bill Lott, Mark Tombrink, Chris Turner, Thomas Biance, Dominick Milner, Bill Dillon and Danny Manausa

The meeting was called to order by Paul Guyas at 7:34 p.m. A quorum was established. The September meeting agenda was approved with no objection.

A motion to approve the meeting minutes for the July and August meetings was made, seconded and passed without objection.

II. OFFICER ANNOUNCEMENTS

September Virtual Events – Paul Guyas

Paul reminded everyone of the three virtual club races scheduled for September and encouraged everyone to sign up and support the race directors. The races are: Sickle Cell 5K Run/Walk (9/1-30), Women’s Distance Festival 5K (9/19-26) and Steve Prefontaine 5K Forest Run (9/25-27.)  

Board Vacancies – Paul Guyas

The positions of Secretary, Trail Coordinator and Training Groups Coordinator are still vacant. Judy Alexander volunteered to serve as Secretary for October – December and will be added to the GWTC ballot as a contender for that position in 2021. Anyone interested in the other two vacancies should contact Paul.

III.       NEW BUSINESS

ACT Challenge – Danny Manausa

Danny briefed the group on an initiative sponsored by the Gannett Foundation and the USA Today Network where grants are available for non-profits wishing to make a positive impact in their communities. A Community Thrives (ACT) is an opportunity for GWTC to gain funds to help underserved and underprivileged communities within the Tallahassee area and could coincide with the mission of the club’s Diversity Committee. This nationwide grant program requires the submittal of an initial application and a commitment to raise $3,000 through crowdfunding on social media in order to be eligible to receive a grant of up to $25,000. The program is funded to award $2 million total in grants. The deadline for submitting an application is September 11, 2020. Danny started the application process and requested permission to work with the club to participate in this program. A motion to allow Danny to complete the application and submit it on behalf of the club was made, seconded and passed. For more information about the program, Danny recommended visiting: https://act.usatoday.com/

St. Marks Duathlon – Bill Dillon

Bill briefed the group on plans for the Tri-Club’s St. Marks Duathlon which is scheduled for October 11, 2020. Utilizing USTA Guidelines and Risk Assessment Model, the Tri-Club devised a detailed COVID plan that includes a wave start, social distancing in the transition area, no awards on race day, no post-race party and other protective measures. The Tri-Club is working closely with the City of St. Marks on the allowable number of participants (cap of 100) and all parties understand that final approval by the City will depend on the status  of the COVID-19 numbers at that time for both Wakulla and Leon Counties. The board thanked Bill for sharing this information. A motion to not object to the Tri-Club moving forward with the duathlon based on the contingencies presented was made, seconded and passed.

Partnership with the Bond Community – David Yon

David reported that he has been in contact with Donnell Durden, the Coordinator of Community Relations & Outreach for the Bond Community Health Center, regarding a potential partnership to promote healthy lifestyles through preventative healthcare and running. The goal would be to host a series of running and fitness clinics for all interested parties. David will work with Chris Turner and the Diversity Committee to explore this project in more detail.

GWTC Elections – Zack Scharlepp

Zack shared a tentative slate of candidates for the 2021 GWTC Board of Directors and noted that the nomination process is open until September 30. The final slate will be presented for approval at the October board meeting. The Committee of Nominations, comprised of Zack, Bill Dillon and Jamilia Allen, will be working on collecting bios for each of the candidates which will be shared with club members when the ballots are sent out in early November.

Palace Saloon 5K – Mark Priddy

Mark announced that the Palace Saloon 5K, which had been rescheduled for October 24 has been cancelled due to the inability to secure permits from the City of Tallahassee. The new date for the race is April 10, 2021.

Grand Prix Cancellation

At the August board meeting, Mark Tombrink, Chair of the Grand Prix Committee, reported that the committee was in agreement to cancel this year’s Grand Prix competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To formalize that action, a motion to accept the committee’s recommendation to cancel the 2020 Grand Prix series was made, seconded and passed.

Tannenbaum 6K (2019) Wrap-Up – Herb Wills                                   

The 2019 Tannenbaum 6K wrap-up was tabled for a subsequent meeting. It was noted that no funds would be approved for the 2020 race until this report has been delivered to the board.

IV. COMMITTEE REPORTS

Treasurer – David Yon

David provided the treasury report as of August 31, 2020. Assets were reported at $246,920.82 and Net Revenue Year To Date was $340.68.

Triathlete Club – John Sivyer

No report.

Race Director Coordinator – Mary Jean Yon

Mary Jean reported that she will be convening a meeting of the GWTC Race Directors in the near future to share updates and continue discussions on the current state of road racing in the Tallahassee area.

Newsletter – Robert and Kory Skrob

Robert expressed concern about the lack of content available for the newsletter given the lack of races and shared that he is considering not publishing an October newsletter. Several suggestions were made for potential content but no final decision was made. As always, anyone having stories and/or articles to share should contact Robert.

Membership –Mark Priddy

Memberships and households for the year were reported at 1,333 and 697, respectively, as of September 9, 2020. These figures are compared to those at this time last year, which included 1,138 memberships and 608 households. There are also 280 Tri-Club members.

Diversity Committee – Chris Turner

Chris reported that approximately 30 people have expressed an interest in volunteering with committee projects designed to reach out to underserved communities. He is looking forward to the partnership with the Bond Community and asked David to set up the next meeting with Donnell Durden. He also expressed support for the ACT Challenge and the possibilities associated with that program. He thanked the board for its support and asked for any information available concerning club actions in the past.

Education and Lecture – Kat Sack

No report.

Trail Work Committee – Dominic Milner

Nothing new to report.

Website – David Yon

Nothing new to report.

Chenoweth Fund – David Yon

David shared that the youth runners (and their parents) from the Maclay summer running camp made a $300 donation to the Chenoweth Fund as a token of their appreciation for the camp and coaching assistance.

Merchandise –Laura McDermott and Sherri Wise

Reminder: Gulf Winds masks are now available on the GWTC online store. Cost is $12.99 each.

Chip Timing– Bill Lott

Bill Lott provided the following chip timing report. No events were chip timed in August as the four races originally scheduled were canceled.  No races will be timed in September as of the five scheduled, four have gone virtual and one has been canceled.  In October, one race has already been canceled, but a duathlon and two other races are tentatively scheduled.

In September and October, eight or nine school cross country meets are scheduled to be chip timed.  Additionally, Bill has been in contact with FSU personnel about the possibility of GWTC chip timing the college portion of a meet on October 2.

Trail Running/Racing Coordinator

No report.

Grand Prix Committee – Mark Tombrink

Nothing new to report.

Volunteer – Lyssa Oberkreser

No report.

Training Groups – Thomas Biance

Nothing new to report.

Equipment – Bill Lott for Tec Thomas

No equipment issues to report.

Youth Council – Kaari Guyas

No report.

Social – Vicky Droze

No report.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:07 P.M.

Mary Jean Yon, Interim Secretary