Voting Members Present: Jerry McDaniel, Jennifer Hay, Jeanne O’Kon, Peg Griffin, Tom Perkins, Mary Jean Yon, Herb Wills, Judy Alexander, David Yon, Elizabeth Kamerick, Debbie Peters, Robert McNeal, Beverly Harrell. Voting Members Absent: Mark Priddy, Robert Skrob, Tina Bahmer, Allen Blay, Mark Tombrink. Non-Voting Members Present: Bill Lott, Carter Hay, Rob Klepper.

I. Opening and Introduction: Jerry McDaniel called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

The minutes from the February 14, 2024 meeting were approved as written.

II. Old Business/Race Closeouts:

a. $1,000 Grant – Patrick Koon, Gatorade Florida Boys Cross Country Player of the Year:  David Yon Stated that Patrick Koon is a fantastic young man. His successful running on the national level has resulted in the second receipt of the $1,000 grant that Patrick has given to GWTC. There is the possibility of another $5,000 grant. It probably will be invested in Youth Running. Jerry suggested inviting Patrick to a future Board meeting. It was suggested that a “thank you” be provided to Patrick and Gatorade in a public arena like Facebook.

b. Volunteers: Jerry McDaniel asked Rebekah Mayfield to fill the position of the Volunteer Coordinator for the club. Her role is to call organizations or even ask individuals to see whether they will agree to be on a volunteer list for our club’s Race Directors. She already has 4-5 organizations listed on RunSignUp that can provide volunteers. This new system is a tool for race directors to use. Jerry has already recruited some volunteers from the list for the Springtime race traffic control. Mary Jean thanked Peg for building up the concept. Jerry will mention this in his next President’s Column in the Fleet Foot.

c. Definition of Eligibility for Grand Prix: Jennifer Hay discussed the requirement for completing the volunteer requirement for Grand Prix eligibility. This has been discussed in a previous meeting. Jennifer made a motion that the volunteer requirement include all club-related activity. Jerry provided examples of “other” club-related activities. Beverly pointed out that the Tri Club requires five hours of volunteering so it can include more club-related activities. At the race directors meeting, Allen Blay offered to set up a Google Doc form that could be completed by volunteers, dropping the requirement for the race director’s signature. The motion was amended to include approval by the race director in advance. Motion was seconded and passed with a majority of Board members approving.

d. Marketing Budget: Jennifer proposed that a Marketing Budget be developed to provide new members with a t-shirt or other club item. These items also could be provided at tabling events as giveaways. Board members asked for more specific information about the cost of items that would last for March through June, 2024. Peg will then include a budget line in the next fiscal year’s budget. Jennifer made a motion for $3,000 to be budgeted in this way. Motion was seconded. Further discussion focused on how the money would be spent exactly. Motion passed.

e. Meeting with Division of Consumer Services: Peg reported that she, Jerry and David met with the Director of the Division of Consumer Services to get answers to questions prior to submitting GWTC’s application to solicit charitable contributions. They learned in that meeting that the 2024 Legislature was considering a bill (SB 1084 which eventually passed) that would change the criteria for requiring registration to solicit charitable contributions from a threshold of $50,000 gross revenue to a threshold of $50,000 gross contributions. Inasmuch as GWTC did not receive $50,000 in contributions during the preceding year, if the bill is signed into law, GWTC will be exempt from the registration requirement. The club would be required to file an annual report with DACS affirming exempt status.

f. Flash 12K/6K Budget Closeout: Peg reported for Keith Rowe and introduced Rob Klepper as the new race director for the Flash 12K/6K, as Keith is stepping down after directing the race for many years. Peg reported revenue for the 2024 race of $5,221.59 and expenses of $4,233.19, resulting in a net profit of $988.40. Keith requests the net proceeds be split 50/50 with CurePSP, along with donations in the amount of $910.99 received for that organization, for a total to CurePSP of $1,405.19. A motion to approve the closeout was made and seconded. Motion passed.

III. New Business:

a. Great Potluck Bash 4-miler Budget Proposal: David Yon distributed a copy of the proposed budget. The anticipated revenue is $4,860.00 with expenses of $4,709.00. The net revenue is anticipated to be $151.00 to be given to the Chenoweth Fund. Motion was made and seconded to approve the budget. Motion passed.

b. Youth Running Proceeds: An anonymous donor gave $425 to GWTC. David Yon proposed that the funds be used for the SMIRFS and STRIDERS youth running programs. The members of these two programs are organizing One Mile and 5K teams for the Springtime races. The members are getting a reduced registration fee. Motion was made and seconded to approve this expenditure. Motion passed.

c. “Future of Gulf Winds” gathering: Jerry pointed out that GWTC has an aging Board. He receives e-mails from members complaining that there are too many races and too many Board members. He suggested holding a “Town Hall” gathering on a Saturday in late April with an open discussion about the future of the club and how the club could do things better. This could be an educational opportunity for members as well, and it could become an Annual Meeting.

IV: Announcement from Officers:

Jerry reported that vendors coming to the Springtime race asked if there is a waiver they need to sign. He asked David Yon to prepare the needed waiver.  Jerry also asked if the club needs to develop a policy as to what can be sent out on RunSignUp. Runners have an option to Unsubscribe on RunSignUp. The club does not have a privacy policy and should have one. Bill Dillon will be asked to craft a privacy policy for the club, and David Yon will help develop some guidelines for what can be sent out on RunSignUp.

Letters were received from Second Harvest, Boys and Girls Club, Tall Timbers, FSU Faculty and Friends Club, Friends of our Parks, and Chiles High School. All sent “Thank You” letters to GWTC for their donations and partnerships. The letters will be given to Robert Skrob for the Fleet Foot.

Jennifer suggested that the club races listed on the web page Race Calendar be identified as GWTC races. Peg will add “GWTC” to the race listings on the online Race Calendar.

V. Reports:

a. Treasurer’s Report: Peg reported that as of February 29, 2024, net assets were $254,197.84, and net income as of that date was $25,599.07.

b. Triathlete Club: Beverly Harrell reported that the Duathlon Committee is closing out their budget. It was a great learning experience for Beverly and others who directed the race. They developed a notebook with all the directions for the race directors.

c. Race Director Coordinator: Mary Jean reported that the race directors met on Feb. 18th. An account with Amazon.com has been set up and can be utilized by race directors, making it easier for the treasurer. Race directors should not have to use a personal credit card. Invoices can be sent directly to the treasurer. The volunteer requirement was also discussed, and the Google form will be set up. Bill Lott described the “cut off” time for certain races that need to be enforced, like the Marathon did this year. In the open discussion, race directors talked about raising registration fees and the RunSignUp fees.

d. Newsletter: March 20 is the deadline for the upcoming newsletter.

e. Membership: Robert McNeal reported that there are 1287 current members (1165 last year at this time) and 738 current family members (676 last year at this time).

f. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Gabrielle Gabrielli sent a detailed report. They are partnering with SportsAbility Alliance to be more inclusive to people with disabilities. Volunteers are needed on April 20 to help with the SportsAbility Alliance event at Maclay Gardens. In addition, Gabrielle is working on a flyer promoting GWTC’s accessibility to everyone regardless of abilities. David will look into a resource that may benefit the flyer. Chika will coordinate getting a GWTC booth at the SportsAbility Alliance event on April 20. Other action items were also included in the report.

g. Education and Lecture: Mark Tombrink has been in touch with Amy Hassell, the Chiles Cross Country coach who is willing to give a lecture. She will either speak about running in college or about setting pace windows for workouts. Jerry will talk further with Amy Hassell about this.

h. Website: Nothing to report.

i. Chenoweth Fund: Nothing to report.

j. Merchandise: Laura McDermott sent a report stating that $3,719.20 of merchandise was sold at the Tallahassee Marathon.

k. Equipment: Bill Lott reported that when the Triathlon Club went to pick up the trailer from the Shamrock Scurry, it was discovered that the lights would not work. The lights were not working when the trailer was first picked up by the Shamrock Scurry crew. After the St. Marks Duathlon, Tim Unger took the trailer to get repaired at Capital Hitch Service, Inc, where the wiring for all the trailer’s lights was reworked at a total cost of $89.39. The trailer has been returned to the storage unit. Due to the shortage of safety vests for the Tallahassee Marathon reported at the February meeting, 100 safety vests like the ones currently owned were purchased at a total cost of $399.00 ($3.99 each). A quick inventory of equipment needed for the Springtime races found that there are now only 50 small (18-inch) traffic cones. After a discussion with Vicky Droze, the purchase of 100 of these small traffic cones for the future needs of the Club is being proposed to the Board. The total cost would be approximately $1,100.00. Motion was made and seconded to purchase 100 cones. Motion passed.

l. Chip Timing: In February, two Club races (Tallahassee Marathon/Half Marathon and Marathon Relay; and Flash 12K/6K) and one non-Club race (MAD Dash 10K/5K/1M) were chip timed by GWTC. During March, one non-Club race (Shamrock Scurry 5K/1M) and one Club race (St. Marks Duathlon) were chip timed. Scheduled to be timed in April are two Club races (Springtime 10K/5K/1M; and Palace Saloon 5K).

m. Grand Prix: Lisa Unger did not have a report this month. Jerry inquired as to whether nicer awards could be provided for Grand Prix winners. The committee may need to request a larger budget. The Grand Prix Committee will meet on March 28.

n. Social: No report.

Meeting adjourned: 8:36 p.m.