GULF WINDS TRACK CLUB Minutes

Board Members Present: Zack Scharlepp, Paul Guyas, Tony Guillen, David Yon, Katie Sherron, Kory Skrob, Mark Priddy, Tom Perkins, Mary Jean Yon, Herb Wills, Judy Alexander, Mike Weyant, Laura McDermott, Chika Okoro, Thomas Biance, Rachel Scharlepp and Jim & Kristin Halley

Others Present; Bill Lott, Keith Rowe & Rhys Scharlepp

The President called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. and a quorum was established.

The Board reviewed the December 2017 minutes and a motion to approve was made, seconded and passed without opposition.

New Business

GWTC Racing Team Update
Tim Unger briefed the board on the upcoming plans for 2018 GWTC Team Racing. Events to secure a GWTC racing singlet will be the Boston Marathon (4/16 – 8 Tallahassee runners and 1 Crawfordville runner registered) and Gate to Gate (5/28). Tim followed up after the meeting with a report that Gate to Gate has been confirmed for Monday, May 28 rather than the Saturday before Memorial Day. Tim also shared examples of the 2017 Saucony Vizipro team singlets and said he hopes to have 30 new racing singlets available by mid-April.

GWTC Trailer Repairs
Tim Unger reviewed the history of repairs and maintenance with the GWTC trailer that is used to transport equipment to and from races. The trailer is now 12 years old. Tim noted that there have been problems with the trailer lights working and he has taken steps to address that. A LED light panel has been installed inside the trailer that works when the pulling vehicle lights/parking lights are on. Tim also purchased an adapter to be used for exterior lights when pulling the trailer. Total cost for these repairs/upgrades was $160.

Grand Prix Committee Appointment 
Zack Scharlepp asked the board for approval to appoint Jeff Bryan to the Grand Prix Committee to replace Eric Godin. A motion to approve this change was made, seconded and passed unanimously.

GWTC Post Office Box
Bill Lott reported that the 2018 rent has been paid for the club’s post office box but there is a problem with accessing the account online. He and Katie Sherron explained that the account is set up for access by someone named Karen Lewis and the user name, password and payment information is all assigned to this person. If anyone knows Karen Lewis or has information about this problem, please contact Bill or Katie.

Flash 12K/6K Budget – Keith Rowe presented the budget for the 2018 Flash 12K/6K for approval. The budget included an estimated total revenue of $4,998 and expenses of $4,485 with net proceeds of $513.  A motion was made to approve the budget, seconded and passed unanimously.

Turkey Trot Non-Profits
David Yon reported on the 2017 Turkey Trot races.  He advised that the net revenue from the race should be at least $60,000 before making contributions to the three non-profits (Refuge House, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend & the Shelter/Kearney Center) supported by the race. Because portions of the revenues were designated to certain of the charities, he requested authorization for the Treasurer to approve payment of $15,000 to each of the three charities. This should leave a minimum net revenue of $15,000 to GWTC.  David will report the exact amount at the next board meeting. A motion to approve writing these three checks was made, seconded and passed.

Ethics Policies for GWTC Committees

David Yon made a recommendation that the club president appoint a committee to develop an ethics policy for the various committee members within GWTC in light of recent activities. This is in keeping with the action the board took last year to have each board member sign an ethics policy statement and serves as a reminder to committee members of the preamble to the Conflict of Interest which states: The Officers, Directors, and employees of Gulf Winds Track Club (GWTC) owe a duty of loyalty to the GWTC, which requires that in serving GWTC they act, not in their personal interests or in the interests of others, but rather solely in the interests of the GWTC. Officers, Directors, and employees must have undivided allegiance to GWTC’s mission and may not use their positions, information they have about GWTC, or GWTC’s property, in a manner that allows them to secure a pecuniary benefit for themselves or their relatives. A motion to create a committee at or before the next board meeting was made, seconded and approved.

Committee Reports:

Treasurer’s Report –Katie Sherron
Katie reported that as of December 31, 2017, the balance in each account is, $154,492.74 in the Operations account, $2,770.84 for the Events 1 accounts, $19,363.07 for the Events 2 account, $10,901.24 for the Triathlon account, $85,500.00 in the Investment and Reserve account and $13,709.90 in the Chenoweth Fund.  

Membership Report –Mark Priddy
Mark reported there are 1,516 members in the club as of December 31, 2017 which is 246 fewer members than last year at that time. A total of 919 renewals have been processed which represents 60% of the club’s membership. A total of 463 households are represented. The Tri Club has 142 members as of December 31, 2017 which is down from the 255 members from last year at that time. The renewal rate for Tri-Club members is 56%.   Mark is continuing to remind club members to renew their membership for 2018 and encouraged all board members to assist in that effort.

Race Director Coordinator Report – Mary Jean Yon
Mary Jean reported that the next meeting of the GWTC Race Directors will take place on January 28, 2018.

Newsletter Report –Fred Deckert 
No report.

Clothing Coordinator Report –Rachael Scharlepp 
Nothing new to report.

Equipment Report – Katie Sack & Bill Lott
Kat expressed appreciation for the work that Tec Thomas has been doing to help her manage the equipment and being available on Wednesdays to meet people needing to pick up equipment. She also expressed concern that the chronomix timing devices are not being properly cared for when rented. Many non-club race directors include the chronomix when they rent equipment, don’t use them and inadvertently misplace them, only to be reminded by Kat when they return equipment. After some discussion, it was recommended that Kat be allowed to impose an additional fee for these devices. A motion to allow the Equipment Manager to add a surcharge of up to $20 for any piece of equipment she deems necessary was made, seconded and approved.

Bill Lott also informed the board that one of the clocks was not operating properly and needs a new battery. He will take care of that at a cost of $40-50.

Website Committee Report –David Yon
Nothing new to report.

Chenoweth Fund Report –David Yon

Nothing new to report.

Triathlete Report –Mike Weyant 
Mike Weyant, the new Tri-Club president, shared that the GWTC Tri-Club is participating in the National Club Challenge which tracks mileage for training and other events. Currently the club is in 7th place out of 77 participating teams. Monday January 15, 2018 will be the next Tri-Club Meeting at Momo’s and will feature the annual awards ceremony.  The St. Marks Duathlon will take place on March 25, 2018.

Lecture Series Report – Kory Skrob 
The next lecture will take place January 29, 2018 at 6:15 pm at Momo’s, where Leigh Davis of Leon County Parks and Recreation will give a lecture on the trails in Tallahassee.  Kory is also planning another lecture for Tuesday February 13, 2018 at 7:15 pm at Premier Health and Fitness, where Dr. George Merritt, a podiatrist, will give a lecture on common foot injuries.  There was some discussion about the best way to advertise these events and track how many people plan to attend. The merits of using Eventbrite, Facebook or both were discussed and Kory will decide accordingly. She also asked for recommendations for dieticians to speak at a future event. 

Training Report –Thomas Biance 
Thomas reported that the Marathon Training Group is progressing well and that the Springtime Training Group will be starting soon.

Social Report – Judy Alexander for Vicky Droze
Vicky Droze, in her new role as the Social Director, has created a series of events called First Sundays where club members are invited to bring their favorite board games and card games to Momo’s Pizza from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. The first of these gatherings took place on Sunday, January 7 and Judy reported it went well and included visiting runners from North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey.  

Trail Coordinator Report – Jim Halley
Jim reported that the Swamp Forest Marathon and other races were held on Saturday, January 6 and were well attended. Results are still pending but Jim did report that the half-marathon course record was broken by Charlie Johnson in a time of 1:28:44. Jim & Kristin also reported that they are looking for someone to take their place directing the Swamp Forest races as well as the Trailblazers training group. They intend to continue directing the Summer Trail Series.

Jim also added that the new Northeast Trail, located at the intersection of Proctor Road and Thomasville Road, opened on Monday, January 8.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.