I.  MEETING ATTENDANCE AND OPENING

 Board Leadership Present: Judy Alexander, Paul Guyas, Jim Halley, Tristan LaNasa, Alyssa Moore, Chika Okoro, Tom Perkins, Mark Priddy, John Sivyer, Tec Thomas, Herb Wills, David Yon, Heather York, and Tom Biance

 Others Present: Jeff Capps, Matthew Chancey, Peg Griffin, Sade Guyas, Bill Hillison, Bill Lott, Dominic Milner, Vicky Verano, Bobby York

 The meeting was called to order by Paul Guyas at 7:30 p.m. A quorum was established.

Motions for the approval of the (a) December 2019 and (b) January 2020 meeting minutes were made, seconded, and passed.

II.  OFFICER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 No announcements were made.

 III.      OLD BUSINESS

 Committee Role Call Follow-Up – Paul Guyas

A motion to recognize the current GWTC committees as noted on Paul’s distributed handout was made, seconded, and passed.

Action that Occurred Without Meeting – Alyssa Moore

A motion that was passed via email, rather than during a meeting, was recognized. Specifically, in the interim of the January 2020 and February 2020 meetings, a motion for GWTC to cover $1,500 of the expense to purchase, screen, and ship shirts to the Al Dhafra Air Force Base, which is located in the United Arab Emirates, was  was made, seconded, and passed via email.

In brief, Lt. Col. James Taylor of the US Air Force is a local runner who frequently runs GWTC races when he is not deployed. Lt. Taylor is hosting a 5K on February 26, 2020 at the Al Dhafra Air Force Base but, due to recent events, is unable to go off base to purchase shirts for registered runners. Lt. Taylor contacted Jay Silvanima for a price quote on race shirts, and, Jay, Tom Perkins, and David Yon requested the board consider covering $1,500 of the expenses to purchase, screen, and ship the shirts. The original email was issued for a vote on January 21, 2020, and Paul noted that the motion passed with a 12 to 1 vote on January 25, 2020.

This agenda item spurred discussion on GWTC email lists. It was noted that two email lists currently exist: (1) an 18-person email list of voting members and (2) a 27-person email list of voting and non-voting members. For the time being, it was decided that the accuracy of these two email lists should be verified and suggested that Joe Petty be solicited for email list(s) recommendations.

IV.            NEW BUSINESS

Proposed Partnership in Thomasville – Jim Halley, Matthew Chancey, and Jeff Capps

Jim Halley, Matthew Chancey, and Jeff Capps shared thoughts on a potential GWTC partnership in Thomasville. Specifically, Jim was contacted by Matthew, owner of Active Soles Running Company, about the possibility of increasing the involvement of GWTC in Thomasville. It was further suggested that GWTC increase involvement in both Thomasville and Wakulla County / Crawfordville, perhaps through organized training runs and informational GWTC events. Discussion of the subsidiary club structure, such as that of the GWTC Tri Club, took place. However, rather than forming subsidiary clubs, it was suggested that runners in Thomasville and Wakulla County / Crawfordville join GWTC, forming satellite GWTC running groups. Concerns of insurance coverage across state lines were raised, and Judy Alexander offered to follow-up with RRCA insurance about these inquiries.

Further, the funding and timing of Thomasville and Wakulla County / Crawfordville races was discussed but deemed a conversation for a later date. Instead, workouts and informational sessions were identified as the preliminary steps in establishing satellite groups. Recommended weekly workouts include (1) a long run, (2) a track workout, and (3) a mid-week fun run. In addition, informational socials were suggested to help build membership bases in Thomasville and Wakulla County / Crawfordville, and discussion of including the satellite training runs on the GWTC website and in the Fleet Foot took place. In the future, liaisons in Thomasville and Wakulla County / Crawfordville could be identified. Jim Halley offered to spearhead the development of these satellite run groups. A motion for $500 to cover social events in Thomasville and Wakulla County / Crawfordville and start-up costs, such as Gatorade, coolers, and cups for the running groups, was made, seconded, and approved.

 Chip Timing Annual Report – Bill Hillison

Bill Hillison presented the annual chip timing report. Notably, GWTC’s timing committee timed 20,000 runners this past year and 128,000 runners over the past 8 years. The timing equipment was used to time all 18 GWTC races as well as 29 non-GWTC races, rendering a total of 47 days of timing over the past year. A nominal rental fee is charged for the timing of non-GWTC races, yielding net profits of $16,000 this year and totaling $113,000 over the past 8 years. The equipment has also been used to time races that GWTC would have otherwise needed to pay professionals to time, saving the club $22,000 this past year and $118,000, collectively. Thus, net savings / collections are about $40,000 and $250,000, respectively. The costs of the timing equipment were also noted, totaling nearly $85,000.

The demands of timing these races were also addressed. Specifically, substantial time and effort is required of volunteers to time races, and currently the demands for chip timing exceed available manpower. Calls for additional help timing races were made. In addition, outsourcing, paying timers, and an increase in rental fees were discussed as potential solutions.

RRCA Annual Awards Acceptance – Judy Alexander

Judy shared that, following her December nomination, Chika Okoro won the RRCA’s Beginning Running Group Annual Award. Because Chika is unable to attend the awards ceremony in Portland, Oregon on March 21^st, it was suggested that Sarah Thompson, co-coordinator of the beginning running group, go in her place to represent GWTC. While a $400 stipend is included, the trip to the RRCA Award Ceremony would be costly. Sarah estimated costs of roughly $1,690 for flights, two nights in a hotel, and meals for two days. In addition, attending the RRCA Annual Convention, which takes place in conjunction with the awards ceremony, costs $395. Discussions of setting precedence and funding allocations took place. A motion for the club to cover $1,800 of Sarah’s expenses to attend the RRCA award ceremony and convention was made and amended to cover up to $2,000. The amended motion for $2,000 coverage was seconded and passed. Lastly, a warm congratulations was wished to Chika.

Request to Raise Budget for Meeting Expenses – Judy Alexander

Judy advocated for an increase in the budget for meeting expenses, noting that the room to host the February 2020 meeting alone cost $100. A brief discussion on funding allocations occurred, and the topic was ultimately tabled for discussion at the subsequent board meeting.

 Appointment of New Pine Run Race Directors – Paul Guyas

Carter and Jennifer Hay were appointed as the new race directors of the Pine Run. A vote took place with no opposition. The motion to appoint was passed.

 Appointment of New TUDC Race Directors – Paul Guyas

Tom Biance and Sarah Thompson were appointed as the new race directors of the TUDC. A vote took place with no opposition. The motion to appoint was passed.

 Appointment of New Grand Prix Committee Members – Paul Guyas

Mark Tombrink and Phillip Sura were appointed as new members of the Grand Prix Committee. A vote took place with no opposition. The motion to appoint was passed.

 Creation and Appointment of Assistant Membership Chair – Paul Guyas

The non-voting position of Assistant Membership Chair was created, and Tom Biance was appointed as the Assistant Membership Chair. A vote took place with no opposition. The motion to create and appoint was passed.

 Creation and Appointment of Volunteer Coordinator – Paul Guyas

The non-voting position of Volunteer Coordinator was created, and Lyssa Oberkreser was appointed as the Volunteer Coordinator. A vote took place with no opposition. The motion to create and appoint was passed.

 Swamp Forest Wrap-Up – Bobby York

Bobby presented the wrap-up for the Swamp Forest races, which took place on January 4, 2020. In brief, total expenses for the race were $7,433.87 and total revenues were $5,469.12, yielding net proceeds of $1,964.75.  One More Child and Friends of Our Parks were named as the approved charities for race donations. A motion was made to donate $500 to each charity, for a total donation of $1,000, and to give the remaining $964.75 to GWTC. The motion was seconded and passed.

 Bowlegs 5K Wrap-Up – Bill Hillison

Bill provided a wrap-up of the Bowlegs 5K, which occurred on January 11, 2020. Both the budgeted and actual expenses and revenues of the race were presented along with direct donations to the scholarship fund. Notably, the sole purpose of Bowlegs is to provide scholarships to FSU students in need. The race is co-hosted with the Faculty and Friends Club of FSU, who help tremendously with the costs and volunteer work of the race. Historically, all of the proceeds from Bowlegs have been donated to the scholarship fund, and a motion to continue this tradition of donating 100 percent of the proceeds to the scholarship fund was made, seconded, and passed.

 GWTC 30K / 15K Wrap-Up

The wrap-up of the GWTC 30K/15K was tabled for a future meeting.

 Tallahassee Marathon and Half-Marathon Wrap-Up

The wrap-up of the Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon was tabled for a future meeting.

 10 / 5 Mile Challenge Wrap-Up – Vicky Verano

Vicky presented the wrap-up for the 10/5 Mile Challenge, which took place on December 7, 2019. Notably, race turnout was up from 2018, with 98 runners and 180 runners for years 2018 and 2019, respectably. Given the lower turnout, the 10/5 Mile Challenge was unable to make its usual donation to the Leon County Humane Society in 2018, as the race proceeds were negative. However, proceeds for 2019 were positive. Accordingly, it was requested that 100 percent, rather than the usual 50 percent, of the proceeds from the 2019 10/5 Mile Challenge be donated to the Leon County Humane Society, considering the race was unable to donate in the prior year. A motion to approve this donation of 100 percent of the 10/5 Mile Challenge’s 2019 proceeds was made, seconded, and approved. Notably, the amount of these proceeds has yet to be finalized, and it was requested that Vicky let the board know prior to the donation if the 2019 race proceeds are not around $4,000. It was also requested that the race proceeds and, therefore, donation amount be reported to the board once the numbers are finalized. Lastly, Mark Tombrink was announced as the future race director of the 10/5 Mile Challenge.

 Tannenbaum Wrap-Up

The wrap-up of the Tannenbaum was tabled for a future meeting.

 Springtime 10K / 5K / 1M Budget

The budget for Springtime was tabled for a future meeting.

 Palace Saloon 5K Budget –

The budget for the Palace Saloon 5K was presented. Expenses are estimated to total $11,565, while revenues are estimated to be $15,300, yielding a net revenue estimate of $3,735. The difficultly in estimating revenues was noted. A motion to approve the budget was made, seconded, and passed. In addition, it was asked whether the budget includes the cost of updating the champions plaque on the wall of the Palace Saloon. While this budget omits that expense, it will be added to the next iteration of the 2020 Palace Saloon 5K budget.

V.  COMMITTEE REPORTS

Membership –Mark Priddy

Mark provided insights on GWTC membership, reporting that GWTC has 1,336 members in 705 households. This count exceeds last years’ February count of 959 members and 490 households.

Treasurer- David Yon

David reported on the current financial position of GWTC. Specifically, the Statement of Activity for the period of July 1, 2019 through February 12, 2020 includes net revenues of $12,538.70, with gross revenues of $269, 464. The financial position of the club includes total assets of $271,120, which consists of six accounts. David plans to propose two of the six accounts be eliminated in the future.

Chip Timing– Bill Hillison (above)

Please see Bill’s annual timing report (above) for details on GWTC chip timing.

Equipment – Tec Thomas

Tec provided a report on GWTC’s equipment, highlighting that the new equipment rental form is on the GWTC website. While the updated form is on the website, not all race directors utilize the equipment rental form. Proper and timely completion of the equipment rental form was stressed for efficient and effective supply of equipment for races. In addition, a broken table was reported.

Newsletter – Robert and Kory Skrob

Robert shed insights on GWTC’s newsletter, reporting that the time and location of the GWTC board meeting had been and will continue to be shared in the Fleet Foot moving forward. Discussion on publishing the home addresses of board members that are hosting meetings took place.

Race Director – Mary Jean Yon

No report. However, it was noted that it might be helpful to mention equipment forms, as discussed above, at the next race director meeting.

Trail Coordinator –Jim Halley

Jim shed light on upcoming trail- related events. Specifically, Jim reported that that the Tallahassee Trail Festival is coming up at the end of March. TMBA, Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association, will be hosting the three-day event, which includes trail rides, live music, a beer garden, camping, and more.

Chenoweth Fund – David Yon

David provided a report on the Chenoweth Fund, noting that Girls on the Run asked the Chenoweth Committee for $1,500 and that the Committee is voting to give them $1,000. Discussions on what the funds are used for took place, and it was highlighted that the program has a new director this year. Following this discussion, the motion to approve $1,000 for the Girls on the Run was made, seconded, and passed.

Training Groups – Thomas Biance

Tom reported on the status of GWTC’s training groups. Specifically, Tom noted that the Springtime training group is two weeks in and will continue for six more weeks. The new running store, Cadence, has been helping by providing pace groups. In addition, Tom is still looking for someone to one day take over as Training Group Coordinator.

 Triathlete Club- John Sivyer

John had to leave early but later highlighted via email that the St. Marks Duathlon is coming up on March 22, 2020.

Website – David Yon

Nothing new to report.

Youth Council – Kaari Guyas

Nothing new to report.

Merchandise –Laura McDermott and Sherri Wise

No report.

Education and Lecture – Chris Stanley

No report.

Social – Vicky Droze

No report. However, it was noted that an Olympic Marathon Trials Watch Party will take place at Hanger 38 on February 29, 2020.

VI.  CLOSING REMARKS

 A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:16 P.M.

Alyssa Moore, Secretary