I.              MEETING ATTENDANCE AND OPENING

 Voting Members: Paul Guyas, Mary Jean Yon, David Yon, Chika Okoro, John Sivyer, Judy Alexander, Heather York, Robert Skrob, Johanna Petty, Tom Perkins, Kat Sack, Alyssa Moore

 Non-Voting Members: Thomas Biance, Bill Lott, Kaari Guyas, Bobby York

The meeting was called to order by Paul Guyas at 7:34 p.m. A quorum was established.

 A motion for the approval of the May 2020 meeting minutes was made, seconded, and passed.

 II.            OFFICER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Potential New Committee – Paul Guyas  

Paul proposed the formation of a new committee or task force to address diversity, equality, inclusiveness, and related matters, given recent events across the nation. Feedback from the board on this new committee was solicited, and it was noted that a more defined title and description of the committee will be presented at a later date, once the committee is formalized.  Discussion on the committee and its potential actions took place. Following discussion, board members interested in joining the committee were encouraged to reach out to Paul Guyas.

 III.          OLD BUSINESS

 SMIRFS Program (2020) Update – David Yon

David shared that progress with the SMIRFS program has been limited and that many of last summer’s (2019) SMIRF runners are currently running at a Maclay School summer camp headed by Coach Angie Milford on the Maclay campus. David has dedicated time and energy to helping Angie with this summer camp, which is estimated to contain about 30 participants.

 Potluck Bash (2020) Update – David Yon

David reported that the City of Tallahassee is opposed to the Potluck Bash (2020) taking place in-person due to coronavirus concerns. Accordingly, plans for the Potluck Bash (2020) have slowed for the time being. He also noted that races have taken place across the state of Florida during these pandemic times, meaning that some have been successful in obtaining permits for races.

 Summer Trail Series (2020) Update – Bobby York  

Bobby shared aspirations of hosting the Summer Trail Series (2020) in-person, noting that if in-person racing is not possible, he would like to continue with the Series virtually. Further, Bobby and David Yon shared plans to discuss insurance for the Series with the RRCA the day following the board meeting, i.e. on June 11, 2020. It was highlighted that the original plans and motion for the Summer Trail Series (2020) centered on virtual, rather than in-person, races. The Secretary, Alyssa Moore, read the approved motion for the virtual Summer Trail Series (2020) from the previous board meeting held on May 13, 2020. Race liability concerns were then revisited, as the virtual races would involve insuring a course over a two-week race period rather than a single race-day. It was noted that for the Summer Trail Series’ (2020) plans to progress, RRCA approval is needed. Bobby agreed to update the board on the RRCA’s decision regarding the Series, noting that a virtual vote via email could take place, if necessary, to support an in-person race. Further, in the event that RRCA approval is received, it was suggested that the first race of the Series be held virtually, just to be safe. Lastly, it was suggested that all virtual races consider underscoring where the monies from race fees are going, such as to the club and to designated charities. Accordingly, it was highlighted that the net revenue from the Summer Trail Series is always split equally between the GWTC and Friends of Our Park, specifically for trail improvements.

 IV.          NEW BUSINESS

 Appointments Subject to Board Approval – Paul Guyas  

Paul shared three appointments subject to board approval, including: (1) the appointment of Mark Priddy as the Vice President, (2) the appointment of Johanna Petty as the Trail Training and Racing Coordinator, and (3) the appointment of Kat Sack as the Education and Lecture Series Coordinator. Mark Priddy and Johanna Petty will be filling positions previously held by Jim Halley, while Kat Sack will be filling a position previously held by Kristin Halley. A vote took place and the three appointments were approved with no opposition.

 Fraudulent Debit Card Transactions – David Yon

David addressed matters related to recent fraudulent activity on the GWTC debit card. It was reported that nearly $10,000 worth of unauthorized charges were made on the GWTC debit card. The funds have since been replenished in full and the card canceled. A new debit card has been issued to the club, and it was suggested that the spending on the second card be limited. David underscored that a detailed report on the fraudulent debit card transactions was created and disseminated to the board.  Those who did not receive the report and/or who would like to see the report again were encouraged to reach out to David via email.

 Further, in light of this recent banking event, a suggestion was born. Specifically, it was noted that Bill Lott is currently the only person who can sign a check and/or talk to the bank on behalf of the GWTC, and it was proposed that Peg Griffin be authorized to perform both of these duties, i.e. write checks and talk to the bank on behalf of the club, as well. To expedite the process of authorizing Peg to perform these duties, David drafted a resolution for the board to approve and read that resolution to the board. In addition to the resolution, David drafted letters to the bank that he, as Treasurer, and Paul Guyas, as the President, would sign to grant Peg authorization to sign checks and talk to the bank on behalf of the club. Discussion on this resolution took place. A motion to approve the resolution was made, seconded, and approved with no opposition.

 Lastly, the question of whether a debit card or credit card would be better for general club spending was raised. It was noted that consumer protection laws may be friendlier towards credit cards and suggested that use of the club debit card be limited as much as possible. Discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of debit cards and credit cards took place, and a motion for the Treasurer, David Yon, to get a credit card for the club was made, seconded, and approved with no opposition.

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

The 2019 Tannenbaum 6K wrap-up was tabled for a subsequent meeting.

   V.            COMMITTEE REPORTS

 Triathlete Club – John Sivyer

John reported that things with the Triathlete Club are going well and shared that the Freedom Springs Triathlon is slated to take place on July 4th in Marianna, Fl. Members were encouraged to participate in the event, which will be the first in-person triathlon for the club since the start of the pandemic. Further, John shared that Paul Guyas was the third-place male in the virtual competition for the state of Florida and gave a shout-out to Robert Skrob for recruiting famous triathlete coach and author Joe Friel to speak at the upcoming Triathlete Club meeting via Zoom. GWTC members were encouraged to attend the virtual meeting, and it was suggested that, as Education and Lecture Coordinator, Kat Sack promote the event to the GWTC club. This suggestion spurred discussion on access to the GWTC groups, and it was established that Kat would be invited to be an administrator of those groups.

 Treasurer- David Yon

David provided the treasury report as of June 9, 2020. Assets were reported at $248,703.82, and it was noted that, given the circumstances, the amount of money flowing out of the club currently exceeds that flowing into the club. Further, David disseminated a budget for the upcoming fiscal year with figures based largely off the budget from 2017. The board is to review the proposed budget in the interim period and vote on the budget at the next meeting, slated to take place on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. 

 Membership –Mark Priddy

Thomas Biance provided the membership report on behalf of Mark Priddy. Memberships and households for the year were reported at 1,325 and 697, respectively. These figures are compared to those at this time last year, which included 1,098 memberships and 577 households.  

 Chip Timing– Bill Lott, Peg Griffin, and Bill Hillison

Bill Lott provided the following chip timing report. All four races in May that were scheduled to be chip timed by GWTC were either canceled (3 races) or changed to virtual (1 race).  Of the four races scheduled for June, two have been canceled and two have changed to virtual races.  Looking ahead to July, one of the two races scheduled has been canceled while the other one has become a virtual race.  August is now the earliest month in which any races are still scheduled to occur and be chip timed.

 Equipment – Tec Thomas

No report.

  Newsletter – Robert and Kory Skrob

Robert shared that the June / July issue of the newsletter has been published and that there will be no issue published for the month of July by itself. Further, it was suggested that the board consider pausing the newsletter following July, should the trend of no races continue. Accordingly, the board agreed to revisit the conversation of pausing / continuing the newsletter at a subsequent board meeting, in hopes that members might have a better idea of when in-person races will begin again. In addition, it was noted that in the past, the newsletter has included a July/August issue, rather than a June/July issue, and mailing list concerns, specifically whether members were receiving the newsletter via their desired medium (electronic vs. physical mail) were raised. It was noted that the Run Sign-Up database is used to develop the newsletter email list, which will be investigated following the meeting to ensure successful email delivery.

 Race Director – Mary Jean Yon

Mary Jean reported that no formal race director meetings have been held since the last race director report shared on May 13, 2020. In general, races will be approached with a “wait and see” strategy, which entails monitoring and assessing coronavirus cases as businesses and organizations continue to open-up to the public. Further, it was noted that Mary Jean worked with Paul and Robert on the recent survey administered to GWTC members, and Paul shared intentions to release charts summarizing the survey results soon. 

 Following this report, discussion on returning to races and training groups commenced. Concerns of spacing on runs as well as uncertainty regarding other runners’ health and social distancing habits were raised. The question of whether the source of coronavirus contraction can be determined was also raised. Further, it was noted that, in the event races are held, members are free to decide to participate or not participate in the events. Madness at Miller Landing and Breakfast on the Track were highlighted as the next possible races to be held in-person. Discussion on race aid stations as well as RRCA guidelines was held regarding these next two potential races. Lastly, safety and creativity were underscored as key factors as the GWTC approaches its return to races.

 Trail Coordinator – Johanna Petty

Johanna issued a call for guidance regarding her position as Trail Coordinator. Specifically, Johanna inquired what the expectations and responsibilities for her new role entail and how she can be of service to the GWTC. It was noted that Visit Tallahassee is very interested in co-promoting the trails of Tallahassee with the GWTC and perhaps hosting a Trail Festival sometime in the future. The club was encouraged to pursue this co-promotion of the trails, and members were urged to begin collecting photos, descriptions, and information on the local trails. Johanna offered to utilize her contacts from Tallahassee Mountain Biking Association to further this project, and Thomas Biance shared an idea of using a Go-Pro on a bike to document the views of Tallahassee trails. Further, it was noted that horses may be causing damage to the new trails at the Alfred Greenway. These new trails were funded by the City of Tallahassee and, therefore, are open to anyone for use. Finally, it was suggested that local mountain bikers and runners join forces to help maintain the Tallahassee trails.

 Chenoweth Fund – David Yon

Nothing new to report.

 Training Groups – Thomas Biance  

Thomas shared a desire to step down from his position as Training Groups Coordinator, noting that he will not be leading large training groups moving forward. Further, it was noted that Florida is currently in “Phase 2” of reopening, meaning that gatherings of 50 people or less are permitted with social distancing. Discussion on restarting training groups followed. Specifically, the question of whether board approval is necessary to reopen training groups was posed. Further, because an official statement was issued by the President to suspend training groups, it was asked whether an official statement needs to be issued to reopen training groups.  Several points were made, including arguments that the training groups voluntarily shut down and should therefore be permitted to restart when they believe they are compliant. Others argued the groups should  “wait and see” how Phase 2 goes before reopening training groups and  allow training group leaders to decide whether to restart their groups.  In addition, it was highlighted that runners have been meeting for Tuesday interval workouts, and the question of whether these interval groups (morning and evening) should be recognized as a GWTC training groups was raised. Several perspectives were shared, both in favor and opposed to recognizing the Tuesday interval groups as GWTC groups. It was noted that the Tuesday interval workouts have been carefully designed to follow CDC guidelines and promote social distancing. After a lengthy discussion, a motion that the Tuesday interval groups that meet at Maclay School be permitted to continue and recognized as GWTC groups , contingent on the groups continuing to comply with CDC guidelines, was made, seconded, and passed with two oppositions. Conversation on reopening additional GWTC training groups was tabled for a subsequent meeting.

 Website – David Yon

Nothing new to report.

 Youth Council – Kaari Guyas

Nothing new to report.

 Merchandise –Laura McDermott and Sherri Wise

Nothing new to report.

 Education and Lecture – Kat Sack

Kat shared aspirations of taking advantage of the opportunity for a Zoom lecture series and/or panel of speakers. Members were encouraged to share related ideas with Kat.  

 Social – Vicky Droze

No report.

 Volunteers – Lyssa Oberkreser

No report.

 VI.          CLOSING REMARKS

 Prior to dismissing, it was noted that the Grand Prix committee recently held a Zoom meeting to discuss the potential impacts of COVID-19 on the scoring of the Grand Prix Series and, accordingly, prizes awarded at the end of the year. It was decided that the committee would put together a statement sharing intentions of playing the Grand Prix Series by ear, given the current circumstances. Paul offered to share the committee’s statement with the board via email once finalized and encouraged the board to send feedback on the verbiage of the statement.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:22 P.M.

 Alyssa Moore, Secretary