Voting Members Present: Mark Priddy, Heather Vickers, Jeanne O’Kon, Peg Griffin, Tom Perkins, Herb Wills, Jo Lena Bryan, Mary Jean Yon, Lisa Unger, Stephanie Liles-Weyant, Kory Skrob, Robert Skrob, Judy Alexander, Philip Sura, David Yon, Paul Guyas. Voting Members Absent: Kendrah Richards, Tina Bahmer. Non-Voting Members Present: Bill Lott, Mark Tombrink, Tarik Noriega, Tim Unger.

I. Opening and Introduction:

The meeting was called to order by Mark Priddy at 7:01 p.m. A quorum was established. The June 2022 agenda was approved without objection. A motion was made to approve the minutes of the May 11, 2022 meeting, The motion was seconded, and passed.

II. Old Business/Race Closeouts:

a) Palace Saloon 5K Follow-up: Mark Priddy reminded Board members that everything should be done “in the sunshine.” The donation from the Palace Saloon 5K is going to the Rock Steady Boxing Center that helps Parkinson’s patients. The Parkinson’s Foundation of North Florida has closed their local office. The Center is housed at Sweat Therapy Fitness, and therefore the donation to Parkinson’s is made out to Sweat Therapy Fitness.

III. New Business:

a) GWTC Mailing List: Joseph Petty made some suggestions about how the GWTC mailing list could be improved. He built the mailing list about five years ago in Google Sheets, but a new filter needs to be added in the code. Joseph said he would like to use APPSMITH, a platform in which he could rebuild the mailing list. He is employed by the company that produces APPSMITH. He has two FSU interns who could work on this as a project. Specific buttons can be used to reach and assign certain specific groups. Joseph will donate the cost and will supervise the work of the interns. The NDA will limit the access of the member information to the interns. The program is more secure and would be easier to work with. The mailing list is used by the Membership Director for the mailing of the newsletter, and by certain club members. It falls within OPENSOURCE Software with free cloud hosting. A motion was made and seconded to migrate the current membership information into APPSMITH. Board members voted in support of the motion.

b) Miller Landing Madness 8K/5K/3K 2022 Proposed Budget: Bill Lott reviewed the proposed race budget. All runners 18 and under register free and get a free t-shirt. District 850 is replacing the Fun Station as a sponsor, and they have donated the awards for the middle and high school winners. Bill explained that there is a possible negative number in the Net Revenue for this race because of the large number of young runners who run free of charge. A motion was made and seconded to approve the proposed budget. Board members voted in support of the motion.

c) Sickle Cell 5K/1m 2022 Proposed Budget: Paul Guyas discussed the proposed race budget. He projected a Net Profit of $1353.00. The projection is based on an anticipated number of approximately 275 runners for both races. There is also a Virtual Race. Paul is not the lead for the race, but he assists with race committee. A motion was made and seconded to approve the proposed budget. Board members voted in support of the motion.

d) Women’s Distance Festival 5K/1m 2022 Proposed Budget: Lisa Unger described the proposed budget, and she anticipates about 125 runners, resulting in a Net Profit of $1,123.75. A motion was made and seconded to approve the proposed budget. Board members voted in support of the motion. The proceeds will be split between Brehon Family Services and GWTC. Lisa stated that the race registration price has been raised slightly. Mark Priddy pointed out that the race entry fee is quite expensive in other cities in Florida. For example, the entry fee for a Turkey Trot 5K race that he attended in South Florida was $100.

e) Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic 2022 Proposed Budget: Mary Jean Yon reported on the proposed budget for Jack and Laura McDermott. The proposed figures were based on the 2021 race. The projected Net Profit is $3,314.50. Proceeds will be split between Friends of Wakulla Springs and GWTC. A motion was made and seconded to approve the proposed budget. Board members voted in support of the proposed budget.

IV. Announcements from Officers:

a) Mark Priddy stated that Chris Turner resigned from the Diversity Committee. Mark spoke to Gabrielle Gabrielli, who is interested in serving on the committee. Mark would like to appoint her to the Committee, subject to Board approval. Board members voted to approve this appointment. Peg mentioned that the balance of the donation account for that Committee is $23,100. David Yon described the issues that the committee has faced in arranging bus transportation for children, including the IRC participants that he hoped to get involved.

b) FITNESS & OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITIES TOGETHER event: Mark Priddy read the invitation from Ruth Nickens at the Tallahassee Senior Center. She asked that the Club be represented at the Fitness Extravaganza on Monday, Sept, 12th from 10:00-2:00. Many of the seniors are interested in hiking and outdoor activities. GWTC did participate in the event in the past. Volunteers will be needed. Bill Lott and Jo Lena Bryan will be able to be there.

c) Mark Priddy announced that LuLulemon has been very helpful in providing cheer teams, and donations of scholarships and awards for races. Stacey Jang at Lululemon sent an e-mail to Mark indicating that they are still available to help with races. Mark suggested that race directors visit Lululemon if they would like to solicit help or possibly awards.

d) Jeanne O’Kon announced that the Girl Scout Council “Women of Distinction” event will be held on Thursday, August 4th at 11:00 a.m. at the FSU Alumni Center. Tsige Tadesse and Kim Ortloff are two of the five honorees this year. The event is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at this link: Women of Distinction Tallahassee (qgiv.com)

e) Mark Priddy discussed the amount of time that is spent organizing the Board meeting minutes. He asked Board members to be diligent about submitting any agenda items to Jeanne on Monday prior to the Wednesday Board meeting.

V. REPORTS:

a) Treasurer’s Report: Peg Griffin reported that total assets as of May 31, 2022 are $231,813.56, and the net loss to date is $21,720.60. Total liabilities and equity were $283,083.72 in May, 2019. Discussion focused on the rising cost of race expenses and the downward trend in race attendance as factors. While no action was taken, the Board will continue to monitor the club’s financial position. The fiscal year ends on June 30, and Peg will present a proposed 2022-2023 budget for consideration at the July meeting.

b) Triathlete Club: Kory Skrob reported that the Tri Club members participated in the Ironman at Chattanooga. The next Grand Prix race is the Freedom Springs Triathlon in Marianna on July 2nd. The membership numbers are down about 25%, and the meetings are not as well-attended.

c) Race Director Coordinator: Mary Jean Yon reported that the Race Directors meeting was held on May 22nd. Jack and Laura McDermott are the new Race Directors for the Ultra. Jerry and Jackie McDaniel will lead the committee for Springtime. Allen Blay is directing the Prefontaine race. Discussion at the meeting focused on ordering the best number of t-shirts for a race. Sheryl Rosen completed the RRCA certification and described what she went through. They also discussed transgender athletes and following the USATF guidelines.

d) Newsletter: Robert Skrob reported that the electronic version of the June/July newsletter has been sent by e-mail, and the paper version has just been mailed in the regular mail. Kory asked for suggestions for the Volunteer Spotlight of the Month. The next deadline is July 22nd. Robert described that the pages have to be included in four-page increments.

e) Membership: Jo Lena Bryan reported that there are currently 1271 club members (compared to 1010 last year). There are currently 707 families/households (compared to 522 last year) The Google group has 64 members.

f) Diversity: David Yon said the committee will re-group with the new committee member in the near future.

g) Education and Lecture Series: Judy Alexander reported that a Lecture event was held at Momo’s and Gary Droze was a great speaker. About 25 people attended. She will be looking for additional venues where the event can be hosted. Mark asked Board members to suggest new meeting places.

h) Website: Nothing to report.

i) Chenoweth Fund: David Yon reported that Pot Luck Bash (with Low Country Boil) is coming up and the registration has been slow. There is a new group of student scholarship award winners.

j) Merchandise: Jeanne O’Kon reported for Laura McDermott and Sherri Wise. Laura communicated that she and Sherri were not receiving the e-mails about the Board meetings, and that’s why they haven’t attended meetings recently. They have now been added to the e-mail list. Laura sent a report showing that the clothing and merchandise net sales for the three-month period of April-June, 2022 total $1133.00.

k) Equipment: No equipment related issues to report at this time.

l) Chip Timing: Bill Lott reported that in April, two Club races (Springtime 10K/5K1M and Palace Saloon 5K) and two non-Club races (Garnet & Gold 4 Miler and Rose City 10K/1M) were chip timed. During May, one Club race (Summer Trail Series Race #1- Swamp Forest Trail) and one non-Club race (Tails & Trails Half Marathon/10K/5K/1M) will be timed. For June, two Club races (Great Potluck Bash 4M Prediction Run and Summer Trail Series Race #2 – Redbug Trail) and two non-Club races (Monticello Kiwanis Cub Melon Run 5K and Paul Hoover Memorial Freedom Run 5K) are scheduled to be chip timed. Bill was contacted late today by the race director of the July 4th Firecracker 5K asking for chip timing.

m) Grand Prix: Nothing to report.

n) Social: Mark Priddy reported for Tina Bahmer. She created advertisements for the Pot Luck Bash Low Country Boil.

o) GWTC Race Teams: Tim Unger reported on the Club team racing, and described the problems they experienced with the Gate-to-Gate race. At first, the team was unable to turn in a roster and get on the military base. The event is now being administered by a group from Alabama. The race had 465 finishers. Azalea Trail cancelled their team event, and other races have as well.

Meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Jeanne O’Kon
GWTC Secretary