GULF WINDS TRACK CLUB Minutes

I.  MEETING ATTENDANCE AND OPENING

Voting Members: Paul Guyas, David Yon, Judy Alexander, Tristan LaNasa, Chika Okoro, Tom Perkins, Mark Priddy, Mary Jean Yon, Robert Skrob, Alyssa Moore

 Non-Voting Members: Bill Lott, Tec Thomas, Thomas Biance, Rachel Scharlepp, Kaari Guyas, Sade Guyas

 The meeting was called to order by Paul Guyas at 7:23 p.m. At the start of the meeting, a quorum could not be established, as not enough voting members were present. Thus, the meeting started with an update on the Palace Saloon 5K website from Mark Priddy and an equipment report from Tec. Following the equipment report, a quorum was established. The meeting then proceeded in its usual order.

 Approval of the February 2020 minutes was tabled, and discussion of new procedures for the use of Google Doc meeting minutes took place. The February 2020 minutes are to be sent out via email, and moving forward, Alyssa will establish a deadline for edits to the minutes.

 II.         OFFICER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 While no announcements were made, GWTC board meeting times were discussed. It was suggested that the GWTC website be updated to reflect the new board meeting start time of 7:15 p.m. The objective of this earlier start time is to prevent meetings from extending beyond 9:00 p.m. However, the time conflict between Wednesday evening run groups and the new meeting start time was also called to attention. A motion to move the board meeting start time back to 7:30 p.m. was made and seconded, but the quorum had yet to be established. It was determined that the bylaws should be consulted on board meeting time and duration matters, and further discussion on board meeting time was tabled for a later date.

 III.      OLD BUSINESS

 Request to raise budget for meeting expenses – Judy Alexander

Judy highlighted the costs of hosting board meetings, which can involve both location and food and refreshment costs.  Discussion of past meeting costs as well as potential alternative meeting locations took place. Ultimately, a motion to raise the budget for meeting expenses from $100 to $200 was made and seconded. However, with three in favor and four opposed, the motion did not pass.

 Email List Follow-Up – Alyssa Moore

To ensure that GWTC board materials are sent to the appropriate email addresses, a printed list of email addresses was passed around for individuals to confirm and/or update.

IV.       NEW BUSINESS
Miscellaneous Club Business – Judy Alexander

This item was tabled for a subsequent meeting.

 Update for Palace Saloon 5K – Mark Priddy

Mark shared that the website for the Palace Saloon 5K (ps5k.com), has been hacked and, thus far, there has been no luck in regaining control of the website. Accordingly, the site has been shut down, and efforts are being made to move pertinent information about the race to its RunSignUp webpage. Further, discussion on a code to retrieve the website along with general password guidelines took place. Passwords exceeding 15 characters were recommended. 

 Southern Scholarship Foundation Donation from 2010

Paul requested the board’s input on a request from the Southern Scholarship Foundation to repurpose funds donated from Gulf Winds Track Club on September 17, 2010. Prior to the board meeting, Paul had shared the email request from Southern Scholarship foundation with the GWTC board members. In brief, Gulf Winds Track Club donated $750 to the fund in 2010 with the intention of supporting the activities of a morning running club. The Southern Scholarship Foundation email reported that $391.06 of the donation was used in 2010 for running events and that a remaining balance of $233.16 has carried forward for nearly 10 years. Because the morning run group was short-lived, the foundation requested to use the remaining $233.16 to support an upcoming Graduate Recognition and Potluck for their Spring 2020 graduates in Tallahassee. After some discussion, a motion to approve the request was made, seconded, and passed.

 Flash 12K / 6K (2020) Wrap-Up – Keith Rowe

Keith presented the 2020 Flash 12K / 6K wrap-up, reporting that an increase in total revenue and decrease in expenses from past years. Specifically, revenue totaled $7,785.63 and expenses totaled $4,903.41, yielding a total net revenue of $2,882.22. A motion to donate 50 percent of the proceeds, namely $1,1441.11, to Ron Strong was made, seconded, and approved. The remaining $1,1441.11 will go to the club. Coupled with the direct donations, this $1,1441.11 donation brought the total donations from the race to Ron Strong to $2,185.11. Congratulations were wished to Keith.

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

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

 GWTC 30K / 15 K (2020) Wrap-Up – Zach DeVeau or Jillian Heddaeus

The 2020 GWTC 30K / 15K wrap-up was tabled for a subsequent meeting. Alyssa volunteered to reach out to Zach and Jillian in regard to presenting a wrap-up to the board.

 Tallahassee Marathon / Half Marathon (2020) Wrap Up

The 2020 Tallahassee Marathon / Half Marathon wrap-up was tabled for a subsequent meeting.

 Springtime 10K / 5K / 1M (2019) – Rachel Scharlepp

Rachel presented the 2019 Springtime 10K/ 5K/ 1M wrap-up, and an Excel spreadsheet with both 2019’s Springtime wrap-up and 2020’s Springtime budget was distributed via email. In brief, 2019’s Springtime 10K / 5K/ 1M generated $28,122.25 in race registrations and an additional $1,500 in race sponsorships. Expenses were $23,399.42, yielding a net revenue of $6,222.83. A motion to donate 50 percent of the proceeds, namely $3,111.42 to Big Brothers Big Sisters and the remaining 50 percent to the club was made, seconded, and passed.

 Springtime 10K / 5K / 1M (2020) Budget – Rachel Scharlepp

Rachel also presented the 2020 Springtime 10K / 5K/ 1M budget, which was included in the Excel spreadsheet distributed via email as well. Financial figures for Springtime 2020 were estimated to be similar to those in 2019, and, accordingly, the budget for Springtime 2020 mirrors the actuals from Springtime 2019. The 2019 income was noted as $29621 and expense as $23399. However, it was highlighted that in past years the City of Tallahassee covered some of the Springtime 10K / 5K / 1M race expenses, assuming that the race was a part of the Springtime Festival. Thus, if the City no longer covers these expenses, Springtime may incur an additional $270 (or so) in expenses for things like trash cans.

 Concerns for runner safety and race participation in regard to the Coronavirus were also raised. Regarding race participation, Rachel reported that the number of registered runners is up from last year at this point. Regarding runner safety, use of hand sanitizer and rubber gloves were encouraged.  Liability concerns were also raised, and complete transparency in regard to running at one’s own risk was suggested. Lastly, the question of what happens in the event that the race is canceled due to the virus was raised. After some discussion, it was determined that Rachel will reach out to the Tallahassee Police Department about the Springtime 10K / 5K / 1M and will keep board members informed about the fate of the race. 

 This conversation spurred additional discussion on an email Tom Biance received from RunSignUp regarding race cancelations and the Coronavirus. Tom shared the email with the group, which, in brief, stated that to mitigate the financial impact of customers processing chargebacks, RunSignUp will be doing an automatic buildup of our reserve merchant account. According to RunSignUp, they are implementing a 20 percent reserve, by holding back 50 percent of the registration fees collected since our last payment, based on previous experience with cancelled races that did not offer refunds. It was noted that the reserve amount can be increased upon GWTC’s request and suggested that Rachel and Zack work with Mary Jean and Peg Griffin to further explore  the amount held back to cover expenses in the event that Springtime 2020 is canceled. 

 Following this discussion, a motion to approve the Springtime 2020 budget was made, seconded, and approved.

 GWTC365 Update and Request – Paul Guyas

For the GWTC365 discussion, Paul passed chair duties to Mary Jean. A request for the club to cover custom racing jerseys for the members of GWTC365 was made. Currently, there are nine GWTC365 members, and the program is reported to have netted the club $1,316 for the calendar year of 2020. The jerseys are estimated to cost $45 each with $1 shipping per unit, and the objective of these racing tank tops is to advertise the club and attract additional individuals to the club and the GWTC365 program. The $1,316 was estimated by comparing the run history and annual spending of the nine GWTC365 members over the past seven years to their spending in 2020 after joining GWTC365. Specifically, the $1,316 is the difference between these members average annual spending and actual spending on joining the program. The costs and benefits of the customizable jerseys were discussed. Further, the possibility of including the jersey cost in what members’ pay to join the GWTC365 program moving forward was suggested. Lastly, a prototype of the jersey was presented. The motion to cover the costs of the jerseys ordered for the GWTC365 members was made and seconded. Discussion of amending the motion to include a deadline for when the costs of the jerseys are covered in GWTC365 member fees took place, but, ultimately, no amendment was made. Thus, the original motion to cover the $45 jerseys for GWTC365 members did not pass (3 to 4), and Paul was encouraged to come back to the board with a new proposal for the jerseys. Mary Jean passed chair duties back at the conclusion of this item

 V.         COMMITTEE REPORTS

Membership –Mark Priddy

Mark reported that Gulf Winds Track Club currently has 1,360 members in over 700 households. At this time last year, the club was reported to have 998 members in 514 households.

 Treasurer- David Yon

David presented the treasurer’s report and distributed the club’s Statement of Activity for July 1, 2019 – March 11, 2020, Statement of Financial Position as of March 11, 2020, and Statement of Activity Year-To-Date Comparison. Net revenue for the fiscal year was reported as -$27,709.08, and total assets as of March 11, 2020 were reported as $230,872.27. In addition, a draft document summarizing the policies, controls, and duties for financial operations of Gulf Winds Track Club was presented. Bill Hillison worked with David to create this draft, and David hopes to present an updated document as well as a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year at a subsequent meeting. Further, it was highlighted that board members can request to have Gulf Wind Track Club bank statements mailed to their homes. Moreover, upon David’s request, Jeanne O’Kon was appointed as the treasurer of Turkey Trot. The appointment was made and passed. Finally, upon David’s recommendation, a motion to close down the Event 1 and Event 2 bank accounts was made, seconded, and passed.

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

Bill Lott presented the chip timing report. In February 2020, five races were chip timed, including two Club races and three non-Club races. Chip timed Club races include the Tallahassee Marathon / Half Marathon / Marathon Relay and Flash 12K / 6K, while the non-Club races include the Run For the Cookies 5K / 1M, 1 Mile Heart & Sole Run in Thomasville, and Buck Lake Bobcat Trail Run 5k / 1M. In March 2020, GWTC is scheduled to chip time five races, two of which are Club races (Springtime 10K / 5K / 1M and the St. Mark’s Duathlon) and three of which are non-Club races. A call for volunteers to help with timing races was made.

 Equipment – Tec Thomas

Tec reported that last year there was a committee for the equipment that had worked quite well, but this year he may need to solicit additional volunteers to help meet equipment demands on the busier weekends. Specifically, Tec estimated he may need two to three more people to assist with equipment and welcomed recommendations for how to recruit volunteers. Suggestions included: posting about the positions on the Gulf Winds Facebook page, in the Fleet Foot, and in the G-wind List. In addition, it was suggested that Tec get in contact with Lyssa Oberkreser, the volunteer coordinator, and David Yon offered to help Tec come up with a list of names of potential volunteers.

 Tec also inquired about the frequent requests for waived equipment fees. It was established that the club’s general policy is to not waive fees, with exception of club and Leon County school races. Lastly, Bill Lott reported that he spent $3.99 to replace a battery in a Chromomix.

 Newsletter – Robert and Kory Skrob

Robert discussed the work and resources involved in creating the Fleet Foot and distributed a handout outlining two positions related to the newsletter: (1) newsletter editor and (2) graphic designer. The handout included the goal, job duties, and budget for these positions. In the past, Fred Deckert had filled both of these roles before asking Robert and Kory, who do not do graphic design, to take over the newsletter. Thus, the Skrobs have been paying a graphic designer in upstate New York out of pocket to help with the Fleet Foot. This graphic design work cost about $800 in the initial month and has been about $425 – $475 in subsequent months, and the designer is giving them a significant discount. Robert and Kory are happy to continue to volunteer as newsletter editors and request that a separate position for graphic designer of the Fleet Foot be made. In addition, it was requested that the budget for graphic design be increased from $100, what was budgeted for Fred in the past, to $500. The impressive new look of the Fleet Foot was highlighted, and, the possibility of recruiting a club member to fill the position of graphic designer was also discussed. Moreover, it was highlighted that though the budget for graphic design would be $500, only the actual invoice costs would be covered by the club.  A motion to boost the graphic design budget to $500 per month was made, seconded, and passed.

 In addition, the Skrobs had been partially reimbursed for the graphic design costs they incurred and a motion to reimburse the Skrobs for the remaining $1,225 that they spent on graphic design for the Fleet Foot was made, seconded, and approved. A huge thank you was wished to the Skrobs.

 Race Director – Mary Jean Yon

Mary Jean reported that she will be putting together the next race director meeting soon.

 Trail Coordinator –Jim Halley

No report.

 Chenoweth Fund – David Yon

David reported that a request from Jefferson High School is under consideration by the Chenoweth Committee, but a decision has yet to be made.  

 Training Groups – Thomas Biance

Thomas shared that the Springtime training group is still going strong and that Cadence Running has been very helpful with the groups. In addition, a call for pace leader volunteers was made, and there was discussion of putting out a poll in regard to a training group for Breakfast on the Track. An incident with one of the training groups was reported and has been handled.  

 Triathlete Club- John Sivyer

No report.

 Website – David Yon

Nothing new to report.

 Youth Council – Kaari Guyas

Kaari reported that the Youth Council recently held a very successful meeting.  It was reported that David asked some questions in regard to organizing a party for the Striders and that the Youth Council answered those questions. The Youth Council also discussed how the new Grand Prix scoring affects kids, and it was reported that the Youth Council are generally happy with the scoring. The Youth Council also brainstormed ways to improve the Striders and will continue to work with David on organizing their party.  

 Merchandise –Laura McDermott and Sherri Wise

No report.

 Education and Lecture – Chris Stanley

While no report was given, it was shared that Chris is ready to transition out of his role as Lecture Series Coordinator. Accordingly, the board was encouraged to consider potential replacements for this position. 

 Social – Vicky Droze

David shared that he is working with Vicky and several others on putting together a speaker event with Stan Linton and Adriana Piekarewicz on their experience in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. Gary Droze agreed to moderate the event, which is slated for April 3rd, 2020. Reservations have been  made at the League of Cities building at Kleman Plaza. 

 Volunteers – Lyssa Oberkreser

Paul shared the sentiment of an email from Lyssa. In brief, race directors are encouraged to include sign-ups for volunteers with their race registration, and a request for David to call for volunteers in his weekly column was made. In general, members are encouraged to reach out to Lyssa for ideas involving volunteers and getting new people more involved in the club.

 VI.       CLOSING REMARKS

 A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:06 P.M.

 Alyssa Moore, Secretary