JTC Running BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Location: Mediterrania Restaurant; 3877 Baymeadows Road; Jacksonville, FL
President Larry Roberts called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m. Directors present for the meeting were Jane Alred, Nicole Andress, Bonnie Brooks, Errol Daniels, Susan Haag, Dennis Harrison, Franz Lerch, Todd O’Donnell, Ty Payne, Larry Roberts, Larry Sassa, Lamar Strother, Douglas Tillett, and Jim Van Cleave. Doug Alred, Christy Astorga, Angela Harris, Stan Lambert, Paul Smith, and Stuart Toomey were absent.
Approval of 10/2/18 (October meeting) minutes: On a motion by Lamar Strother and seconded by Todd O’Donnell, the October board meeting minutes were approved as submitted.
Treasurer’s Report: Bonnie Brooks distributed copies of the Balance Sheet and the Profit and Loss Detail Statement through October 2018. It was stated that our balance was down, and we had a loss due to the recent down trend in the stock market. Line items discussed included memberships, Summer Beach Run and Just In Queso Foundation donation, newsletter expenses, Guana race shirts, and half marathon training class expenses.
OLD BUSINESS:
Emerald Trail Plan Update – Larry Roberts reported that Kay Ehas, Groundworks Jacksonville CEO, and councilman Gaffney would be presenting a proposal to city council within the next month to move forward and select a “model mile.” Also, it has been mentioned that they hope Vestcor will assist in the project.
Where to Run in Jacksonville on JTCRunning.com – No report.
Sulzbacher Run, Jump, Throw – Larry reported that he, Angela Harris, and Michael DelCharco visited the newly opened Sulzbacher Village and had the opportunity to discuss possibly having a Run, Jump, Throw event there and getting them involved with our Track meet series. The Sulzbacher Village is a new facility located on 41st Street now with medical and dental amenities. The new facility is geared for women and children, as the downtown campus is now men-only. Larry also stated that Angela Harris would report more details as she continues to work closely with the event planning.
Board of Directors 2019 Returnees – Errol reported that board members Bonnie Brooks, Errol Daniels, Susan Haag, Franz Lerch, Todd O’Donnell, Ty Payne, Lamar Strother, Douglas Tillett, and Stuart Toomey all had expiring terms. All except Lamar had previously communicated that they would be returning for another term on the board starting in January 2019. It was stated that the board members needed to start thinking of candidates to fill the empty position. We want to think in terms of individuals with connections to businesses within the city, professional expertise with knowledge of and interest in running.
NEW BUSINESS:
Track Meets 2019 Season (1/19/0700 @ Bartram; 5/11/1500 @ Bolles; 6/8, 6/22, 7/6, 7/13 all 0700 @ Bolles) – On a recommendation from the Our 2019 Track meet schedule has been updated with the above dates. More detailed event schedules will be available from Coach Franks soon. It was mentioned that we may want to set a minimum limit in terms of attendance in the future, as some events are not as well attended and would not require as many resources. Attendance numbers from last year’s meets included a low of 182 and a high as many as 413.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Guana Trail Races (Sun 12/2/18) – Franz Lerch reported that everything is going well with registration and we are ready for the event. Registration numbers are up for the 50K, 12K, and Relay compared to last year.
Last Gasp (Sat 12/29/18) – Registration is currently open and available on the website. Currently there are 32 runners signed up, which is fine as registration usually picks up after Thanksgiving. Bonnie mentioned that she had talked with Herb in regard to the bill for the event.
Winter Beach Run (Sat 1/19/19 @ 2pm) – No Report.
Gate River Run (Sat 3/9/19) – No Report.
Gate River Run Publicity/Sponsorship Committee – This Dennis Harrison stated that he will meet with Doug Alred so that they can work together to implement a plan of action for obtaining sponsorships. Dennis mentioned that this is the type of work he previously performed in roles with other organizations.
Race Committee / Track Meet Committee – No Report.
Classes & Clinics – No Report.
Community & Public Relations (Gate River Run Video) – Larry Sassa reported that he is in process of meeting with Creative Studios, a PR and marketing firm, to inquire about developing a strategy to tell our story. Again, we want to create a video that tells who we are and what we do that will serve as a starting point when we make presentations to prospective sponsors and local officials. He asked the board to assemble pictures and stories from past Gate experiences and runners that we could use to tell the story of how important GRR is to our community and our runners. Larry stated as we continue to move forward we will develop a budget and it will be money well spent.
Finance – Bonnie stated that there was one finance request submitted, which was from Dennis on behalf of Jax Legal Aid. As previously discussed, the Jax Legal Aid Freed-to-Run event would be good exposure for the club and we already committed to sponsoring the finish line area celebration at the Duval County Courthouse by setting up our tents. On a recommendation from the Finance Committee, Bonnie presented a motion that was seconded by Douglas Tillett, and passed by the board to give a $500 donation to Jax Legal Aid for the finish line celebration and other race related expenses for the December 7th event.
Membership – Membership was currently at 1,241 active members.
Merchandise LogoXpress – Larry reported that merchandise sales had reached a total of $250, so we should develop a strategy to increase sales especially as the holidays approach.
Communications: Newsletter, Social Media – The cutoff for our last issue of the year is the 10th, however we can extend it to the 15th if anyone needs time to submit an article. The issue will contain information regarding merchandise, our holiday social, and Last Gasp. It was also brought up that we needed to include membership information and costs in the newsletter as it could not be found in our most recent issues.
Vision & Planning – No Report.
NEXT MEETING – The next board meeting will be Tuesday, December 4, at 6:30 pm in the Mediterrania Restaurant.
The November meeting was adjourned at 7:27 pm.
