JTC Running BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Location: Mediterrania Restaurant; 3877 Baymeadows Road; Jacksonville, FL
President Larry Roberts called the meeting to order at 6:42 p.m. Directors present for the meeting were Doug Alred, Nicole Andress, Christy Astorga, Bonnie Brooks, James Bryant, Errol Daniels, Susan Haag, Dennis Harrison, Stan Lambert, Franz Lerch, Todd O’Donnell, Ty Payne, Larry Roberts, Larry Sassa, Paul Smith, Douglas Tillett, and Jim Van Cleave. Jane Alred, Angela Harris, and Stuart Toomey were absent.
Approval of 11/5/19 (November meeting) minutes: On a motion by Ty Payne and seconded by Dennis Harrison, the November 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 December 2, 2019. Bonnie mentioned that Charles Schwab’s acquisition of TD Ameritrade does not currently have any effects on our accounts and that we made a $130K deposit into the club’s new money market account. Line items discussed included income and expenses from Guana 50K and The Last Gasp, Gate River Run and half marathon training classes, memberships, baseball social, newsletter, Facebook ads, and racing team race entries.
OLD BUSINESS:
Summer Camp Scholarship Program Project – Larry Roberts reported that the application period opens on
February 15th and Doug Alred has signed off with approval. As it was previously discussed about some of the feedback that had been received from some of the previous camp attendants, further discussion was held in terms of quality of camp, cleanliness, safety, and value. It was determined that we should implement a camp evaluation form that could be sent via email or through Survey Monkey to be used like an exit interview. The forms could be anonymous and would give the camp attendees the chance to submit feedback on various areas, which we could use to evaluate the value and effectiveness of the camps.
ECO Counter – The logo was sent to the parks department; however, they did not like and sent a draft back for review. Discussion regarding the use and placement of the JTC Running logo will continue as the project moves forward as the city mulls over our request versus their guidelines for logos and advertisement. We will continue to press the issue but will wait and see how the city wants to handle it. It was suggested that we see if Neptune Beach would be interested in something like this as a more suitable alternative.
NEW BUSINESS:
Track Series – Our 1st event for the 2020 Track series will be on January 18th at Bartram Trail High School. (Matanzas 5K earlier that morning) Our first 2 meets will be held at Bartram Trail High School, with the remaining 3 at Bolles School.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Guana Trails Race – Sunday, December 1st – Franz Lerch reported it was a record turnout for the event. Day of race registration was great, with more than $1,000 in cash registrants. Guana Park officials stated that it was a big event and a great turnout for the park itself. The hats and half-zip shirts were well received as an alternative to the medals. It was discussed about having the race as a RRCA championship race for ultra-distances, as well as submitting The Last Gasp as a cross country state championship meet.
Holiday Social – The holiday social is Saturday, December 14th, at the San Marco 1st Place Store after the Festival of Lights 5K. In Jane’s absence, Doug Alred reported that everything is set, but we needed a volunteer to pick up the food from the Mandarin Publix. Jim Van Cleave accepted the responsibility to pick up the food prior to the social.
Last Gasp – The race will be Saturday, December 28th. Currently registration is at 106 entries. Everything is all set and on schedule.
Beaches Go Green Winter Beach Run – We will be implementing some of the suggested methods to “go green” like replacing metal with aluminum, using recycled shirt materials, and utilizing some form of water monsters for the race.
Gate River Run Training Class Kickoff – Larry Roberts reminded the board that our Gate River Run Training Class Kickoff event will be the first event of the new year on 1/8/2020 at the San Marco 1st Place Sports. The class registration is open online.
Gate River Run 2020 – Doug Alred reported we currently have more than 3,000 entries and that registration will pick up at the end of the month. We have great sponsorship and have our permits with the city, but a big challenge is the move and unknown in terms of construction and timeframe. Jim Van Cleave reported on the status of GRR elites, which there is some interest now with it being an Olympic year. Activity and interest will pick up more in January.
Vystar Emerald Trail 5K May 23 – Larry Roberts reported that we currently have a proposed course that they will preview soon, if not this Friday.
Emerald Trail Plan Update – Larry Roberts reported that there were no new updates.
Where to Run in Jacksonville on JTCRunning.com – Paul Smith reported that the Facebook ads have increased the awareness and website page visits for this section of the website. He mentioned that turnout has increased at several group runs as a result. It was also mentioned that the city will be closing a section of the River Walk behind the Landing for 6 months.
Community & Public Relations – Larry Sassa stated it’s time to think about the GRR hospitality tent in terms of food, catering, and volunteers. It was determined that we should use the same caterers as we have in the past, since they have continuously been good during the event.
Classes & Clinics – Todd O’Donnell reported that Jane was in the process coordinating arrangements and schedules for Dick Beardsley’s visit during Gate River Run.
Finance – It was reported that we renewed our USATF membership for another 4 years.
Membership – Membership is currently at 1,340.
Communications: Newsletter, Social Media – The email blast was sent out this past weekend and the paper copy is in the mail. The cutoff to submit an article or material for the next newsletter is the 15th. Discussion during Community and Public Relations.
Vision & Planning – No Report.
NEXT MEETING – The next board meeting will be Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at 6:30 pm in the Mediterrania Restaurant.
The December meeting was adjourned at 7:40 pm.
