JTC Running BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
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 Doug Alred, Jane Alred, Christy Astorga, James Bryant, Bonnie Brooks, Errol Daniels, Susan Haag, Angela Harris, Dennis Harrison, Franz Lerch, Todd O’Donnell, Ty Payne, Larry Roberts, Larry Sassa, Paul Smith, Douglas Tillett, Stuart Toomey, and Jim Van Cleave. Directors Nicole Andress and Stan Lambert were absent.
Approval of 1/7/20 (January meeting) minutes: On a motion by Doug Tillett and seconded by Ty Payne, the January board meeting minutes were approved as submitted.
Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Bonnie Brooks distributed copies of the Balance Sheet and the Profit and Loss Detail Statement through February 3, 2020. Line items discussed included income and expenses from Last Gasp race entries and social, Gate River Run training class, memberships, Guana shirt reorder, Westside Highschool donation, newsletter, and race team race entries.
OLD BUSINESS:
Eco Counter – Larry Roberts reported that the Eco Counter has been approved and ordered.
RRCA Florida Championship Races: Guana, Last Gasp – Douglas Tillett previously stated that the 2020 RRCA Florida Championship Races still had open distances and events including cross country and ultra-races. He is currently working on this project and would have more information to report next month.
Water Fountains at Jax Beach – Larry Roberts reported the club had received an email today requesting information regarding water fountains in Jax Beach. Currently we have received several emails with positive feedback.
Summer Camp Scholarships – Larry Roberts reported that we hope to open registration up near February 15th, but first we wanted to get Doug Alred’s approval before we move forward.
NEW BUSINESS:
Southeast Greenways & Trails Summit – Larry gave details about the upcoming event. Since the event would be taking place around town, it was suggested that we produce a fun run event like the event we organize for Marathon High where we match $5 donations as part of the proceeds. On motion by Franz Lerch and seconded by Susan Haag to sponsor or support the Summit with a Fun Run, was passed by the board.
A/V Equipment to show video at GRR Expo booth – Larry stated that in preparations for the GRR expo, he was looking into renting A/V equipment to allow us to play our JTC marketing video at our booth. The prices to rent the equipment at the expo was outrageous in comparison to outright purchasing the equipment we need. Discussion was had regarding pricing and suggested equipment we would need. On a motion by Todd O’Donnell and seconded by Stuart Toomey, was passed by the board to spend up to $1,000 for A/V equipment (TV, stand, sound bar, etc.) to be used at the booth, races, and other events. The equipment would be given to 1st Place Sports to hold when not in use.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Guana – Franz Lerch reported that the $460 loss was due to the last shirt order. As a result, he suggested that maybe next year we do finisher shirts rather than shirts being a part of registration. He recommended that we give our usual donation to the Friends of Guana as it was another great event. On a motion presented by Franz and seconded by Doug Tillett, the board approved a $1,000 donation to the Friends of Guana.
Gate River Run Training Class – Larry Roberts reported that there are 112 participants registered.
Track Series 2020 – The first track meet was at Bartram Trail High School and it was a good event that was well attended and supported. Larry mentioned that we need more than 2 people to work these events, at least 4 people to work in order to ensure the success of these events. The timing team will not be available for the May 16th meet, so we will need to move the date to either May 2nd or May 9th. The meet will still be at Batram Trail High School.
Go Green Winter Beach Run (Jan 25) – Doug Alred reported that attendance was down and not well at the event. There were 20 day of race registrations. It was discussed on ways how to improve the events attendance, with suggestions like making the race a 5K/10K combination rather than the current 5mi/10mi combination. This will be discussed in detail after the Gate River Run. The event was a success in terms of going green. Beaches Go Green worked very hard and were well pleased with the event and the usage of the recycling and trash bins and the water monster. The use of the water monster and the water bottle awards were well received. The benefits of using a water monsters were discussed. A motion to spend up to $2,000 to buy a water monster and donate to 1st Place Sports for future use at our and other races was presented by Stuart Toomey and seconded by Susan Haag, then passed by the board.
Gate River Run (Sat 3/7/20) – Doug Alred reported that there are currently 10,300+ registered entries, which puts us comparable to last year at this time. The starting line will be moved to Duval St this year as per construction and the ramps coming down this month. The construction project is slated to be a 2-yr project. Doug Tillett stated that the Gate River Run is the US 15K Championship and the USATF Florida Championship. As the Florida Championship will usually recognize USATF with a donation. On a motion presented by Doug Tillett and seconded by Todd O’Donnell to donate $400 to the USATF, was passed by the board. Larry also mentioned that some board members had already signed up for booth expo shifts.
Players Expo – Jane reported that sign up for the expo are going well. By chance it doesn’t sell out, we can give the open spots to charities.
Elites – Jim Van Cleave reported that we currently have 68 elite athletes signed up, since we have 5 withdrawals. The breakdown is 38 men and 30 women, and we may get more depending on the results of the Olympic Trials later this month.
Vystar Emerald Trail 5K – Larry Roberts reported that the course would start at the new courthouse and go along the S-line trail. The goal is to expose the trails to people who may not be familiar with it or the area. The idea for the course is for it to be a point-to-point route with the 1st mile being in town and the 2nd mile more on the trail. We would bus people back to the start area. There could also be bike riders. The event would start at 8am for the 1st wave. Vystar has been heavily involved with the Emerald Trail as they have already donated $100,000. Currently the event is scheduled to be on May 23rd.
Emerald Trail Plan – No Report.
Community Race/Track Meet Committee: meet after GRR – Will meet after GRR to discuss topics including Guana, SBR, track meet timing, and other issues affecting our races and events.
Community & Public Relations – Larry Sassa stated that we needed to be specific on who and what governmental officials we wanted invite to come and why. As elections are coming up soon, this would be a good time to get in front of them. It was suggested that we invite them to our hospitality tent as well as the Gate hospitality area. We should get RSVPs from them to know who is coming and to know who is there, in hopes of making introductions during the event. This would be a good job to get Colleen involved with to lead the charge. We are currently all set with the hospitality tent and wristbands and we will be using the same caterer as before. The idea to include an area for massages and recovery boots in the tent was brought up, however with limited space and accommodations we would not be able to provide that. Use. We will need board members and volunteers to sign up for the booth to sell the club and the value of membership.
Classes & Clinics – Jane Alred reported that Dick Beardsley will be at the booth on Friday and possibly speaking with several recovery groups during Gate River Run week. A few recovery centers and groups were suggested, as well as previously contacted, to host him however plans have not been finalized. The idea of hosting a reception event at the Baymeadows 1st Place Sports store was also mentioned. They are still finalizing his itinerary; however, he is also scheduled to do an interview on Channel 4 with Larry.
Finance – Bonnie Brooks reported that there were some website issues regarding processing donations. It was also mentioned that our merchandiser LogoXpress may have been recently sold.
Membership – Current membership was reported as 1,307.
Communications: Newsletter, Social Media – The email blast newsletter has been sent as well as copies are in the mail. Deadline to make the next issue is February 15th.
Vision & Planning – No report.
NEXT MEETING – The next board meeting will be Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 pm in the Mediterrania Restaurant.
The February meeting was adjourned at 8:03 pm.
