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Voting Members Present: Jerry McDaniel, Allen Blay, Jeanne O’Kon, Peg Griffin, Mickey Moore, Lisa Unger, David Yon, Mary Jean Yon, Emily Webster, Mickey Moore, Carter Hay, Herb Wills, Mark Priddy, Tina Bahmer. Absent: Hawthorne Hay, Joanna Maltese. Non-Voting Members Present: Gary Droze, Mike Schmitt, Bill Lott, Geoffrey Adams, John Baughman, Ashton Smith.

1. Opening and Introduction: Jerry McDaniel opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. A motion was made to approve the minutes of the June 10, 2026 meeting. Motion was seconded and passed.

2. Announcements: Jerry announced that the Privacy Policy is posted on the GWTC website at the bottom of the page. Jerry introduced Mike Schmitt, the new Equipment Manager. Jeanne asked anyone who is hosting a meeting to communicate with Mickey Moore if they would like to host a meeting at the Florida Sheriff’s Association. Mickey also thanked those who came to volunteer at the Beer Mile and the race earned a profit of $3500.00.

3. Old Business/Race Closeouts:
a) Leon County Tracks: Gary Droze pointed out that the Leon County School tracks were always open to runners for many years. Now football is the primary reason for the track closures due to the artificial turf. Gary will organize a group of volunteers to monitor the track use for a limited period of time and do a cleanup of the track when it closes. This could counter the argument that the tracks are being left with garbage and damage to the track. Allen Blay pointed out that Chiles High School did not want to close their track and they are not opposed to requests for the track to be open. Gary requested that GWTC members show support for the idea of some kind of opening of the tracks. He pointed out that “numbers matter to the School Board.” A motion was made and seconded stating that members could be notified when they could attend a specific School Board meeting to show support for limited opening of the tracks. Emily Webster suggested that members be asked if they would sign a petition in support of this, whether or not they attend the School Board meeting. Gary pointed out that a year ago, Leon and Chiles high schools were open weekend mornings but then they were shut down. Another motion was made and seconded that GWTC support a proposal that two tracks would be open on weekend mornings with some monitoring and cleanup. Motion passed.

b) Election Update: Mark Priddy described the current status of the upcoming Board election. He indicated that some Board members have indicated that they will run again. There are a few people that have indicated they may be interested in running for the Treasurer position. Tina agreed to be the Director of Socials but does not want responsibility for the Education piece. Mickey will write up some information to distribute to club members.

4. New Business:

a. Salute to Steve Prefontaine 5K Forest Run Budget Proposal: Allen Blay stated that the race is being moved to the Alford Greenway this year in September. Allen isn’t sure how this will affect the race registration. The EMS service now costs $687 for an ATV. Motion was made and seconded to approve the budget proposal. Motion passed.

b. Tallahassee Ultradistance Classic 50K/25K/10K Budget Proposal: John Baughman described his budget proposal. The Ultra will be on the Munson and J. Lewis Hall trails. He hopes for at least 35 registrants in each race. The EMS cost will be more because of the long 8-hour span. John used last year’s budget as a basis. Motion was made and seconded to approve the budget proposal. Motion passed.

c. GWTC Tannenbaum 6K Budget Proposal: Herb Wills presented the budget proposal. Motion was made and seconded to approve the budget proposal. Motion passed.

d. 2026-2027 Budget Proposal: Jerry indicated that the officers held a Zoom meeting yesterday to review the budget in advance. Some new equipment will be purchased to use the dynamic bib assignment, including iPads, a StarLink for Internet connectivity, and label printers, especially for the Marathon and Turkey Trot. Jerry suggested that a quarterly report would be helpful. The School Grants were also discussed. The amount has been increased to $500 and more applications have been received. Motion was made and seconded to approve the budget. Motion passed.

e. Volunteer Recognition Proposal: Allen Blay reviewed the plan for Volunteer Recognition. He reviewed what other road runner clubs and nonprofits do and submitted a report that was distributed to Board members. The main scope is that is becomes automatic for Board members who are rolling off the Board. For qualifying race directors, there would be automatic recognition when they step down. Major program leaders who retire from their position will be recognized. It also includes recognition of volunteers and a list of names could be published in the newsletter. The proposal asks for $750 per year. It excludes any recognition that race directors do for their volunteers. Allen pointed out the RRCA has a 2,000 hour Volunteer Award and names can be submitted for that award. Allen’s suggestion is that the awards be presented annually at the Annual Awards or perhaps at a Board meeting. Motion was made and seconded to accept the proposal.

5. Reports:

a.  Treasurer: Peg reported as of July 31, 2026, net assets of $292,017, liabilities of $504 and a net loss to date of $3,777. She also reported that because the Chenoweth Endowment Fund account had dipped below the minimum balance required to avoid service charges, she asked the bank to another account requiring a minimum of $2,500.

b.  Triathlete Club: No report.

c.  Director of Race Directors: Lisa Unger reported that the EMS service for Prefontaine has been scheduled, and she is working on the Ultra. A successful RunSignUp workshop was held last weekend and a lot of information was shared, helping race directors use RunSignUp more effectively. A race director is still needed for the Sickle Cell 5K.

d.  Director of Communications: Geoffrey Adams reported on the membership numbers: There are 743 distinct memberships, 459 Individual memberships, and 284 Family memberships. The total number of members is 1430. He talked about the typical number of non-member registrants at races and how they can be encouraged to join the club. Discounts on race registrations are a big plus. Mickey and his group are marketing to that group. He recognized Ashton for his efforts on social media. Ashton reported that for the summer, there was a lot of growth (70,000 views on Facebook and Instagram combined). He requested more photos and video content from race directors. For example, a Summer Track video submitted by Jeanne O’Kon had over 500 views. A free app called Photo Circle can be used to share photos and is easy to use. Race directors can upload their photos easily. Mickey also reported that 48,000 emails have been sent this year and the enhanced communication increases attendance at races and other events. There is a consistent audience for the podcast as well.

e.  Director of Education and Socials: Tina Bahmer reported that a contract with Goodwood has been signed for the Christmas party on Dec. 12.

f.  RACER Committee: No report.

g.  Chenoweth Committee: Nothing to report.

h.  Merchandise: No report.

i.  Equipment: Mike Schmitt introduced himself as the new Equipment Manager. He is taking pictures of the equipment and keeping inventory. There is the possibility of expanding into a third warehouse because there is so much equipment. Bill Lott reported that 14 new “Straight Ahead” directional signs have been purchased at a cost of $293.00. Motion was made and seconded to approve the equipment purchases. Motion passed. Additional Right and/or Left turn directional signs may be purchased in the future after a count of the sign inventory is made. Bill also reported that the batteries in two of the three GWTC Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have expired and need replacement. Five of the six adult defibrillation pads (feedback and regular) have expired, with the sixth one expiring in October, 2026. All three pediatric defibrillation pads have expired. Estimated costs for replacements are $495.00 per battery, $270.00 per adult feedback pad, $88.00 per adult regular pad, and $127.00 per pediatric pad. A prep kit is also needed for one of the AEDs, which runs between $25 and $75 dollars. The total cost for all of the replacement AED supplies is approximately $2,500.00.

j.  Chip Timing: Bill Lott reported that in July, one non-Club race (Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K) and one Club race (GWTC Summer Trail Series Race #3 – Cadillac Trail) were chip timed. During August, two non-Club races (Tallahassee Beer Festival Beer Mile; and the Wedding Bell 5K) and three Club races (Breakfast On the Track 1 Mile; Miller Landing Madness 8K/5K/3K; and GWTC Summer Trail Series Race #4 – Maclay Gardens) will be chip timed. Scheduled to be chip timed during September are one non-Club race (Bluebird Run for Brookie B 5K) and three Club races (5K for Sickle Cell Anemia/Tim Simpkins 1 M; Women’s Distance Festival 5K; and Salute to Steve Prefontaine 5K/1M Forest Run).

Revenue received from chip timing non-Club races for the just ended fiscal year (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026) totaled $10,262.00. No revenue has been received for the current fiscal year-to-date (July 1 to July 31, 2026). Two laptop computers, two wireless mouses, and two laptop sleeves totaling $2,630.48 have been purchased for chip timing. These laptop purchases had been previously authorized by the Board.

k.  Grand Prix: Allen reported that the Grand Prix results are current on the website.

l.  School Grants Report: Peg reported that Amy O’Kelley reached out to 10 schools and has approved four requests at the $500 level. A motion was made and seconded to approve the requests. Motion passed.

m.  Training Groups Coordinator: Emily got positive feedback from people who attended the Town Hall meeting. She will reach out to the group run leaders, and Emily has budgeted money for activities to create more of a community feel.

Meeting adjourned: 8:13 p.m.

Jeanne O’Kon, Secretary