Attending: Ed, Mary and, Drew.
(Erin was unable to attend due to travel but gave approval for all action items in writing prior to the meeting.)
Agenda
1. Q&A from Board Re: Secretary’s Annual Review
Update on Boat Storage
As noted in an earlier email, we have a storage space at the dry storage facility in the Ventura Harbor. For $88 a month, we get a locked and reasonably secure spot walking distance to the public launch ramps.
The trailer’s “paddle boxes” have locks and there is also a lock on the trailer’s hitch.
Finances & Assets
The current balance sheet for the club shows a balance of $650.59 dollars in cash reserves and an estimated equipment inventory value of $16,190. (Equipment includes our trailer and all donated boats and paddles to date.)
Following Board Resolution 2019-01, a bank account at the Bank of the Sierras has been created with Ed and Drew as signatories. Ed donated $100 and Drew donated $200 when opening the new bank account. The bank gave us $50 for opening the account, too!
Drew has also requested matching funds from Patagonia for my $200 donation which he hopes to receive shortly. An additional donation from Tyler Marolf may come in before the end of the year for an additional $400.
Drew will continue to pay for the domain name and cover hosting fees out of his own pocket. This amounts to roughly $65 dollars a year and is noted as our “administration” costs with various legal forms.
Overall, and without a lot of effort, we have received quite a bit of assets through unsolicited donations. The club does not require a lot of capital at this time to continue forward. Drew feels comfortable saying the club has enough cash on hand to cover costs for at least the first six months of the coming year. Ideally, we will have enough club members by June to cover ongoing costs and begin saving money to purchase some new equipment.
Grants
Drew would like approval for a grant application and approval to continue to look for other grant opportunities to purchase additional equipment.
A Letter of Intent with the LA84 Foundation for a grant of $10,000 has been submitted to purchase equipment for beginning paddlers; two Lightning kayaks, and two Kape Mini C1s (or similar boats perhaps from Prestol or Hoody). Assuming there is additional funds available, money from the grant would go to the purchase of canoe paddles first and then additional kayak paddles. (We need more canoe paddles than kayak paddles currently.) You can see more about the LA84 Foundation here.
Life Jackets
Drew would like permission to purchase 8-10 club PFDs by the end of February with approval from the Board. The club currently has 3 PFDs of various sizes. He is looking for grants for PFDs from the State but these grants are only offered every other year and this is the off year. Drew may be able to get a discount from NRS for life jackets as they have a program for Patagonia employees to purchase jackets at a discount for the personal use. Type III lifejackes are what he’s looking to purchase. Some examples at NRS -> https://www.nrs.com/category/4969/life-jackets/type-iii
Insurance and Liability Forms
Drew paid for the Paddle America Club membership with the American Canoe Association which gives the club liability insurance for next year. Membership also gives us a presence on the ACA website. All club members will be required to join the ACA so that this liability insurance coverage is intact and will be required to sign a waiver which is submitted to the ACA. Drew has created online forms for collecting adult and minor waivers that replicate what many clubs pay a service to do. You can see the new waivers linked from the Join Us page –> https://www.venturacanoekayak.org/join-us/
Anyone attending a club sanctioned event — such as an “Open House” or week long class on paddling — will be required to either join the ACA for $25 or pay $5 for the event in addition to signing the liability waiver. This is a requirement of the PAC insurance.
Membership and Recruiting
Drew will begin advertising “Open House” sessions on Facebook and Instagram, and also with the Ventura Reporter (a local free paper) to be held at Marina Park in March and April. These will be open to all ages.
Drew also has a contact at the Ventura Parks and Recreation Department that will be approached about offering a week long class for the Spring Break period at Marina Park.
Finally, Betsy Harrison, a high school friend of Drew’s, is a PE teacher at Balboa who he will approach about being available to do a sprint canoe and kayak overview for her classes. She said the Casitas Rowing group did something similar last year and got a few kids signed up.
The Board accepted these updates with thanks and appreciation.
2. Resolution 2019-02 – Request for Approval of Grant Application with LA84.org
Does Drew have approval to continue to seek grant money from the LA84 organization for new equipment to be used by beginning paddlers?
Yes – Passed unanimously by Board.
3. Resolution 2019-03 – Request for Approval to Purchase Life Jackets
Assuming we get the Patagonia matching funds of $200 and an additional donation from Tyler Marlof of perhaps $400, Drew would like permission to use these funds for the purchase of life jackets of various sizes for the club.
Does Drew have approval to spend up these monies on PFDs for the club?
Yes – Passed unanimously by Board.
Note, all club members are asked to buy their own PFDs after 3 months with us and to get their own paddles after six months. Obviously, not everyone will either do that or be able to afford these costs in that timeline. I am hoping to be able to get 8-10 PFDs in our inventory before formal recruitment begins.
4. Filing of Tax Forms
Drew will prepare this year’s IRS Form 990 and FTB Form 199 for Ed to review by the end of January. These documents will also be shared with the Board and uploaded to Guide Star, a company that vets non-profits. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/83-2495400 is our account there. This helps with getting donations from people, as well as the matching fees from Patagonia.
Noted and approved by Ed.
5. Approval to Post Update on Website
I’d like approval to post the Secretaries update above in the “News and Noise” section of the club’s website, pending any revisions or clarifications the Board requests.
Approval given.
6. Feedback and Other?
I’m trying to build this club up in a way that is transparent and open.
Drew shared that there have been inquiries by established sprint paddlers in the area wishing to paddle with us and join! This is a good sign for the Spring recruitment plans.
The Board accepted a motion to adjourn and the meeting ended by 7:15 PM.
