Minutes: March 3, 2018
The 03/03/18 face to face Board of Director’s meeting of the Wisconsin Trapshooting Association was called to order at 9:09 am by Fritz Thistle, President. Directors present were, S/E Dick Otto and Jerry Kaszynski, N/W Tate Barwald and Phil Challoner, N/E Don Chrapla, S/W LaVerne Lehman, ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring, 1st Alt. Delegate Dwight Paulin, 2nd Alt. Delegate Fritz Thistle, Treasurer Arlene Otto, Secretary/Shoot Coordinator Amy Jenkins.
Also present at the meeting: Gary Gerhartz, Esther Thistle, Glen Carlson, John Coniff, Chops, Don Mittag, Jeff Recob, Matt Harn, Keith Lehmann, Nick Gebhardt
Meeting started at 9:14am
Treasurer’s Report:
Arlene passed out the report. One is the month end report with everything taken in and expensed out. The next one is a profit and loss and then a balance sheet. They are the same thing, but just in a different way; she is asking which way the BOD would like it so she doesn’t have to print out so much paper. Fritz said that the transaction report is needed but probably not the profit and loss.
Arlene has gone through every piece of paperwork due to being audited. She has sent the reports to the accountant who has questioned many items because they don’t know what they are for. Many of the checks were made out to the previous treasurer without an explanation on what the payments were for and no receipts were received. Arlene reached out to the previous treasurer twice and no response was received.
Arlene said $1496 was just deducted from the Homegrounds account for a tax levy. The federal government charged us this, of which $50 was a levy processing fee for not having paid it.
Arlene believes that we should be caught up on all outstanding payments, bills, etc. that were not paid before she took over. Fritz asked Arlene to prepare a list of everything that was left unpaid or things that were brought up by the accountant that needed follow up.
Kevin made a motion to approve the treasurer’s report. Dick Otto seconded it. So carried.
Arlene could not get any information from Summit on our loan because her name was not on the account (Bruce Stitely, Jim Kroeplien and Jerry Farnsworth still on the account). They will meet with them next week to get the correct names on the account.
Dwight suggested having two names on the checking account. The account is currently set up so that Fritz can write checks if Arlene is unable.
John Coniff, Arlene and Fritz will meet with the gaming department next week to discuss the raffle license issues.
Don made a motion to get Fritz and Arlene’s names on the Summit loan account. LaVerne seconded. So carried.
Back payments:
We discussed this last month and the BOD voted that receipts from up to 3 months back will be paid and if it is longer than that, they will not be reimbursed.
Denny Taylor has donated two guns to the WTA; one is a Remington 1100 20 gauge LT and the other is a Remington 1100 12 gauge trap. Amy will send a donation letter to Denny. We have used these guns for several years at the club and Denny has chosen to donate them to us now.
Al Prokepek donated the bathroom fixtures for the new building. The fixtures are valued at $4400. Amy will send a donation letter to Al. The board is very grateful for this donation for the new building.
In Kind Donations:
Fritz said that individuals that spend many hours doing work at Homegrounds should be awarded for their time and efforts. We need to find a way to put dollar amounts on these things so that those that donate their time and materials are accounted for. We will discuss this further, but the board should think about it to determine how we want to do this in the future. Arlene said that there are some IRS standards around “in kind” donations. Examples are dirt work that Glen Carlson did; the pavers that were donated by the Wagner brothers and making the cart path. Arlene will see if she can get some input from the accountant before the next meeting. A quick google search shows that time spent volunteering is not tax deductible. Fritz would like everyone to be prepared to write a policy next month.
Hwy 13 Sign – Matt Harn
Fritz asked Matt to come to the meeting as some board members were not aware of the plan for the sign on Hwy 13. So far, he has spent $100 to the Town of Rome. He invested in the ply wood for the sign itself. Matt showed a plan of what the sign would be. It is set to be an 8’ x 12’ back-to-back billboard to support the local veterans. Matt found out from the Town of Rome that he would need to get permission from the power lines. The state will not charge him for it because it is freedom of speech. He would like to place this 1100 feet from Akron Drive intersection. This billboard is not for profit per the DOT permit. It would have to be 200 feet from other signs. Jeff is concerned that it will be difficult for the WTA to put signage up after this billboard is already constructed. Last fall, a 10-year lease was approved with the option for two additional 10-year terms. Fritz asked how long the sign will last in the weather, winter, etc. before it needs to be replaced. Matt said that the wrap will last 10 years or more. When the face needs to be replaced, what will you put up then? Matt said that he can only replace the face with the same exact face because the state approved the face and cannot be changed to something else without state approval. Fritz’s concern is that the paperwork that we received showed that the approval was for a billboard. Jerry said that he has vinyl signs for his business but they need to be replaced every 5 years. Jerry suggested going with a 5-year lease because likely the sign will need to be replaced in 5 years. Tate asked how the agreement holds up if the WTA decides to sell some land down the road. Matt said that is why the location was chosen down at the end of the property, but yes the contract would be binding. John asked if the board would consider approving it in two different sections – approve the message separately from the structure. That way the message could be approved for a different time period. Jerry asked if we could put something in the contract that if for some reason the WTA sold the land that the sign could be moved or the contract revoked. Matt is okay with a 5-year lease. He will revise the contract and get it to Fritz.
Tate made a motion to have the lease be for five years. Matt will need to contact the WTA in five years to determine if the face needs to be replaced and/or if the WTA would like to renew the lease. If the WTA were to sell the property, the sign will come down. Don seconded it. So carried.
Matt stated that Hwy Z is going to be under construction and the general contractor is looking for a place to store the pulverized asphalt. All the beam guard going down Hwy Z are going to be removed and they don’t want to haul them to the dump. We could get them free. Matt said that all we would need to do is call the state. Matt said the stops signs would be available to get as well. He said that we could make some improvements without costing a dime. He will get Fritz names and contact information.
Recob Loan:
Fritz and Arlene have had discussions on this loan. Fritz would like to come up with a plan to pay back this loan. The loan is for $100,000. Right now, we have $100,000 in the checking account and approximate expenses are $6000 to $7000 a month. Income still coming in for ads will be about $1800 and $750 for the last sponsorship. The state shoot program bill will be due very soon. We will have to pay money up front for the lighted fields and then be reimbursed by the DNR. Jeff would like to see the building finished first before we start paying him back. He would like to get through the state shoot and have the building constructed and making money before we pay him back.
Kevin made a motion to table the loan re-payment decision until the first meeting after the state shoot. Dick seconded. So carried.
Insurance Claim:
We received a check for $3100 for the damage done from the lighting strike after paying the $1000 deductible. We also received a refund check from $3800 from Briley for a control box in the bunker that we needed temporarily while ours was modified.
Building Update:
Chops handed out bids for plumbing. He got quotes from three different companies. The company in Rome gave us the best deal, Advantage Plumbing and Heating. Chops will sign the contracts before he leaves on vacation. Advantage will take care of getting the permits while Chops is gone. If any payment is needed, Chops will have the bill sent to John. Chops will need the bobcat back by the first of April.
There will be a pre-construction meeting with Modern Pole, Jason Conrad. Tentative plan will be to start mid-March, depending on weather. Jon Denman needs to be contacted about the doors and needs to be there for the pre-construction meeting. We will need to purchase a water heater as one was not donated. Discussion was held on electric or gas. Decision to go with electric. There will be a 42” door on the mechanical room.
LaVerne made a motion to approve the plumbing bid for Advantage Plumbing and Heating. Dick seconded it. So carried.
Don made a motion to authorize Chops to sign the contracts with the plumber. LaVerne seconded it. So carried.
Friends of WTA Update:
There were no financial transactions since the last meeting. There is $187,890 in the account. John sent out a procedure guideline to the BOD via email in an attempt to provide structure and accountability for the fundraising efforts. John will coordinate all live and silent auctions and all raffles. He will need to know a point person for each raffle so that he knows who to work with to count the money and both will sign off on it. John has paid for the attorney fees and some office supplies, but would like to defer any reimbursement of these funds until after the state shoot to ensure the building is completed. John has a cross bow for the state shoot; it will be determined later if it will be done through a raffle or silent/live auction. We may possibly pursue getting a gun to add to the raffle as well. Tate suggested standardizing the prices of all raffles so John can print up one color of tickets.
Reappraisal – Gary Gerhartz
Gary received the final report from Appraisal Consultants, LLC in Fond du Lac. The report is 193 pages. The company gave us a discount because we are a business and the cost of the appraisal was $1000. Gary read the cover letter that was provided with the report. Gary has not reviewed the entire report yet. Gary needs to know when the Open Book meeting is for the Town of Rome. Fritz and Gary will attend the meeting. Gary will need to know if we want the company to go with to the Open Book meeting or only if we need to appeal.
State Shoot:
Nekoosa Contract:
Brian was present to talk about coverage for trap help for the shoots this summer. Brian is willing to have some of his kids sell water on each end. He will cover the garbage, picking up score sheets, etc. Brian will have some more family help and input this year as well as some other help. Brian will pick up a couple vests for the supervisors in order to identify who is in charge, especially when Brian is not there.
Separation of Campground:
Fritz went through the numbers and questions that he gave to the accountant regarding the separation of the campground from the shooting facility. If the campground is separated, all money will be taxable. It is very complicated. This is all informational until we get through our audit and get information from the accountant. Jeff stated that it would be nice to know how much it would cost us if we did not have our 501(c)(3) status. Fritz asked what the BOD expects of the campground board now and if it was separated.
Camp Hosts:
We have not had any luck in securing additional camp hosts for the summer. We are still looking for folks to cover and collect money and run the traps whenever possible. Some of the ones that were contacted were already booked for this summer. Don M. has someone possibly to help out as well as the one that we met at the meeting back in January. Bill and Helen are coming back and will hopefully be here by May 1st. Opening weekend is tentatively scheduled for April 21st.
State Shoot:
Anniversary promotion – Fritz would like to have something on the clothing that states that it is our 5th anniversary at Rome. Something like “home in Rome for 5 years”. Chops will have Gary Witzke and Steve Berres call Fritz before they start making shirts. We would like to be selling at all events starting in May. Get your ideas to Amy so we can move forward. We will need to talk with Town of Rome to see if they would like to help market this.
Catering – Bob Schultz will be donating money for the hot dog feed. Fritz will talk to a caterer to see if it is more efficient to have someone handle it so that the WTA is not trying to coordinate everything. The BOD will make a decision after he talks to the caterer. J Squared will cater the fish fry on Friday. It may be nice to have the Directors serve at the fish fry. We will want to make sure to invite Town of Rome, Modern Pole Builders and Advanced Plumbing to the fish fry.
Daily Announcements – Tate will take care of them.
Water – Amy to order water from Pritzl’s before the youth shoots.
Dust Control – Gary said that he shot at a place that had a lot of gravel and they used liquid chloride to keep the dust down; the cost was $2100 and Gary thought it was about 60% of what we have for gravel at Home grounds. Tate said that he talked to Rick Tesker who has used a granular and it will do the same thing. Tate will talk to Allied Coop for options as well. Tate said that a shooter from MN said that he would give us $500 towards it; but wants campground roads done as well. Jerry said that he has someone that is planning to build a water cart that can be pulled behind a pickup. He will be donating this to the WTA to keep the grounds watered.
There was a request from a camper to pour a concrete slap on his lease site. Chops will talk to the concrete guy about a quote for this and pour it at the same time as the building.
Camping and Vending – Amy gave an update that the campground is full; there are limited sites on the south side of the parking lot. The vendor spots are full. Storm Coats will be vending this year as well.
Practice Traps – we have $6 for 25 targets and $5 for doubles; Tate suggested changing it to $6 for everything. We will post a change at the cashier’s counter. Also, practice tickets will be sold at the practice trap and not at the cashier’s counter. We will see if Brian can have some kids available to sell the tickets and collect them at the practice traps.
Trap Shuffle – Discussion held on shuffling traps for the state shoot. Tate said that when we opened people purchased traps and they prefer to shoot on the traps that they donated. Also, Tate said that we have vendors and campers on the line and parking is at a premium and by the time shooters have to move to the other end during the day there is no place for them to park. LaVerne said that vendors typically pre-squad so that they shoot in front of their vending spots so that they don’t have to have someone handle the vending while they are out shooting.
LaVerne made a motion to not shuffle the traps at the state shoot. Tate seconded it. Jerry disagreed. So carried.
Water on EVR – Chops will see if the plumber can give us a quote to run the water down East Vendor Row.
Radios – Dick suggested that for this year we just purchase batteries and after the state shoot we pursue looking into new radios and/or what it may cost to rent them for the season from a company. Tate will look around and get some information as well. We will discuss and make a decision at the meeting next month.
Program/Ads – Amy shared the proof from the printer for the state shoot program. There doesn’t appear to be any changes needed so it will go to print some time next week. Dick will begin working on the database for the mailing.
Range Schedule:
We will open the grounds on April 21st. Everyone needs to start thinking about their schedules and when you can be available to help at the grounds.
Round Table:
The start time is not posted in the program for Sunday; however, rather than paying for the change to the program, Tate can announce it during the morning and we will post something at squadding and cashiering. Sunday will start at 9am since the annual meeting is on Friday.
Kevin said that he talked to Virgil about ordering score sheets. Fritz has been talking with Virgil as well.
Dick talked about the mailing list that we will use for the state shoot program. He will create the list to be used by the printer to send out the program this year. Dick tries to eliminate duplicates. He will send out some examples to the group in order to review before we give it to the printer. Dick has been updating the programs for the Fall Classic. Right now, there is $500 added to singles on both days and no added money for handicap or doubles.
Chops stated if Gateway discontinues their shoot next year, we may want to move the Fall Classic to that date in September.
Tate asked what we own for golf carts and what we pay for the ones that we rent for the entire summer from Jim’s. Tate said that he has bids on three golf carts on an online auction. He is willing to purchase them if the WTA is willing to buy them for what he pays; otherwise he will buy them and resell them on his own. The auction ends on Tuesday. Tate has a bid on a 72” mower as well and it is a diesel with 2900 hours on it. The current bid is $500 right now. Jerry said to buy it for him and he will take and get it fixed if needed.
LaVerne made a motion to authorize Tate to purchase up to three two-seaters and one utility cart on the online auction based on what Tate feels the value is. He will also bid on the 72” mower based on the value. Kevin seconded. So carried.
Fritz went to the Coach’s meeting for the SCTP. Fritz proposed $13 a case for Make-A-Break this year. Fritz suggested getting some surge protectors, especially since we have had two lightening strikes. Lighted fields will be completed in April. Fritz reminded those that are working at Homegrounds and coaches anyone on shooting, that information needs to be tracked for the 501c3. John will buy one ton of lime to spread on the grounds and Jerry will spread it. John will also spray the weeds a few times this summer. Fritz said that we are having positive meetings and if you hear any negativity, try to turn it positive and if something warrants bringing it back to the meeting, do so.
Arlene has tickets for the banquet and will give them to the Directors to sell at zone shoots.
Secretary’s Report:
Amy gave an update on things completed since the last meeting. The proof has been received from the printer for the state shoot program. The shoot calendar is completed and been mailed; everyone should have received their copies in the mail. Raffle tickets were passed out that need to be sold from the ATA. The tickets need to be sold and returned back to ATA before the Grand. The tickets are sent to every gun club, the Secretary, Delegates and state shoot facilities.
Next meeting is April 14th at Sherwood Lodge at 9am.
Kevin made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dick seconded it. So carried.
Meeting adjourned at 2:45pm.