Minutes: March 16, 2019
WTA Meeting
March 16, 2019
The 03/16/19 face to face Board of Director’s meeting of the Wisconsin Trapshooting Association was called to order at 9:01 am by 1st Vice President, Don Chrapla. Directors present were S/E Jerry Kaszynski, N/W Tate Barwald and Rich Johnson, S/W LaVerne Lehmann, 1st Alt. Delegate Dwight Paulin, Secretary/Shoot Coordinator Amy Jenkins. Absent was President Fritz Thistle, N/E Bob Ebbers, ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring and Treasurer Taylor Ebbers.
Also present at the meeting: John Coniff, Ken Michels, Mike Martin, Glen Grabski, Catheryn Johnson, Steve Birno, Dan Gallagher, Ashley Engstrom, Brian Giese
Meeting started at 9:01 am.
OLD BUSINESS
Wifi/TV/ Responder:
Bob was unable to attend the meeting so there is no update on this.
Bunker Grant:
Fritz reported that we did not receive the grant. Successful applicants included a 50% match of funds for their projects and we were at about a 15% match of funds.
NEW BUSINESS:
Secretary’s Report:
Amy gave an update on things she has been working on. The Shoot Calendar was set to be mailed out on March 13. The electronic version has been posted to the website. Camping remains full for the state shoot. She is starting to get calls for HS Clay Target League and SCTP weekends. Registration closes for HS Clay Target League on March 22; Josh will have preliminary numbers shortly after that to determine if they will need one or two days for the state shoot in June (June 8-9). She has been working on food vendors with Glen Hammerly for all shoots in 2019. Connie will only be vending for SCTP weekend. We added a new vendor for the Kettle Moraine shoot. She has been trying to contact Mike from Butcher Block to confirm things but has been unsuccessful in reaching him.
Treasurer’s Report:
Deposits from January to March 14 were $35,161 and payments made were $50,575. This does include the first half of our property taxes for $15,215. The Homegrounds account has a balance of $24,786; we will keep this account open for now just in case any checks come in made payable to Homegrounds RV Park instead of the WTA. The bank will not allow us to deposit any checks made to Homegrounds RV Park into our WTA account due to combining our businesses. Taylor has emailed our accountant about adding an employee and about being tax exempt. She said we would be tax exempt if under 75 days of operation which we will not be for 2019. She will have more information for the next meeting.
Rich made a motion to approve the treasurer’s report. Tate seconded it. So carried.
Building Update:
Carpenters are all done and everything looks really nice. Doors for in the bathrooms have been changed so you will have more privacy. We have not received any bills from them as of today. Furnaces have been fixed, sensors were wired wrong and could not sense flame; corrected and new belts have been installed. Asked about having them do a maintenance contract and they have not gotten back to us on that yet. We have not received any bills from them and think we should be covered under warranty but do not know for sure. Tile workers will be there on Monday and will stay until project is done. We ran into some problems with the walls not stable and had to secure them to the concrete. We will have to pay the rest of the bill once they are done. Plumbers are to come and reinstall everything back into the bathrooms as soon as the tile guys are done. There will be an extra charge for removal and reinstallation and this was approved by the board in January. As a side note, we looked at the sinks and the way they were supported on the wall. They were quite flimsy and if someone leaned on or sat on the sink it would probably come down. Chops found a deal at Menard’s for two sinks and vanities listed for $1400 and marked down to $950 and also get an 11% rebate back. He was authorized to get them while the 11% rebate was still on. Chops, Reed Crump, Jean Thom, Dwight and Don installed communication cables that the board asked for plus ran extra cables for future use to the northeast corner of the building. Chops told Bob Ebbers that we could do this work and save him the trip as it needed to be done before the ceiling goes up. Don met with MPB to address the snow in the vents and melting when the heat goes on. They said it was from the negative pressure that is caused by not having the ceiling in and having the soffits covered. Once the soffit covers are removed and the ceiling is installed there should be no more problems. For the ceiling, Gary DeSmidt will hopefully be back this next week to work on the ceiling. Don talked to Bill on Friday and he was going to try to get there yesterday to run the wiring for the security cameras on if not, he will run it sometime this week. MPB is to give us a quote on an alcove by the entrance to the building. We are also getting a quote for a 40 x 100 storage building. They also installed a walkway in the ceiling to blow the installation in.
LNPAF Contract – HS Clay Target League:
Amy had emailed out a draft contract for the Board to review. Fritz reported that it looks good; however, it does not say how often they will pay for targets (after each practice, weekly, monthly??). Should there be a fee for electric or heat? Will Glen be available for all the dates listed in the contact – there are Mondays and Tuesdays listed on their schedule. The board agreed to waive the fee for the use of the building and electricity for the 2019 season. The contract was amended to show that they will pay for targets at the end of each night. The contract was signed by both parties. The first night will be April 1st.
Signage:
Fritz reported via email that Rome officials have commented that our sign at the entrance to their town not being of good quality. The sign on Hwy 13 needs to be good. Our sign should be simple so that drivers can read the sign as they pass by. The Hwy 13 sign will need to be approved by the state and town zoning. He likes the idea of the WTA logo followed by WI Trapshooting Association Shooting Facility followed by 2 or 3 lines for letters under that. He suggested that the sign should last 5 to 10 years, allowing time for a better one in the future.
We need to be careful what we put on it for a name. We are now “combined” so we need to be careful about using Homegrounds RV Park. The sign will say Shooting Facility and Campground. John brought samples of what material the signs would be made out of as well as what the letters look like for the two tracks to add information. The sign for Hwy 13 would be $1600 and we would need to make the frame. John has received the check for $2500 from Jeff Arendt for the signage.
Tate made a motion to have John move forward on getting the sign made for Hwy 13. It will 6’ x 8’. John will verify with Fritz what needs to be done for approvals by the state and Town of Rome before it is ordered. Rich seconded. So carried.
Squadding/Cashiering Tables:
John is starting to work on the tables for squadding and cashiering. He is making them so the legs can come off. They will be 18” deep by 48” wide and 39” high. The legs have a 1” adjustable foot. John will make five of them and they will be natural color. All will have feet on them, not wheels.
FoWTA Update:
John gave an update that there is a balance of $3400 in the account. There is $1300 earmarked for youth shooting. John has received one response from the last email that was sent out to apply for a donation. The due date is 3/31 to apply. The Friends will make a determination on where the money goes. Amy turned in Kolar raffle ticket money for 100 tickets. John will pay Jeff Mainland $5000 for half of the gun until more ticket money is turned in.
Cooler:
John found an opportunity to get a commercial cooler/display cooler for the new building. We could purchase the cooler for about $1500.
Don made a motion for John/FoWTA to make a deal on the cooler if he can still get it bought. Rich seconded it. So carried.
Brian Giese/Nekoosa Contract:
Amy and Brian have worked together to finalize the schedule so far. The state shoot will add an additional day for the marathon on Monday. The HS Clay Target League is still determining if the state shoot will be one day or two days in June. Recruitment is what takes up the most of Brian’s time. He will start leaning on his team leaders to assist in the recruitment. Brian is looking at getting credit through the school for the team leaders. In 2018, the group provided 6700 hours of service with Brian and his dad adding an additional 1100 hours. Brian gave $54,000 directly to the students for their volunteering. He has extra support from parents and someone that is willing to make the meals for the entire shooting season. The students are now able to get community service hours for their volunteer work as well. Last year, 46% of the workers were “open” students and not involved in athletic programs. Brian would like to change the command center location this year so that he is closer and in sight of the trap line (last year he was back by the pump house). Last year, we paid Brian $60,000 and an additional $5000 bonus at the end of the season. This year Brian is looking for $70,000. This will be voted on at the next meeting.
Beer License:
Amy has been working on the application to obtain a beer license year round. After much work and talking with the Town Clerk, it is her recommendation that we DO NOT pursue this at this time. This can be something that is worked on down the road to ensure we know exactly what we are getting into. One thing that was concerning is that the clerk suggested we contact an attorney before pursing this. In a phone call with the clerk, she said that we need to be specific on where we will sell, store and consume the alcohol. When the clerk asked if someone could take a purchased beer outside and back to their camper, Amy said sure and she said that is where the red flags arise. We do not want to get into a situation with the Town of Rome over this. Amy suggests that we continue to get the picnic license for just the state shoot like we have had in the past. Amy will plan to renew her operator’s license at the same time. The Board agreed to pursue the picnic license for this year only.
Insurance Quote:
Tate explained that he recently talked to a friend about insurance for their gun club and was given a name to possibly contact. This insurance agent is attending the Harlan clinic that Amy is organizing in May. The agent called Amy this week and said that he was more than willing to come out and review the property and give a quote if needed. He did say that Secura is an excellent company; however, he did say that the biggest issue for insurance is making sure you are covered correctly. Has anything been added or reviewed on our policy since the new building has been up? Should we have someone else review and give us a quote? Has anyone heard from our agent since we purchased insurance from them?
Rich made motion to get quotes for insurance for the entire property. Jerry seconded. Rich will also check the NRA about the possibility of getting a quote. So carried.
Becker Proposal:
Paul Becker, Joe Needham and Mark Zauhar spoke to Tate and Amy at the Spring Grand about their proposal for the “group” site changes in the campground. They originally wanted to add another site and combine them with a big concrete pad for both campers to sit on. They would pay for all of the work and then take out leases for the sites. These sites could be sold as “party sites” for groups and such for the future. Now, they would like to know about making a spot for 5 sites down on the road by the dump station instead. This would add 5 more sites. In consultation with Fritz, he suggested that we get a diagram from them because this would need to be approved by the state in order to add more sites.
Don made a motion to get a diagram from Paul so Fritz to contact DATCP for approval on adding another five sites and moving forward on this project. Tate seconded it. So carried.
State Shoot:
- Shoot Program – Amy sent out a draft of the program for review. She has a new version that includes ads that have been confirmed so far. John Atkielski has been working very hard on getting this program completed. Amy has a few local companies to contact to make sure they get their ads in the program this year. It is unknown when it will be printed and mailed.
- Pig Roast – Fritz finalized with Jim Giese for Tuesday afternoon. Jim has a friend who will cater the event with him.
- Golf Carts – Amy went through the quote from Jim’s for the season. Do we need carts for the full season or just for the shoots? Two 4-passenger carts are $150 a month from May to October for $1800 for the season. The WTA has three carts that we currently own.
20 carts from June 7 to July 14 = $7400
20 carts from July 9 to July 14 = $4400 TOTAL: $11,800
—— OR ——
20 carts for HS Clay Target League (June 7-9) = $1480
20 carts for SCTP (June 21-23) = $2220
40 carts for State Shoot (July 9-14) = $8800 TOTAL: $12,500
Tate made motion to get the two 4-passenger carts for the season for $1800. Tate made a motion to go with the quote for $11,800. Jerry seconded. So carried.
- UTVs – Someone will need to contact the area dealerships to see if we can borrow UTVs again for our big shoots. Amy will check with Fritz to see if he can contact them. John said that he can bring his UTV if we need it for the HS Clay Target League and other big weekends if needed.
- Food vendors: Amy went through the list of vendors for the shoot. John will contact someone he knows about wood fired pizzas. Amy will continue to try to reach Butcher Block.
- May 4/5 = Post 9
- May 18 = Kathy Havas, Papa Murphy’s is tentative
- May 19 – No Vendors
- June 1/2 – No Vendors (Amy sent an email to Bruce Nelson about this, but no response was received)
- June 21-23 = Buck Shot, Papa Murphy’s
- State Shoot = Butcher Block, Lanny’s Ice Cream, Papa Murphy’s is tentative
- September 21/22 = Post 9
Do we need more vendors for the state shoot? Kathy Havas wanted to try it out for Kettle Moraine; it is unknown if she is available for the state shoot. Glen said that she can handle up to 1200 people. Food vendors will pay $50/day or $100 for weekends. State shoot vending is $150.
Schedule of Events for 2019:
May 4/5 – WTA Registered Shoot
May 18 – Kettle Moraine
May 18/19 – WI Junior Olympic Qualifier
June 1/2 – WI SCTP International Trap Championships
June 8/9 – High School Clay Target League
June 21-23 – WI SCTP Championship
July 8 – WTA Registered Marathon Shoot
July 9-14 – State Sheet
July 17 – Cheesemakers
September 6 – Mid-State Technical College
September 21/22 – WTA Fall Classic
Ken Michels will run the May and September shoots for us. He will need to go through the computers before then. Jerry will contact Arlene to get Dick’s computers before the next meeting so that Ken can look at the equipment prior to the May shoot. Amy will try to get the ATA files so that Ken can access them for the averages.
PA System/Speaker Quote:
Tate received a quote from Steve Theobald for additional wireless receivers and speakers for the new building to work in conjunction with existing equipment. The quote is for $2185 plus tax. Tate will follow up on some additional questions before we can move forward on this.
Camp Host:
Fritz met with some camp hosts in Texas on his way to Tucson. He reported via email that Bill and Helen would like to come back. He also met with Mike and Toni Buck. He reported they have been hosting a state park with Bill and Helen. Mike shoots trap, skeet and sporting clays. Fritz strongly recommends we invite them to work with us. He suggested one couple in the campground and the other on the line. They can work together and cover when couple is off. They can be here late April or whenever we want. They are waiting for a call from Fritz based on the decision of the board. Fritz also reported that Michael Greenlee was coming back and has a camper this season; he worked as a golf caddy at Sand Valley. Jerry, Don and Dwight will come up with a list of duties that the camphosts complete in exchange for camping.
Tate made a motion for Fritz to contact the four camp hosts to come work with us for this summer. Don seconded. So carried.
Grounds Caretaker/Manager:
Fritz reported that Taylor is getting some information from the accountant on this. He stated that we will need to set a pay schedule, deductions, who does it, etc. This should be ready to be voted on at the April meeting.
Improvement Projects:
Deferred to next meeting.
Opening Grounds:
Discussion was held about when to open the grounds for the season. Fritz reported via email that mid-April seems appropriate so we can get things open in time for the May shoot. Don will coordinate a day to load targets in the houses before LNPAF start their league. We will watch the weather to determine when the grounds can be opened. It is too soon to schedule this; need to wait to see what the temps are in April to know if it is safe to turn the water on.
Round Table:
Don: We will need to get some clocks for the walls in the new building.
Jerry: We can get some portable skeet houses for $5000 from a place in Texas. He will follow up.
Next meeting will be April 13, 2019 at 9am at Sherwood Lodge.
Tate made a motion to adjourn the meeting. LaVerne seconded it. So carried.
Meeting adjourned at 1:09 pm.