Minutes: December 14, 2019
WTA Meeting
December 14, 2019
Sherwood Lodge
The 12/14/19 face to face Board of Director’s meeting of the Wisconsin Trapshooting Association was called to order at 9:10 am by Fritz Thistle, President. Directors present were N/E Don Chrapla and YZ Weisensel, S/W LaVerne Lehmann, S/E Ron Rousseau and Bob Ebbers, ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring, 1st Alt. Delegate Dwight Paulin, 2nd Alt. Delegate Fritz Thistle, Treasurer Taylor Katzenberg, Secretary/Shoot Coordinator Amy Jenkins. Absent is N/W Rich Johnson and Keith Lehmann.
Also present at the meeting:
Tate Barwald, Chops, Glen Grabski, Pete Rustad, Julie Atkielski, John Coniff, Jay Nigbor, Connie Riemer
Meeting started at 9:10 am.
Fritz thanked everyone for coming and for all the effort they are putting forward. He said we should talk about Directors possibly putting in for their expenses again. Copies of the 2018 income tax returns are available to review at the meeting.
OLD BUSINESS:
Wifi/TV/Responder – TV Antennae:
Ron said that he is still willing to pay for the TV antennae. Chops will put it up. He will need to know how high to put it. Kevin said that he would put Chops in contact with Tom Roberts as he knows what we need. It would be two different antennas – one for the ability to transfer scores to the TVs and one for TV reception. The plan would be to put them all on one pole. Kevin will also ask him about what we need for TV.
PA System:
Tate showed Glen what needed to be done at the last meeting. Tate suggested we go directly through the manufacturer. We will likely need a backup board and all new batteries so we don’t have any issues. Tate gave Glen the phone number to contact. Glen will have to contact them when he is on the grounds this spring. Glen will need to also figure out why it times out after two minutes.
Improvement Projects:
Fritz met with the town planning committee. They voted to recommend town board approval to move forward to put traps on the land. Jay Adams will come up next week to check the elevations and get the permits from Adams County and Wisconsin DNR to move forward. They will stake the trap houses and everything. Team Engineering will be the company doing the work. This will be a project to be completed in two to five years. Chops said he will talk with the operating engineers school in Coloma after Team Engineering gives us what we need. Don had the invoice for the clearing of the land. The guy said he underestimated the job because the trees were way thicker than expected. At that point 20+ acres were already cleared. The price went from $600 to $750 an acre. They also said that we had more than 36 acres. Don got his laser and shot some points and roughly figured it out to be 41 acres. The total bill was $28,687.50 for 41.25 acres. Original price was $21,000 for 36 acres. Both parcels are being withdrawn from MFL.
YZ made a motion to pay the invoice of $28,687.50 to Complete Services. Laverne seconded. So carried.
HOF Banquet:
Don suggested having the HOF banquet on Monday night after the marathon shoot. Fritz has received some suggestions to combine the pig roast with the All State Team recognition. Jay said that he just wants to make sure that combining them doesn’t diminish the recognition that each person should receive.
Don made a motion to combine HOF and All State Team recognition event on Wednesday night in conjunction with the pig roast on the grounds (Fritz will talk with Jim Giese to make sure he is willing to do the pig roast again). Ron seconded it. So carried.
EVR water/electric:
Chops does not have a bid back from Glen. Bob will give a bid for the electric. This will be completed in the spring. Chops will hopefully have quotes by the next meeting. The project for the pump house will also be done at the same time so that water can be left on all winter for future years. Amy reminded Bob that he needs to get a double pedestal for the site on the east side of the shower house.
Security system:
The security system has been activated. When you walk in the door you need to enter your four digit number. When you leave, you must punch in your four numbers. You have a minute to get out. Everything is being monitored at all times. If you enter the building you MUST enter your code. Even if you are in and out before the minute is up, you still need to deactivate the alarm or else it will call the monitoring company and the police.
Radar Guns:
We have three new ones and the old one is being repaired. Laverne and Keith will be coordinating the target setting for the state shoot. The radar guns can be locked up at night by the target setters. Laverne said that everything can be secured in his trailer and batteries charged if needed.
HSCTL National Shoot RFP:
This shoot is held in Michigan currently. The way the calendar falls right now, it would be the week before the state shoot. The way it is growing, it is uncertain how many days it may end up being. However, it could bring in about $500,000. Fritz has talked to the local officials on getting help filling out the RFP. Mason, Michigan has the contract for five years, so the first year would be 2023.
NEW BUSINESS:
Secretary’s Report:
Shoot paperwork is coming in for 2020. Camping forms were due by October 31st and Amy has been going through the waiting list and contacting people on the list to see if they are still interested in a site. There are quite a few electric only sites available at this time. The campground is basically full with possibly a few moves needed yet. She needs quite a few premium sites for big busses that she does not have. There is quite a bit of movement on vendor row and Amy discussed the possibility of trying to move the vendors down so they are all together without campers in the middle. Not sure if that is possible or not. She has deposited $13,049 of camping in the past three months.
Treasurer’s Report:
Taylor said we have $32,000 in the Homegrounds account and $156,000 in Rivers Cities Bank. Savings accounts have balances of $7800 and $5600. Property taxes are $6500 more than last year. Fritz said everything went up about 22%. Total taxes are about $37,000 and we pay it in two installments. The balance is $707,000 for the Summit loan. Fritz said that we need to continue to pay down on the debt. Fritz went through the profit and loss statement.
This is the breakdown of deposits from Glen for the season:
Bunker Targets Fees $1,805
Bunker Round Card Sales $2,940
Shell Sales $1,596
Trap Target Fees $6,866
Trap Round Card Sales $3,640
Scoresheet Sales $35
Soda Sales $187
Marathon Monday Target Fees $2,040
Marathon Monday ATA Daily Fees $126
Marathon Monday WTA Daily Fees $126
Marathon Monday Maintenance Fee $85
WTA Memberships $20
Tips $41
Campground Dump Fees $10
Campground Fees $160
Total Deposits $19,677
Kevin made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report. Don seconded it. So carried.
FoWTA Year End Report:
For the year 2019, FoWTA took in $62,304. Deposits totaled $57,304. This is due to a cash payment of $5,000 to Jeff Mainland for the final payment on the Kolar. There is $40,224.03 in the checking account. There is one outstanding check in the amount of $515 to JK Woodworking, (facia and mantle for the bar) which leaves working capital of $39,709.03.
Treasurer’s Compensation:
Taylor talked to Fritz about getting a little more money. She is requesting $7200 for the year. She gave an update on all of the work that she has done and why she is requesting a raise.
Fritz gave an update on gross sales:
$385,000 gross income at Waukseha, last year there
$600,000 first year at Homegrounds
$744,000 was current year
John Coniff said the same thing for Amy. This is a serious business and not a hobby. Is this enough. He stated that they are both critical to the business and are we treating them fairly. YZ said it is not enough. Both of them are working non-stop all year long. It doesn’t end at the end of the shooting. YZ suggested $8400 and it goes for both Amy and Taylor. John said how do we determine what is fair. He said if you don’t treat them fairly they leave. Then you have a severe decline in productivity. Jay suggested that the fee increases with the increase of the business.
Don made a motion to pay Taylor $7200. Laverne seconded it. Don amended his motion to go with YZ’s suggestion to pay Taylor $8400. Ron seconded it. So carried.
Connie said that Amy has taken on way more work than any Secretary has ever done and what the scope of the secretary position would do. She likely does way more than she probably needs to do and maybe doesn’t need to continue on that business. Fritz said that some of the things Amy won’t be doing in the future. If we get a website, the camping will go away. John suggested that we do a year of both to see how it goes. Connie said to get the membership to step up rather than having to pay someone for it. She said that the duties Amy is doing are volunteer duties. YZ stated that in the year 2000 he was a director and he said back then we looked for volunteers and it is the same now, no one steps up. Everyone has an opinion but no one wants to say anything. Taylor said that Amy handles all of the camping for the year, she handles all of the vendors. Connie thinks we are rushing the vote. Taylor said that the bylaws don’t say what Amy does and maybe that needs to change because she does A LOT. Ron said that when you have someone that has the quality and accepts the responsibility, that is worth something. As far as setting a precedent on how much each one makes, that is on a whole different level. It is based on the level of what they do. We have someone that is doing an invaluable job. Why would you even question for that amount of money because she truly works all year. She does her job probably better than most and we aren’t dealing with someone that forgets things and does them wrong. Pete said that we are now running a business that goes all year long. Our bylaws probably should be changed. Fritz said that Amy acts more as the executive assistant to the President. Glen says that if Amy is not worth a penny she isn’t worth anything. Jay said to have an agreement between the President and her to determine what things can maybe change and amend the salary if needed.
Don made a motion to keep the Secretary wage the same as the Treasurer ($8400). YZ seconded it. So carried. Her title will change to Executive Assistant.
Manager’s Report:
Glen said that it isn’t worth being open in October. It was way too slow. Glen would like to start leagues in May. He would like to run marathon shoots when the bunker trap is running their shoots. Connie said that she has no issue with having leagues here and it doesn’t matter about what dates, it is about finite dollars on where a trapshooter is going to spend their money. Tate said that we have that new sign board on the highway, he suggested getting something on there about a league starting in May.
Manager’s Job Description:
Glen said that he didn’t know his salary was for a year. However, he thought if there was shooting available for the winter, then yes it would make sense to have him there. John Coniff said when do we start expanding the employment agreement for more time and responsibilities. Ron said that we should start small and see how profitable it can be with the addition of five stand. Chops said that he doesn’t think it is worth it at this time; any of the people in this room are not from around here and wouldn’t come here to shoot it. He doesn’t think we should leave the traps sit out and overall thinks it isn’t a good move at this time. You have to remove the batteries every night and put them on a trickle charger overnight. Fritz will get some prices from MEC and it can be reviewed in the future. Pete said if this is for the winter, there are more things to think about…who is going to plow the snow, etc. The manager’s description is written for this point in time. Fritz will work with Glen on the job description privately. It will be presented before spring.
Strategic Plan:
John said that we are looking at expanding the business to have five stand. John Coniff prepared a strategic plan for what the DNR was working with us on. This will be presented to the DNR. Connie said that there is a process on how to get it submitted to the DNR and will get that information to John. The Directors have not reviewed the final draft. John will get it sent out to the Directors for final approval before submitting it to the DNR.
HOF Nominees:
Jay presented the nominees to the Board. The HOF committee is recommending approval of both candidates. Does the Board approve Sandra Jo Jack. Yes. Does the Board approved Rich Weisensel. Yes. The letters that Fritz will sign telling them that they were approved are in the mail to Fritz for signature. Fritz will then send the letters to the nominees after he signs them.
All State Teams:
Kevin gave the following list based on applications that he received:
Men’s:
George Hass 95.75
Dan Haag 94.48
Jon Denman 94.36
Dwight Fitzsimmons 94.20
Mike May 94.18
Dan Campbell 93.73
Brent Heikkinen 93.32
Larry Heinrichs 92.99
Kevin Doerring 92.55
Dennis Sablak 92.28
Lady:
Janet Reding 91.96
Karlie Klas 90.35
Connie Gresk 88.53
Kelsey Lorenz 88.39
Carol Keeley 88.02
Vet:
Gerald Demulling 95.00
Don Mittag 92.70
Tim Curtin 92.35
Ken Beutler 91.99
James Gurkowski 90.16
Sr. Vet:
Mike Nawikas 92.96
Bruce Wiegmann 91.66
Dwight Paulin 91.14
Gary Reynolds 90.89
Don Chrapla 90.14
Junior:
Cody Barwick 92.87
Jacob Wendorff 92.26
Jacob Corallo 84.26
Kendra Doberstein 79.75
Sub Jr:
Hunter Knotwell 92.32
Logan Denman 90.71
Robert Gropp 90.06
Sage McKeough 84.26
High Average:
Singles George Hass 99.22 1800 targets
Handicap Dan Vukovich 93.20 1500 targets
Doubles Dwight Fitzsimmons 97.08 2400 targets
Ron made a motion to accept the All State Teams as listed above. Don seconded. So carried.
Campground Website Development/Online System:
Amy contacted Cam from the Town of Rome after the last meeting to see if she could offer any help on campgrounds in the area and what online systems they use. She wasn’t able to offer any help and wasn’t sure what any of them were using. We also had a proposal from another person and it is very expensive. Amy and Fritz at this point don’t have the expert knowledge to offer a good opinion on what to do. Ron asked if it would be cheaper to get our own processor rather than paying the fees through Square. He will check with Taylor on the fees and talk to someone he knows that has a business doing this. Fritz will talk to Elizabeth Foellmi who manages our website currently to see what her thoughts are.
2020 Schedule of Events:
May 2 & 3 – WTA Registered Shoot
May 9 & 10 – WI Junior Olympic Qualifier (Bruce Nelson will run this)
May 16 – Kettle Moraine
May 23 & 24 – WI SCTP International Trap Championship (not confirmed; waiting on Perry)
June 6 & 7 – HSCTL State Shoot
June 26 to 28 – WI SCTP State Shoot
July 13 – WTA Registered Marathon Shoot
July 14 to 19 – WI State Shoot
July 22 – Cheesemakers
September 11 – Mid-State Technical College
September 19 & 20 – WTA WI Fall Classic Shoot
Amy sent out an email to the zone shoot clubs after the last meeting suggesting to NOT flip weekends due to an even rotation instead of odd numbers in each zone. She received emails back from:
Weston – no problems
Janesville – stated that if it always falls on the full second weekend of June (no flip flopping), they can do it; however, if it ever falls on Father’s Day weekend, they could not do it.
Sauk – stated that if they would always be the first weekend of the zone shoots, that would work for them because they host the SCTP Skeet State Shoot the weekend before the SCTP Trap Championships, which Sauk would be in a bind if they were ever to host the second weekend. They also stated they would be in a bind if they hosted the same weekend as the Illinois State Shoot.
No other clubs responded. Amy suggested that her and Kevin continue to watch the weekends for future years and work with the clubs to make sure the dates work for everyone. We will need to continue to work around the HS Clay Target League and SCTP State Shoots and continue to not hold zone shoots on those weekends.
State Shoot:
- Shoot Program – Amy contacted Deana during the meeting as she was not present to get an update on the program. She did not have one. Taylor contacted her after the meeting and was told that she has not sold any ads at this point for the 2020 program.
- Sponsorships – Amy went through the list of sponsorships that are finalized for the state shoot and there are a few that Sandy and Dennis are still waiting for confirmation on.
- Trophies – Sandy and Dennis will be picking out and purchasing all of the trophies for the state shoot again. In 2017, they had a budget of $17,000 approved for the 2018 state shoot. We did not have a formal budget approved for the 2019 state shoot.
Kevin made a motion to authorize Sandy and Dennis to spend $20,000 for 2020 state shoot trophies. Laverne seconded. So carried.
- Copyright of Logo – No Update; Laverne will get an update from Deana and relay it to Kevin to notify Amy.
Round Table:
Fritz:
Winchester Gun Club bunker is now open. Fritz talked to someone that Mike Pigusch referred for being a camphost. He will speak to him again in the Spring. Bill and Helen want to come back as well. The two traps for the bunker have arrived and totaled $7005. Bob Schultz is now selling metal springs for pat traps. They are on special right now. White Flyer rebates – we used 10,450 cases of targets at $0.45 = $4706. Recob’s will take care of that for us. At the previous meeting, we were to determine if we wanted a band or DJ for the state shoot. Laverne will let Keith know that we will try the DJ this year. That way the PA system/microphone is available throughout the week for awards presentations, etc.
John:
He will be sending out the next email in December. He again will be looking for clubs to submit applications for the $1500 that is set aside from the FoWTA for youth shooting. John is proposing to sell raffle tickets for gun prizes at the three big youth shoots. John will put together a proposal for the next meeting. Chops suggested possibly doing shells as one of the items to win as well as guns. John received approval from Kolar to build a clock for the 2020 state shoot auction. He will offer his UTV for the kid shoots if needed.
Don:
He said that we need someone with a grader for the west side cart path to get that finished. If anyone is willing, please contact Don. He is willing to donate $500 for the May shoot. We will be looking for other sponsors for the May and October shoots. Pete Rustad stated that he would help on this project in the spring.
YZ:
YZ will donate $1000 to the pig roast if Jim agrees to hold it again.
Chops:
Chops and YZ will put up the other signs that arrived. Chops has all the permits and notes from the building project. He will put those in the cabinet in the back office in the new building.
Tate:
Tate asked if the money in the FoWTA money is earmarked for anything. Tate asked if we should start looking for more golf carts or a UTV to use on the grounds rather than having to borrow them all the time. Fritz said that K&M is looking for one for us, possibly a dealer demo. Chops will talk to the person that he buys his from as well.
Amy:
Food Vendor Prices:
$150 state shoot (already established). Prices will remain the same as this year. $50 per day or $100 for weekends shoot.
Next meeting is scheduled for January 25 at Sherwood Lodge.
YZ made a motion to adjourn. Ron seconded. So carried.
Meeting adjourned at 2:05pm.