Villages Hiking Club – Board Meeting Minutes (via Zoom) 18-Feb-2021
1. Called to Order: 9:31am by President Al Girolami
2. Attending Board Members:
President – Al Girolami
VP Hiking & Trails – Faye Swanson
VP Social – Michelle Breslin
VP Membership & Website – Jim Beyer
Treasurer – Sandy Petrin
Secretary – Gordon Carbonetti
Also attending were Dan Kato and John Petrin for a total of 8 attendees.
3. Reports
Secretary – Gordon Carbonetti
· There were no questions on the minutes as distributed, so Gordon made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 21, 2021 Board Meeting. Michelle seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Treasurer – Sandy Petrin
January 2021 General Fund
Beginning balance as of December 31, 2020 $4,648.80
Income – Membership Dues (3 new members) $21.00
Balance $4,669.80
Expenses – Donations
Ck#1670 Silicon Valley Humane Society (Roy Wash) $50.00
Ck#1671 Heroilda Martinez (dues refund) $7.00
Total Expenses $57.00
Ending book balance as of January 31, 2021 $4,612.80
Note – Bank balance is $4619.80 as Ck#1671 is still outstanding.
January 2021 Hiking Club Hill Lands Project Fund
Beginning balance as of December 31, 2020 $2,801.82
No Income and Expenses $0.00
Ending Balance as of January 31, 2021 $2,801.82
· The preceding Financial Report was approved by a motion from Jim, seconded by Gordon, and it passed unanimously.
· Sandy reported that a check was received this month (Feb) from the Villages in the amount of $1,932.00 covering 2021 membership dues (276 members at $7each).
· Finally, Sandy said Michelle submitted an invoice for 2021 Zoom access. So Sandy has a check in the mail to Michelle and this expense will be reflected in the February 2021 financial report presented next month.
Sunshine Committee – Sandy advised there were no events reported. Al added that Ruth DePonzi retired recently, and Terri Vivoli was asked to send one of her beautiful hand-made cards to Ruth on behalf of the Hiking Club. Al again thanked Terri for her efforts.
VP Membership & Website – Jim Beyer
· Jim advised current membership now totals 280.
· Regarding QR codes, Michelle is working to finalize the replacement of the damaged plastic covers at the trailhead map boxes as soon as she can secure the appropriate supplies for printing and laminating.
VP Hiking & Trails – Faye Swanson
· Faye reported Rambler and Rambler-lite hikes continue and are going well thanks to Bonnie and Sy.
· She said we have not advertised long hikes, but Faye is drafting an email doing so. Her goal is to send out a weekly email mentioning all the hikes including the Long hikes especially the Wednesday and Sunday hikes in the Hill Lands, to see if any people wish to join in while continuing to follow the safety protocols. Al emphasized the Wed./Sat. Hill Land hikes with Russ Glines, as well as the Wed. Rambler/Rambler-Lite hikes. He said the “hiking experience is out there if people want to do it”. So periodic reminder emails to HC members can be a good way to get more members on the trails.
· Faye is also looking at the possibility of forming a hiking group below the Rambler-Lite group that will hike within the Villages. It could be something similar to what Quincey organizes on Monday mornings when the golf course is open to walkers.
· Finally, Faye reported Russ Glines is considering starting a weekly shorter Hill Land hike which would traverse the lower, close-in trails. This could be a way to join him to expose more hikers to the extensive Hill Land trail system.
VP Social – Michelle Breslin
· A fall/late summer 2021 trip to the San Luis Obispo area is still under consideration. Sandy Petrin will research this further. Sandy has contact at the 5-cities area.
· The Villages Management cancelled Game Night as well as all March events.
· Next scheduled event is Trail Maintenance on March 27th which we might consider doing on an unsanctioned volunteer basis via an email, with a sign-up sheet. Michelle said she can do a brown-bag snack of water and Kind Bar.
· The HC tools are not that accessible due to the Pandemic, so we may be able to borrow the Garden Club tools. Dan will check with the garden Club (Judy) and Russ to see what tools he has. We might need to think about how to access the HC cages.
· Faye can send out an email to ask for volunteers to help with the Trail Maintenance, and how might the Horse people can assist us with ATV access to the trails. Faye will draft an email for HC Board review to send out to members for this effort, with an alternative date if necessary. Michelle said she can quickly pull together a brown-bag snack for whatever turn-out we get.
· Michelle suggested a HC event could be where hikers can take pictures of pre-determined locations in the Hill Lands as sort of a Treasure/Scavenger Hunt. Al suggested winners or those who complete the tasks can win a Villages Golf Shirt (which may be expensive). Dan and Michelle will look into this further and report back at a future Board Meeting, including determining which areas need the most attention (Garden Steps, Upper Meadows).
Old Business
Hill Lands Committee Report – Al Girolami, Dan Kato
· Al and Faye said some trees are down at the picnic tables at the bottom of Sky Trail.
· No further word from Julia on HC Proposals so we should wait another month.
· Dan suggested we highlight the specific area where we need work help (Garden Steps, Upper Meadow). Faye will work on an email to solicit volunteers to meet on March 27th which she will review with the HC Board. Dan said he would check with the folks from the Upper garden.
· Sign-out sheets issue to be tabled for another month due to COVID closure of our storage area
- New Business
a. Al said GreenBelt Aliance to speak at the next Membership Meeting.
5. Next Meetings
· General Membership – February 22, 2021 at 7:30pm, via Zoom. Program: Greenbelt Alliance
· Next Board Meeting – March 18, 2021 at 9:30am, via Zoom
· General Membership – March 29, 2021 at 7:30pm, via Zoom. Program: Lt. John Nores – California Fish & Game (retired)
6. Meeting Adjourned – The meeting adjourned at 10:17am by motion by Jim and second by Sandy
Respectfully submitted
Gordon Carbonetti – Secretary