Villages Hiking Club – General Membership Meeting Minutes (via Zoom) 30-Nov-2020
1. Called to Order: 7:31pm 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
Total members in attendance: 33
3. Reports
President
· Introduced all Board members who were all present.
· Al advised that the Upper Garden Steps trail was now taped off with Caution Tape by Villages Management, which was also done last year. All hikers should be extra diligent if using this trail.
· Al said Villages board put all trail improvement projects on hold or denied them, and the club will need to re-apply in 2021 for next year’s budget (2022). Those projects include installing a mailbox at the Joe Marsh trailhead, installing large trail maps at two trailheads, acquiring/installing a new picnic table for the NE corner of the hill lands and Garden steps trail work. Also, Al said some of these may be accomplished with a work order directly with the Villages.
· Additional project requests for the next budget will include trail improvements for the Upper Meadow and Bay trails.
· Trail maps have been put in a plastic box at the trailheads. Also, QR codes have been put at the trail heads which will direct a cell phone user to the Trail Map on the club website. This is helpful when there are no paper copies of the Trail Map.
· Regarding Cattle grazing, Al reports the club is still supporting it, especially for fire suppression purposes. Faye reported the revised membership vote totals are [86] ‘for’ and 3 ‘against’. Al submitted a letter to the current Villages Board on Nov 9, 2020, and an email response was received on Nov.11th from board President Mike Falarski. The response contained a good summary of the Villages considerations/actions over the last 10-20 years on the subject. Al was surprised to learn that the Villages considered cattle grazing as recently as May 2020, but it was never approved in any previous timeframe. Any help from hiking club members to talk with current Villages Board members on this issue would be appreciated. Jim Koski and Bill Johnston are willing to work with the neighboring cattle ranchers on a win-win situation. It was mentioned that virtually all county parks allow grazing.
· All hiking club members will receive a notice that dues will be paid in January 2020 through the HOA payment process. Al reminded all that the dues are important to the club and remain at a very low dollar amount. He also appreciates continue club membership despite the current pause in the club’s social activities.
Secretary
· Gordon said Jim Beyer is uploading the minutes to the website. Jim asks that all attachments be in text format to support that effort.
· Gordon made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 2020 General membership meeting and it was seconded by Cheryl. It was unanimously approved.
Treasurer
General Fund beginning balance as of September 30, 2020 $6,384.80
No Income or expenses $0.00
Ending balance as of October 31, 2020. $6,384.80
Sandy said she is awaiting the 2021 Zoom renewal invoice from Michelle, which is a pending expense.
Hiking Club Hill Lands Project Fund
Beginning Balance as of September 30, 2020 $2,301.82
No income or expenses $0.00
Ending Balance as of October 31, 2020 $2,301.82
Sunshine Committee – Sandy advised club member Steven Ford passed away September 4, 2020, and a card and donation will be sent to the family.
VP Membership & Website
· Jim advised the current membership dropped slightly from 289 to 286.
· Jim confirmed he received a membership application for Faye’s friend, Lillian. Faye said she is expecting another neighbor to turn in his application shortly.
· Al would like to get membership up to 300.
VP Hiking & Trails
· Faye and Al thanked Sy (Rambler), Bonnie (Rambler Lite) and Russ (Hill Lands Long Hikers) for keeping unsanctioned hikes going while maintaining social distancing and masking up so we’re all safe and secure.
· Faye stressed the importance of getting outdoors for fresh air, socialization and exercise.
VP Social
· In light of the current county lock-down, Michelle said there are no events in the near-term. If there is any membership interest, Michelle offered to put together a social event via Zoom. In any event, a summary of Hiking Club meetings/events planned for 2021 is attached to the minutes. Given the current health issues, please be aware this schedule and/or related details will likely change as we get into 2021.
· Some hikers are planning to make the hike to the top of the Hill on New Year’s Day. Michelle reminded all to practice social distancing and masking protocols.
New Business
2021 Donations and 2021 Budget – Al said the 2021 Budget and Donations list were already provided to the membership for review and was approved by the Board. He further advised we are utilizing the same 2020 amounts and recipients for 2021. Michelle made a motion to approve this and Wate seconded it, and the motion passed. A copy of the 2021 Budget and Donations list are attached to the minutes.
Slate of Officers – Last month all current officers were voted in as the slate for the same positions for 2021, and now they are willing to run for those positions for 2021. During and prior to the meeting, no other members expressed interest in running. Michelle made a motion (and seconded by Wate) to approve the slate of officers for service through 2021. The motion was approved by an immediate and unanimous electronic poll.
• Guest Speaker – Mathew Dodder, Executive Director of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS)
• The Audubon Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to Birding, Education, and Conservation.
• SCVAS has about 1200 members and a very good website: www.scvas.org
• Mathew recommended two websites for further information:
www.ebird.org and www.norcalbats.org
• Mathew gave a very detailed and informative talk about all the birds in the area.
4. Next Meeting
· Next General Membership – January 25, 2021 at 7:30pm, via Zoom with details to follow. Guest speaker is to be announced.
· Next Board Meeting – January 21, 2021, via Zoom with details to follow..
5. Meeting Adjourned – The meeting adjourned at 9:23pm
Respectfully submitted…Gordon Carbonetti, Secretary
2021 HIKING CLUB BUDGET
(AS OF NOVEMBER 2020)
2021 2020 2020 INCOME BUDGET BUDGET ACTUAL
Dues ($7.00 x 300) $2,100.00 $ 2,100.00 $ 2,100.00
Misc. Income*** $ 500.00 $ 500.00 $ 2,438.00
Donations ————- ————
Sub Total Income $ 2,600.00 $ 2,600.00 $ 4,538.00
Carried from Prior year 4,500.00 4,000.00 2,933.20
TOTAL INCOME $ 7,100.00 $ 6,600.00 $ 7,471.20
EXPENDITURE
Trail Equipt * $ 250.00 $ 250.00 $ 236.00
Trail Maint. Lunch 325.00 325.00 0.00
Coffee Supplies 75.00 75.00 0.00
Audio/Visual 500.00 500.00 149.50
Office Expenses 100.00 100.00 61.31
Social Event Supplies 500.00 500.00 0.00
Donations (Hiking nonprofits) 1,200.00 1.200.00 1,200.00
Donations Member death. 200.00 200.00 200.00
Donations Hill Lands —– 500.00 500.00
Flowers (member death/Illness 150.00 150.00 36.04
Refunds (cancellations) ——- ——– 403.55
Speakers Expenses 150.00 150.00 0.00
Unexpected Expenses 500.00 500.00 0.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURES $3,950.00 $ 4,450.00 $ 2,786.40
EST. REMAINING YEAR END $3,200.00 $ 2,150.00+ $ 4,500.00+
*Note added a hoe/rake and a McLeod Fire tool to our Physical Assets.
**Note Income and expenditures of Socials are no longer Budget items as they are run as self-supporting through fees or some costs for supplies in the no fee events. Any yearly loss would be listed under Unexpected Expenses
***Note Misc. Income of $2,438.00 was profit from the 2019 Christmas party the Xmas party expense of $1,299.38 was paid in Dec.2019 (reflected in carry over bal. from previous year)
Villages Hiking Club 2021 Donation List
Bay Area Ridge Trail Council $100.00
California State Parks Foundation $100.00
Greenbelt Alliance $200.00
Peninsula Open Space Trust $200.00
Portola and Castle Rock Foundation $100.00
Santa Clara County Open Space Authority $100.00
Santa Clara County Parks and Rec. Dept. $100.00
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society $100.00
Sempervirens Fund $100.00
The Pine Ridge Association $100.00
TOTAL $1,200.00
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