Villages Hiking Club Board Meeting via Zoom
1. Called to Order: 9:35am by President, Al Girolami
- Attending Board Members:
President, Al Girolami; VP Hiking & Trails, Faye Swanson; Treasurer, Sandy Petrin; VP Social, Michelle Breslin; VP Membership & Website, Jim Beyer; Acting Secretary, Debbie Siedband (non-voting)
Absent: Cheryl Allmen
- Reports:
President’s Report:
- Al began with an update on Cheryl Allmen. She is in room 3005 of the Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center located at 975 Sereno Dr., Vallejo, CA 94589. Phone calls are not recommended, but cards are welcomed. Sandy delivered flowers and a card was sent by the Club.
– Following a brief discussion, it was decided that Jim would include Board Meeting Minutes on the Website.
- Al and Sandy have canceled the credit card the Club had with US Bank. There was a fee for having the card. Since the Club has two debit cards and a checking account, the credit card account was brought to a zero balance and closed.
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QR codes have been put up at the starting points for hiking the Hills. When accessed by cell phone, they provide a map of the entire Trail system. Michelle reports that someone has been refilling the Trail map boxes with the tri-fold maps. We assume Villages is doing this.
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Our Master Calendar for 2021 that Al submitted to Villages, has been approved. We requested the same event times as the previous year. There will be no May, July or December meetings in 2021.
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A mailbox for equestrians has been set up on the Trail by Wate and Rich. Carie Woods took it up for us. There are now sign-in sheets as well, for the riders to fill out, so that Peter Holmes can include the information in his tally of Trail usage.
Old Business:
Al updated us on the 3 proposals we have before the VGCC Board.
1) The Step Trail improvement proposal was submitted for the 3rd time on September 8. Al received an email from Julia Meadows that she will “pass it on” to Tim. Dan K. asked if there might be any EVF money available to us to help with this. Sandy Petrin said it is doubtful, but she will call them.
2) Installation of a mailbox with sign-in log at the cul de cal at the top of Valle Vista to gauge the number of people starting hikes from that point. No response yet.
3) Installation of 3’ x 5’ signs with Trail maps, similar to those used at ski resorts to indicate “You are here.” Villages has countered with a suggestion they be 2’ x 3’ instead. This is still under review. Michelle will look into cost, etc.
- Slate of Officers for 2021. We are still seeking someone to be Secretary.
The other positions are covered. We hope to present this at the October General Membership meeting.
- Picnic table on Meadow. Dan has researched this and found one similar to the ones we have at the top of the Hill. He’s found one (weighing 385 pounds) for $913.95, marked down from $1,600. He sent a note to Tom Muniz, requesting the procurement path for this project. He will fill out a project request form. Al thinks the VGCC Board will make good on this.
Michelle will speak with Bob Wilk about project approval. Sandy Petrin made a motion, seconded by Jim, that the Hiking Club Board authorize $1,000 for this project. The motion was passed.
New Business:
Dan presented a proposal on behalf of Wate Bakker and Jim Koski regarding opening the Hill Lands to cattle grazing. Villager, Bill Johnston, a long-time Santa Clara county resident suggested we introduce cattle grazing once again to help control grasses. Bill worked on various ranches as a young man and knows several ranchers. He would be willing to help arrange conversations between parties. In past years, the Sierra Club was against this practice, but has now come to support it as a wildfire mitigation tool. There are several issues that would need to be addressed, such as the need to restore springs, fencing and troughs. The rancher would be expected to do this. Michelle pointed out that no bulls would be an obvious condition. She also said we would need to do an education outreach, to let people know that these cattle are not tame. Michelle made a motion, seconded by Sandy that the Board endorse this project. The motion passed. Al will discuss this with membership at tonight’s General meeting on Zoom. Then we’ll send a brief questionnaire, gauging support for the project. A vote will be held during the October Zoom meeting. If Membership approval is gained, the Board will forward the proposal to the VGCC Board.
Treasurer:
Beginning Book Balance, as of July 31, 2020 $6,420.84
No income or expenses
Ending Book Balance, as of Aug. 31, 2020 $6,420.84
*One additional check is outstanding: $50 to Vasona Creek Health Care.
Actual Bank Balance is $6,470.84
Hiking Club Hill Lands Project Fund Report – August, 2020
Beginning Book Balance as of July 31, 2020 $2,301.82
No income or expenses
Ending Book Balance as of Aug. 31, 2020 $2,301.82
-Al reminded the Board that our year-end charity donations ($1,200) are to be voted on at the November Board meeting. He asked the Board members to review what is being done for 2020, so they can consider whether anything should be changed for the 2021 Budget. Jim made a motion, seconded by Michelle to approve the Treasurer’s Report. The report was approved.
V.P. Hiking and Trails:
• Faye hopes that more hikes can occur in the near future. Currently, hikes are not Club sponsored, but rather people asking other people to meet at an off-site location. Carpooling is also not suggested at this time. Sy has been reaching out to people, and Bonnie’s Rambler Lite hikes have been well-attended.
•Al notes that all parks that were not fire-damaged are open. Henry Coe is closed.
•Next year’s Trail Maintenance Day is scheduled on March 27 in the 2021 calendar Al submitted to Villages. The Spring Outing cancelled due to covid this year will be rescheduled as next year’s Spring Outing.
V.P. Social:
•Michelle reports no Socials are planned, with Zoom meetings being the only current option. While on this topic, Michelle said she’ll look into a monthly Zoom account for 2021 for the Club.
V.P. Membership and Website:
•Jim reports 289 members, down by 2 from last month. Al reminded us that pursuant to our standing rules, there are no dues charged to people joining the Club between Oct.1 and December 31. He also asked us to download and carry copies of the membership form to offer to new people we encounter hiking in the Hills.
- Next Meeting:
•General Membership – September 28, 2020 at 7:30pm, via Zoom. Eric Schmidt, President of the Portola and Castle Rock Foundation will speak about hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Next Board meeting – October 22, 2020 via Zoom, with details to follow.
5.Meeting Adjourned:
•Jim made a motion, seconded by Sandy to adjourn at 10:41am.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Siedband, acting Secretary