Mid State of Ohio Kart Club
Board of Directors Meeting
April 20, 2006
Station House 81 – Commercial Point, Ohio
Call to Order – Mike Unger called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM, after which Paul Lyda distributed an agenda.
Attendance – In attendance were:
Bill Bruce – Member (Secretary)
Layman Cobb – Visitor
Mike Dillon – Member (Treasurer)
MaShaun Jones – Visitor (Webmaster)
Paul Lyda – Member (Vice-President)
Jack Reall – Visitor
Bob Strawser – Member
Heath Tatman – Member
Steve Tatman – Member
Mike Unger – Member (President)
There were seven regular board members present and no alternates.
Apologies for Absence – Those who had indicated that they were unable to attend the meeting were:
Dana Conlin – Member
Kevin Brown – Member
Approval of Minutes – The minutes of the March 15, 2006, meeting were approved as written. Motion – Paul Lyda, Second – Mike Dillon, Vote – Unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s/Membership Report – Mike Dillon reported that the total membership for the club now stood at 133 members, 76 of whom are Master Members. The checking account balance at the time of the meeting was $5771 and the petty cash balance was $250. Mike Dillon indicated that there had been too many corner workers for race No. 1, all of whom were paid, and that this would be rectified for Race No. 2. He also indicated that, in general, the break-even point for a race day was approximately 52 entries.
Reflections on Race No. 1 – Mike Unger preceded old business items with some reflection on Race No. 1, for which there were 77 entries. There were some ‘jitters’, such as the grid sheets not printing out properly, but most everything went smoothly. In spite of several new classes and longer feature races, the day’s activities were complete by 5:30 PM. Mike Unger also indicated that our new flagman, Ryan Strawser, deserved recognition for a job well done. Regarding scoring, the issue of number/number panel color was raised. Mike Unger indicated that as long as they were ‘contrasting’ colors, they did not have to be black on white. It was also pointed out that the introduction of transponders will alleviate scoring difficulties caused by difficult-to-read numbers. The combining of classes, which seemed to go well during Race No. 1, was also discussed, as were penalties for those in the second group who jump the start (e.g., 1 or 2 positions at the discretion of the Race Director). Regarding the scale-house person, Paul Lyda indicated that this person would become busier after transponders are made mandatory, but that making sure that karts are equipped with a transponder is ultimately the responsibility of the racer.
Transponder System Up-Date – Steve Tatman reported that the transponder system had been installed and that the rental transponders had arrived. MaShaun Jones indicated that he had run a test of the system during the previous weekend’s practice session and that the system seemed to be working properly. He also indicated that progress was being made making the electronic display board that had been donated operational. Steve Tatman volunteered to mount and waterproof the display board in an appropriate location. MaShaun Jones confirmed that the software for the new system seems to be capable of completely replacing the old software – i.e., will be capable of generating line-up sheets, etc. Steve Tatman asked if the new software was capable of handling the championship points. MaShaun Jones indicated that he would check into this. ACTION 1 – MaShaun Jones to determine if the new software is capable of handling the championship points. Mike Unger suggested that it may be possible to write a macro that would do this for out particular points system. Jack Reall, who acted as points-keeper during the 2005 season, indicated that it would also have to be capable of handling the various types of disqualifications (e.g., heat race, entire event, etc.). It was also reported that the bulk order of transponders that Bob McConnell had organized had not arrive yet, but was expected soon. The proper mounting location for the transponders was also discussed. After some debate, Mike Unger offered to devise some mounting location guidelines prior to the next meeting. ACTION 2 – Mike Unger to devise transponder mounting location guideline.
Preparation for Race No. 2 – Mike Unger began the discussion pertaining to preparedness for Race No, 2 by inquiring about availability of tires and fuel. Bob Strawser indicated that the shipment of tires he had ordered was expected the following day and that plenty of fuel would be available. Steve Tatman indicated that Willis Brothers also had a supply of fuel.
Club Marketing/Sponsorship Up-Date – Mike Unger indicated that the only progress that had been made was to have MaShaun Jones remove the old advertisements from the MSOKC website and that we needed to push our search for club sponsorships harder. Layman Cobb asked if the details of sponsorship packages were available, which Paul Lyda then provided. Paul Lyda indicated that he would make it a point to contact at least the kart suppliers and to check with Bob McConnell for a progress up-date. ACTION 3 – Paul Lyda to contact kart suppliers and check with Bob McConnell. Mike Unger described our arrangement with National Kart News and his plans for taking advantage of our advertising space.
MSOKC Swap Meet Committee Up-Date – Mike Dillon indicated that the committee did not meet, but that Butch McCall had looked into some of the details. The likely venue is Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard. Mike Unger indicated that the details should be finalized by June so that flyers could be mailed out, etc. He also suggested that various seminars (e.g., introduction to karting, chassis set-up, etc.) could be held in conjunction with the event. Jack Reall agreed that this was a good idea and suggested that the information on the MSOKC website pertaining to introduction to karting should be up-dated.
Promotional Activities at CPGP – Heath Tatman summarized the promotional opportunities for the club at the Commercial Point Grand Prix, including space for two display tents where brochures can be distributed. Mike Unger indicated volunteers would be recruited from the club to help stuff the driver information packets.
Hog Roast Schedule – Details for the ‘hog roast’ following the Sunday race on July 23 were discussed. Steve Tatman reported that a caterer/chef had been selected and that the price was quit reasonable. It was anticipated that six pork loins (10 to 12 lbs each) would be required and the price for this was in the $250-300 range. Mike Unger suggested that a ‘pot luck’ arrangement should be used for side dishes, but that the club would provide utensils, plates, napkins, etc. He suggested that the pot luck should be done on a class-by-class basis. Other activities for this event were also discussed, such a raffle, games for the kids, tire-mounting contest for the adults, etc., to give it a festival-like feel. The need for prizes was also discussed. Mike Unger indicated that the president of Vega tires in Italy was planning to attend the event and that sets of tires would make excellent prizes. He agreed to pursue this with Vega. ACTION – Mike Unger to pursue tires for prizes.
Website Up-Date – The need for a comprehensive clean-up of the MSOKC website was discussed. For example, the ‘message from the president’ is over a year old and there are a number of inoperative links at various places. Bill Bruce suggested that the website needed to have a clear indication on the main page that the forum was the place to go for effective communications regarding the day-to-day activities of the club. Mike Unger requested that whoever was willing to review the content of the website should send suggestions for items that can be cleaned up to MaShaun Jones. MaShaun Jones indicated that he had just received the points for Race No. 1 and that these would be posted on the website soon in a format that would indicate finishing positions and number of points. Mike Unger indicated that MaShaun Jones deserved recognition for a job well done on the website and the implementation of the new transponder system.
Petitions – Mike Unger petitioned the board to allow Noah Unger to participate in the Sportsman Yamaha (SSX can) class even though he is not yet eight years old. Heath Tatman suggested that, since most of the board members had not seen him perform in his new equipment, approval should be made provisionally. He also indicated that Noah should be required to display an ‘X’ on the back of his helmet and start from the rear of the grid for his first two races in this class. Motion – Bill Bruce, Second – Paul Lyda, Vote – Unanimously approved with one abstention (Mike Unger).
Club Directory – Bill Bruce indicated that the idea of publishing a directory of club members was raised on the forum recently and asked it this could be done. Paul Lyda expressed reservations because of privacy issues. After some discussion, it was agreed that permission forms could be made available at registration and that anyone who approved of their contact information being included in a directory that would be distributed to club member only could indicate so on this form. Mike Dillon indicated that he would discuss this with Erin Dillon. ACTION 5 – Mike Dillon to discuss membership directory with Erin Dillon.
Next Meeting – The next meeting will be at 7:00 PM on Thursday, May 18, 2006, at Station House 81 in Commercial Point, Ohio.
Actions – The following is a list of action items from the meeting:
Adjournment – The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:15 PM.
Bill Bruce
Secretary
MSOKC Board of Directors