Pete and I have been discussing several ideas for the Annual Meeting.  As previously discussed, we are looking to combine the Annual Meeting that has historically been in January in Helvetia with the RD/BOD face-to-face meeting.  Initially we were focused on the Fayetteville area -- for the centrality and recreational opportunities.  We vetted several possibilities: 1) The weekend of Babcock Gristmill Grinder where the race would be the planned club run and we would rent Camp Washington Carver.  2) Same plan, but rent a more comfortable facility (I looked into several, but this was the best option:  http://www.theponderosalodge.com/).   3) 4-H Camp in Beverly (outside Elkins --remember Cheat Mtn?) 4) Spruce Mtn South.

In the end option #1 is not feasible because Camp Washington Carver doesn't open until 5/1 and Babcock will be full by the time club members would be ready to register in conjunction with our event.  Option #2 was not cost effective at nearly $1,000 per night.  Option #3 fell from favor due to the fact that we would have to drive significant distance for decent trails.

We as a committee recommend option #4, the Spruce Mountain South Property for the weekend of July 26-28, 2019.  We have the permission of the land-owners to utilize the property free of charge should our board approve the recommendation.  Our only cost would be porta-johns and food/drink amenities.  Accommodations would be on-site camping.  The weekend plans are not concrete, but tentatively we would have dinner for folks arriving Friday night and possibly a hash or fun (short) night run planned.  Saturday would be light breakfast items provided by the club, several run distance options, lunch on your own, General Club Meeting around 3:00 pm, club provided dinner planned.  Sunday would be the RD/BOD meeting where we would be able to discuss and possibly act upon suggestions or motions made by the general membership.

I feel like this is a good plan due to low cost -- both the club and participants -- and the sustainable nature.  I realize that this is very close to the Camp Run Weekend.  The date selection is a complicated subject that I can go into if need be.  Regardless, I feel like these two events can either merge in to one or simply coexist due to the fact that they have different missions.  That will be dependent upon the wishes of our gracious Marlinton hosts and the consensus of the board.

We do need to have a clear plan so that I can announce this in the annual letter to membership in December.

Thoughts?

I can attend the annual meeting and the RD meeting fairly consistently, because the overnight stay is optional or not required.  I would not be in favor of an annual meeting that requires an overnight stay.  Spruce Knob is at least a 3.5 hour drive from my home.  I know that sounds negative.  I thought the primary reasoning of moving it from January in Helvetia is to increase participation in the event.  Having it even more remote than Helvetia doesn't seem to align itself with that goal.  

We had the RD meeting a Stonewall once and it was fairly successful.

As far as the date I don't care if it conflicts with the Marlinton weekend.  It has run its course.  Many people didn't even run the 1/2 this year.  We enjoy having people but we wouldn't be hurt if there was not an official club event that weekend in Marlinton.

As far as the timing of the announcement you could just leave it out of the letter or say it is TBD.

Let me throw out a couple of alternative options:
-Rent a Pavilion at any state park or forest along I-64, I-77/79, have a run, a meeting, and a BBQ.
-Stonewall
-Adventures on the Gorge
-Arrowhead Bike Farm

I think we are like most busy families.  Most weekends are taken in the summer.  For the last three summers I couldn't find a week that both weekends were free to go on a family vacation.  January, February, and March are when people are not as busy unless you are a CPA.

Combining the annual meeting and RD/BOD meeting was the entire crux of the committee formation.  The notion has always been to find a venue that could sustain these meetings over two days.  I do not see an another option; regardless of the location.

We discussed Stonewall, but it will be entirely too expensive and the trails are mediocre and short.  

Pete and I have given this much thought and discussion. I don't want to speak entirely for him, but I feel like the destination of Spruce Mountain -- although it is remote -- is worth every second of travel for anyone that may want to attend.  The beautiful trails and the unique venue -- at minimal cost to the club --  make it a premier location for what we do primarily together: run and fellowship.   There is also the possibility of returning to the North Fork Mtn run from this location down the road which makes it even more perfect in my mind.

I appreciate your comments and ideas Dan.  Ultimately, there will be something imperfect with any location and date for someone.  I think we simply put it out there with plenty of notification and people either plan to come, or don't.  Things like this, in any organization, nearly always attract the same members, regardless of the plan and particulars.  I believe this will be no different in the beginning, but my hope is that if we select a sustainable long-term location -- in availability, cost, interesting running/trails, etc. -- that over time we will can gain traction and attendance from more club members.

For the board of director nominations:

Our by-laws are very simple and do not define procedure for election of board members.  There may have been a meeting along the way to amend the by laws and add members at large. I don’t have those records. 

For the annual meeting, it sounds fun but I also agree with DT that a weekend in the summer is hard and I think the location will limit the attendance of the general membership.  Day trips are much more doable and should increase attendance.  

I'd also throw out Kanawha State Forest which has great trails, plenty of camping (and members homes) bathrooms, showers, facilities and most of our membership can drive there in an hour.  Families could come and be part of as much or as little of it as they want. 

As Adam said, nothing is perfect and I'm happy to give Spruce a shot and see what happens. 

To be clear, I'm open to trying the committees recommendation. 

Looking back at the last two eBoard meeting minutes the concept of combining the Annual Meeting with a run and overnight stay was briefly presented without objection.  I thought that was the direction was heading from the beginning.

I too understand the situation with so many weekends being occupied, sometimes I just want to sit around the house. Also recognize Spruce Knob is certainly not central to the majority of the membership, but it is a great location with wonderful trails and outdoor opportunities. But I'm only 1.5 hours away. I would enjoy sharing our place with friends.

We are a running club, we must incorporate a good trail run when we meet.

Fayetteville is the ideal mix of trails and local culture. It is the most central location with these opportunities. Maybe we need to revisit that idea.  

Matt, I'm not clear on what this means, "unless no other nominees are presented". I feel the first part of that sentence is adequate.

The rest is clear enough. It is pretty much how we have been operating and is a procedure we could officially adopt. 

We should encourage nominations from the membership. 

The Fayetteville vs Spruce Mtn option comes down to one simple factor:  $$

We can have this happen annually on Spruce Mtn for most likely around or a little over $500 with the club getting porta-johns and food/drink.  Limited participant cost other than gas and any food/drink contributions.  If we do anything around Fayetteville, we're most likely looking at a base cost of around $2k+ for rental, along with food etc. and most likely the need for participant financial contribution.  The Camp Washington Carver option could work for less though I imagine.  I did not get a price once I realized that the Babcock date wouldn't work.  It's not all that close to Fayetteville though and I felt that tying the location and the race were key notions.

Stewart Caldwell and I spoke several of times and he was a great help with some of the greater Fayetteville ideas and connection.  By no means have Pete or I exhausted all options in that area.  I am certain that it will cost us far more though than Spruce Mtn and wouldn't necessarily put us one or near as good of a recreational trail system.

I will not be offended at all if the board does not accept our committee's recommendation.  I like the democratic process of us discussing this.  SMS is simply our conclusive recommendation weighing all options.

Dan, we can strike the last part, "unless no other nominees are presented."

Dan, we can strike the last part, "unless no other nominees are presented."

I think it is prudent to strike that verbiage.  It is really implied in the sense that you're obviously re-elected if there are no other nominees.   We certainly want to encourage nominees and an election, rather than stagnation.

ok Matt

I  believe the SMS option was well thought out after exploring several options. I think it would be worth trying in 2019.