Board Meeting — 2/14/22
Call to Order: President Dolly Robinson called the Board meeting to order at 6:22 PM.
Members in attendance included the following: Dolly Robinson, Mike Null, Laura Null, Joe Hinkle, and Linda Williams.
Special guest: George English of USTA Florida.
Approval of Board Minutes: M. Null made a motion to approve the Minutes of the December 13, 2021 meeting and J. Hinkle seconded the motion; the motion carried unanimously.
Nomination and Election of Officers: L. Hunter-Null submitted a proposed slate of Officers for the new year and called for a vote:
President - Dolly Robinson
Vice President - Mike Null
Secretary - Linda Williams
Treasurer - Joe Hinkle
Motion was made by L. Hunter-Null to approve the slate of officers; seconded by M. Null.
The motion carried unanimously.
Guest speaker: George English of USTA Florida reported the grant cycle opened on Feb. 1 st with an emphasis on high school tennis teams. There is funding available for tennis rackets and tennis balls. If CHS tennis coaches will submit their applications now, G. English will fast-track them, as the grant cycle closes on April 30th .
He announced the USTA National Facility Assistance Grant had been suspended during 2020-2021. However, USTA funding is now available to assist with plans and engineering for creating new tennis facilities. G. English added it is important to know that each new facility funded by this special grant will need to meet USTA’s requirements regarding court size, quality of surface, etc.
G. English has been providing tennis equipment on behalf of USTA Florida for Mark Mansbach as he has been teaching local veterans to play tennis twice a month. Mark Mansbach has been donating his time because the veterans are important to him. This program is a partnership between Veteran’s Affairs and USTA Florida.
G. English wanted LCCCTA’s Board to know there will be a free upcoming Coaches Education Clinic in Ocala at the Fort King Tennis Center on Saturday, March 5th from 2-5 PM. During the three hours, three clinics will be conducted: Community Red and Orange Ball, Adaptive Tennis, and Wheelchair Tennis.
Registration link for the free clinic: USTA Florida Community Coach Program-USTA Florida G. English added the Special Olympics State Games will be held at USTA’s National Campus, Lake Nona (Orlando), in May.
Old Business: D. Robinson asked M. Null about the possibility of the City assisting with the installation of the backboard.
M. Null believes they will assist with the installation of the backboard; D. Robinson will make contact with the Director of Public Works.
D. Robinson said she will address a few remaining business items at the next meeting.
They include: Security system and keycard, net to separate courts, shade sails, and completion of the pro shop interior.
M. Null reported LCCCTA has received Declaration Pages for both Director and Officer (D&O) Insurance and Liability Insurance. Both checks have cleared the bank account.
L. Hunter-Null reported she hasn’t contacted the printing company regarding prior discussion of 2X4 ($32) or 3X6 ($72) windscreen banners. However, she will contact them once she has more direction from the Board.
There was discussion regarding multi-color logos, limited number of banners (20) to be sold and placed on the fence, and the best size to view from the road. L. Hunter-Null will make contact with the printing company to determine the cost per color for multi-color logos.
D. Robinson will ask if M. Kazmierski could assist by being the liaison for LCCCTA’s banner project/fundraiser. D. Robinson suggested the annual cost for a 2X4 printed banner could be $100-$150 and added there would be a ‘renewal discount’ if the printed banner does not have to be replaced annually.
G. English said he will check into obtaining a USTA banner to hang at the Young’s Park tennis courts.
New Business: D. Robinson expressed gratitude for Guy Williams allowing LCCCTA to meet in the office’s conference room.
Effective immediately, the mailing address for LCCCTA will change from suite 150 to 183, keeping the Duval Place address of 971 West Duval Street.
D. Robinson will ensure LCCCTA’s future correspondence and reports reflect the suite number change.
D. Robinson suggested LCCCTA consider offering four (4) $250 Annual ‘Named’ Court’ sponsorships, to provide LCCCTA $1,000 per year in revenue.
D. Robinson and L. Williams each have committed to sponsoring a court for the 2022.
A motion was made to approve annual court sponsorships from April 1 st to March 31 st by M. Null and it was seconded by J. Hinkle. The motion carried unanimously.
D. Robinson announced the four-week Spring Youth Tennis Camp will begin on April 19, 2022 as a one-hour afterschool youth tennis program. Liza Viplav will lead the 7-12 graders on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 PM; volunteers could assist D. Robinson and L. Williams with the 3-6 graders on Tuesdays at 3:45 PM.
*NOTE: Every volunteer must be approved by successfully completing USTA’s Safe Play Program and/or pass a background check to insure a safe environment for all participants.
L. Williams already placed the Spring Youth Tennis Camp registration forms/participation waiver forms, as well as participant sign-in sheets, at the tennis pro shop. The Tennis Camp flyer and registration packets were distributed to Board members by L. Williams during the meeting.
L. Williams asked for J. Hinkle’s assistance with registration and collection of the tennis camp fees on the first day of the Spring Youth Tennis Camp—April 19th .
The Spring Youth Tennis Camp has been publicized by L. Williams on LCCCTA’s Facebook page, with a link to download registration forms. Lake City Reporter’s Community Calendar has already been publicizing the upcoming event.
J. Hinkle provided the Financial Report. The current balance in the bank account is $1,912.32, with $1,000 funding from YTF allocated to LCCCTA’s Spring Youth Tennis Camp to begin in April.
M. Null reported that Mark Mansbach is very busy; continually increasing his new players and number of tennis lessons.
M. Null also reported the CHS Boy’s Tennis Team Fundraiser on February 5th was fairly successful with the leadership of both Coach Liza Viplav and Yolanda Wormely.
M. Null expressed much gratitude to D. Robinson for her many years of leadership as LCCCTA’s President and commended her for another successful year!
The next Board meeting is scheduled for March 14, 2022 in the same location: Duval Place, Suite 183, Conference room.
President Dolly Robinson adjourned the Board meeting at 7:38 PM.
