The Garretson Commercial Club met on Oct. 9, 2024 at the Gulch Bar & Grill.
Board of directors in attendance were Vice President Carrie Moritz, Laurie Bennett, Guy Johnson, Macie Coburn, Megan Rollag, and Treasurer Kris Johnson. Other members in attendance were Kimberly Konda of the Treasure Chest, Rob Meyer of Humble Hill Winery and the Garretson American Legion Post #23, Susan and Dan Haygood of the Palisades Art Gallery, and Librarian Sara Beahler of the Garretson branch of Siouxland Libraries and Garrick Moritz of the Garretson Gazette.
The meeting was called to order at 12:02 by the Club Vice President as Club President Luke Dreckman was unable to attend due to a work conflict. Club Secretary Paetyn Dreckman was also absent because of a work conflict so former board officer Garrick Moritz was drafted as the meeting minutes recorder for the meeting.
At first there were not quite enough board members for a quorum at the start of the meeting, voting actions were delayed until more board members arrived. VP Moritz and board member Bennett noted that the last month’s Commercial Club meeting at Palisades Oil was attended by 14 people, and VP Moritz was hopeful this bodes well for the future of the club and the community.
Without a quorum, the first item on the agenda was the upcoming Trunk or Treat events scheduled for Halloween, Thursday Oct. 31st. Trunk or Treat will begin at 5 p.m. in Splitrock Park and downtown. There are no registration fees or RSVP’s necessary, just come to Splitrock Park on a first come, first serve basis. Local businesses are also invited and planning to stay open and give out candy in-store to trick or treaters or set up their displays or trunks in the front of their businesses. Board member and School Superintendent Guy Johnson confirmed whether flyers and information will be given out to all students to take home in their backpacks. Those are currently being printed.
No special retirements or milestones had been announced for members so next they reviewed the recent hiring campaign that the Commercial Club pushed on social media and posters around town. President Dreckman’s report said that the campaign reached 25 thousand people. VP Moritz asked for feedback, and whether the board and members in attendance thought this was a worthwhile venture. The consensus was that so far it was too early to tell, but that this campaign should perhaps be done every six months, or in some kind of regular rotation.
VP Moritz then began a review of Hometown Christmas and the planned events, working on times and details for the schedule. In the midst of this discussion enough board members had arrived that the meeting quorum was first reached and then exceeded by a total of six of the voting members, so VP Moritz asked to pause the Hometown Christmas discussion and instead approve the minutes of the last meeting and the treasurer’s report.
G. Johnson motioned, and Bennett seconded to approve last month’s minutes, and all present voted yes. Bennett motioned and Coburn seconded to approve the treasurer’s report and all present voted yes.
Going back to Hometown Christmas planning, the schedule took shape with questions on times and organizations. Together, those in attendance were able to hammer out most of the details and schedule of the event, with board members volunteering to flesh out one or two items.
Librarian Sara Beahler made a proposal to the Commercial Club. Arts and crafts during Hometown Christmas usually charges a nominal fee to cover the costs of the crafts materials, but Beahler said that if the public library was going to be host, they were not allowed to charge for participation. She said that the library budget could provide 3 crafts at no charge and wondered if the Commercial Club would be willing to foot the bill for two crafts. The board readily accepted the deal, with treasurer Kris Johnson bringing the motion and G. Johnson seconding it, with all voting in favor. Treasurer Johnson and Beahler will coordinate to make it happen, and Beahler requested a volunteer from the Commercial Club to assist with crafts. That volunteer will be requested by the membership. Beahler said they will plan for up to 50 kids to attend, and Treasurer Johnson said that the budget for that activity is set for $500.
Moving onto new business, VP Moritz brought up the upcoming photographic contest for the Commercial Club phonebook/local guidebook. Already there has been some interest in submitting photos for judging for the cover. Moritz asked for guidance on the contest, and the consensus was to set aside an open period of a single month for submissions, and that they must be photos taken within the Garretson Area. Moritz also asked if they wanted to attach a monetary prize for the contest, and Megan Rollag proposed $25 in Garretson Commercial Club bucks to the winner chosen. This motion was seconded by Kris Johnson, and VP Moritz and Laurie Bennett volunteered to be the contest judges.
The next item on the agenda regarded Bennett. She was representing the Sports Cabin on the Commercial Club Board, but had resigned there because of health reasons. However, she is also an associate with the Treasure Chest, and wanted to make sure she could remain on the board, simply representing another local business organization. There was nothing in the by-laws or operational documents that required her to resign her post, and no action requiring a vote by the board, just a notation that she has changed the business she’s affiliated with.
Moving on to other business, Treasurer Johnson had several matters to bring forward. First was with the very recent death of Tom Godbey, and in recognition for his long-standing service to the community both in our city government and school activities, she thought the Commercial Club should send flowers to the funeral. She proposed a $30 floral package, Moritz seconded her motion and it was approved unanimously.
Next, Treasurer Johnson informed the board that the Full Membership Annual Meeting had not been booked at a venue as of yet. She suggested with the spaces available, we ought to try something new and reserve the Garretson Gun Club banquet hall area for the event. She herself has lived here for some time, and had only just recently discovered that it existed. Her argument was that the Gun Club has been a member of the Commercial Club so why not use the space and have Ron Luke and GFC cater. VP Moritz made that into a motion and Bennett seconded it. All members present voted in the affirmative.
With that, business was concluded, those present voted to adjourn and the meeting concluded early.
