Attendance - Board members George Lehocky, Bob Burkitt, David Kent, Jim Krailler, Jack Dean, Mike Reilly and Bob Hiance were present.

Review of Minutes - The amended minutes posted on the website were approved.

Income / Expenditures / Current balance
Queen City Shootout Financial Report
Membership Report

David Kent
David Kent
Jim Krailler

Income / Expenditures / Current balance - Current balance of the GCHA checking account is $ 9,085.51.

Queen City Shootout Financial Report - David Kent provided a detailed income and expense report for the 2003 Queen City Shootout, showing a net loss of $278.10. It should be noted that Paul Baker and Jeff Metzger teamed to sponsor the GCHA beer expenses of $243.00, preventing further loss.

Memorial Funds - There has been no change in status, and the topic to be removed from future agenda.

Membership Report - Jim Krailler reported that the current membership roster is at 56 members.
A mailing, including a GCHA-addressed stamped envelope, was sent to 80+ non-renewals on November 29th.

Website Hosting
State and Regional Report
3-Wall Court Maintenance
3-Wall Court Shelter
Day After Thanksgiving Party
Bengals Outing
Pat Carnes

Jim Krailler
Jack Prather
Bob Burkitt
Mike Reilly
Board
George Lehocky
George Lehocky

Website Hosting - No additional feedback or problems have been reported to either board members or the webmaster. Topic to be removed from future agenda.

State and Regional Report - Jack Prather reports that there have been no significant developments related to the USHA's Mid-America region. Topic to be removed from future agenda.

3-Wall Court Maintenance - Bob Burkitt submitted a 3-page printed report, printed below in it's entireity:

Since construction of the 3-wall handball courts at Veteran’s Park in Green Township regular maintenance has been performed by the Township and GCHA volunteers.

The Township has:

Painted the court walls Capped the walls with sheet metal Added drainage pipe and stone caps to the perimeter of the apron Emptied the waste receptacle regularly Mowed and trimmed the grass

The GCHA and individual members have:

Cleaned and swept the courts regularly Painted regulation court lines Added netting to the fence fabric Provided and updated the memorial plaque Provided a waste receptacle Repaired spalls on the court floors Maintained the catch fence atop the courts Added benches to the area and repaired the benches when needed Added stone caps to the entrance steps

When the 3-wall courts were constructed the concrete portion of the project was divided between two vendors. The footings and vertical walls were constructed by Day Precision Wall Co. and the court floors and aprons were poured by Wright-Seyferth Construction Co. Since completion both the walls and floors have experienced cracking which is becoming more noticeable with the passage of time.

In early October Sam Hirst of Day wall was contacted to obtain his expert opinion with regard to the vertical wall cracks. In November Jeff Wright of Wright-Seyferth was contacted at the suggestion of Sam Hirst regarding the floor cracks. Both were asked to inspect the courts and report their findings in time for presentation at the December meeting of the GCHA board.

Both Hirst and Wright suggested that the court floors be sealed annually to prevent the absorption of water and the resulting spalls caused by the Winter freeze-thaw cycle. Whether sealing would adversely affect the playing characteristics of the court is not predictable. Based on the amount of spalling being experienced, further investigation is warranted.

Jeff Wright recalled that the substrate beneath the courts is very firm and susceptible to water intrusion. He said that it is important to prevent water from seeping under the walls and footings and that adding drain tile would help by allowing excess water to flow away from the courts. This would be a major project and would have to be discussed with the Township with respect to feasibility and cost. Regrading the soil outside of the court walls might help at much lower cost. He also normally recommends that large expanses of concrete such as the court floors be sawed with relief grooves to control cracking. How such cuts would affect play is a concern.

Sam Hirst inspected the courts and called to report his findings. He is of the opinion that the vertical cracks visible on the court walls are a result of thermal differentials due to solar heating followed by cooling at night. His further opinion is that in view of the extensive use of steel reinforcing bar in the walls the cracks are essentially cosmetic and should not open far enough to affect play. He stated that the joint patterns on the walls were ground following construction and that it is probably not necessary to do further grinding. However, should play be affected adversely, it would be possible to do additional grinding. He feels that the paint is holding up well and is a good way to preserve the walls. The outside walls should probably receive a new coating as much for looks as anything else. He suggested that the saw joints should be caulked to prevent water seepage. Sam stated that the metal caps on the walls are designed for unfilled block walls and are not effective on poured walls.

Jeff Wright inspected the courts on a separate occasion and reported that the court floors need to be sealed and need to be caulked in the joint between the floors and walls. The saw cuts at the end of the walls need to be caulked and all paths for water intrusion should be blocked. He noted that the grading at the outside walls has deteriorated over the years and is in need of restoration to prevent water from entering the ground next to the outer walls. The soil consists of fatty clays and rock layers which create a water problem. The soil tends to shrink away from structures and crack when dry, providing openings for water to enter the substrate. Drain tile is advisable and should be placed at the level of the footings in 1” aggregate material with fabric covering and pitched to carry the water downhill away from the courts. Uneven areas at the court/apron interface could be ground to make them level. The existing fine line cracks in the floors should be sealed with a seeping epoxy, the excess cut away and the sealer applied over the top.

I contacted Janell Concrete and Masonry Supply in Blue Ash to see what the material costs would be for sealers and caulks. Caulking the wall to floor joints would require about $105 for a case of urethane caulk, using standard tubes and caulking guns. Backer rod should be used to reduce the amount of caulking required, cost is about $10 per court. Janell recommends a floor sealer called Symons Cure “n” Seal at about $10 per gallon with 30 gallons needed to coat the courts and apron. It can be applied with rollers, requires 2 days to cure and should not be applied below 40*F or allowed to freeze until cured. It is clear, will not affect the playing quality of the surface and should be reapplied every 3 to 4 years. Total materials cost will total about $600 to $700 including rollers and caulking guns.

In other matters, Jim Krailler is investigating the addition of a “Court Cam” which would allow viewing the courts by means of the GCHA or Green Township website. It might be feasible for a wireless local area network (LAN) to be set up so that players could check the courts via the internet for weather and other players before traveling to Green Township. Security aspects of such an installation would have to be discussed if the project proves feasible.

Construction of a court shelter would provide a home for the camera and any support equipment. The Township should be contacted regarding the addition of a bulletin board at the courts. If they have particular requirements regarding design, construction or sourcing we need to know what they are. This could be a separate project or part of any shelter plan, and would make a good donation. All planned additions to the plaque have been made and no further changes are contemplated. There is room on the plaque for several additional names should the need arise.

Submitted by Bob Burkitt December 3, 2003

3-Wall Court Shelter - Mike Reilly has contacted Fred Schlimm of Green Township regarding the proposal for a permanent shelter, located outside the court area between the court fence and soccer field fence. Fred has requested the following: a proposed layout and size of shelter, some verbage as to why it's needed and why it would be an asset to the park, and the amount of financial help the GCHA would be able to contribute. Information should be sent to Fred at 6303 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45247. George Lehocky will contact John Allen for additional input.

Project Priorities, 3-Wall Courts - A lengthy discussion followed receipt of both Mike's and Bob's reports, focused on setting priorities for projects related to the 3-Wall courts. Some of the phrases used included: "If you do it, do it right.", "Do it right the first time." and "No, I'm NOT investigating a webcam." Based on current needs and available funding, the following priority list was established.

1. Caulking and sealing of floor surface
2. Extension of drain tile to remove water from court / apron areas
3. Bulletin board
4. Permanent shelter behind court area
5. Sidewalk or paved walkway from basketball courts to handball courts
6. Shower
7. Webcam
8. Lights

Day After Thanksgiving Party - A sizeable crowd attended this annual GCHA event. No one was killed but pitches were flying.

Bengals Outing - John Love promoted an away-game party at the Paul Brown Stadium Club to watch the Cincinnati Bengals play the Pittsburg Steelers on Sunday, November 28th. Eight members attended.

Pat Carnes - Due to budget cuts, Pat Carnes is no longer employed as Membership Director at the Central Parkway YMCA. Pat has been a long-time supporter of the GCHA and GCHA activities, and the Board will miss him. Paul Baker has made an offer for Pat to be a 'contract' worker as membership coordinator. George Lehocky will work with Pat in his job search, and a notice will be included in the upcoming ShortLine, and Pat's resume will be posted and linked on the GCHA website.

Queen City Shootout
George Miller Sr. Memorial, Toledo, OH
Kentucky State Handball Championship 2004
State of Ohio Handball Championships
Caples 3-Wall, Date for 2004

November 7th-9th (Fri.-Sun.)
November 14th - 16th (Fri.-Sun.)
January 23rd - 25th (Fri.-Sun.)
February 20th - 22nd (Fri.-Sun.)
July 24th - 25th ??

Queen City Shootout - A story detailing the results has been written by Jim Krailler; it will appear in the upcoming ShortLine and has been forwarded to the USHA for publication. The financial report (see above) concludes all activity related to this event.

BlueBall Tournament - The tournament will be held at noon on January 1, 2004 at the 3-Wall courts at Veterans' Park, regardless of weather conditions.

Pete Mather Tournament - George Lehocky asked that this event be added to the agenda, and is looking toward an April date for this event.

George Miller Sr. Memorial - This tournament was held in Toledo, OH on November 14th - 16th (Fri.-Sun.) Jack Prather won Masters Singles and teamed with Jim Krailler to take 2nd place in Masters Doubles.

Kentucky State Handball Championship 2004 - The dates for the Kentucky tournament have changed. Dates and information will be posted on the web site in upcoming weeks.

Ohio State Championship - State of Ohio Handball Championships, 2004, will be held at the Severance Athletic Club in Cleveland over the weekend of February 20th - 22nd (Friday through Sunday.) Dates and information on this tournament will also be posted on the web site.

Caples 3-Wall - Alternate dates for the 2004 Caples tournament were again discussed. The decision was made to have the tournament on the 2nd weekend in June. The tournament will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13. The base entry fee will be $ 40, reduced to $ 30 for entries submitted by June 1st. Second event and discounted fees will remain unchanged. This will be a USHA-sanctioned event, with an additional $5 added for non-USHA members.

Owen Gloves sale offer
Other?

Jim Krailler
Board

Owen Gloves Sale - Information has been posted on the website to consolidate member orders and take advantage of the quantity discounts.

Other?

ShortLine - Monday December 15th, 2003 is the deadline for the submission of articles for the January 1, 2004 edition of the ShortLine.

Four-wall Leagues - The Board unanimously agreed to provide 2 free tournament shirts to Traci and Beth, Athletic Club at Waycross, to acknowledge their hospitality during the Friday night leagues.

2004 BlueBall Tournament - Bob Burkitt suggested the addition of a dutch lunch at Abby's to follow the annual event, in order to promote cameraderie and consumption.

Enquirer article - George Lehocky distributed copies of a Cincinnati Enquirer article (December 1, 2003; Page D-3) titled "Squash teaches patience, gives a great workout" from the "Basic Training" section written by Shauna Scott Rhone. George suggested contacting the reporter, perhaps with a story about a father/son handball duo, with the focus on sports and togetherness. Bob Hiance volunteered to look into this opportunity to write an article on Handball which would
focus on Bob and his son, Trey.

Next
Meeting

Scheduled date: Wednesday, January 7th, 7:30 pm
Location:

Board

Open to all members