Meeting minutes from 10-25-09 Troop Committee meeting
In attendance: Wes Durant, Dave Bosselait, Fred Bowe, Bob Czekanski, Peter Scott, Bharat Nair, Don Cole, David Foster, Ed Sterling, Norman Thibault, Paul Casco
Norman called the meeting to order at 7:37.
Minutes for the previous meeting accepted without comment.
Scoutmaster’s report (Wes Durant) – PLC working on troop meeting plans through November. Nantucket trip benefited from new equipment (grill) and procedures (including separate cleaning stations for troop and personal gear; and one patrol assigned to one meal’s cooking with the other patrol responsible for clean-up; roles reversed at next meal; and bringing only one patrol box with all necessary gear (requires up-front planning). Worked especially well with a large (47) group. Too much food was planned/purchased, as most opted to purchase lunch in town instead of packing. Chris did a good job as SPL for this trip. Food inventory in shed needs to be taken. Tent inventory (stakes, poles, flys for a given tent) incomplete, as was discovered during set-up.
Advancement (Fred Bowe) – Three boards of review coming up (but not scheduled?) — all for First Class candidates Ryan Bonner, Corey Crowley, and Henry Foster. Patrol leaders need to keep better records of what scouts in their patrols accomplish at campouts and meetings and get this information to Wes. Next planned Court of Honor planned for November 24 and will be announced at Tuesday’s troop meeting.
Treasurer (Don Cole) - Distributed a budget for the coming year, which was approved by the Committee. Cash balance (absent Northern Tier expenses) of ~$3000.
Eagle (Ed Sterling) – Sam Buffum is progressing; Jimmy Porteus has left the troop; Anders has not submitted a project yet, but is aware of what steps he needs to take. Anders has 13 months before his eligibility expires. Chris Cole has discussed his Eagle project with Wes (raised gardens and flower beds at the senior center) and has received approval to submit a formal proposal. Troop Committee needs to appoint an Eagle Advisor. Issues at the District and Regional level that have the potential to affect upcoming Eagle projects (in terms of gaining approval for projects, for example). Ed will monitor the situation. Ed will sit with the eight Life Scouts about thinking about their Eagle projects.
Some discussion about Eagle deadlines — BSA policy is age 18; Wes would prefer age 16 over concerns that, upon attaining Life, the Scouts slack off for a year or so. Committee seemed to be in agreement that the BSA policy should rule provided that the Scout remains an active participant in Troop activities. Bob C. pointed out that some 16 year olds might not have acquired the maturity and poise needed to, say, solicit financial contributions for a project.
We agreed to table to another meeting the issue of how to convey to parents what the expectations are related a Scout’s invovlement in the Troop in the face of other obligations and activities (sports, church, academics, etc.). General agreement that occasional absences are acceptable given competing demands, and that sometimes it’s better to miss a meeting that to attend for the sake of attendance.
Web (Bharat Nair) – Mail and distribution lists appear to be running without issue. Presented the (stellar) web site — one web site with public and private pages. After some revisions to remove, for example, last names, and to tweak the sign-up page, the web site will be pushed live and announced to the trip at Tuesday’s meeting and to the Troop 1 community at large by email. Committee voted/approved.
Outdoors (Dave B.) – Checks needed for the November Wa-tut-cah trip by Tuesday’s meeting. At this point, Dave and Matt are the sole attendees. Reminder that we’re going to hold the line on the two-week sign-up deadline. Planning for December trip (Camp Hinds, in Raymond, ME; led by Bob Czekanski) under way. Specific program for that trip TBD (hikes and trips to narrow-gauge rail museum among the possibilities). No information from Council on the January Freezeout. Cardigan planned for 2/20, 21. Need to stress to those interested that this is a demanding trip that might not be suitable (or available) to all.
Jeff Buffum – unable to attend, but emailed status/agenda items. As the hour was getting late, we opted not to discuss his email without him there.
Bottles and Cans (Fred) – Ongoing issue of older Scouts not showing up, setting a bad example for younger Scouts and screwing (the secretary’s choice of word) the upcoming crew. Ongoing issue of crews not completing the job. Haulers need a schedule. At the next meeting, the importance of doing bottles and cans (and consequences for not doing bottles and cans) will be presented to the Troop and parents. It was agreed that non-compliance should be a factor during boards of review, and that the expectation should be set that if you can’t complete the job before Wednesday, then you should plan on helping the following week’s crew.
Bylaws (Peter Scott) – Will redistribute a final revision of the bylaws draft.
Handbook (David Foster) – Presented open questions affecting final draft. In summary: committee members don’t need a formal role/tite (like Secretary) to vote; need to investigate whether an adult needs a Climb On Safely certificate if the Troop is attending an accredited climbing school or facility; agreed to remove the following from the Handbook (transfer to the web site): Advancement – A Guide for Parents; Description of Troop Leadersip positions (some material to be moved into existing sections); Troop 1 Summer Camp; Philmont Scout Ranch – A Good Faith Contract. Expected completion of final draft is Tuesday October 27.
Fundraising (Norman) – carried over from previous meeting. Asked Committee to think of fundraising alternatives/supplementary activities and distribute ideas via email for discussion at next meeting. Bharat had such a list (eerily prescient!) that included fundraising ideas. He also raised the idea of doing other work in the community to emphasize the notion of service to others (Scouting for Food, for example).
Other discussion – Scouts would like to have some involvement/presence at library opening, planned for January. Girl Scouts already have the color guard. Norman will head up this year’s Seniors’ breakfast, and there was discussion of working with the Bolton Lions on some community-oriented projects.
Meeting closed at 9:15.
Respectfully submitted by David Foster, Troop Committee Secretary 10/25/09
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