Troop 45 Troop Committee Meeting 26 May 08 The Hanover Boy Scout Troop 45 monthly troop committee meeting was held Monday, 26 May 2008 at the picnic table in front of the Hanover High School. In attendance were Yorke Brown (chairman), Tim Smith (Scoutmaster), George Desaulniers, and Gregg Hoge. Yorke called the meeting to order at 7:09. The minutes of the meeting of 24 Mar were approved as distributed. STANDING COMMITTEE AND OFFICER REPORTS Treasurer (Norma Young, by email): Current cash on hand $2,936.03 (including $367.00 of popcorn credits), plus $260.03 on account at the Scout Shop. A check for $5,320.00 has been issued to DWC for summer camp. This represents an overpayment of $10 because of an error in accounting for the a brother discount. A refund is expected. Advancement (Roger Thompson, by email): The council registrar reports that both Billy Kerin's and Kevin Dwyer's records are in order. Roger has received copies and has forwarded them to the Scouts' parents for review. This item is closed. Scoutmaster (Tim Smith): Events for the past month included a hike of Mt. Cardigan, Tenderfoot Skills Camp, and Muster Day. Upcoming events include rock climbing training, a rock climbing outing, and a three-day canoe trip at the end of the month. The canoe trip is part of a compromise plan to split the Summer Long Trek into two events so as to accommodate a wider range of skill levels and interests. The second event will be a long hike (probably Lyme to Newfound Lake) late in the summer. The Venture Patrol is also planning an sailing outing under the supervision of Ebo deMuinck. This outing will involve significant advance planning and training and a rigorous go/no-go decision process. Participation requirements may include a USCG boating safety certification, and Small Boat Sailing Merit Badge. Tim discussed the progress the troop has made in improving the outing planning process and presented a new planning form that he hopes will address some of the difficulties he sees the Scouts struggling with. Chairman (Yorke Brown): There was nothing of note to report from Roundtable. The move of the troop meeting to Storrs Pond starts this week. (NB: this decision was, in fact changed the day after the meeting. The move was postponed a week.) Yorke noted that the move to Storrs Pond would address the immediate concern of Community Center about noise in the hallways. OLD BUSINESS o Parents Meeting: Yorke and Caroline have not yet completed their action item to distribute more Parent Info Sheets. o Communications. Yorke has completed his action item to post the current email lists on the confidential roster page. o Parents Night. The plan to verify non-interference with end-of-school activities was completed with the result that all schools indicated that there would be no conflict. Yorke and Tim therefore announced the standard date of 18 June. Caroline still has the action to make phone calls to encourage parents to attend, and Yorke still has the action to post an email announcement. o Noise in the Hallways. Tim completed his action item to devise, announce, and enforce strict rules for use of the hallways. Nevertheless, he and Yorke received an email from Sherry Colfer suggesting that we should move the meeting place to the gym, or move the meeting night from Thursday. Tim has responded by email, but Yorke plans to meet with Sherry on Tuesday, 27 May to make sure that she understood how seriously we take this issue, what steps we'd already taken, and to determine what approaches might work for both of us. We all agreed that moving to the gym would be very good for us. Since the Lions Club is responsible for housing, Yorke also accepted an action item to discuss the matter with Nick Collins. **Action YJB: Meet with Sherry Colfer and work out an accommodation regarding noise in the halls. **Action YJB: Discuss the noise issue and with Nick Collins. NEW BUSINESS o Popcorn. It's time to start planning for the popcorn campaign. Yorke suggested that if we start right away and appoint a "Popcorn Kernel," we could have a successful and relatively painless popcorn drive this year. We discussed candidates and settled on Matt Slaughter with possibly Pete Licciardi as "Popcorn Lt. Kernel." **Action YJB: Contact Matt Slaughter and ask if he'd be willing to conduct the popcorn campaign. o Summer Fundraising. Yorke raised the issue of undertaking fundraising activities over the summer. The idea that Scouts should take some responsibility for funding the program has been a topic of discussion in past meetings. Since the Shrine Game has been a staple event we decided to go ahead again this year. As with the popcorn drive, we agreed that putting a single person in charge and starting planning early would net us greater participation and an easier job on game day. George volunteered to direct this project. **Action GD: Serve as "Event Owner" of the Shrine Game fundraiser. In considering other fundraising activities Gregg suggested that we might offer a fundraiser strictly for raising money for service projects. This would make the outcome of the fundraising effort very plain to the Scouts. Since many of our members were absent a motion was passed to defer further discussion until next month. o Prouty Support. The Prouty is coming up soon. We have supported this event in the past, but it is not clear what role we might have this year other than fielding a team. Tim agreed to discuss with Jean Brown what service we might provide. **Action TPS: Discuss Prouty support with Jean Brown. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:01. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, 23 June at 7:00 pm. Note that there are five Mondays in June. The meeting is the fourth Monday. ACTION REVIEW Completed Items **Action RBT: Follow up again on the request for DWC to verify Kevin Dwyer's records. **Action TPS: Contact Matt Marshall and determine the earliest date we could start. **Action YJB: Post email lists on roster page. **Action CT: Check with school and get the facts relevant to scheduling Parents Night. Report to Yorke. **Action YJB, TPS: Make a rescheduling decision for Parents Night as appropriate. **Action TPS: Establish rules for use of the hallways during meetings. Outstanding Items **Action YJB: Find a secretary for the committee. **Action YJB: Alert Kevin O'Leary to the need to register alternate adults. **Action CT: Distribute Parent Info Sheets to parents she sees. **Action YJB: Get copies of PI Sheets to Caroline. **Action YJB: Make an email announcement of Parents Night. **Action CT: Make phone calls reminding parents of the importance of Parents Night and urging them to attend. New Items **Action YJB: Meet with Sherry Colfer and work out an accommodation regarding noise in the halls. **Action YJB: Discuss the noise issue and with Nick Collins. **Action YJB: Contact Matt Slaughter and ask if he'd be willing to conduct the popcorn campaign. **Action GD: Serve as "Event Owner" of the Shrine Game fundraiser. **Action TPS: Discuss Prouty support with Jean Brown.