Troop 81 Committee Meeting Minutes - January 17, 2001

Attendees: Mark Steger, Richard Carter, Bill Merriman, Bonnie Branch, Tom
  Schob, George Kerr, Bill Scott, Ed Nichols, Richard Crawford, Dan
  Lassiter, Charlie Hood, Larry Herrin, Pat Thompson, Pat Kelly

Scouts: CJ Carter, Miles Crawford, John Morgan

Chair: Mark Steger
Minutes: Mark Steger

1. PLC - CJ Carter
     o Ft Sill and Family Camp were planned.
     o Integrated Patrols - CJ Carter
       Four alternatives for assigning Scouts into integrated patrols were
       proposed. These will be further developed and cut down to 2-3
       proposals to be presented to the Troop on Jan 29. CJ will hold
       another team meeting and invite Mark Steger and Ed Nichols.

2. Roundtable - Pat Kelly
     o Friends of Scouting will be done at the May Court of Honor.
     o Participation in OA is low.
     o District needs a Merit Badge Counselor list.
     o Camporee will be March 23-25 at Camp Wisdom.

3. Campouts:
     o Winter Camp - Dan Lassiter
       Five Scouts attended, led by Dennis McCarthy (thanks, Dennis).  One
       Scout was on the horse trek, one was in the Mountain Man program,
       and three shared a "contingency troop" campsite with several other
       troops.  Campout was successful despite the small turnout.

     o Ft Sill - Dan Lassiter
       This military base campout will be Feb 2-4 at Ft Sill, Oklahoma.  A
       liability release form is required for all Scouts and must be turned
       in before the campout.  Class A uniform, as documented in the gray
       notebook, is absolutely required for departure.  For this campout
       only, electronic gear will be allowed during travel, but the gear
       must be kept in the car at Ft Sill.  Bunking will be in barracks and
       meals will be supplied by the camp.  Recreation opportunities
       include military museum, indoor swimming, gymnasium, and movie
       theatre. Cost is $43 per Scout, including meals.

     o Family Camp - Mark Steger
       Family Camp is Feb 24-25 at Ft Parker State Park. It will include a
       Court of Honor. Parents, siblings and guests are welcome to attend.
       Cabins, dining hall and meeting hall are used for accomodation,
       meals, and activities.  Mark Steger is coordinating. Craig Cox is
       grubmaster and cook. Anyone interested should respond to the
       announcement letter which will be mailed in early February.

     o Seabase 2002 - Mark Steger
       Ellen Steger volunteered to call for reservations Feb 5. Any Scouts
       who are interested in this trip in the summer of 2002 should contact
       Ellen.  Scouts must be 13 years old at time of sailing.

     o Troop trailers - Bob Rielly
       Bill Scott proposes buying a shed for holding gear that is not
       needed on campouts. Committee supports further investigation into
       this option.  Does RBFC approve? What is the cost? What are the
       alternatives?

4. Meetings:
     o February Court of Honor
       Pat Kelly is in charge of coordinating this Court of Honor.

5. Leadership:
     o Junior Leader Training - Tom Schob
       No Scouts have signed up for this. Tom will continue to work this,
       but the date will change to February 17. First year Scouts are
       strongly encouraged to attend, as well as any older Scouts who have
       not previously attended.

     o OA Elections - Richard Carter
       Election will be held Jan 29. Pat Kelly and Richard Carter will
       supervise.

     o Leadership Requirements - Tom Schob
       Adult mentors need to set expectations for Scouts in leadership
       positions. Feedback needs to be given whether or not Scouts are
       living up to those expectations. Activity tracking sheets are a good
       tool for this. If Scouts don't live up to requirements, credit
       should not be given. Our troop needs to continue to sharpen our
       practices in this regard.

6. Advancement:
     o Recharter - Mark Steger
       The troop rechartered 69 Scouts and 32 adults.
     o Eagle Candidates - Lou Hocker (via Mark Steger)
       + Travis Thompson had his Eagle ceremony Jan 7
       + Aaron Whitaker is ready for his Eagle ceremony
       + Jason Kizzia, Jirah Cox, Tucker Livingston, John Mowrey all
	 made progress on projects.
       + Chris Kelly is planning to run his project in February.
       + No change to report on Matt Lassiter, Scott Steger, Jeff
	 Collins, Matt Scott

7. Treasurer - Pat Thompson
     o December financial summary was distributed.  5-month income was
       $15,066. Expenses were $12,249. Variance from budget is a deficit of
       $279.

8. Miscellaneous:
     o Membership/position changes - Mark Steger
       + Asst Scoutmaster for Meetings - Dave Knust
       + Asst Scoutmaster for Camping - Tom Martin
       + Asst Scoutmaster for TFC - Craig Christensen
       + Treasurer - Sharon Hood
     o Bylaws - Mark Steger
       + A draft of proposed bylaws for the Troop was distributed by
         Mark Steger. It is an attempt to document the existing practices
         of running the troop. It will be discussed at the next meeting.
     o Richard Carter has possession of a 16 ft catamaran sailboat, owned
       by Circle Ten Council. Troop 81 can have use of it. Questions of
       liability insurance need to be answered.

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The next Troop Committee meeting will be February 21 in Yale Library.

Troop web site: http://www.bsa.net/tx/t81