September 2, 2008

Minutes 

Danny Stewart welcomed all the committee members to the meeting.  Members present were Grant Bullard, Mark Burrows, Ruth Butler, John Dorner, Becky Ecker, Frank Fisher, Jason Gurley, Chris Lewis, Colleen Rose, Mark Richmond and Danny Stewart. 

MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS - Danny S. informed the committee that there are now 52 scouts in the troop and 35 active adults.  With this in mind, he spent the next ten minutes discussing various committee positions and asked board members to consider volunteering for different committee positions (see attached). 

SCOUTMASTER’S REPORT – Joe D. was welcomed by Danny shared his thoughts about the troop.  He started by telling the committee that the recent meeting at Gyan Farms was a successful event and that he was working with some of the older boys to help lead and teach the younger scouts.  Other items that Joe discussed: 

1. Wanting the Troop to be more "family" oriented with more activities to take place in the area in order to help cut down on cost.
2. Mentioned that the National Scout Jamboree will be held in 2010.
3. Wants to see the Troop become more involved in the community for fundraiser (i.e., working with the Heart of Brevard and other local organizations).
4. Would like to see a Troop endowment established.
5. Noted that the new patrols have asked to have their own camping trips.
6. Positive changes at the Council level.
7. The need to better track Troop equipment.
8. Evaluating the potential of a new meeting location that would give the Scouts more room, particularly during the winter months. 
9. The need to make sure that both Scouts and their parents understood that he has an open-door policy regarding comments.

COURT OF HONOR – The Court of Honor will take place on September 29^th between 7-9 PM.  No meal will be served, however, the board discussed the desire to have coffee, ice cream and a sheet cake.  

TROOP EQUIPMENT – Danny informed the group that the Troop had purchased a laminating machine in order to laminate "Tote-N-Chip" and other items for the boys.  He also thanked Mark Burrows for helping the Troop obtain new T-shirts that were used this past summer at the various camps.  More shirts had just been recently ordered from Tad Fogel of Fogel Advertising.  Lastly, Danny also noted that much of the Troop equipment was missing and that some of it would have to be replaced – particularly tents. 

ADVANCEMENT – Danny provided the Committee members with a schedule of future Board of Reviews.  He noted that unlike previous years where he tried to accommodate individual scouts, this year he would follow a set schedule and scouts would have to have advancement requirements completed in advance of the review to be considered. There will be a Board of Review on September 22, at First United Methodist Church (6-7PM).  Danny asked committee members to sign up for not only this review but also the other scheduled reviews. 

FUNDRAISING – With time running short, Danny decided not to discuss either fund raising for the payment of the new Van or Popcorn sales. 

TROOP VAN/TROOP TRAILER – The Church has given the Scout Troop the title to the van and is in the process of giving the Troop the title to the trailer. 

TREASURER REPLACEMENT – Danny thanked Becky Ecker for holding the position of Troop Treasurer for the past year.  Becky provided the committee with a brief overview of the financial report as of August 31, 2008.

• Working Capital Budget =    $3,257.37
• Scholarship Fund Balance =    $460.00
• Scout Account Balance =      $1,777.12
• Total Cash =                           $5,494.49

Danny and Becky noted that this was a very favorable position to be in at the start of new Scout year.   After discussion, Danny made the motion that John Dorner become the new Troop 701 Scout Treasurer, seconded by Jason Gurley and carried unanimously.  

INCOMPLETED PROJECTS – Danny briefly discussed the need to have better interaction with donors via a follow-up letter.  A suggestion was made that each committee member should be asked to write a letter rather than Danny having to be responsible for all the work.  Committee members generally agreed. 

SUMMER CAMPS – Danny reported that all three-summer camps were very successful and that there were no scout issues to report (Raven Knob, Ramsburg and Philmont).  He noted that 17 adults took a week or more of their vacation to help support the Troop and the boys. Danny