Troop Committee Meeting 
February 19, 2003

Attendees: Ed Nichols, Tom Schob, George Kerr, Dennis McCarthy, Charlie
  Hood, Dave Knust, Richard Carter, Rick Montgomery, Craig Christensen,
  Bonnie Branch, Pat Kelly
Scouts: John Steger, Casey Hodges, Nathan Chase, Jay Herrin, Ben Nichols,
  Mitchell Hampton
Chair: Mark Steger
Minutes: Mark Steger

1. Calendar
     Feb 24: Troop meeting (OA election, Scouting Museum signup, Sea Base deposits due)
     Mar 1:  Trip to National Scouting Museum
     Mar 3:  Troop meeting (Webelos visit)
     Mar 10: No troop meeting (Spring Break)
     Mar 17: Troop meeting (pre-campout)
     Mar 19: Troop Committee meeting
     Mar 21-23: Campout (marksmanship)

2. Treasurer - Sharon Hood
     o January report
       - 6 months YTD income is $23,770. Expenses are $21,006.

3. PLC
     o Family Camp
       - The PLC recommended that the troop reserve Ft Parker State Park
         for Family Camp 2004. Craig Christensen will make the
         reservations.

     o Proposal for Venture Patrol (Ben Nichols)
       - Ben and Jesse Benavides propose creating a Venturing Crew.
         Venturing is a youth development program of BSA, emphasizing
	 high adventure, for young men and women 14 to 20 years of age. A
	 crew is a standalone unit that can be associated with a troop. 
	 The Troop Committee made no decisions at this time.  If an adult
         volunteers to champion this organization, Ben was asked to work
         with him or her in contacting the Circle 10 Venturing
	 coordinator and other Venturing Crews in the area to understand better
	 what's required to set up a Crew.

     o Proposal for Knot Tying recognition (John Steger, Casey Hodges)
       - John and Casey propose adding a fourth level of knots to the
         troop's existing tiers of Red, Blue, and Gold Ropes. Also, the
         testing process will be tightened up to ensure Scouts know the
         knots thoroughly before being awarded a rope advancement and
         periodically demonstrate that they remember their knots in
	 order to retain a rope advancement. The proposal will be passed by
  	 the Scoutmasters for final approval.

4. Roundtable - Ed Nichols
     o Not attended by Troop 81

5. Campouts - Craig Christensen
     o Mar 21 (Pyro: Nathan Chase)
       - Where: Herrin's Ranch - "Pyroland"
       - When: Mar 21-23
       - Cost: $19 plus a few dollars for shotgun shells plus grub money
       - What: Marksmanship (Rifle, shotgun trap shooting) supervised by
           Dennis McCarthy and Dave Knust

     o Apr 5 (Pedro - Mitchell Hampton)
       - Where: One Eleven Ranch Park, Garland
       - When: Saturday, Apr 5 from 8:45 AM to 4:30 PM
       - Cost: $2 plus a sack lunch
       - What: Patrol competitions in preparation for Camporee.
         Webelos will be invited.

     o Apr 11 - Camporee (Baloo Bear)
     o May 3  - TBD (Shark)
     o Jul 20 - Summer Camp

     o Northern Tier
       - No crews planned
     o Sea Base - Nancy Sanders
       - Thanks to Nancy Sanders and her army of callers, the troop has
         reserved three boats (8 persons each) for June, 2004. A deposit
	 of $100/person is due at the Feb 24 troop meeting.
     o Philmont - Tom Schob, Pat Kelly
       - Three conditioning hikes are planned: Mar 29, Apr 26, May 17

6. Meetings - Dave Knust
     o Outing to National Scouting Museum 
       - The troop is planning a trip to the National Scouting Museum in
         Irving on March 1. Signup will occur at the Feb 24 troop meeting.

7. Leadership - Tom Schob
     o Order of the Arrow (OA)
       - Troop 81 needs an OA Representative to attend North Trail District
         OA meetings. Encourage your son to volunteer for this leadership
         position.
       - Troop 81 will have its annual OA election at the Feb 24 troop
         meeting. OA is the only Scouting award that cannot be earned
         solely by the Scout. It is an honor bestowed on a Scout by his
         peers. Try to make every effort to have your son in attendance
	 at Monday's meeting for this important election.

8. Advancement - Bonnie Branch
     o Eagles - Pat Kelly
       - Matt Teplow achieved the rank of Eagle. Congratulations, Matt.
       - CJ Carter is working on his Eagle paperwork.
       - Steven Schob plans to execute his Eagle project in April.
       - Four Scouts are in progress of planning their projects.

     o Merit Badges
       - Troop 81 will offer the First Aid merit badge to the new First
         Class Scouts.
       
9. Committee - Mark Steger
     o 2003-2004 Scoutmaster election
       - The Troop Committee unanimously elected the following volunteers
         for adult leadership positions for the 2003-2004 troop year.
	 The Committee thanks these people for helping to make our troop a
         success. Many other adult leadership positions for 2003-2004
	 are available and need to be filled. All adults in the troop are
         encouraged to volunteer.

         ... Senior Scoutmaster: Ed Nichols
         ... Assistant Senior Scoutmaster: Dan Lassiter
         ... Assistant Senior Scoutmaster: Craig Christensen
         ... Scoutmaster for Advancement: Bonnie Branch
         ... Scoutmaster for Meetings: Dave Knust
         ... Scoutmaster for Camping: Dennis McCarthy
         ... Scoutmaster for Leadership: Rick Montgomery
         ... Treasurer: Kathy Dumanski
         ... Committee Chairman: Mark Steger

Troop 81 Web site: http://www.bsa.net/tx/t81

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Mark Steger