Committee Structure

As our Troop has grown and dealt with growing pains, the Troop Committee has concluded that its structure must be changed in order to be effective in governing and responding to the needs of the Troop. We are making a transition to subcommittees for detailed discussions and development of the program elements, with the Troop committee review and approval of the recommendations and actions of the subcommittees. With this structure, there will be more opportunities for scout parents to contribute to the Troop as members or leaders of the functional subcommittees. The precise structure will be posted on the troop Website. Parents willing to participate in troop subcommittees should contact the appropriate subcommittee chair as soon as possible.

July Activities

• The last scheduled hike weekend is July 12-14. Three hikes are longterm training hikes and are scheduled to Icehouse Canyon and Dry Lake. A fourth hike is to Chilao that will be car camping with a hike to capture a peak. All the longterm participants will need to have completed three (two if a repeating longterm hiker) training hikes.
• July 23 will be a Cooking Outing at Hermosa Valley Park for both Blue and Green groups.
• The Circle X summer camp at Lake Arrowhead will be from July 28 to August 3. There are 29 scouts and four adults attending.
• The backpacking sub committee is reviewing the participant groupings for the scheduled longterm hikes. We are combining the two Whitney Loop hikes to make one larger group.

August Activities

• The first longterm hike will depart on August 5 with 12 people scheduled. This hike will be to the Whitney Loop. Pack stuffing will be on July 30.
• On August 9, three adults and nine scouts will depart for the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for a ten day trek.
• On August 25, a longterm hike will depart to do the Silver Moccasin Trail in the Sierras. Food packing for this trip will take place Aug. 3 at 9 am at the Scout house.
• The group going to the Emerald Bay summer camp is departing on August 25. There are two open spots that need to be filled by July 25th.

Discussions of Past Events

• Four hikes were taken on the weekend of June 7-9. Three of these hikes were longterm training hikes at Jackstraw, Dry Lake and Round Valley. The easier hike was to Fish Creek in Los Padres. All the hikes were successful.
• On Saturday, June 15th, the Troop had a Fishing Trip from Redondo Beach Sports Fishing. The trip was very successful with everyone catching fish and having a grand time.
• Three hikes were successfully completed on the weekend of June 28-30. Two of these hikes were longterm training hikes at Limber Pine Bench and High Creek.

Committee Chairman Report

• An Eagle Character board was held last week and another Eagle Character board was held at the beginning of the Committee meeting. The Committee approved both Eagle Candidates for review by the District.
• All but one subcommittee chair position has been named. We are still looking for a "Ceremonies" subcommittee chair.
• Subcommittee chairs should be seeking out their subcommittee members and developing a draft subcommittee role and purpose document. All subcommittee chairs should be ready to report on their subcommittee plans/actions at each Committee meeting.

Scoutmaster Reports

• The scoutmasters reported success with scouts making announcements in lieu of adults when possible. It was pointed out that we do need to focus on better preparation for the troop meetings and enforcement of quiet during the meetings.

Subcommittee Reports

• Quartermaster - New stoves and cook kits were purchased to supplement the existing equipment and replace equipment that cannot be repaired.
• Service Project Subcommittee - There is only one potential Eagle Project being discussed for the remainder of the year. Service hours are needed for scouts to fulfill thier rank requirements and their service obligation to the Troop.

Other Discussion Items

• Reservations were made for the Fall Rock Climbing hike at Joshua Tree.
• It was pointed out that a number of scouts and adults have signed up for activities but have not removed their names when their plans have changed. Please call the hike leader or strike out your name from the sign-up sheet if your plans change as a courtesy to the people who plan and coordinate the events.
• We are encouraging all parents and scouts to sign-up for our broadcast system at announce@troop849.org. We need to use this system to communicate more thoroughly and completely because of the size of the troop. If you are not on the list, please sign up by going to www.troop849.org/homeMailingList.html.
• Suggestions/ideas for improving the Troop are always welcomed and should be directed to the Committee Chairman or Asst. Committee Chairman.

The next Troop Committee Meeting will be Thursday, August 1st, 2002, at The School Hall, at American Martyrs School at 7:30 PM.

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