Present: N. Hopkins, F. Mitchell, M. Payne, R. Rogers, J. Ringbloom, R. Salij, G. Olszewski, R. Olszewski, P. Rohm, B. Robertson, G. Potamianos, D. Gmitro, S. Jones, C. Anderson, and D. Cox.

1. Minutes from Nov. were not sent out – a copy passed around.

2. Ski Trip – B. Robertson in charge of trip. Deposit will hold YMCA Camp Matawa cabin, which accommodates up to 29 people. Ski at Sunburst near Milwaukee, go to camp Saturday PM, breakfast served to us. More winter activities Sunday at Sunburst or YMCA camp. Weekend of Feb. 26 (certificate of insurance expires 2/28/11!) Leaving Saturday AM, 2 hour drive, coming back Sunday. We need numbers to get group rates for equipment rental and lift tickets. After trip, B. Robertson will do training to be troop’s merit badge counselor for Snow Sports. He is also signed up as an Assistant Scoutmaster now.

3. Eagle Committee – G. Potamianos reported on our very active group of Eagle Candidates. Cody V. will have a project this month at Ronald McDonald House. Ben C. and Nick R. will be the only ones left from that group. The Potamianos family went to the Eagle Recognition Dinner, which was a nice event. We need to plan a Court of Honor, since we now have 4 new Eagle Scouts who have not had theirs yet.

4. Treasurer’s Report – F. Mitchell says it has been a busy month. We might decide on alternate uses for popcorn money, such as purchasing equipment. D. Gmitro asked about a credit card for troop, doesn’t sound like it would work for us, but F. Mitchell will ask the bank. Account balance is now around $3,800.

5. Scoutmaster’s Report – R. Rogers reported on Waterfall Glen. A similar outing could be done right in Riverside for those who did not make it to the Waterfall Glen outing. Scouts need Orienteering for rank advancement. M. Payne said the Starved Rock camping trip went well. For Holiday Stroll next year, maybe just do cider or s’mores. We made a little money and showed our presence in the community.

6. Venture Crew – P. Rohm reported that there will be a Crew camping trip this coming weekend in Kankakee, at C. Gustafson’s farm. Conflicts with Cody V.’s Eagle Project, but December always a challenge. Some new Crew members coming. Peter F. coming back this summer, and some new parents might take over leadership.

7. Advancement – no report

8. Popcorn – no report

9. High Adventure – Philmont 2011 – J. Ringbloom reported that we were selected for Philmont for this summer. We could send either one or two crews of 7 to 12 members each. Philmont will ”fill” your crew with other people, if you have space, so it makes more sense to send full crews. Our slot is Thursday, July 14 to Wednesday, July 26. If a scouter is over 18 but under 21, he can be an adult leader OR a youth. Scouts must be at least 14, OR 13 by 7/14/11 and also have graduated from 8th grade. $750 fee per person, lots of advance preparation and training required. Several merit badges required too. Adults need a letter from a doctor saying it is OK for them to go. A crew cannot have more than half its members adults. We can’t do both kayaking and Philmont in the same summer. M. Payne thinks we should cancel plans to go kayaking, since we have the spot at Philmont and someone willing to organize it. We may not be so lucky in 2012. Down payment required by Jan. 1. We need to do a presentation about Philmont, so scouts and their parents can decide. N. Hopkins will try to get the social hall for Dec. 16, when we do not have a troop meeting planned.

10. Outdoor Activities – Luge outing will be Jan. 8 and 9. We have 25 spots, which can cover 5 leaders and 20 scouts. Leave early Saturday morning, losing an hour because of time zone , luge at 3:30 to 6 PM, then dinner and swimming at hotel. Each room will have 4 boys, no leaders in rooms with boys. Hotel serves breakfast, then come home by 1 PM Sunday. Scouts will need a signed waiver and money for lunch. Eagle Cave trip the following weekend will leave Fri 5-6 PM, be back on Sunday by 1 PM. Limit of 16 scouts and 4 adults.

11. Service Projects – D. Gmitro is arranging the troop meeting on January 13 to be for preparing food to be served at the Night Ministry. Meeting should be in the Social Hall, because of the kitchen. Someone else can use gym.

12. Pancake Breakfast – M. Payne thinks we should raise ticket price to $5.00 in advance, $6.00 at the door. Each scout will sell 15 tickets, and higher price will help our treasury. R. Rogers volunteered to take care of placemat ad sales.

13. Boards of Review – Get scouts to sign up, once a month. Try to get back to a schedule.

14. Website – We need to figure out how to get info to the scouts. Parents don’t always tell scouts what is going on.

15. Meeting adjourned. Next meeting January 11.

Due to overwhelming response, we are overbooked for the Eagle Cave outing next weekend, and we are unable to secure more tickets. If you have registered for Eagle Cave but have not paid for your ticket(s), please do so no later than FRIDAY, January 7. If we do not receive payment we will assume that your scout will not be going. You can either use WePay or drop off a check to Dawn Gmitro.

If your scout has a conflict, or has changed his mind and does not want to go, please let Dawn know (dmgmitro@aol.com) ASAP, so we can assign the space to another scout. If we have no cancellations we will have to eliminate those who registered last (within the last few days) and issue refunds.

Luge: A reminder for those attending the Luge outing this weekend–the Muskegon Sports Complex requires all Luge participants to sign a waiver and to provide proof of insurance. If you and/or your son have not already done so, please print and complete the Luge waiver and provide a copy of your insurance card (both front and back). You will NOT be allowed to participate without this waiver. You may drop them off to Dawn Gmitro by Friday 9:00 a.m., or hand them to Ray Rogers at drop-off on Saturday Morning (7:30 a.m. at RPC). We still have 6 spots open for the Luge outing.

Eagle Cave: We are in need of more drivers for the Eagle Cave outing, January 14-16. Please contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com if you are able to drive or if you have questions.

If you have not yet paid for either outing, please do so.

Just a reminder – we will NOT have a Troop meeting this week on Thursday. We will NOT have a meeting at the Scout Cabin on Friday. The next meeting is Thursday, January 13.

We reserved (and paid for) 25 spots for the Muskegon Luge, but have only 14 people signed up. We are opening up this outing to families, so if parents and siblings want to attend, please sign up quickly!

This outing is an overnight, with scouts and leaders staying at a hotel. If a family wants to luge, but does not want to stay overnight, you will pay for the luge tickets (not hotel & meals) at a cost of $40 per ticket. If you opt for the luge-only plan, do NOT pay online; instead, please contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com and make arrangements for dropping off payment to her.

You will learn to luge on a 850-foot Olympic training luge track. Sleds can reach speeds of up to 25-30 miles per hour and participants carry their sleds back to the top of the luge track. Scouts should not wear new or nylon coats as they may get torn on the track. If time allows, scouts may have the opportunity to ice skate or tube. Please send extra money if your scout may want to participate in these activities. Scouts should also bring a snack and money for lunch. The Troop will be staying at a hotel with a pool. Scouts should bring a bathing suit. Rooms will have 4 scouts per room. No leaders will be in the scouts’ rooms. As with all outings, appropriate behavior is expected.

The adult leaders in charge will be Mike Payne and Ray Rogers. We need additional adults to drive, stay overnight, and chaperone. Adults who plan to attend should fill out the online registration form. Please note in the Comments section whether you plan to luge.

Scouts should be dropped off at RPC at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 8, and will return to RPC around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 9, 2010. The cost for this outing is $80.

Please fill out a separate form for each scout and each adult attending. The Muskegon Sports Complex requires each participant to complete a waiver form and provide proof of medical insurance in order to luge. Please print and complete the waiver, available at http://www.msports.org/luge/luge-waiver/, make a copy (front and back) of your medical card and turn both in by the deadline, either at a Troop meeting, or to Dawn Gmitro (140 Riverside Road or dmgmitro@aol.com). Scouts will not be allowed to luge without this paperwork, and no refunds can be given.

Bottom Line:
1. Fill out paperwork required by the Luge: http://www.msports.org/luge/luge-waiver/
2. EVERYONE (adults & scouts) fill out our registration form.
3. If you’re staying overnight, please pay online at WePay.
4. If you’re NOT staying overnight, please drop off payment to Dawn Gmitro.
5. Drop off Luge waiver and a copy (front & back) of your insurance card for every participant to Dawn Gmitro.

Contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com with questions.