6/08/08

As you are aware, the Great Trails Council and Pioneer Valley Council have been involved in discussions about a possible consolidation of the two councils. GTC’s Executive Board voted overwhelmingly to recommend to our Chartered Organization representatives and Council Members-at-Large that we proceed with the consolidation of the two councils. It is the belief of the GTC Board that the Scouts, leaders and parents of the Great Trails Council will benefit from the joining of our two councils as we move forward in serving the youth of Western Massachusetts.

To help inform our membership, a number of informational meetings have been scheduled throughout the council. Attached are the notices sent out to the Chartered Org Reps and Council Members at Large. You are invited an encouraged to attend one of these meetings. Please invite your Committee Chairman and other leaders from your unit to attend as well.

Information meetings will be held at the following locations, dates and times:

4/29/08

The Great Trails Council Executive Board voted on April 29 in favor of the consolidation of the Great Trails Council and the Pioneer Valley Council.  The Pioneer Valley Council had previously voted to consolidate.  The next steps are information meetings for voting members of the Councils (notably, Chartered Organization Representatives) and the scheduling of a final vote.

3/28/08

Consolidation Study Committee Meeting
March 26, 2008
Minutes

Attending: Bob Sirhal, presiding, Dick Trier

Pioneer Valley: Dennis Gagnon, Steve Nelson, Joe Tutty, Steve Schwartz, Phil Brodeur, Larry Bystran

Great Trails: Rich O’Brien, Joe Case, Steve Valenti, Bill Hart, Ray Murray, Bernie Isabelle, Rick Stritzinger

Discussion Items:

• Office Locations – The committee agreed that there will be two council offices.  No specific locations were decided and we agreed that new locations that would optimize visibility and convenience for our Scouting families and volunteers. Headquarters city to be determined.

• Board Composition – It was agreed that Nominating Committees, Executive Committee and Executive Board all be evenly divided 50-50 from the two councils.

• Board Meetings – It was agreed that meetings of both the Executive Board and Executive Committee be held in each county two or three times a year.  It was felt that this will help to improve our relationships with Scouters in all four counties and improve visibility to local businesses.

• Scout Executive Selection Committee – Each president would select two current members of their board as representatives to the selection committee.  In addition the presidents would agree upon three other business leaders from their respective communities for the committee.

• Camp Operations – Both CSR and HMSR currently operate with a surplus. It was agreed that no action on the disposition of the camps would take place for a period of five years.  Only a “super majority” of two thirds of the entire newly formed Executive Board could reverse this agreement.

• Location of Scout Executives – It was agreed that the top Scout Executives (or CEO and COO) should be stationed in one each of the two offices and live in close proximity to the same office.

• Marketing Plan – It was agreed that a concentrated targeted marketing plan be developed by the councils marketing teams to reenergize the volunteers about Scouting.  We should utilize the 100^th Anniversary materials to their fullest to tell Scouting story in Western Massachusetts’s 2,800 square miles.

2/7/08

Great Trails Council
Executive Board Meeting
March 19, 2008
The Cork N’ Hearth, Lee, MA

Minutes

Attending: Richard O’Brien, presiding, Conrad Bernier, Lydia Carollo, Joe Case, Ross Dindio, Robert Dionne, Dan Doyle, Bill Hart, John Higgins, Bernie Isabelle, Bob Kaufman, Bill Macfarlane, Kathy Mickle, Ray Murray, Paul Raverta, Dave Roberson, Steve Valenti, Joel Wiest and Rick Stritzinger    Votes By Email: Tom Bleezarde, Mike Haley, Peter James, Bob Massey, Dave Reinhart, Don Rochelo, Stan Rosenberg, Smokey Vollert, Chuck Waldron.

A quorum was met and the meeting began at 6:12 PM.

Action Items:

1. Approval of the January minutes, 1^st - Bob Dionne, 2^nd- Ross Dindio, unanimous.

2. Approval of the February financial statements, 1^st- Conrad Bernier, 2^nd- Joel Wiest, unanimous.

3. Addition of the phrase “but are not limited to” to the following Consolidation motion, 1^st- Rich O’Brien, 2^nd-Ray Murray.

4. Approval of the following motion:
   
   “The Executive Board of the Great Trails Council agrees to continue our discussions with the Pioneer Valley Council with the guidance of the Area 1 Key Three. Areas for discussion include but are not limited to: board composition, meeting locations and times, Council office location and Scout Executive selection committee, prior to a vote by the Great Trails Council Executive Board.”

Motion made by Ray Murray, 2^nd- Bill Hart, twenty-two votes affirmative, five votes against, motion carried.

Reports:

1. Bernie reviewed the February financial statements and announced that the annual audit draft has been completed by Nelson Furlano.  We are waiting for final paperwork on a pending gift before we convene our Audit Committee review.

2. Vice presidents gave abbreviated reports so that the Board could focus on the report of the Consolidation Study Committee.

3. On March 12^th members of the Board of Directors participated in a Board Retreat focusing solely on the reports of the Consolidation Study Committee.  The discussion continued this evening with each member presenting their thoughts on the potential consolidation.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM.

2/7/08

2/7/08

Some desirable benefits to our scouts and families by council consolidation:

• Expanded options for Cub family camping, Day camps in Hampden and Hampshire counties, and additional Resident programs at CSR and HMSR.

• Improved opportunities for Venturing program and support: Powder Horn Training, Venturer president associations, summer high adventure camps at CSR and HMSR

• Larger pools for Jamboree troops and a potential for 3 troops to attend.

• More participants in Wood Badge and NYLT training.

• Inclusion in Mass-Jam for GTC scouts

• More yearly opportunities for units to attend High Adventure National programs at Philmont, Sea Base or Northern Tier as part of council contingents.

Neutral effect on most district programming

• Klondike Derbies and Camporees all done on district basis

• Occasional council-wide events are desirable (camporees or Scout Show)

• Council level recognition such as the Eagle Scout dinners and Council dinners may need to be done as Districts due to size.

• Leader training at the basic levels would be the same, perhaps improved with communication about different approaches.

• OA Lodge would need to work on more active chapter levels, and continue to support two camps.

Additional Considerations

• Distance and geography will remain a challenge and members from all over both areas will need to be recruited for council and district committees to maintain balance and representation of needs.

• Scout Camps tend to be considered the Crown Jewel of each area and support for programming needs to be carefully approached so there is cooperation and not competition. Eventual specialization could be a benefit to our scouts by providing more options.

• Advancements could be improved by electronic methods and satellite offices to provide awards in a timely manner. Eagle Boards are currently held differently-that could continue or change with time.

No show stopping negatives were identified to consolidation.

2/4/08

One of the key steps in considering a consolidation with a neighboring council is the financial impact that a merger would have.  What is the impact on donors?  What kinds of synergies exist?  Will there be sufficient resources to carry out the program as we know it?

A finance subcommittee has been charged with the task of performing this analysis.  Our council has a committee working on the project from our perspective, as does the Pioneer Valley Council.  In the last thirty days our work has been made much easier as both councils have closed the books on 2007, and approved operating budgets for 2008.  Completion of these tasks has provided a firm foundation to project the impact of consolidation.

The bottom line is, a consolidated entity to serve the youth of Western Massachusetts is financially feasible.  There are some definite positive aspects:

1. Eliminate redundancy:  there is duplication of expense in terms of accounting,  audit, staffing and fees paid to the national office.  These expense savings can be reinvested into improving the program.

2. Improved use of resources:   Council offices and camp properties will see increased utilization as the opportunity is available to specialize to meet the needs of a larger population.

3. Clarity of communication:  Institutional donors make up an important part of the donor base of both councils.  And there is overlap with many of those institutional donors between the two councils.  A combined council allows the Boy Scouts to speak with one voice to the United Ways, businesses, corporate foundations and trusts about our funding needs.

There may be some fall-out with certain donors.  The projections have tried to accommodate the fact that certain individuals or institutions may cut back on their support.  However, even with reduced support in the short term, from a financial standpoint, a combined entity has the resources to improve its program offering.

1/14/08

Great Trails Council & Pioneer Valley Council
Consolidation Discussion Committee
January 9, 2008

The two council committees met on January 9th to officially kick-off the discussion process considering the consolidation of our two councils. This discussion phase is scheduled to take ninety days.

Mr. William Grogg, of the Hudson Valley Council and member of the Regional Executive Board addressed the group emphasizing the central point of any discussion, “will we be able to offer a better Scouting program for our Scouts, families and leaders together rather than apart.”

Since the last meeting our Great Trails Study Group leaders have met with their volunteer committees. To date the Administration & Personnel, Program and Finance groups have met and developed a list of benefits a consolidation might offer as well as any foreseeable drawbacks. The Pioneer Valley Study Groups have met and done the same.

In the next three weeks these three Study Groups from each council will meet with their counterparts to review each others findings and discuss potential concerns.

They will report back to the Consolidation Study Committee on February 6, 2008.

If all discussions are positive toward moving ahead with consolidation the next phase is extensive fireside chats with all of our chartered organizations before a final vote.

11/29/07

The Great Trails Council consolidation study committees in the four areas of study - Administration/Personnel, Finance, Program and Legal - are in place and are beginning ongoing discussion and study in their specific area of study. Please feel free to contact these volunteer Scouters! Your questions and concerns are important and they will represent you in our discussion process.

Study Committees:

Administration/Personnel
Ray Murray, chairman & Board Member
Committee: Don Gilbert, SM Troop 20, Scott Cochrane, MC Troop 504, Marie Gormalley, CC Troop 3, Doug Seibert, SA Troop 5
  
1^st Meeting – December 3^rd.

Finance
Joel Wiest, chairman & SM Troop 40
Committee: Bernie Isabelle, MC Troop 21 & Treasurer,  Dave Roberson, Accountant & Board Member, Conrad Bernier, Bank President & Board Member 
 
1^st Meeting December 14^th- We reviewed the documentation (budgets, donor lists etc) we felt would be needed to make an informed decision and decided to wait until we could get data on year end financial statements before meeting again.

Program
Lydia Carollo, SA Troop 88 & Board Member
Committee: Liz Hobby, SA Troop 28, Reed Hand, AT Advancement Chairman, Craig King, Camping Committee Chairman, Bob Walz, SM Troop 57, Carol Fletcher, Crew 5
   
1^st Meeting November 28^th.

Legal
Bill Hart, Esq., Chairman, SA Troop 504 & Board Member
Committee: Rich O’Brien, Esq., & Council President, Kay McCormick, Esq., VP Risk Management

Please feel free to contact these volunteer Scouters! Your questions and concerns are important and they will represent you in our discussion process.

10/26/07

Pioneer Valley & Great Trails Councils
Consolidation Study Committee
October 24, 2007
Orientation Meeting Summary

Representatives of our two councils met with the volunteer president of Area 1 (New England), Bob Sirhal, and other regional Scouters to review the process for our Consolidation Study.

The goal of this study will be to determine if the joining of our two councils would better serve the youth and volunteer Scouters of all of Western Massachusetts.

The regional Scouters shared with us the recommended items to research and discuss under the four main study group areas:  program, administration & personnel, finance, and legal.  A due diligence checklist to assist us in our research and discussions was also shared with the committee.

Each study group from each council will now meet to gather and review the pertinent information from their council.  The study groups will then meet with their counterparts from the other council to share their findings.  This first part of the process is expected to take at least two months.

The Consolidation Study Committee will then meet on January 9^th to review study group progress, and to discuss the timetable for further deliberations.

During the entire process, input is being sought from unit and district Scouters who may contact their Consolidation Study Committee representatives listed below.  Thank you.

09/26/07

09/21/07