Connecticut Yankee Council
Boy Scouts of America
Council Coordinated Operations Meeting
February 20, 2024, 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Breakout Meeting Notes
Key Committees and Chairs
Advancement: Charlie Blanchette
Activities: John Hanks
Camping: Bill Hall
District Chairs: Gregg, Steve, Caroline, Gabe, Erika
Membership: Seth Strohecker
Training: Donna Wesolowski
Marketing: Bob Brown
Commissioners: Gene Waring
Properties: Mike Card
International Rep: Steve Agnew
Safety Moment
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a skills-based training course that teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges. Course variations include those focused on helping youth, adults, veterans. BSA is addressing the issues around mental health in our youth and adult members, and MHFA is an excellent first step in becoming trained for concerned Scouters. Fore more information and courses:
https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
General Announcements
New Committee Assignments:
- Advancement: Charlie Blanchette has become Chair; thanks Chet Wicket for his service.
- Shooting Sports: Ray Pflomm has become Chair; thanks to Gene Alvarez for his service.
- Council Operations: Jay Lubin has become Chair (temporarily); thanks to Steve Agnew for his service.
- International Representative: Steve Agnew has taken over this responsibility; thanks to Charlie Blanchette for his service.
Camping Committee Notes
- Usage, projects, and activities at all three camps were discussed.
- Highlights Sequassen
- Cabins are booked throughout the winter; 2 camporees were hosted in January.
- North shower house project is underway; will ready for the 2025 resident camp.
- Shotgun range building has been rotated and ready for use.
- Construction on two new pavilions in handicraft are scheduled for the spring.
- Highlights Hoyt
- Highlights Hoyt
- Hoyt usage is minimal during the winter but 2 camporees were held in January.
- A new tractor was purchased and is starting to be put to use.
- Major tree removal project underway and will be completed soon.
- Discussions on the strategic vision and the long-term plan for both camps is underway. Both camps will then start a feasibility study for all the planned projects
- Highlights WahWahTaysee
- Camp has had minimal usage.
- Sugaring projects are being done.
- In January, the hiking merit badge instruction began with a 6.4 mile hike on Sleeping Giant.
- Planning for summer resident camp is well underway and it looks like we’ll have a great camp again this year. ScoutReach, NYLT and Webelos Resident Camp are all scheduled for week 7.
- Several new Troops are attending summer camp for the first time.
- Shooting Sports Chair Ray Pflomm reported on training courses (instructors, RSO’s) scheduled for the spring. Looking to add to the council roster for both.
- Best practices were discussed for shooting sports amongst the group.
Communications and Marketing Committee Notes
The Committee focused on reviewing the Q1 and Q2 editorial calendar for our email publication Trail Notes and the Council Facebook and Instagram pages. With the district realignment coming March 1, the committee discussed the plans to have ctyankee.org revised with landing pages for the new districts and events populated on their respective calendars. Additionally, the Committee advanced plans on creating a design process that will better support our Council activities and communications needs, our customer service workflow, and tools to better coordinate our Council and district volunteers.
Membership Committee Notes
The district membership chairs reported on updates from their districts. Quinnipiac is focusing on finding a charter partner for a girl’s troop in North Haven. Scatacook has been working to get new leadership in place for the Hispanic units in Danbury. In Pomperaug a new Pack in Fairfield was recently rechartered.
Following the district reports, we reviewed the annual membership plans and made final updates. The membership chair will be making the final updates to the report, and it will be released by the end of the month.
The team began a review of all of the schools within the council and started to fill in the units that are recruiting from these school. Further work is needed to understand where all of the units are recruiting from. Once this list is complete it will be used to determine which school to focus efforts for establishing new units based on the largest schools that are not currently be recruited from.
Finally, we started discussed Webelos to Scout transition. A first cut list of all scouts who are eligible to transition this year has been established and volunteers will be refining this list over the next month and using it to track the progress made.
Training Committee Notes
Upcoming Courses were Discussed:
| Date | Program | Location | Contact | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27 | New Cub Program w/ Cheryl Izyk | Zoom | Jay Lubin | Open |
| Mar 9 | Trainers EDGE | CYC Office | Connie Hemphill | Open |
| Mar 16 | University of Scouting | ECDS | Donna Wesolowski | Open |
| April 27 | Wilderness First Aid | SEQ | Ed Gratrix | FULL |
| May 4-5 | IOLS | Hoyt | Jacob Cedusky | Open |
| June 1-2 | BALOO | Hoyt | Jacob Cedusky | Open |
| Summer | IOLS Self Led at Sequassen | SEQ | Mike Migliore | Open |
| Aug | NYLT | SEQ | Jacob Cedusky | Pending |
| Aug 23-25, Sept 21-22 | Wood Badge | SEQ/Hoyt | Sabrina Doolittle | Open |
Commissioners Notes
- Safety Moment: Distracted Driving.
- Please encourage safety moments with the beginning of all meetings at all levels of scouting: Adult, Youth, etc.
- Re-alignment of the districts, Name, Key 3
- UOS – University of Scouting, Saturday, March 16, 2024, 8:00 am – 4:00pm
- Easton Country Day School, 660 Morehouse Rd., Easton CT
- Being the Single Best Resource
- Safety, Safety, Safety
- Being more visible.
- The Role of the District Commissioner
- Training, working with training committee to get all leaders trained.
- Developing transitions plans for getting more adult leaders and volunteers.
- Up-coming events: IOLS, Baloo, NYLT, Summer Camp, and Cub activities.
- Next Meeting at Martch Council Operations Meeting.
Activity Committee Breakout session
All districts (old and new) were represented.
JC Cinelli outlined plans for the May 3-4-5 Dual Camporee
- Star Wars Theme – “May the 4th Be with You” — with identical programs at Hoyt and Sequessen. Activities reviewed. Leaders Guide Coming Soon. Registration live March 1.
Jeff Timmons presented up-coming Shooting Sports certification courses and outline Shooting Sports activities and training for the year.
The committee discussed 2024-2025 Program Year with the following dates selected:
- Sept 13-15 Aquila District Fall Camporee at Hoyt*
- Oct 5 Cub Scout Field Day at Hoyt
- A Day event with optional pack family camping
- Oct 18-20 Saugatuck District Fall Camporee at Hoyt*
- Oct 18-20 Quinnipiac District Fall Camporee at Sequassen*
- Oct 26 Fright Night at Sequassen
- Nov 2 Cuboree at Old Mine Park, Trumbull
- Nov 9 Expanded Webelos College
- Featuring AOL College, Webelos College and Bear College
- Jan 17-19 Aquila District Klondike at Hoyt
- Jan 17-19 Quinnipiac District Klondike at Sequassen
- Jan 24-26 Saugatuck District Klondike at Hoyt
- Feb 1 Cub Scout Polar Bear hosted by Saugatuck District
- No Spring events due to ConnJam May 16-18
NOTE *: AOL will be invited to participate and camp at the Fall Camporees
The Activity Committee is requesting that the Advancement Committee start the Merit Badge College with the 1st Weekend in February 2025 allowing the last two weekends in January as Klondike Derby Weekends. We are also asking those responsible for the Merit Badge Trade Weekends to avoid weekends that have Klondike’s or Camporees scheduled. This will give Troops one focus for each weekend.
A packet of “Spring Into Summer” activity flyers was presented.
The Activity Committee will continue with in person hybrid format for future Ops Meeting.
Advancement Committee
Adam Gerstein gave his report on the Merit Badge College, which he felt went well. He is suggesting that we may consider having two colleges next time, one in the spring and another in the fall, with one concentrating on Eagle required merit badges and the other one on fun type merit badges. He will be sending out a survey to all who attended as well as the instructors to get their feedback.
Pat Day brought up the subject of Scouts taking virtual merit badges, after a scout showed up at the college with three blue cards which he had taken the previous summer virtual. We have asked Jay Lubin to look up the policy that was drafted by John Davenport a while ago.
The Chair asked the group about the new meeting structure and they all agreed they liked it.
Pat Day announced she will be now working with a troop in Monroe as their Eagle coordinator.
District Chairs Breakout
The new District formed from Northern Pomperaug and Scatacook will be Aquila District:
District Chair Gregg Baimel
District Commissioner Jacob Cedusky
District Director Bill Reynolds
The new District formed from Southern Pomperaug and Powahay will be Saugatuck District:
District Chair Nathan Schindler
District Commissioner Adam Terr
District Director Jonathan Glassman
Quinnipiac District will welcome the following leadership, effective March 1:
District Chair Dan Burns
District Commissioner Bob Scukas
District Director Mark Kennedy
Respectfully submitted,
Jay Lubin
Chair, Council Operations Meeting
February 20, 2024
