SLAGA Board Meeting Minutes
Meeting date: January 5, 2011
Present: John and Laurie Elfrank, Jim Greene, Mike Henthorn, Rich Sheffold, Yvonne Von Der Ahe, Tom Wolpert
Jim Greene will handle the County Parks paperwork related to the Geocaching 101 and Complete GPS classes as he has done in the past.
The treasurer’s report for December was read and accepted. It was noted that SLAGA subsidized the food at the Christmas party, which resulted in a very small deficit related to that event.
The board discussed SLAGA equipment needs. As a result of the discussion:
· John Elfrank will purchase three lightweight, eight-foot tables and three or four standard height folding chairs. To be stored in the trailer and used at SLAGA and public events.
· John Elfrank will attempt to replace the storage bag for the vertical SLAGA sign. The existing bag has deteriorated beyond repair.
· John Elfrank and Mike Henthorn will investigate replacing the tongue jack on the SLAGA trailer with another which has a wheel.
The board discussed the possibility to issuing a geocoin as a premium member perk, along with a pathtag and/or hat pin for non-premium members. There was a consensus that this was a worthwhile idea, but it was tabled for the moment.
John Elfrank reviewed the content for the upcoming edition of the newsletter. Noteworthy items include the following.
· Article on the New Year’s Day meet and greet and group hunt. The board expressed its appreciation to Myotis (Jim Bensman) for his new earth cache, Where’s the Confluence?, which was the hit of the outing.
· January 10th is the deadline for submitting milestone information for awards at the winter potluck.
· Dues for longtime premium members are due on January 31. Newer members renew on the anniversary of their membership.
The premium member training class for January was cancelled for lack of interest. The next class, in February, will be presented by Steve Bromley. The subject will be GSAK. John Elfrank to confirm this with Steve. The St. Louis County edition of both spring classes will be held at the Cliff Cave Branch of the St. Louis Public Library. This is a change from past practice. Date, time and location details are already on the calendar.
It was noted that SLAGA logo on the Calendar is outdated. Mike Griffin will likely need to address this since none of the rest of us knows how.
Jim Greene will handle the loan paperwork and delivery of the GPS units to the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park for their upcoming activity.
Bart Cross (bartindesperes) has requested assistance with a Cub Pack outing related to geocaching. Consistent with SLAGA practice, we will offer planning assistance and the loan of GPS units, but no direct participation. Bart subsequently indicated that he had enough information to proceed. He has registered as a member and will presumably request the loan of the GPS units when his dates are set.
MOAPHERD has requested SLAGA participation at their annual convention in November, 2011. We will receive more information after their executive committee meeting in February. SLAGA has a strong interest in participating since this represents an opportunity to educate adults about geocaching. Tom Wolpert is handling communication with Shelly Gannaway from MOAPHERD.
The board discussed supplies and SLAGA participation in the winter potluck. The following items were decided.
· John and Laurie Elfrank will update the online supplies inventory to match their most recent physical inventory (after the fall picnic). They will coordinate supply purchases for the potluck with Rich and Charlotte Sheffold.
· Jim Greene will handle the production of cachers’ bingo sheets for the potluck.
· John Elfrank and Rich Sheffold will purchase really nice, useful-to-all prizes for the potluck.
· Laurie Elfrank will recruit an assistant for the travel bug table at the potluck.
John Elfrank will look into the purchase of marketing materials, most likely pens, with SLAGA contact information. To be given to those who express a serious interest in SLAGA at public events.
The board congratulated Mike Henthorn on his excellent interview in the current edition of St. Louis Magazine. The board also expressed amusement at the accompanying sidebar (not Mike’s fault) and wishes to caution members about the dangers of wet logs during the winter months.
Meeting adjourned.