Update, February 6: Meeting Summary The Pioneer Valley Council’s Consolidation Study Steering Committee members met again with their counterparts from Great Trails Council on Wednesday evening in Northampton. This was the third meeting between the two contingents, which continue to discuss the prospect of a consolidation of the two councils. The purpose of last evening's meeting was to review and discuss the study group information that was recently exchanged between councils. The meeting was productive, and all participants left on a positive note. The consolidation study groups agreed to each now move forward to discussion of the merits of consolidation with their respective boards of directors.
 
It was agreed that the Legal Study Group begin their process of due diligence and report to each board in March.
 
Both councils will be holding their respective Board of Directors meetings on March 19, 2008.
 
Please feel free to contact any of the Consolidation Study Steering Committee members as previously announced to provide input.  Their contact information is listed below.

February 4th Report of the Joint Program and Camping Study Group
     
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.
 
 February 4th Report of the Joint Finance Study Group 
     
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.

Update, January 10: Meeting Summary   The Steering Committee of the Consolidation Study between Pioneer Valley and Great Trails Councils met January 10th in Northampton.  Volunteer and Professional Officers from the Northeast Region BSA were present to serve as facilitators. 

The progress of the Study Groups was reviewed, and joint Study Group meetings between our two councils will be held in the next three weeks to share findings.  These Study Groups include Program, Administration & Personnel, Finance, and Legal. 

The study committee representatives from our council are seeking input from unit and district Scouters.  Their contact information was previously announced, and is available below.  

The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled on February 6th.  If a favorable conclusion is reached, a written plan of consolidation will be developed.  The question would then be submitted at an Executive Committee (Officers) Meeting of each council.  Subsequent approvals would be required at an Executive Board Meeting of each council, and finally at a meeting of Council Members (Council Members-At-Large and Chartered Organization Representatives) later in the Spring.

Prior to the final step above, information meetings will be scheduled to explain the rationale behind the proposed consolidation.   


Update, October 14: 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 9th 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. 

Update, September 28: Council Consolidation Study Committee  Recently we announced that the Executive Board of the Pioneer Valley Council had approved our council’s participation in a study to evaluate the benefits of a consolidation of our council with the Great Trails Council.  The study committee’s volunteer representatives from our council will be as follows:

    Study Group                Volunteer                      Title                         Phone #

Program                      Philip Brodeur          Council VP/Program           583-6315

Administration             David Southworth      Council Executive VP         789-1200

Finance                      Glenn Welch            Council VP/Finance            452-5144

Legal                          Steven Schwartz       Legal Counsel                    737-1131

Steering Commitee      Denis Gagnon           CouncilPresident               525-4531

Steering Commitee      Steven Nelson           Council Commissioner       596-8216

An orientation meeting by officers of the Northeast Region BSA will be conducted in late October with our representatives and their Consolidation Study counterparts from the Great Trails Council.  Following that, the study is expected to take 90 days.  Ample opportunity for input from our various Scouting constituencies will be made available during the study period.  Thank you.

Larry Bystran, Council Executive
Denis Gagnon, Council President


Council Consolidation Study To Begin We are pleased to announce that the Executive Board of the Pioneer Valley Council on September 19th approved our council’s participation in a study to evaluate the benefits of a consolidation of our Council with the Great Trails Council.

Earlier in September, the Northeast Region BSA met with representatives from both councils to discuss and recommend that a consolidation study be performed.

The region will conduct an Orientation Meeting in mid-October with appointed representatives from both councils.  Following this meeting, the consolidation study is expected to last approximately 90 days.  During that period, an in-depth look at the advantages of a possible consolidation between the two councils will be researched and discussed.  The goal of the consolidation study will be to see how the possible consolidation can benefit the Scouting program and the youth within the territory now under the jurisdiction of the two councils.

Ample opportunity for input from our various constituencies will be made available during the study period.  This input will be very important while the possibility of a consolidation is being reviewed.  In addition, we urge all Scouters to continue to remain focused on the current jobs at hand during this busy fall season of Scouting.

We look forward to participating in this study, and to learning of prospective ways to better serve more youth in all of Western Massachusetts.

Larry Bystran, Council Executive
Denis Gagnon, Council President