MNOC Board Meeting Minutes: July 2005
Date: July 13, 2005
Host: Mike Carlson
The meeting was called to order at 7:10 P.M.
Present: Ian Harding, Julia Bohnen, Mike Carlson, Pete Curtis, Plamen
Djambazov, Keith Ottoson, Andrea Schneider
- Approval of past minutes.
motion Julia - second Keith
- Past events.
Lake Maria - fun and enjoyable event, with many participating in the sprint event;
the children really got into and enjoyed the junior sprint course. It was great having the
May family join us one more time prior to their moving out of state. One concern that became
evident is that in the future we may have to mark camp sites and cabins as 'out-of-bounds',
more so in the summer than the winter; it is common courtesy to avoid such areas when occupied -
which may not be apparent from all directions when approaching the cabin or camp site. Setters
and vetters may also need to know what areas to avoid when preparing for a meet. Pete mentioned
Brian's posting on www.attackpoint.org, under Discussion, regarding their move West, where Brian
accepted a teaching position (Math and Physics) at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm, British Columbia.
Battle Creek - the event went well, with good volunteer turn-out; a lot of newcomers to the event
as a result of the local article written by Jerrit. There was very good use of the entire map, and
overall park crowd was rather low, ensuring for ample parking for our event. There is a need for more
posted information and instructions for newcomers, ahead of registration. The lay-out registration-maps-start
caused some confusion with new comers and interference with those waiting to start - emphasizing how important
it may be to have the map area roped off.
Adventure Race - Very successful event, with a number of different legs, giving everyone a chance to still
catch up late in the game, with biking, mountain biking, canoeing, some swimming and lots of orienteering,
including the need for making good route choices. The set-up of the orienteering portion was such that all
team members needed to know how to orienteer. The heat made it necessary to make adjustments after 3 p.m. so
as to ensure the safety of all participants and that teams finished before 5pm . E-punching was successful,
and the thought of renting it out to other AR events came up, with a support person from the MNOC. The efforts
of the Mountain Bike Patrol and the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) were again very much appreciated.
The need for a refund policy was discussed, for cases that competitors cancel. Since we have events where we
have prepaid expenses, like food reservations or kayaks, there may be a need for case-to-case considerations.
A 50% refund if the cancellation comes by a specified deadline, minus certain expenses, was suggested as a
basic policy. The club may also have expenses like permits, portable toilets, etc, which also need to be
considered when posting refund policies. If a participant to a meet with pre-registration cancels in time,
but forfeits the refund, the refund amount can be considered a donation to the MNOC, a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization, and thus be taken as a tax-deduction. Preliminary net income from the event is $4,315.30.
Motion to make the following donations: $150 to the Bike Patrol and $175 to SARA - motion Keith, second
Julia, motion passed unanimously.
There were some issues with the maps, where Kinko's ended up cropping important marks (tic marks) at
the top of the map. There was discussion on the problem (which originated from the file format (jpeg)
transmitted to Kinko's) and remedies to this problem.
- Upcoming events.
Rogaine Savanna Portage - Sat. Aug. 20 - Registration and information already available on the
web-site. Pete presented the map, with the major trail work being done; a decent amount of field
checking is still necessary; mountain biking on trails is possible, though difficult. The picnic
area, with shade trees, swimming beach, toilets and parking seem well suitable as the start/end
area. Participants should be encouraged to book camp sites or alternate lodging in the area if they
plan to stay over night (recommended due to the meeting Saturday morning at 9:00 A.M.). A tentative
schedule is already posted on the web-site. Pete emphasized the abundance of water (bogs, 3 water
sheds and more) on this map. Snack food and refreshments will be available immediately after the
race, with special emphasis to the mandatory return time of 3:30 P.M. The pot-luck and grilling
cookout will take place post-race and ceremonies, which will enable all to socialize; participants
could thus be encouraged to stay through Sunday so as to enjoy the social part. Julia and Pete will
handle insurance, permit/fee and related issues.
Summer sprint Lake Elmo N (by swim beach) Wed. Aug. 24, 5:30 P.M. - Jerrit Johnston will plan the event,
Julia is following up on permits; the event will be centered around the swimming area.
Willow River Members-Only Meet - Sun. Sept. 11 - Annual General Meeting with elections - A very
extended discussion took place on what more could be done to improve volunteer involvement in our club,
at meets but also at business meetings (open to all members), mapping, submitting to the newsletter,
and more. The make-up of a survey was discussed, as to what questions we would like answered in order to
improve our organization, especially also volunteerism. With the assumption that all present at the meeting
will continue to be available for their current positions, there is still a number of not-elected positions,
which need people to step forward (presented in past newsletters: historian, publicizing, equipment manager).
Ian will meet with Gerry Bauer for further details regarding the organization of the actual meet. A meet
director is still needed.
Nerstrand Sun. Sept. 18 - E-punch event with Ian handling the e-punching, the Baird team taking care of the event.
Murphy Hanrehan Sat. Oct. 1
Western Canadian O-Championships - close to Brandon, Winnipeg. Fri. Oct. 7-Mon. Oct. 11 - the trip is rated
'well-worth-it' by several members. Regular pricing applies until August 31. Carpooling suggested to start from
Robbinsdale, on Thursday evening; further carpooling details will be posted on the web-site and publicized
through the Newsletter and by e-mail notification.
Sand Dunes Sun. Oct. 23 - Ian will work out the details with the setter and vetter, as well as the park officials.
Hyland - Minnegoat Sun. Nov. 6 (early start for Minnegoat (10:45), 11 A.M. for regular meet. Collan and Keith
are setter and vetter. Map is slightly updated in the South part, with some new green areas. Start time will
have to be corrected on our web-site. Setting options were reviewed for the Minnegoat.
- Newsletter.
Details of converting the Newsletter to a readable electronic file format or PDF are still in progress,
Pete will take care of the conversion if the software allows it. Plamen is donating his PrintShop
software, which he has no need for. This software will be installed on the club computer, and thus
be available for opening and converting the Newsletter files. Carol continues to be available as
the editor of the Newsletter and bring it to a printable format.
- Publicity
Outdoors section in St. Paul Pioneer Press for the rogaine.
- Finances
Only the Adventure Race data were available at this time.
- Web site
Nerstrand - advance registration on the web-site optional, with normal meet fees plus $1 rental of e-punch.
Pete still working on getting new web hosting services.
- O-suits.
Status on the order will be updated upon Sam's return.
- Equipment.
Ian reported two more rentals of the REI Kits. Ian bought a new finish banner , as one was lost
year at Lake Rebecca, and new batteries for e-punch equipment.
Until now our club has made good use of the e-punch, with very good use made of the investment.
Pete and Ian are confident that something could be worked out in terms of renting out the e-punch equipment.
- 2006 schedule ideas.
JROTC dates need to be received so as to be able to schedule appropriately. A-meets in the mid-west are
not yet known. Telemark could again be used for a combination of meets (e.g., sprint plus regular, etc.) on
a weekend. Late spring there would allow for camping. Three Rivers Parks do not allow spring events due to
bird nesting. Minnegoat suggested for Murphy Hanrehan. Lake Rebecca is a park that has very limited times
available for us, as it opens late, closes early and is not accessible during bird nesting. Mike will check
the open dates with the manager, as they are doing a survey that our club members may have an interest in
filling out.
Lebanon Hills is being worked on, with many new trails having appeared. This may need extensive remapping,
but could be well feasible for winter and ski-O. The park is also restrictive in terms of the permits that
may be needed, and the inability to use horse trails may also be prohibitive.
- Mapping.
William O'Brien - Plamen
The following were all discussed as possibilities for the future or are in progress : Wild River, Telemark West
and general Telemark/Cable region, Rock Lake. Rochester area, Battle Creek West; city parks and metro areas
will have to be checked out in terms of possibilities for us to have access as orienteers. There is a need for
a priority list so as to continue to get good maps.
- Volunteer recognition.
Motion for $160 worth of prizes (8 prizes) to be drawn among member volunteers, with the name of the volunteers
thrown in the hat once for every time they volunteered, but only one gift can be won by a volunteer - no need to be
present at the drawing to be held at the Member-Only Meet, Sun. Sep. 11. Motion Julia, second Pete - motion passed
unanimously.
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 21, 2005 at Keith Ottoson's
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Schneider
July 15, 2005
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