Cascade Grotto Meeting
Online-only (via Google Meet)
January 3, 2024
Votes
Accept election results
Eric moved to accept results, Mark seconded
- 12 for
- none against
Allocate $2000 for Western Regional for Sept 2024
Eric proposed, Maurice seconded
- 11 for
- none against
Business
Elections
Talia of Out of Bounds grotto was vote counter as an independent party
- Chair: Eric
- Vice-chair: Sarah
- Treasurer: Megan
- Secretary: Maurice
- Member-at-large: Bram
Treasurer report
Increase in funds since the same time last year
- $3108.67 in checking account
- $5147.08 in savings
Proposal to allocate funds for Western Regional
- Proposal was to allocate $2k
- Same sum as allocated by Oregon grotto
- Reserved spot (half of campground) of Cougar RV Park is relatively expensive
- reservation for Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights (Sept 19-22)
- 100 people max camping is OK’d
- even more can be present temporarily
- lots of flexibility for our own events
- have a discount with the # sites we have
- lots of infrastrucure that would need to be set up for all the days
- expecting $40 per person fee
- includes:
- full-service RV sites
- 2 cabins
- lots of flexibility for setting up our own events (e.g. ropes course)
- availability from Thursday night means those who travel far have more flexibility
- campground reservation is by far the largest western regional expense
- fees are yet to be determined
- if we have it at $40 per person with 100 people, that would result in a profit
- camping is usually separated from the event fee
Gauntlet ropes course
- cost estimate: 1k
- intend to split with oregon grotto
- would set up ropes course
- will put forward proposal later
Non-business
Meetings schedule (timing for coming year)
- monthly hybrid meetings highly preferred by everyone
- poll showed 53% for vs 23% for annual meetings
- consistency is important (same week of every month)
- historically meetings were always on Fridays
- mostly an artifact of the old constitution
- Friday:
- pros:
- more accessible for people driving from far away
- cons:
- traffic is bad, many trips start on this day
- pros:
- Eric suggests putting forward:
- friday option
- non-friday option
- Possible benefit for Friday:
- first Friday is meeting
- first weekend is grotto trip
- Oregon grotto is 3rd Friday
- Having an online google calendar would be beneficial for organizing
Proposal for polling:
- Friday (4th of every month)
- Wednesday (1st of every month)
Trips
Successful events to repeat:
- beginner trip
- holiday party
- halloween trout lake trip
Proposal:
- have an event in every region once a month
- regions:
- trout lake
- windy creek
- helens
- papoose
- cave ridge
Have monthly official trips:
- trip committee organizes this
- rotating trip leaders on regular basis
- easily signed up for, encourages beginners
- set up discussion for separate meeting for schedule of trips
- have a specific weekend per month?
Beginner trip:
- historically was April/May
- proposal: first weekend of may
- in helens
Proposed calendar:
- May: Helens (beginner trip)
- June: Wolf’s pit
- first weekend, likely
- beginner trip vs advanced trip works on rigging
- July: Cave ridge
- August: Washington monument
- Sept: Papoose
- Oct: Trout lake
Letting people know:
- public google calendar
- others can schedule events around it
Training (scheduling)
scheduling:
- set up formally in a calendar
- should we have an official monthly training
- multiple locations possible:
- seattle
- mt vernon
- have multiple people taking responsibility
- someone can look into NSS VTC and coordinate
- Horne lake cave rescue in May
- week-long seminar in Gold river in July
- may be possible to have a SPAR class in WA
- May beginner vertical class in Bend
- proposed program/schedule:
- beginner time
- intermediate/advanced time
- may want a formal listing of techniques/class
- should we finally figure out quartermaster/storage location
Attendees
Laina, Dusty, Eric, Sarah, Renato, Mark, Alex, Michelle, Megan, Drew, Travis, Talon, Bram, Garrett, Maurice