TimeLine

  • Sept 26, 2006 - "Northeast Ohio Girl Scout councils to unite". Although I'm pretty sure that the courts can't count the promises in a newspaper article as as binding, this archived article DOES bring out a valid point: members were told that the merger would benefit us. It was supposed to give us more opportunities. And it should have. After the initial costs of the merger itself settled down, there should have been centralized, streamlined administration being supported by quintupled cookie income. The benefits should have been enormous by now.
  • October  1, 2007 -  Girl Scouts of North East Ohio formed
  • September 1 , 2008 -  Troops and service units allowed to apply for sites  outside legacy council boundaries
  • June, 2009 -  First round of camp closures
                             GSNEO board holds meetings for each camp slated for closure. Significant protests at meetings for Wadsworth House, Singing River,
                             Lycopodia, Crowell Hilaka, and Great Trail

                             At the Crowell Hilaka meeting,  a board member suggests starting a Friends group, similar to the Friends of Camp Lejnar.  Friends of 
                             Crowell Hilaka begin that evening as a special interest group from Trefoil Integrity.

                             At the Great Trail meeting, a large contingent of members convince board members in attendance that camp usage at GT was actually
                             much higher than council reports indicate. 
  • June 17, 2009 - "Girl Scout camps to close", Canton Repository article about prospective closing of Great Trail and other camps.
  • June 18, 2009 - "Closing camps ruins Girl Scouts' dreams", Canton Repository article about closing Camp Lycopodia.
  • July, 2009 - GSNEO board announces formation of  "Vision 2012"  to continue property evaluation process.Volunteers from each camp will
                           be represented.

                           GSNEO does not recognize that FoCH has already started and holds an organizational meeting at the council office.    Repair cost list is  
                           distributed.   Estimates seem “off”.   FoCH points out that the numerous inadequacies in camp  reservation process have contributed to low
                           usage, and demand that a basic description of each camp be posted on GSNEO website.  

                           GSNEO sponsors organizational meeting for Friends of Great Trail.

                           Board announces they have decided to allow one side of GT to remain open

                           GSNEO begins posting camp information on its website.
  • August, 2009 - Property consultant from GSUSA, Glen Chin, conducts cursory assessment of camps. 
  • September, 2009 - Camp Friends forms as a non-profit charitable organization to support GT,
                                      
                                       Board decides to allow 3 sites at Crowell Hilaka to remain open
  • September 30, 2009 - Camp Jessie Mae Faegol, Camp Lycopodia, Camp Singing River, Wadsworth House, East Palestine Cabins, closed

                                           Wintergreen Cabin, Intergrove Cabin relinquished to Cleveland Metroparks
                 
                                           One half of Great Trail Camp closed, Most of Crowell Hilaka Camp closed
  • October, 2009 - GSNEO board announces an on-line camp property survey for members. Members advise board that they will get better response from
                                 hard copies distributed via SU to troops to be done at troop meeting.   Suggestion declined.

                                 FoCH holds its first Sunday Funday.  Council office receives positive feedback. All of camp south of the gas cut is declared “off-limits”                                   to  hikers. 
  • December 2009 -  Vision 2012 committee begins work
  • January, 2010 - 1500 adults respond to online survey,  but not enough girls.  Council office gives hard copy to some girls until they reach 500 mark. 
 
                                  FoCH discovers that cost of cabin rental at C/H is much higher than at other camps.  It begins offering grants which will make the troop
                                  cost of renting a cabin at C/H  equal with renting at  Camp Timberlane.   The camp fills during the slowest camping  months of
                                  February and march while the grants are offered.

                                  Centralized, online campsite reservation becomes available
                                * Camping is essential to Girl Scouting.    
                                * Troop camping is by far the largest form of camp usage
                                * 95% of girls want to camp  The largest barriers to camping are cost,  lack of time 
                                * 33% of girls, 15% of adults say they must have flush toilets
                                * Camps ranked by popularity,  but the prior difficulty of being able to make site reservations outside of "legacy" area means most troops
                                  haven't yet crossed old boundaries                       
                             council  was that only 10% camped. 
  • July 2010 -  Work of the Vision 2012 committee reviewed and summarized for report 
  • Oct 7, 2010 - Correspondence about camp capacity dismissed by Property Chair
  • Oct. 2010 - Vision 2012 report released.   Among the recommendations are:
                          * Locate overnight camping no more than one hour drive away from any area of council.
                          * Engage volunteers to support the outdoor program, explore community partnerships
                          * Recognize and maintain unique historic and environmental qualities of GSNEO properties,                     
                          * The estimated cost for deferred maintenance is about two million dollars.


  • January 2011 -   Board Minutes - Vision 2012 results misrepresented to property committee
  • February 2011- Friends of Crowell Hilaka submit proposal to GSNEO board requesting permission to take responsibility for major repairs at camp
  • February 23, 2011 - Board Minutes - Motion to reduce GSNEO camps made by the director of a competing camp.
  • March 2, 2011 -  GSNEO board votes to sell 5 camps &  transform the remaining 2 into Premier Leadership Centers
                               
                                       IN response to several inquiries, GSUSA states it is unable to intervene in governance issues of local councils because each
                                       council is a separate corporation                          
 
                                       Boycott of  “Early Bird” registration organized
 
                                       Several GSNEO delegates organize meetings to draft resolutions in response to board.    
              
                                       Delegates request that the council office provide them with a complete list of delegate contact information so that all the delegates
                                       can be included.  The office refuses, citing “privacy regulations”.   Delegates request that the office follow up with each of the
                                      delegates to find a way to facilitate communication.  This is also refused.  

                           the request includes 24 resolutions – including removal of the board. There is much concern that this may damage the council.  

                           A lawyer is hired for consultation who recommends streamlining the resolutions, including a resolution to cease and desist from current
                           plans camp sales – without making it an amendment to the bylaws.  This is adopted. 

                           Approximately 30 delegates sign the special meeting request
                      
                           The search for more delegate contacts continues via cyber-searches and word of mouth
  • July 12, 2011 - "Girl Scout camps up for sale", audio and transcript of segment on National Public Radio's Marketplace Morning Report show.
  • August 2011 - First vice-chair Joan Villarreal conducts a series of informational meetings about the property plan. There is one meeting in each of                               the 5 council regions.  Attendance is limited to delegates only, and each delegate is permitted to attend only one meeting.

                              More delegate signatures are obtained at each meeting

                              GSNEO releases new set of FAQs based on concerns “addressed” at the delegate meetings

                              Board spokesperson Brent Gardner repeats his claim that that camp repairs would cost over $30 million during an interview with WKSU 
  • August 20 & 28 - Two “visioning” meetings are scheduled at the end of August for members to give their ideas about what they would like at the                                        PLCs. Girls and adults have separate brainstorming sessions – members want what we already have.                                 
                                    More delegate signatures are obtained at the visioning meetings
  • Aug 30, 2011 -  Meeting between CEO & Camp-in participants.   They ask her to use her influence with the board.  She tells them that she has no influence with the board.   She invites two members to next board meeting.       
  • Sept 30, 2011 -   51st signature is obtained.  The request for special meeting submitted,  Board chair announces special meeting will take place
                                  immediately before annual meeting
  • October 10, 2011 - "Unhappy campers revive sale issue", Canton Repository editorial about the controversy.
  • October 20, 2011: "Girl Scouts fight to keep camps", Youngstown Vindicator article about the controversy
  • October 21, 2011 - Applications for nominations for the board “from the floor” submitted to council office. Beth Frank  to run against Joan Villarreal for board president;  8  alternate candidates for board ”at-large“ positions;  2  alternate candidates for board development committee

  • October 29, 2011  - Special meeting
                                    Motion to cease & desist from camp sales until sales approved by General Assembly - passes by 60%

                                    Only voting members of the General Assembly permitted to speak at the microphone

                                    Board Chair Dan Bragg is partially successful in his attempt to limit delegates to 1 minute apiece at the mike.  Corey Ringle had
                                    prepared a speech for the meeting, but severely cut it to comply with the one-minute ruling.  Here is the speech she wanted to
                                    deliver.
 
                                    55% voted FOR the proposal to make consent of the General Assembly for any real estate part of the bylaws.  Because it is an
                                    amendment to the code of regulations and the code and would remain in effect  indefinitely, it requires a 2/3 majority to pass.

                                    The cease and desist resolution was an emergency measure that temporarily affected just the 5 camps that had originally been
                                    slated for closure. As such it only required a simple majority to pass.   

                                    GSNEO Annual meeting - 60% voted for a slightly different version of a consent amendment

                                    BDC chair Katerina Papas refuses to allow the assembly to fill all the vacancies on the board. 


                                     inquiring how they plan to honor the resolution.

                                     CEO Daisy Alford Smith endorses a political candidate in a mass mailing -, using her title as CEO of GSNEO

                                     New board chair Joan Villarreal says the board will allow two delegates from each region to present new ideas at a  “listening
                                     session”.  This sidesteps the resolution which requires new evaluation and approval of assembly before selling the four endangered
                                     camps.  
 
                                     Troop leaders report getting phone calls from council office asking if they plan to sell cookies.
  • December 2, 2011 -  "Girl Scouts set to discuss fate of camps in NE Ohio":  Dismissive Canton Repository article about the listening sessions. Probably a press release from GSNEO.
  • December 7, 2011 - Board “listening session”  New information presented  included
                                      * Comparison of assembly vote with Ohio's issue 2 which was defeated by a “landslide” vote of 61%  
                                      * Suggested engineering alternatives for the C/H Lower Dam ,  alternatives to swimming pools. 
                                      * Suggested low-cost, effective program ideas
                                      * Ideas for organizing volunteers, many of which proven  effective by the Friends groups.   
                                      * Discrepancy in cost estimates from $ 2 million - $30 million is a problem
                                      * Delegates continue to be misled by the $30 million dollar figure. 

                                      Board member Chris Scala asks two delegates why they are bothering since the property decision was made long ago
  • December 10, 2011 -  Requested arbitration from GSUSA
  • December 12, 2011 -  Joan Villarreal  announces that no new ideas were presented at the listening session, board will proceed with sales. 
                                          Council sends out Request For Proposals for camp properties to potential buyers                                            donated the land for Great Trail Camp
                                    National news outlets pick up cookie boycott story, some feature Marie Cassidy’s Ambassador troop in Aurora, others feature  
                                    Cadette troop 71289 of Cleveland Hts.

                                    $30,000 raised for legal fund - Litigator hired 
                                 Questions regarding a motion to revise order of agenda result in private session and 40 minute delay.
 
                                 Consent amendment re-introduced, gains majority vote, but not required 2/3

                                 Amendment to clarify voting role of Board Development Committee also failed
  • July 23rd, 2012 -  "Past Girl Scout Wants to Preserve Camps for the Future":  Full-page article in the Broadview Journal about Kerrin Winter-Churchill's experiences at camp and their impact on her life.
  • August 3, 2012 Camp Pleasant Valley sold to a private individual
  • September 26, 2012 - Court grants board motion for summary judgment ( dismissal of case)
  • September 23, 2012 - Closing Ceremony Camp Crowell Hilaka under protest.
  • September 30, 2012 - Closing Ceremony Camp Lejnar – under protes
  • October 20, 2012 - 2012 annual meeting
                                      3 floor nominations denied 

                                      Motions to permit the nominations denied

                                      General  Assembly required to continue voting for board members even after the necessary vacancies were filled.  Had  Assembly 
                                      members refrained from further voting, it would have permitted a small minority still willing to cast ballots to elect a board member.  
   
  • November 15, 2012 - Retirement of CEO  Dr. Daisy Alford Smith
  • December 2012 - Appeal filed
  • January 2013 - GSNEO board response to appeal – position unchanged
  • January 12, 2013 - Town Hall meeting
  • December 2012 – March 2013 - Cookie Boycott- “Support the GIRLS in Girl Scouting:  skip the cookies, donate cash directly to troops”.
                                                         A campaign  to make public aware that although the girls raise most of the council’s money, they have no say in the
                                                         decisions of the council that affect them
  • February 2013 - Delegates submit New Proposals to Board - Denied.
  •  April 13, 2013 GSNEO Town Hall Meeting for South Region Cancelled.  
  • June 27, 2013  GSNEO announces that WRLC terminated purchase option on Camp Lejnar.  Lejnar then sold to a private individual. 
September 2013  Appellate Court determines that it has no jurisdiction over the case due to procedural errors.

October 2013 – Appeal re-submitted.

December 26, 2013 Great Trail Camp sold to a private individual.

March 2014.  Appellate Court rules that the GSNEO Board of Directors was not required to honor the resolution passed by the General Assembly.  It also rules that the GSNEO Board improperly refused to allow the General Assembly to fill the available board vacancies. Finally,“there were reasonable grounds for appeal”. The case to proceed to trial with the amended charge that GSNEO held improper board elections for three consecutive years, including the one the court already ruled on.      

May 2014.  Plaintiffs agree to mediation after being informed that the GSNEO board “wants to make things right”.

July 16, 2014.  GSNEO board absent from scheduled mediation.  GSNEO staff attend, but are unable to make any offers. 

November 2014  Lawsuit withdrawn.  Funding dried up once the camps were gone and members lost faith that GSNEO being held accountable for bylaws  violations would make any difference for the girls. Existence of the lawsuit impeded the sale of Camp Crowell Hilaka to WRLC, which would have allowed the camp to be sold to a private individual.  Settlement was not an option as it would have required a non-disclosure agreement from all parties.  The only good that can come from this is if other councils can learn from our experience.