Unfair Demands On Boy Scouts

[CalicoPenn 729]

At most weigh stations I've ever seen, there is no vending machines. Weigh stations are not the same as rest stops - and at least accroding to the posted article, the Scouts have been setting up at weigh stations.

 

If there are vending machines at a weigh station, they tend to be a limited to a single soda machine.

 

I still believe we need more information. All we've gotten is an editorial, with no real reporting behind it. It may as well have been a blog entry on the National Enquirer's web site.

[Gold Winger 9]

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=8737838

 

I do wonder why they set up at a weigh station instead of a rest stop.(This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

[GernBlansten 10]

Where's Longhaul when we need him. He's a trucker isn't he?

[Eagledad 2779]

>>These kinds of decisions, and changes to policy, aren't generally made in a vacuum or on a whim.

[Rooster7 11]

Bat boy? Didn't they change that to "bat person"?

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Rooster, you are getting confused. As bat boy was considered a derogatory term, bat youth was substituted (See switch from Junior Leader training to Youth Leader Training). As most MLB parks now have "ball girls" on the foul lines, the 2 ball girls versus one bat boy per team was deemed acceptable.

 

There are moves to change the term for those patroling the foul lines to foul persons but most of those involved have resisted having a job title of "foul person"

[croushorn 10]

Too funny guys, great stuff.

Doing this for service, that would be a worthwhile motive.

For a couple years our lodge made a feeble attempt of using a roadside as a fundraiser. It was an interstate rest stop, and the DOT had such screwy rules it was outright hysterical. Couldnt do any cooking of any type; had to place our trailer so far out of the way that most drivers never saw us; until the rest stop store closed at midnight and opened at 7:00am we had to stop serving coffee or any food that competed with their store. A state employee came out every hour to check to make sure we werent doing anything we shouldnt be and to confirm we actually did have an adult (we had two!) working at all times. All this for a measly couple dollars of donations (actually lost our shirts), greeted a lot of tired grumpy drivers and state employees with attitudes. No thanks, we found something else to do for service the following year.

 

[oldsm 10]

On I-95 in Connecticut (which is where East Lyme is located) you can't set up an operation like the scouts do at a rest area. Those are high-traffic areas full of trucks, cars, crazy people, McDonald's, and gas stations. Open 24/7/365. The only possible place on I-95 is at the weigh stations. Not many people drive into them - usually just trucks during the occasional hours that the DOT actually has them open. The weigh stations are large areas and are not heavily traveled. And you can be reasonably certain that they won't be open on Labor Day weekend.

 

On I-84 (also in Connecticut), I have stopped at a rest area that has vending machines. A scout troop sets up there with free coffee and donuts in the cars-only area. The area is not manned by state employees - the police come through occasionally. I've never seen fewer than 2 adults there, usually with about 6 scouts. One adult told me that several troops take turns with different weekends, and that they make enough in DONATIONS to fund their entire troop operation for a year, including summer camp! I have also seen the same type of welcome break at rest areas (without vending machines) on I-91.

 

I don't know if the CT DOT is planning to shut down the operations other than I-95.

 

Scout troops in NY state do the same thing. I frankly look forward to seeing the scouts learning to be thrifty, and having a chance to chat with them for a few moments refreshes me mentally for the next leg of my trip.

 

Not everyone who stops for coffee needs to sleep. Sometimes you just need to stretch your legs (after about 2 hours) and get rid of the previous cup of coffee!

 

In the interest of civility, let's cut the sarcasm when we don't know have the facts.

[oldsm 10]

As follow-up, here is an editorial that was in The Hartford Courant (America's oldest continuously published newspaper) on Friday, August 1. I just saw it this morning.

 

Being Too Careful

August 1, 2008

 

For the last quarter-century, drivers in southeastern Connecticut have been able to pull off I-95 during the busy Labor Day weekend for free coffee and doughnuts, courtesy of local Boy Scout troops.

 

But this thoughtful community service project has now come to an end, thanks to the ever-vigilant bureaucrats at the state Department of Transportation.

 

For 25 years, Scouts had set up the coffee stop at weigh stations along the highway in Waterford. They gave out coffee, doughnuts and soda, and collected voluntary donations. Over the years the Scouts have raised more than $75,000 and donated all of it to charity.

 

But as The Day of New London recently reported, there'll be no coffee stop this year. The DOT, citing unspecified safety concerns, told the Scouts last fall they could not operate at night. They would have to break down the signs, tables, coffee urns and other equipment at 9 p.m. and set up again at 6 a.m. Efforts to change the directive failed. The Scouts said they could not run the four-day event under those conditions and canceled it.

 

What a shame.

 

The DOT's position is not irrational, but it is cautious to a fault. The department is worried about increased traffic on I-95 and has a general concern about incidents of untoward activity that happen from time to time at highway rest stops.

 

On the other hand, the Scout coffee stop, begun by East Lyme Troop 24, has had no trouble in its 25-year existence. The activity is outside. The area is well-lighted. There are two adults there at all times, and usually only two Scouts at night. They all have cellphones. State police check in from time to time. East Lyme first selectman Paul Formica said he's willing to have local police drop in.

 

Also, one of the reasons to do the stop is to refresh drivers so the highways are safer. The program, Mr. Formica said, "puts a human face to the endless lines of the highway." He and some local legislators are trying to get the DOT to change its mind, and we hope they are successful. We cannot accept that the world is too dangerous to hand out coffee.

 

Meanwhile, please don't tell the DOT that Scouts are helping little old ladies cross the street.

 

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-scouts.artaug01,0,2145860.story

 

 

[oldsm 10]

Patience and tenacity sometimes are rewarded. A major local news story today reads, in part:

 

"After a one-year hiatus, the local Boy Scout coffee stop on Interstate 95 will be returning Sept. 4-7 to the Waterford weigh stations.

 

"In a decision later supported by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, the state Department of Transportation, citing safety concerns, denied Boy Scouts the right to hold a 24-hour coffee stop at the weigh stations last year. So local legislators, led by state Sen. Andrea Stillman and state Rep. Ed Jutila, passed a bill earlier this year that specifically allowed local Scouts to conduct an overnight coffee stop on Labor Day weekend - legislation the governor vetoed in a spending measure before the General Assembly overrode her."

 

For a full article, including kudos to the leader who pressed the issue with the state, go here: http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=5ba01ea4-0104-44c9-9dfc-8d8914be381e

 

I just might have to stop in for a friendly cup of coffee. Good luck to the Scouts!

[evmori 11]

Badda bing!

 

Another good thing returns!

[cardinal50 10]

Good they finally came to their senses. back in the late 80's our scout troop was allowed to set up these coffee stands at the rest stops on I-71 in south-west Ohio. We would set up on friday, and saturday nights. 9pm to 6am. on holiday weekends. we always had at least 4 adults and any boys that wanted to show up. Everyone was in full uniform. You wouldn't believe the money our troop raked in doing this. Many a cup of coffee yielded a $20 donation along with compliments from the truckers.

[scoutldr 732]

I dunno...at the weigh stations on I95 around these parts, it's just a one lane approach to the scales, with a very small parking lot for 5-6 cars for the employees. I can't see anyone stopping there long enough for coffee and donuts without holding up the line. Unless the scouts are passing coffee and donuts to the drivers as they wait in line...

[John-in-KC 311]

Wait in Line?

 

What's that?

 

I regularly get to visit EagleSon at his University. I pass a Missouri Department of Revenue weigh station on I-70. This thing has in-ground preliminary sensors about 2 miles out, and culls drivers at about 1/2 mile from the true scales.

 

Trucks slow down from speed (limit is 70, most run about 65-68) to 25MPH or so. They normally generally most of the time make a running pass over the scales, then start building up to speed again.

 

There is parking space, but the only time I see it occupied is during the winter, during/after storms.

 

OTOH, rest areas seem to be an attractive option locally.

[codger 35]

The most important observation on this issue is that despite the obvious support of the driving public, the State of Connecticut does not feel that the Scouts perform a needed service to the community. If they felt the service was in fact needed/desireable/of value, then they would find a way to make it happen, and then tax it!

 

The only lesson to be learned is that the State does not value volunteerism, and volunteers should stay home. What a sad time we live in - we'll all be worse off for it.