rpbobcat

Had a "gap" problem on a project I was working on in N.J. It was for a residential development project that included a new train station along an existing passenger line. Great idea to get commuters to live there (Transit Village). The problem ? The section of track where they wanted to put the station was curved. The proposed station,the railroad's standard "box",was straight. That left a "gap" of several feet. Instead of leaving the station in the center of the development and using a curved station design,they moved the station several hundred feet to a straight section of track. Not very convenient,but cheaper.

Don't remember the year,but my wife and I were there the year the Cadets did their WWII show and came in second to BD. Anyway,it was raining so hard in the afternoon,there was a question whether they would be able to have Finals. A number of people were actually using the port o lets to try and stay dry. The weather cleared around 4:00-5:00. At show time the field had drained,but the synthetic turf was slick. In fact 2 Cadets slipped and went down. Again,I don't see DCi wanting to risk anything messing up finals by holding them outside.

Weather including,heat,rain,lightning can wreak havoc on events in an open stadium. Look at Friday night at the Easts the last 2 years. In the case of Finals ,you have the possibility weather issues during one or more of the three days/nights. I just don't see DCI doing an "Open Air Finals" ever again.

Got an email a couple of weeks ago. Got the second one when ticket sales opened. I miss the days when you could keep the same seats every year. Did have some issues with ticketing. Couldn't get my usual seats. When I clicked on them they were available. When i went to purchase,they were in "transition" and unavailable. The problem is there's no way to know what's going to happen with those transactions. I got decent seats. But I checked a couple of hours late. Several of the seats that were in "transition" were now "available".

YEA is a non-profit. Cadets are a non profit. US Bands says they operate under YEA's "banner". So I presume they are non profit also. I believe the issue of transferring funds back and forth between various YEA components was discussed in depth on one or more other threads on DCP. If a remember correctly,people have posted that YEA, under you know who, were masters at it. I would think that the Tax Filings of YEA,which I believe are public records,would shed at least some light on what has/is being done.

I've seen several posts talking about some corps' staff being "independent contractors". As I've posted,I run a small company. You have to very careful designating someone or ones an "independent contractor". Several of my employees wanted to go that route. They felt it would help with their taxes. We found out from our accountants and attorneys it can open up all kinds of potential issues for the employer. We were told that, even if classified as an "independent contractor",if their duties are the same as any other employee in the same job category,they are still an employee "Walks like a duck . . ". In our case it wasn't worth the risk.

From reading the comments on this thread, it seems that the Cadets,and I'm sure a number of other corps, especially those without an income stream outside of the corps proper ,operate on a somewhat (that's being polite) shaky financial model. If the comments here are accurate,the Cadets operate in the "red" until an end of the year DCI payment. I run a small business,I have to pay employees,taxes,expenses every pay period don't corps ? If a corps isn't paying staff,are they also not paying suppliers for things like vehicle leasing ? It also sounds like the corps have little or no "cash reserve". That can be a recipe for disaster. If that's the case,and they need to use their end of the year DCi payment,for the previous season's bills,they'd being starting the next year in a financial hole. If I'm missing something,please tell me.

That may be just for the design. I would doubt the corps have an OSHA trained inspector to inspect the props each time they are put together. As I posted on another thread,I provide expert testimony in cases involving injuries from defective playground equipment. When something like this happens, it opens up all kinds of issues. Things like: 1.Are there written instructions for the assembly ,dismantling, maintenance and repair of things like props ? This includes safety procedures and equipment. 2.Who is the individual (s) in charge of this ? 3.What are his/her qualifications? 4.Is there a log for each assembly and dismantling,including inspecting for damage and repair ? Some of this may sound like overkill for a drum corps prop. Based on my experience,its not.

Madison Scouts "New York Morning". I still tear up every time I watch that show.

Didn't the issue of trying to consider staff "independent contractors" come up before. If I recall correctly,at least one corps had a problem because of this.

Same with the NFL. That's one of the reasons the "black out" rule kind of went away. Same thing,full revenue sharing it what allows small market teams,like the Packers to be competitive.

My question is '"capacity". I can see having food trucks available for a show where your serving is "staggered". I don't know if food trucks would be capable of serving one,let alone multiple meals to a full corps and staff.

DCI's current "Tour Management" isn't what I was referring to. Taking on procurement for food,vehicle leasing,etc. would increase DCI's duties/responsibilities tremendously. Based on how DCI has handled other things,beyond touring, in the past,I'm not sure they are up to the challenge .

But if all corps follow the "no props" model,their scores would all be comparable.

As I posted,fresh food is a whole different animal then non-perishables and transportation. That would only work if DCI could get a contract with a Walmart,Sam's Club Etc. Like you said,in addition to corps supplies,Walmart would love a bunch of kids shopping in their stores. Again,"economy of scale" should allow DCI to negotiate vehicle leasing. As I posted,you bid out national or regional contracts. As far as trusting DCi to do the right job. That's a whole different animal.

I wouldn't use the word "wasting". As far as lower prices,there's nothing to lose by soliciting proposals. I bid a lot of projects,including equipment and fuel purchases. DCI should try a national bid. If that doesn't give you significant savings,try regional bids. Maybe there aren't significant savings to be had. But you don't know that until you try. Individual corps may be doing this,but having DCI do it for the entire activity gives you "economy of scale". I do agree with you 100 % about drum corps' "business (?) model" being,economically, a "failed proposition".

I know there have been a couple of stories about this happening during the season. Do you if it happens frequently ? As far as it affecting "drop offs"/"pick ups" of supplies,logistically I wouldn't expect "drop offs" to individual corps at housing sites. I'd look at a more centralized location at/near show sites.

Transportation costs is one of the things that talked about in this thread. DCI could "bid" things like bus,rv and truck leasing . They could also contract with a fuel supplier.

I believe The Dave Matthews Band got in all kinds of trouble for dumping raw sewage from one of their buses into a river.

The problem is the waste water. Its considered sanitary sewage,so it has to be handled accordingly. I've designed commercial laundry facilities. Large capacity commercial washers discharge more water,faster then a home washer. You'd have to make sure schools have a place to dump sewage and, in the event of schools with septic systems,the capacity for the volume of water the washers put out. Does anyone know how corps deal the waste from bus and RV bathrooms now ? The other thing is dryers. They use a lot of propane.

That's funny. My wife and I were talking about the same thing this weekend. The only potential problems: 1.Would the schools charge you for the water use ? 2.Where do you dump the waste ? Its not like you can put in into a school sink.

Actually,if this was handled the way I originally suggested,the logistics wouldn't be that difficult. My recommendation was that this be handled through DCI. DCI executes one contract with each supplier. DCI pays the suppliers.Each corps pays DCI. DCI knows each corps' schedule (shows,practice sites, etc.) Based on this,they set up set up mutually convenient "drop off" /"pick up" locations for each supplier the the corps. DCI could even make adjustments in corps' schedules,before the season,to simplify "droop off"/"pick up" locations. If you're talking about non-perishable items,you'd need a limited amount of pick ups during the season. Perishables would be a bit trickier. But, if DCI gets a contract with a company like Walmart,it should be doable. More then anything,it comes down to DCI and the corps wanting to do this.

I'm not looking for revenue sharing. What I am looking for is DCI to function as a true governing body for the activity. That provides the ability to establish uniform (no pun intended) "standards" for all corps such as maximum rehearsal and minimum "floor" time,nutritional standards for meals etc. It would also open up all kinds of cooperative purchasing arrangements. But.like I've posted,I don't see corps directors being willing to give up the control needed to let this happen.

Actually I do get it. if you read my posts,I never mentioned anything about Dan. As you have said,and I agree,he does what he is directed to do by the BoD. My issue is with the incestuous make up of the overall organization,including the BoD. I've seen several posts over the years referring to DCI's organizational structure as "the inmates running the asylum". That seems to fit. As I've posted,until corps directors are willing to give up some power,and allow the creation of a true governing body,nothing,including the suggestions made on this thread will,based on past actions, go anywhere. I also think its highly unlikely this will ever happen.

To me,this is the problem in a nutshell. "DCI should be a lot of things". Thing is,I don't think they want to. I think they're very happy with the "couple of jobs" they have to do. As has been discussed in several previous threads. DCI seems to have no interest in functioning as Drum Corps' Governing Body. Including exploring the suggestions in this thread regarding co-operative purchasing for all corps.