Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

I do like these a lot, but I agree with Nate. I fee like there needs to be an anchor and some smoke stacks in there somewhere ;)

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

I somewhat agree.

The thing that stuck out to me in the responses to questions email that came out last week was that the individual entities must be maintained in order to keep continuity in the non-FRC programs. If that's the case, then the charters & by-laws of the individual programs may need to be re-written once a new entity is stood up, or if the predominant role of one of the entities no longer includes FRC. It all depends on how the charter/by-laws were written to begin with. Otherwise the non-profits are no longer performing their stated duty and would be subject to auditing, long questionnaires from state & federal entities, etc.

Seems to me like there is a lot of time in the year, but most of this year's time has been allocated to finding equipment rather than structuring the organization. This has pros & cons, and I really hope it doesn't wind up hamstringing things down the road.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

Our new logo suggestions have been sent off to VAFIRST. Will, I suggest you send yours in too.

I also like some of the names you've come up with for the "districts", maybe send those in as event name suggestions.

Other Hampton Roads Event name ideas:
Ironclad District Event
Monitor Merrimack District Event
Shipyard District Event

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

I feel like the best representation of the Hampton Roads area is an artist's depiction of the 'Nam-style flashbacks I get when driving east into the HRBT or driving west when goes I-64 from 4 lanes to 2 about 10 miles too early.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

A picture of Bridge Tunnels with corks on both ends?

Honestly, maybe the outline of any of the many ships that are built at the shipyard (Carrier specifically), or something having to do with shipbuilding would be appropriate.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

Our original logo idea for the Rumble in the Roads was to have Dozer stuck in a pothole.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

Once again, the "district" is the entire area going into the district format. New England is a district. Mid-Atlantic Robotics is a district. FIRST Chesapeake is a district.

The correct nomenclature for your suggestions would be:
"FIRST Chesapeake District Ironclad Event"
"FIRST Chesapeake District Monitor Merricmack Event"
"FIRST Chesapeake District Shipyard Event"

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

Which is why I put district in quotes and called them events. Calm down Sean.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

"Correct" nomenclature is fun and all, Sean, but to be fair that standard has only been extant for 1 year.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

It's also still not a true standard because to my knowledge there is no official documentation on how to name events, but my apathy towards the discussion is at critical mass.

We can rag on the logo, name, nomenclature, and the road infrastructure that the VDOT gods abandoned, but the unique financial decisions the district is making in its infancy aren't exactly promising. There is a $41k operating cost per district that seems to imply that assets that could be valuable to own through a use of capital are instead being rented, like generators, tables and chairs, radios and A/V equipment. There is some confusion since the presentation slides said that there would be a $19k/event capital outlay for the first year but the $19k per/130-160k capital investment figure isn't in the Q&A. Also, since calculating the depreciation of folding chairs isn't in my wheelhouse, I honestly don't know whether or not rental or ownership is the more fiscally responsible move. I would like to know at least what exactly is being considered. If I remember, I'll ask this question or someone else can.

The district also seems to prioritize spending money on hiring A/V crews and even DJs for all district events instead of turning these positions over to volunteers. Choosing to continue to fund all 3 RD positions while not buying field borders is not something I'm a huge fan of, but my opinion carries as much weight in the offices in the SMV basement as a Glad bag of antimatter. Field borders can actually be a source of income for a district instead of making them a recurring expense, but whatever.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

You just had to link to that event... :rolleyes:

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

Has anyone heard any news about where and which week the districts will be?

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

They don't know that because they don't have the sites figured out yet.

And IMHO not the best nomenclature that should be applied either.

Re: FIRST Chesapeake Districts
 

I think the sentiment here is pretty common over the last few pages of the forum discussion. The identity of the region and districts is very important. Generally speaking the logo and identity presented at the town hall meeting was disappointing to the greater community. It isn't that the name FIRST Chesapeake is bad, but it needs to be presented in a way that remains professional while celebrating the unique history of our region. There has been some discussion of suggested graphics. While this may not be the place, I would support a small committee for branding the region. While I have been on hiatus as a mentor for ILITE over the last two years, I would gladly bring together those interested and a professional graphics background to put together a more organized proposal for the identity of the region and district events.

As I prefer not to work in isolation and would like this to best represent as large a community of the region as possible, I am open to all interested in aiding in the discussion. Message me, if this kind of meeting is of interest.