8:30 PM
House of the Future
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Meeting adjourned 8:30 PM on April 1, 2011.
Here present:
Hershel Greene
Glenn Rhee
Carol Dixon
Daryl Dixon
Milton Mamet
Andrea Mamet
Tara Chandler
Tom Wilson
Bob Stookey
Absent and Abstaining:
Sasha Williams (at Terminus)
Rick Grimes (at Terminus)
Rosita Espinosa (at Terminus)
"Absent maybe," Tara quipped, "But I wouldn't say Rosita is abstaining. You should have heard her and Oscar going at it the night before last. You could hear it all the way through the log cabin walls and in my wigwam!"
"He's going to pop a stitch on that gunshot wound if he's not careful," Bob said.
Carol smiled at Daryl, who ducked his head. Popping that stich had been well worth it.
"Okay, let's get down to business," Andrea said. "Do we re-settle Terminus, or loot it? Since three people are absent, we have to have all but one of us agree on a course of action for a vote of eight."
"What all does Terminus have to loot?" Glenn asked.
"Got half of the supplies looted from the Woodbury warehouse," Daryl replied. "Got the rabbit hutch and six rabbits still alive."
"Bucks or does?" Hershel asked.
"One buck, five does. We can breed 'em. If the buck lives. They're all dehydrated, but we gave 'em water and food right away."
"And their chickens?" Hershel asked.
"Only one chicken was alive. Looks like the rest flew the coop. Got lots of vegetables in the gardens ripe for the pluckin'. Plus their own supplies – enough canned and storage food for all of us for four weeks, maybe. Three rifles, a shotgun, and three handguns."
They'd already gotten most of Terminus's guns off the soldiers who had died in Woodbury or whom they'd killed in Fun Kingdom.
"Maybe a thousand rounds of ammunition," Daryl continued. "Knives. Work tools. Got three little dwarf fruit trees in pots. Those were outside, so they got rain even though they weren't watered. Apricot, peach, and apple. And the propane. They got those two big 500-gallon tanks. One's almost empty. Other's full. Got a bunch of empty 33-gallon cannisters we can empty the tank into if we loot. Also, two portable propane generators on wheels. And then the water in the reserve tower. Fifty thousand gallons left, probably. But we can't take the damn tower."
"Settle or loot then?" Andrea asked.
"Strength in numbers," Milton replied. "I say we loot Terminus and stick together here as one camp."
Tara shook her head. "I don't know. It might be a good idea to re-settle Terminus so we have a backup camp, if anything ever happens to Fun Kingdom. We lost Woodbury after all. And like Daryl said, we can't loot the water tower. But it would supply whoever lived there, and that would decrease the pressure on our own wells here so we could shower more often." She lifted her arm and sniffed under it.
"We can shower more often," Milton told her. "I found the plans in the park office. While most of the park is on the old municipal system we can't use anymore, those wells actually run not only to the House of the Future and the Royal Banquet, but to Splash Kingdom, too."
"Those wells feed the mini-waterpark?" Carol asked. Splash Kingdom was meant for young children. It had a "splash pad," with sprinkler tunnels and little geysers that sprayed water up from the ground, a zero-depth-entry wading pool that reached two-feet deep on the far end, and a stand-alone play structure atop a soft-foamy surface with playground-sized slides that had once been made slippery with spraying water. The playground structure also had a large dumping bucket that would intermittently pour water onto children below. All that had been drained before the park temporarily closed.
"Yes," Milton answered. "Using a different water pump and set of pipes. Which means those wells are meant to supply much more water than we realized. We can pump much more water than we thought. The real issue is the electricity required to run the water pumps."
"So, we've still got to ration water," Daryl said. "To make sure we don't use up too much electricity."
"Sort of," Tom agreed. "We have to ration the gasoline we use to run the generator to power the water pumps. But we have enough gasoline in those two tanker trucks to last at 125 gallons a week until April of 2013. Even with fuel stabilizer, gas doesn't last more than three years. And it's already been almost a year. Might as well use it up. We're currently only using 56 gallons a week for the Royal Banquet generators, maybe 12 to 20 a week for the vehicles for supply runs and such. We can use more and produce more power. And if we end up bringing that propane from Terminus and those generators here…still more."
"Hopefully, over the next two years," Milton added, "Eugene and Tom and I will have figured out how to design a windmill, and the construction team will have built it to provide power to replace the generators when the gas and propane spoils."
"So, we can all take showers in the House of the Future now?" Andrea asked. "Because it's not exactly fun bathing in kitchen sinks."
"Can't have people in and out of the house all damn day!" Daryl grumbled.
"My plan is to get the pumps running to Splash Kingdom," Tom said. "We'll turn off the water to the pool and all the water features but leave it on to the locker rooms. Those locker rooms have two showers each. And I can get the water heater on the reserve tank that feeds them running, too. Hot showers. And if Eugene can get the septic pump running – four more toilets and two urinals, too. And right now we only have four toilets for fifty people. Not counting the two outhouses and the port-a-potties."
"This is startin' to sound like a lot of gas or propane," Daryl said.
"Like I said, it's going to spoil eventually anyway," Tom told him.
"Let's vote on that resolution after we decide Terminus," Andrea suggested.
"Re-settling Terminus could relieve overcrowding here," Glenn suggested. "Tom says we can't get electricity to any of the other buildings, at least not until we have a broader power source than generators, so we're limited in where we can comfortably live here. And there are a lot of people in the Royal Banquet. What's the posted capacity?"
"The capacity is 250," Milton said. "But there are only twenty-five of us living there. Well, twenty-six now with Jamal."
"It has a capacity of 250 for dining," Andrea replied. "Not for living. It is a little crowded."
"It's not that bad." Milton smiled at her. "Our room is cozy, but at least it's private."
Andrea smiled back at him.
"Ain't no fresh water source at Teminus," Daryl said. "No creek, no lake, no pond. Just the water tower."
"So no fishing," Andrea noted.
"Ain't just that. Tower's gonna be out of water in just a few months. No wells. Where's the water gonna come from then?"
"And six rabbits aren't much for meat," Hershel noted. "It will take a while to breed more. One chicken isn't much for eggs. And I'm not comfortable sending my farm animals there."
"We'd have to divide our skills," Bob said. "Terminus would need a doctor, so either me or Hershel. They'd need a farmer, so Maggie or Patricia or Hershel or Beth. They'd need a hunter, so Dixon or Daryl or – "
"- Now you're talking about splitting up families," Hershel interrupted him.
"Exactly my point," Bob told him. "I don't see how we supply each camp with the talent it needs without doing that. And some of our skills, like Tom's…" He nodded to the electrician. "Are in very short supply."
"I agree," Tom said. "We need all the brainpower and…" He glanced at Daryl "…brawn – we can get. In one place."
Carol stifled a chuckle while Daryl silently glared at Tom. "Daryl has plenty of brainpower, too," she assured the electrician.
"Let's vote and see where we are," Milton suggested. "All in favor of looting rather than re-settling?" Milton looked around. Tara and Glenn were still in favor of re-settling. "That's seven in favor. We need at least one more."
"Glenn," said Daryl, reasoning with him. "Terminus ain't real secure. We just cut the barbwire and climbed right over the fence."
Glenn shrugged. "Well, we just climbed right over this fence, too. With a ladder."
"Yes," Carol said, "but we've e got enough people now to always keep one guard on the castle tower slides 24/7 and either a dog or a person on the front gate at all times. And to do perimeter check every evening and morning."
"Terminus had guards, before they got sick," Tara reminded her.
"Yeah, but we break up this camp," Daryl argued, "and Terminus ain't gonna have enough people to do that. Or we ain't. Think about it! Almost half our damn camp is kids! And of them, Carl, Duane, and Sophia are the only ones capable of doin' any kind of walker slaying."
"And Dixon," Glenn said. "And Beth."
"Didn't count them. They ain't really kids."
The debate continued until Glenn changed his mind and a resolution was achieved, and then the board continued to discuss and vote on more resolutions.
1. Loot Terminus. Send Daryl with the military truck and T-Dog with the van to meet up with the others in the morning. Also bring all of the parks' empty 10- and 15-gallon storage water containers to fill from the water tower for use in the gardens. (Resolved, 8-1)
2. Engineering team to attempt to get the water pump, heater, and sump pump running to the showers and toilets in the two locker rooms in Splash Kingdom. One of the two solar-gas hybrid park generators to be used as a power source. Up to 25 gallons of gas a week rationed to power pumps. Splash Kingdom showers will be for use by Royal Banquet and model village inhabitants. (Resolved 8-1)
4. Once additional showers are running, three, seven-minute warm showers will be allowed per person per week instead of two. (Resolved, 8-1)
5. Increase gas rations for the solar-gas generator to the Royal Banquet from 56 to 57 gallons per week. (Resolved, 8-1)
6. One of the propane generators looted form Terminus and propane fuel to be reserved as a back-up generator for House of the Future during blackouts when solar battery is drained and must recharge. Other propane generator to be stored for replacement use if needed. (Resolved, 9-0)
"Oh, now he's in favor of using some fuel, when it effects the house he's living in," Andrea said. "But you vote against every other use!"
"Can't use propane in vehicles," Daryl replied. "Ain't nothin' else to do with it. Can use gas. Might need more gas for the trucks and motorcycles down the road. 'Sides, just think openin' up one locker room is enough."
"Two showers for 31 people," Andrea told him. "When you have two for 19 here in the house."
"Two for 24 people. Model village uses these showers, too. Which means if we open one locker room, that's two for 26 people. 'Bout the same."
"Can we not waste time debating this?" Carol asked. "That was already resolved. Sorry, Pookie, you've been out voted."
"I resolve we establish a day school," Milton said, "six days a week, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, to provide adequate supervision to all children from birth to age fifteen while the adults are working."
"That's a lot of fuckin' school!" Daryl exclaimed. "Fifty-four hours a week!"
"They wouldn't be sitting in desks the whole time," Andrea reasoned. "Most of it would be recess. They just need not to be running willy nilly all over the park unsupervised. And the younger ones do need to learn math and reading and writing and such."
"Chores? Hell kind of chores you gonna give the babies?"
"Well, Judith and Darius would not have chores, obviously," Andrea assured Daryl. "But Jamal is the next youngest to them, and he's five. He can pluck weeds at least. Push a broom around. We're not talking about sending them down into the coal mines here."
"Fifteen is two fuckin' old to be in school," Daryl insisted. "Even twelve is too old."
"I went to school until I was twenty-seven," Milton replied.
Andrea smiled. "Well, you have a Ph.D., honey."
"Sophia ain't gonna wanna be in school all day that. She's already doin' shit like perimeter check with me and her mama. Tending horses with Beth. Gathering eggs."
"I agree with Daryl on this one," Tom said. "Kids twelve and up can adequately supervise themselves. And for part of the week, the older kids should be shadowing someone to learn specific skills. Patrick has asked to train under me while I work so he can learn electrical."
7. Establish a day school, from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, from birth to age 11 and 11 months to provide regular supervision for children. Academic instruction and schoolwork to be limited to 2 hours a day (for ages 5-9) and 3 hours a day (for ages 10-11). The rest of the time is to be spent in free recess and age-appropriate chores. (Resolved, 8-1)
8. Children age 12 and up will self-supervise much of the day. They will be assigned chores and should also choose an adult (or adults) to train under 15-25 hours a week to learn specific skills. Patrick has already requested to train under Tom to learn electrical skills. Request approved. (Resolved, 9-0)
9. Mrs. Matthews appointed head mistress and primary teacher of the new day school. Kristen appointed assistant teacher/babysitter. Savanah (age 15) appointed 24 hours a week to assist and provide breaks to the teachers while also training under the teachers. (Resolved, 9-0)
10. Guest teachers to provide age-appropriate skills instruction to the day school through special seminars. Guest teacher schedule TBD. (Resolved, 9-0.)
11. Candy store to be closed to free-for-all consumption. Contents of the store will be inventoried and Carol will establish a checkout/ration system for the candy. (Resolved, 8-1).
"You and Sophia can still have your Circus Peanut wars," Carol reassured Daryl. "You just have to stick to the rations and lock the store when you leave. But we're going to have a lot of stomach aches if we just keep letting kids go in there whenever they want."
12. MREs looted from Terminus to be off limits except for emergency use since they can be expected to last 7-10 years. (Resolved, 9-0).
Meeting adjourned 9:45 PM.
10:00 PM
As they lay in bed with only a single candle flickering on the nightstand, Daryl stroked the hair at the nape of Carol's neck.
"He really pulled a handgun on you?" Carol asked.
"Yep. Told us to dwop it."
"R's don't always come in until six or seven," Carol noted. "Did he know how to use it?"
"Knew how to rack the slide to load one in the chamber. That teenager probably showed 'em, 'fore he got out the food and locked himself up to die. Could of just put himself out his misery, but I guess he wanted Jamal to have the two rounds left in the gun. Gun was way too big for his hands. Sasha just snatched it right out. The terrified him, but then Rosita stepped out the closet. He recognized her on account of she was there to fuck Alex a couple times."
Carol sighed. "There are too many orphans here. I know all the adults will look out for them, and the day school will help, but I wish they each had their own parents, you know."
"Had m'own parents. Wasn't loved half as much as these kids'll be. They got a bunch of mamas and papas, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. And the way people die in this world...sudden like...hell, maybe it's for the best, not to just have one parent to call your own."
"I don't know. You may be right. I'd just like to see them all adopted. The way we've sort of adopted Mika. I think she looks to us as parents and to Sophia as a sister. Luke, too, a little bit, though he looks more to Dixon." She sighed. "And now there's Eliza and Louis. I guess they'll look to all of us in the house."
"Well, if it makes ya feel any better, Morgan's gonna take Jamal under his wing. Can see that already."
"Duane will make a good big brother for him."
Daryl wound a loose strand of her hair around his finger and then unwound it again into a slight curl.
"I need a haircut," she said.
"Could grow it long."
"Would you like that?" she asked.
"Don't care. Just sayin' you could."
"I never did with Ed. He would always grab it when he was angry to yank me back. I really could now. But I don't know how I'd look with long hair, with it so gray like this."
"Look beautiful. Long, short, medium, don't fuckin' matter. Always gonna look beautiful."
Carol smiled. She turned her head and kissed his chin. "You could use a haircut," she teased. "Getting a little scraggly back there. If you want me to, I'll give you a trim tomorrow when you get back."
"Pfft. If I want ya to. You wanna."
"I just think you're especially handsome with short hair. And it's coming on summer in seven weeks here. You'll appreciate it, trust me."
"Fine. Don't mind your fingers all up in my hair." He ducked his head to indicate he wouldn't mind it now, either, and she obliged him by burying her fingers in the strands and gently raking her nails over his scalp. He murmured his pleasure.
After a few minutes she stopped, rolled over, and blew out the candle. "Be safe tomorrow, going back to Terminus."
"Mhmhm," he murmured as, already half asleep, he draped an arm around her.