Need help starting a geocache in Middletown,OH

[+coffeekona]

My mother-in-law is trying to contact the city about placing a cache, and there are already many all around Middletown. The city is acting like they have never heard of Geocaching, and are asking for legal documents to prove they are not responsibile for any injuries, and to prove it is not for personal gain. They are deffinitely making it difficult for my Mother-in-law to set out her and my daughter's first cache. Surely all the other caches in Middletown are legitimate. Didn't they have to contact the city Parks to set them out? How is that no one has heard of Geocaching? We need some help. Is there anyone who knows people in Middletown that we could contact? Thanks!

[+Keelmann And Cici]

You might check with this group:

 

https://www.facebook.com/COGeoCachers

 

They might have more info. Also, your local reviewer may be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck, I hope it works out!

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

For starters, you (or your Mother-in-Law) should always carry some of these printable pamphlets with you, the first is in color the second is B/W:

http://www.geocaching.com/articles/Brochures/EN/EN_Geocaching_BROCHURE.pdf

http://www.geocaching.com/articles/Brochures/EN/EN_Geocaching_BROCHURE_online_bw.pdf

 

They three-fold perfectly (like a rack card), and are "many-question" self-answering handouts. Being able to place such in the hands of a person wanting to know more is a real plus.

It provides them with info that the spoken word does not (such as "geo-cash"?; GPS?; "treasure" hunting?; etc) and it answers their unasked question about that. Plus too, if provides them with geocaching.com address (instead of you or them trying to scribble it out). It also says (important) that geocaches are never buried -- twice.

 

Asking permission is often a challenge in its' own rite -- especially when trying to get it from a governmental official. Not to be rude, but it sounds like you guys may have found one of the more "classic" ones. Often, when dealing with gov't, it is best to use the approach that they know little of anything (DO NOT let them know that!). It's the nature of the beast.

 

By-the-by, those pamphlets work good for LEO and muggle encounters, also.......

[+briansnat]

I recall someone who asked their town for permission to place a cache in a town park. It went back and forth between the council, administrators and attorneys and after several months of back and forth they received their answer. It was OK to place their geocache in the park. BUT they needed 1 million dollars of liability insurance and the cache could only be there for one day.

 

While all this was going on several people placed caches in the park without approaching the town. Years later those most of those caches were still there being found by cachers and the town has never said a word.

[+Chief301]

Sounds like the Frisbee Rule applies in this case...