Garrettsville – April 14 ~ Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club moves to new location, time. Beginning on April 21, the club will be trying out a change to meeting at noon in Cal’s II to accommodate today’s busier schedules and altered commercial circumstances. Give it a try.
The president-elect, Delores McCumbers spoke of her visit to the Kent club to observe proceedings at a club which meets at noon and how things are organized. The times, they are a-changin’.
John Wolfe will be the official elector at the District Conference—April 25-27 at Quail Hollow where changes in by-laws will be discussed and voted on. Local clubs should be doing this as well, every five years.
The annual roadside clean-up is scheduled for April 26, with Boy scouts and Interact students on board; there is a track meet on that same day but adjustments will be made.
The club gratefully accepted a generous contribution from the Aurora club, to be funneled through the district coffers for use in activation in conjunction with the #GarrettsvilleStrong effort to rebuild after the disastrous fire and highlight Rotary contributions to the community. Similarly acknowledged was the “Garrettsville Day” fund-raiser (April 23) to be held at Blazin’ Bill’s as a fellow Rotarian sponsors a benefit for the rebuilding, having undergone a comparable disaster, once-upon-a-time. Many thanks.
Reconstruction talk ebbed and flowed.
April 21st ~ Newness flowed at the inaugural noon meeting, attended by members, guests and speakers and combinations of those categories. Introductions were in order.
Mayor Rick Patrick spoke on the latest developments on rebuilding information, endeavoring to maintain his customary positive attitude and touching on the clean-up progress involving the individual owners & insurance concerns, permits from various agencies (Rep. Dave Joyce helping with EPA matters)and plans for summer activities( i.e. Summerfest, Cruise Nights, etc.) and how they might be affected by issues of sidewalks, parking, utilities relocation, fencing, etc. He also directed attention to the Garrettsville People Tree which is collecting funds for individual tenants displaced by the fire.
James A. Garfield Local School District Superintendent Ted Lysiak gave a brief overview of the Straight A Schools Fund Grant project going on in the district which will re-locate the fifth and sixth graders to the Central Campus of Excellence in a brand new $4 million building AND supply all students in the district with laptop computers, as well as re-purposing the Park Ave. building in partnerships with the Cleveland-area YMCA and the Portage County Educational Services Center. Ground was being broken even as he spoke. Also on the calendar, an official groundbreaking ceremony—with pomp, circumstance and high-powered officials—on May 8 AND the dedication of the new historical marker, initiated by Julie Thompson, commemorating the 1935 train robbery in Garrettsville; ceremony and other activities to be held in the Iva Walker Auditorium.
It was a good meeting. Come and check out Rotary.
