President Ron Hollenbeck began the meeting by noting that the District Conference meeting has been changed from the Marriott to the Manor House in Mason, on April 28-29, with the golf outing April 28. The silent auction will also be included, and Dick Hoback said at the last meeting that he would gladly take charge of helping to get the wine barrow together. It was a bit hit last year and brought high bid. 

 

Ron said anyone with service project ideas for the 2017-18 year should let him know so we might add them to ones we have been doing to get grant money to aid us in our projects. Project grant requests need to be in by the end of March, he said.

 

Ron noted that member Ann Blackburn has sent out notices of the next social, a mixer at 5:30 p.m. next Thursday at Lock 27 for members and spouses and prospective members. Another reminder will be sent out, he said. 

 

Ron also offered to lend a book he has finished reading written by a survivor of the Pearl Harbor bombing of the Arizona. 

 

Ron then had Harvey Smith come up to present member Brian Hayes with a special pin from the Rotary Foundation for making a Bequest Society donation to the foundation as a beneficiary through his life insurance policy. Besides the pin, he received a Bequest Society crystal with his name on it. 

 The Foundation states that it is through such commitments that it is able to carry out an array of programs through Rotarians and Rotary clubs around the globe that:
improve living conditions for needy families;
increase food production and fresh water programs;
allay the suffering of the sick and disabled by providing immunization and medical treatment; and,
provide new channels for the flow of international understanding.

 

 

Our Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers was back after a month away. He collected Happy Bucks to benefit Homefull, which helps clients get jobs and places to live, working along with St. Vincent dePaul, which provides meals and shelter to the homeless.

 He recognized our guests and then had the group, with Drew Csrter starting us, sing Happy Birthday to Boyd Preston.

 

Erich asked his son-in-law Mark Balsan to start the giving for him and Mark and then he later also gave $10 for missing meetings.

 President Ron gave $5 for a number of things, including his granddaughter, again.

 Boyd Preston gave $5 for his birthday and more Happy Bucks for missing some meetings due to his knee surgery.

 

 Saloni Bagwani let the group know of her first place winning that allows her to go to the state speech and debate tournament without going to the district. Kim Senft-Paras gave for Homefull, as did a number of others. Rebecca Quinones gave for a number of things, one being for her husband Carlos having his foot surgery over. Jack Durnbaugh and a number of other members gave for Saloni's great showing in the Speech and Debate world. Drew Carter was one who gave a proud dollar for Saloni's accomplishments, and for reminding us of the upcoming Feb. 11 Valentine's event/ dinner and Musica/ in Yellow Springs. 

 

Chuck King said his $5 in Happy Bucks was because he is "just happy to be here."

Frank Perez gave a Happy Buck, noting that he also is "Happy, but not as happy as Chuck," which got a big chuckle from the full house we had on this day. 

 

Harvey Smith said he is Happy because of Brian's gift to the Rotary Foundation, which will help many.

Rob Hendrix gave for another day at Rotary and Don Overly gave for Drew leading us in song and making us sound better than ever.

 

Jim Briggs gave $5 for the replacement of his Rotary pin by the president without having to pay for the replacement. Carol Kennard gave real Happy Bucks for being able to announce that her sister is now cancer-free, and for seeing our guest Ken here, a fellow park and outdoors worshipper. Whooo....wood have guessed? As the Wise Owl would say.

 

Big Dan Sortman (Big in the meaning of tall. like the cranes he deals with), said he missed last week's meeting, but it was biggest business deal he had made for a while in that GM is moving into Navistar and using his services.

 

Doc Hoback got to tell us Stay-vacation folks that he will be in Belize for the next two weeks. I think he might have said on business, but business or not, it sounds like a pleasurable time. 

 

Lee Hieronymus or someone at his table gave for being late and Raj Nunna gave for Boyd and Joyce Young, ever thinking of others, gave for Boyd and Saloni.

 

Ann Blackburn gave a couple Happy Bucks, one for Graham Ross, who she is hoping to bring into the club. Brian Hayes gave for being Happy, and Dan Johnson pulled out an Abe Lincoln to announce that our Rotary Club was given a lot of good words when the Habitat householders were presented with books donated our club to help them with information about how to deal with their new household, fix things, etc. 

 

Today's Speaker: Centerville City Manager Gregory Horn

Member Boyd Preston introduced our city manager, already well known to long-time members, noting that he recently announced his retirement effective July 5, 2017, marking 25 years with the city of Centerville, and 41 years total in public service.

Besides handling day-to-day operations, he was hired in 1992 to help with the plans for building The Golf Club at Yankee Trace, where the club now meets, Boyd said. The golf course and club house opened in 1995, and the course expanded to 27 holes in 2003 with the residential area now home to about 900 families.

Boyd said Greg's accomplishments have been many during his tenure, from road improvements, to a new police facility, new Public Works Center, the Kroger Market Place, Miami Valley Hospital South, and Cornerstone of Centerville. Greg started his career as city administrator in Hermann, Missouri, in 1978. He was the state’s youngest city manager at the age of 24. He also served as city manager in Tipp City for about eight years and village manager in Minerva, Ohio for four years.

Boyd said Greg holds a BA in Political Science from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Missouri.

 Greg said his presentation would be an informal State of the City message.

 He began by noting that the city's General Fund Revenue Sources consist of 81 percent from its income tax, which is now 2.35 percent, thanks to the citizens passing Issue Three last fall, which raised the tax from 1.75 to 2.35; with a 9 percent property tax.

Centerville lost a lot of its money for infrastructure repairs due to the state in the past few years eliminating the estate tax, and reducing local government funding money in half, he said. The total loss was about $3 million a year, he said. 

With the tax increase this year the city can get back on track and has about $2 million in street projects and 200 million dollars in project planning stages.

Some of the big projects include: The Grove at Yankee Trace, with 27 homes in the $350,000 to $500,000 range, on Paragon Road, which will have large courtyards and embellishments with indoor parking on the lower level of the four and five story buildings. Greg said these would be suitable for early millennials and some empty nesters; 

The Allure, a $35 million development, south of I-675, where the Showcase Cinemas once was, behind Cross Pointe Center;

 the Gateway Lofts, with 444 multi-family units, between the Interstate and Alex-Bell, by a group out of Columbus, Greg said. These would be two and three story buildings with a chateau look, he said; 

Randall Residence, a $35 million project by a group out of Columbus, that would have memory support, and assisted living in 34 cottages, at Social Row Road and Sheehan;

Cornerstone of Centerville will get more development just south of Brown Road. There are 150 acres in the city limits, Greg said. A Cincinnati group plans to make an urbanistic $35 million project with assisted living and medical offices. Other  development shows 300 units at Cornerstone with a small amphitheater and biking, hiking areas, and north of Costco, six buildings on the other side of the lake there. North of Bagger Daves will be restaurants and a hotel;

Miami Valley Hospital South has a $7 million addition with surgical suites and new doctors offices in the works; 

Bethany, on the west side of Ohio 48 has expansion; and St. Leonard keeps expanding, he said;

Centerville Place, where the old Kroger store is, is being considered for redevelopment, with the store to possibly be torn down  for mixed development, with condominiums for older adults to be built. A group in California is thinking of the northern section as a complete redevelopment site, Greg said; 

Woodbourne Library,as we know, is being expanded;

and RSLINK, LLC, on Thomas Paine Parkway, is to have Dryden Builders put a 22,500 sq ft. multi-tenant building for on vacant land bounded on three sides by existing structures.

Greg said major road projects from 48 to Clyo will get upgrades, with Greene Co. putting in signal lights from 725 to Brown Road.

The meeting ended with the reciting of Rotary's Four-Way Test.