GREETERS:
05/01/14 Dick Hoback and Greg Horn
05/08/14 Carol Kennard and Ray Merz
05/15/14 Gary Kuntz and Jeff Senney
05/22/14 Sharon Lowry and Butch Spencer
If you cannot greet on the day assigned, contact Kitty and she will schedule a replacement
04/24/14 CLUB MEETING
April 24, 2014, Centerville Rotary at The Clubhouse at Yankee Trace
Centerville Rotary Club president Judy Budi opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Harvey Smith led the prayer and Dick Hoback led the singing of God Bless America.
The guests at the meeting included: Irene Ullmer and Visiting Rotarian Ned Dull of Van Wert, and his daughter Cindy.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Our president Judy Budi announced that they have the Interact volunteers needed.
Mike Gentile has been absent to care for his ill wife Marge, and Don Overly noted that prayers would also be appreciated for Harvey Smith's ill wife Carolyn.
Carol Kennard announced that this year's Pancake Breakfast will be held at Centerville High School with the fire marshal's approval of using our grills there.
John Beals announced that the mulching of the Deceased Rotarians park area by the Nature Nook will take place at 4 p.m. May 8 with the help of Boy Scout Troop 516. About six strong Rotarians are needed to help shovel the mulch around with the help of the large group of scouts anticipated to help out, he said.
Ron Hollenbeck stated that those helping out in the Rebuilding Together project over the weekend (Saturday, April 26) should meet to car pool if they wish to car pool, at 7:30 a.m. at the Dorothy Lane Market on Main St. in Centerville.
Reminder:
The District 6670 Training Assembly will be held on May 3, 2014 at the Normandy Church, 450 W. Alex Bell Rd. Centerville, Ohio 45459. It will begin at 9 a.m.and end by 3 p.m.
Unlike in the past, there will be no charge for this training session IF you register in advance on www.rotary6670.org. If you register and fail to attend or cancel by May 1, you will be billed $15. Registration at the door will also have a $15 registration fee. Please register early. We are limited to the first 150 Rotarians.
Registration will require a log-in to DACdb and you will need to know your user name and password. For first time users, this is your e-mail address and your Rotary ID#: 6448209. Group registration is available via DACdb. After clicking ‘Register Now’, use the pull down list to find the member that you need to register. Go to http://bit.ly/1ixwR8n for registration.
Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers collected Happy Bucks for the Food-4-Summer program. He noted that The Castle project being done by an Eagle Scout with Happy Bucks money is now about 99 percent done.
Our recent doctorate recipient Rand Oliver was back sporting a cane, needed for the recent encounter he had with his dog, leaving him with 50 stitches in his leg at Easter. His mother-in-law fell and broke her knee at his house that day, so all-in-all, they were having more adventures than most of us that day.
SPEAKER: Alex Pearl, a volunteer for the Yes For Parks levy committee, speaking on behalf of the May 6 levy for the parks. Alex retired from being International Judge for America in Bloom.
Alex first praised Rotary Club member Carol Kennard for her 32 years with the Park District. She is director of the Centerville-Washington Park District.
He noted that the May 6 levy is a 0.9-mill, 10-year renewal levy that will cost taxpayers no new taxes over the existing levy. The yearly cost will continue to be about $40 for a house with a $150,000 valuation. The tax will help maintain the parks and park programs and also help pay for additional requested improvements.
Alex said the parks are for walking, playing and active and passive recreation. They assist the schools, not only in nature studies, but also with math, science and English projects, he said. They help build character and bring the city and township and the township recreation center together in cooperation.
Almost everyone is within five to ten minutes of a park, he said. The parks help maintain open space in the community, he said.
The current levy funds four major projects now underway, he said. They include the new Robert F. Mays Park on about 24 acres at Social Row Road and Paragon Road, two projects on the Smith farm property at Bill Yeck Park, which includes the Smith house renovation for public programs, and opening up the property as an entrance to Bill Yeck Park. It also provides money to add a shelter with restrooms at Iron Horse Park, he said. The renewal levy will allow the replacement of portable toilets with permanent restrooms at Forest Field Park and Oak Grove Park. The parking lot at Grant Nature Nook will be expanded as will the skate park and shade structures at Oak Creek South Park, along with additional multi-use trails and improvements at several neighborhood parks.
The new Robert F. Mays Park will be for active recreation and allow for lacrosse, soccer and football. It will also have a shelter with restrooms, walking paths, exercise stations and native plantings.
Centerville Rotary member Jeff Senney said he and his wife would like to see swings in Forest Field Park that babies and small children can swing in. Carol Kennard said the park district takes such suggestions into consideration when they discuss how the district funding will be spent. They try to meet the needs of the community as best they can within the budget and time constraints they have, she said.
Alex said the Park District has 49 parks, with about 1,000 acres of open space.
He said people can support the levy by placing a sign in their yard, writing letters to the editor, canvassing neighborhoods to distribute information, telling others about the levy, making a financial donation to YES FOR PARKS, and voting on May 6.
More information is available at www.yesforparksCW.com
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