Alexis Jewett proudly reported Rotarian Laurie Lapp recently completed the I AM Rotary program, earning 500 Paul Harris points and a secret decoder ring.
Sakura Takano indicated on May 12 the
MI Career Quest--the round-robin-style business networking event for students--is in need of volunteers. More details on this event and on how you can be of service
can be found here.
Alison Beers and Jean Derenzie provided exciting updates on the Rotary Square project. The DDA has secured $2mil in state funding to purchase property at the intersection of Union and State Streets. This funding, along with the $1mil club centennial legacy gift from Rotary Charities, will, in Jean's words, "help create an urban oasis." She went on to acknowledge some of the challenges this project has faced, but reminded us "Great projects aren't quick projects; they take a little bit of perseverance."
"The Rotary Charities Board has received an update from Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (TC DDA) CEO Jean Derenzy on the future Rotary Square property on the corner of Union and State Streets. The DDA has secured $2M of State funding with the title company and expects to close on the property in June, moving forward with public outreach plans in July 2021. Rotary Charities’ legacy gift of $1M in honor of our club’s centennial will be transferred to the DDA after closing on the property. We’re one step closer to creating an urban oasis that will connect our thriving downtown district to recreational opportunities along the Boardman River and serve as an attractive city center for visitors and locals alike."
In other voluntold news Allison Beers, is now chair of the membership committee. In typical Allison form, she summed up her new appointment thusly: "Many hands make light lifting. Get excited. Don't you dodge my phone calls. I love you all."
Ramona Pleva also gave an update on another successful Rotary blood drive update. Max Anderson gave blood for the first time, putting him 43 donations behind Ken Weaver. (Which is not a joke.) Our next blood drive is scheduled for May. However, Remona reminded us that we can donate at any time
at our local Versiti facility.
Mark Eckhoff and Marline Bevan reported on the virtual Large Clubs Conference hosted by the Rotary Club of Austin Texas. Rotary International President Nominee Jennifer Jones presided and the event largely focused on strategies for attracting new and retaining current members. Marline explained that the path forward is to engage "doers, donors and door openers," while offering new members "a chance to find themselves in service."
Steve Wade introduced our speakers for the afternoon, fellow Rotarian's City Clerk Benjamin Marentette City Manager Marty Colburn. The two reported on what's been happening across the city's 10 city departments over the last year. As Benjamin explained," The pandemic certainly didn't slow us down. The three words we thought about in 2020 were, pivot, resiliency and reimagining." This meant working across departments to focus on a diverse set of both COVID-related and preexisting complex challenges
Despite these myriad challenges, the solutions were equally multitudinous. Among them were front street rent reductions, touchless payment options, sidewalk cafes, virtual public meetings, police body cams, new police and fire certifications, advocating for downtown density, road and infrastructure planning, expanding fiber internet, treating billions of gallons of drinking and wastewater, and supporting conservation and green initiatives.
To aid these efforts, last year the city pursued and received over $12mil in grant funding. (To put this in context, the city's annual general fund budget is around $18mil). And while that's a lotta scratch, Marty summed it up humbly yet succinctly: "It truly is a world-class city in which we get the privilege of serving."
CLICK HERE to view The Performance 2020, the City of Traverse City's Annual Report.
