Our Club Assembly meeting on September 7th was dedicated to an update about our Club’s Centennial Park project. Brennan Pursell, who is co-chairing the project along with Mike Dunn, provided a comprehensive overview of the project and timeline summarized as follows:
Committee is currently reviewing 2 proposals from landscape design firms and should be making a selection soon.
The park needs extensive clean-up of overgrown bushes and trees, which will happen in spring of 2017; however, it will be important to save existing native plants. Plans are to ask the Penn State Master Gardeners for their help in this regard and in the selection of new plantings.
Our hope is that the City will consider placing curb cuts at the entrance to the gravel path.
The theme of the Children’s Park will coincide with the sculptures that were acquired from a local sculptor, Susan Opie. One depicts a dinosaur erupting from a volcano and the second one is comprised of a few separate pieces depicting hats, gloves and boots.
Concrete pads will need to be poured to serve as bases for the sculptures. In addition, plans include a circular paver feature surrounding the dinosaur sculpture to help distinguish it as a focal point of the Park
Students from the Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech will be invited to help refurbish existing benches and a gazebo.
Discussions are taking place with the Charter School for the Arts of the Lehigh Valley and the Arts Academy Charter School help design/paint a children’s mural on the Fritch Fuel building wall that abuts the Park.
A new recognition plaque will be designed/placed to acknowledge our Club’s contribution to the new and improved Children’s Park.
Annual maintenance by our Club is going to be needed to ensure that the Centennial Children’s Park will remain beautiful and functional for our community.
Brennan reminded everyone that this is a huge project with a lot of moving parts and welcomed anyone who would like to help to email him at bcpursell@outlook.com. Thank you Brennan and Mike for leading this extraordinary effort for our Club!
Announcements:
Jane Pearson, owner of Pearson Funeral Home, was acknowledged for her Paul Harris Fellow +4. According to Club records, Jane has been a member of our Club since July of 2000. Thank you Jane for your commitment to the ideals of Rotary through your philanthropic support.
I had the pleasure of inducting three new members to our Club, bringing our new member tally to four (against our goal of 12 new member) for the 2016-2017 Rotary year. Please be sure to make the following new members feel welcome at future Club meetings:
Cindy Fisher (proposed by Gail Evans)
Sean Metzgar (proposed by Deb Geiger)
Lisa Jordan (proposed by Cindy Glick)
Thea Phalon gave a quick update on Taste & Tunes. Confirmed sponsorships are at $13,500; approximately 8 restaurants have been recruited to participate; and we have about 25 auction items (with a goal of 100 items) in hand. I know we all tend to procrastinate but please try to confirm this week your registration, auction items and/or any sponsorships you can secure. The Committee will sleep easier!
Director Buck Jones made an announcement that the Fun and Fellowship Committee has organized a Miniature Golf Outing at Putt-U on Route 309 in Center Valley on September 22nd. Mark your calendar for another fun evening. Buck promises there will be some friendly competition going on!
September is Basic Education and Literacy Month in the Rotary calendar year. In recognition of this important initiative to support basic education and literacy in our own community, we are asking that each Rotarian donate 2 new or gently used children’s books. Director, Sylvia Doyle has set a goal of donating 50 books to Cops and Kids and 50 books to Healthy Kids Bright Futures. A backpack will be located at the registration table during the entire month of September. Your donation will help to make sure every child in our community own their own book.
Don’t forget to sign up to run or walk in Rotary’s Purple Pinkie 5K Run/Fun Walk on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville. As a sponsor, our Club will receive Polio Plus credits toward our annual commitment to Polio Plus. All we need from our Club are participants – runners and walkers to represent our Club. Let’s make this a fun and fellowship activity while helping to support Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio worldwide.
‘Who’s That Rotarian?’ for this week's meeting was someone who was the owner of Par Excellence Modeling Service, a fashion modeling company that offered luncheon and dinner fashion shows, as many as 10-13 per week. ANSWER: Sandra O’Neill
Next week’s speaker is Barb Martell (guest of Sylvia Doyle) who will be speaking on the topic of International Peace Promotion.
Minda Dentler is the only female handcyclist to complete three Ironman Triathlons. The polio survivor recently returned to her native India to draw attention to continued immunization efforts in the country, which hasn’t had a new case since 2014. Now aRotary polio ambassador, Dentler shares her story with The Rotarian.
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