Notes from May 10, 2016

Posted by Roger Jorgensen 
 
Eden Prairie Sergeant Jamie Good
Introduced by Irene Kelly, Sergeant Good is a Police Officer from Eden Prairie. He currently serves in the control division as a shift sergeant overseeing daily operations of officer assignments. Has been with the department since May of 2000.
Jamie has been married for over 23 years and has five children ranging from 2 to 18 years old. Jamie was very cordial and entertaining. He reviewed the history of the Eden Prairie Police Department. Jamie graduated from EPHS in 1988. The police department was founded in 1973 and started with six officers.  Prior to that the Sheriff’s department was contracted to serve the Eden Prairie Community. A K9 unit was added in 1981, and in 1989, the Emergency Response Team was founded (SWAT). In 1990, Safety Camp was created to teach kids about safety. Now it is a nationwide program that started in Eden Prairie. Today the police department employs 66 sworn officers and 30 civilian staff in addition to several part-time seasonal park rangers and 30 volunteer police reserves and chaplains who perform community service tasks.
 
 
The police department’s current annual budget is $12 million. The police department resides at the City Center office complex, 8080 Mitchell Road and features a 9-1-1 dispatch center, four holding cells, and evidence storage area, training/classroom area, workout room, records storage room and office space. The dispatch averages 65,000 calls for service per year. Calls have actually gone down but the time to service those calls have gone up. Jamie emphasized how fortunate we are to have a dispatch center locally and the value of that in our community. Jamie concluded with an overview of the Eden Prairie Police Department. For more information please refer to the following web link:
http://www.edenprairie.org/city-government/departments/police-department
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • Progressive Dinner (sign up by 5/13) for 5/21 at 6:00 pm
  • Randy’s Run by Mark McKay- On April 9 2010 Major Randell D. Voas gave his life defending our freedom as a CV22 Osprey Aircraft Commander executing an emergency landing while on a Special Operations Mission near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Randy’s run was created: To increase awareness of the contributions men and women make every day to keep this country free. To raise scholarship ​funds to award to deserving EPHS seniors. To have fun with friends and family and remember Randy. Randy's Run is on Monday, May 30th at Purgatory Creek Park 
  • Dan O’Brien – Rotary Foundation: Eight members are Paul Harris Society Members; Eight have contributions going in automatically by signing up online. As of April this year our club has given over $500,000 since its inception. Our goal for this year is $31,000. 
  • Swallowship Thursday at Prairie Tap House, hosted by Prafulla
  • Meals on Wheels next week
  • 5/17/2016 Board Meeting after Breakfast
  • 5/21/2016 Progressive Dinner
 
SPOTLIGHT ON PASTOR MARY BROWN
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Mary met her husband at Concordia College in Morehead, MN. Mary moved to Eden Prairie in 1984. Her daughter Hope graduated from EPHS. After college Mary spent some time as a Pastor’s assistant and then entered Luther Seminary in St. Paul and was ordained 25 years ago. She has served as a Pastor, worked in the Seminary to create preaching resources to use for sermons; she has worked for an interfaith organization in Manhattan and prior to coming to PROP was Director of Congregational Relations at Lutheran Social Services. Mary has always desired to serve her own neighbors in her own community. But she always felt God saying, “Not yet!” But this year Janet Palmer called her in February to become the Director of Development at PROP. An answer to prayer! This is her first time in Rotary and she is very excited to work with us and serve with us at Rotary.
 
HAPPY FINES ......We’re happy. And we’re willing to pay fines for being so.
  • Greg Albrecht – reaching 62 and qualifying for Social Security; Also happy about Randy’s Run and is coaching John Crudelle for the 5k run
  • Roger Jorgensen- My neighbor, Prafulla, taking his vow of citizenship today
  • Jay Simpson- Daugher graduating with Masters in Medical Illustration; Son from the U, Carlson School of Business. Daughter on Friday, Son on Monday and then Jay is “FREE”.
  • Glenn Olson’s granddaughter, Maggie is playing the role of Jane in Mary Poppins at CMS. 
  • Joe Staubner – returning from their winter home recently has a happy fine because Bill Yeager didn’t even know he was gone during the winter. 
  • Dan O’Brien’s son-in-law was called up from the Minors to play for the Twins. Daughter Bridget had to pack up the family but made it back in time for Dan’s grandson  Beau’s first birthday party. Dan’s son-in-law is Darin Mastroiani (#21, Right Field)
 
VISITORS
Visiting Rotarian Jack Kuehn (Burnsville)
Bill Gaddis
Kathy Olson
Kay Brown
Mark McKay
Interns Alex Modeas and Jake Leibold
Our Rotary exchange student, Art