President Brandon and Mac Graham thank speakers Ryan Mounsey and Josh Hills.
April 17, 2024
Prepared by Karen Spencer
Announcements:
Next week we will have an off-site meeting at Centre and the Square
Hard copies of VFL tickets will be available at the off-site meeting
Maria Greco is our top seller this week
Next week the prize for the top seller is a Golf Town gift certificate and six pack of Guiness
A reminder to club members to keep selling tickets!
Two members celebrate club anniversaries:
Graham Gardiner 34 years
Peter Ringrose 35 years
Our own Cathy Brothers is Citizen of the Year – please advise Karen Spencer if you wish to be part of a Rotary table at the Lion’s Club dinner to honor Cathy on May 30
Our friend and fellow Rotarian Dave Forwell brought his puppies to the meeting. Thank you, Dave!
The 50/50 draw was won by Ray!
Guests:
Paul Puopolo brought guest Larry Kotseff (a former club member)
John Thompson brought two guests: Chris Bertoyan and Michael Faulds
Guest Speakers:
Our guest was urban planner Ryan Mounsey CEO of Urban Insights, Ryan has experience as a planner at the City of Kitchener, City of Waterloo and Region of Waterloo and Josh Hills who comes from a family of entrepreneurs and is committed to building ideas of the future for KW.
The two guests presented their plan for the new hospital for the Region. Their plan was not accepted because the site (the Auditorium) was under the acreage designated by the planning committee.
Of note, the region is expected to grow to 1 million people in 20 years; the new hospital will need to accommodate this population and have the potential for growth in the future.
Their plan is a 10-50 plan – 10 years of development for 50 years of use and contains three steps.
They noted growth is rapid with the population growing by 15,000 people last year.
Their plan was to build on the past legacy of our community.
With a goal to bring the auditorium back to downtown and make the downtown area of Kitchener an event district – the rationale is the high density of housing in the area.
First step of the plan is to right size the auditorium to accommodate 10,000 people which would attract bigger name entertainment.
Build the hospital up to better use land and to accommodate 1500 beds.
Centralize services in one location as much as possible.
Step 2
Build new – this is more cost effective than a renovation.
The location proposed at the Kitchener Auditorium site would improve ambulance response time by 300%.
The former Grand River Hospital site would be used for housing with a mix of low income rentals.
Step 3
Expand the ION on Ottawa street and connect to the Breslau Airport.
As noted, unfortunately this plan was not approved as the Kitchener Auditorium site is less than the requirement of 50 acres.
Congratulations Ray! Our 50/50 winner!
Dave had some guests.
Rotary Fellowship
The Rotary Fellowship evening of dinner at the Foundry Tavern Restaurant and the Drayton Entertainment performance of Jersey Boys at the Hamilton Family Theatre in Cambridge was held on Thursday evening April 18. In total, 44 Rotarians and guests attended, some of whom were available for a photo during the theatre Intermission. (Left to right) - John Brothers, Todd Aitchison, Cathy Brothers, Karin Voisin, Alex Pavlov, Gayle Sadler, Judy Nairn, Bill Miller, Owen Lackenbauer, Mike Puopolo, Kathy Loveys, Dave Forwell, Maria Greco, Paul Puopolo, George & Jade Plumley, Pat & Gary Attack and John Thompson.
Similar theatre experiences are now confirmed for other Drayton Entertainment performances including "Merry and Bright" (St.Jacobs Hildebrand Schoolhouse Theatre on Sunday afternoon November 24) and "White Christmas" (Hamilton Family Theatre, Cambridge on Saturday afternoon December 7) - mark your calendars - details forthcoming.
Region of Waterloo Waste Management Centre Tour
John Thompson and Karin Voisin had a tour of the Region of Waterloo Waste Management Centre.
They learned that our local dump has a 25-year life span. The technologies used ensure safe and efficient handling of our garbage.
A bus tour took them through their 126 hectares, which includes active dumping areas and 5 closed sites.
They still do yard and organic composting, but all other recycling is now sent to Toronto for processing.
John and Karin having some fun!
Centre in the Square Tour
April 24
We enjoyed a tour of The Centre in the Square, a 2000 seat performing arts facility, owned by the City of Kitchener, built in 1980.
Over 140 shows are presented each year showcasing a wide variety of music, dance, comedy, and theatre productions to name a few.
There will be another major renovation of the seating area of the theatre with attention given to more accessibility for all. The acoustic integrity of this world class facility will be preserved.
We are fortunate to have such a wonderful gem in our community.
Did you know?
The Centre was built at a cost of just over $11 million. The building was designed by Kitchener architecture firm Rieder, Hymmen and Lobban and earned international attention for its expansive view and acoustical superiority.
President Brandon with Executive Director Eric Larivere, Pete Lamont, Head of Props and Rachelle Garcia, Manager of Community Engagement
Vacation Fantasy Lottery
Have you sold a ticket today?
This week's VFL ticket sales winner is Mac!
Mac was presented with a gift card by Bill Pegg. (Bill took home the Guinness!)
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