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We were greeted by Lisa McFarland while Hal Leland offered up our invocation. Ryan Welle announced he received another box of Rotary shirts for distribution while Zach Stach told us our volunteer efforts at United Way will start in November, not October. Dean Monke talked about arrangements for student guests and student athletes this year; we will start seeing them at our November 3rd meeting. Steve Leitte and Dave Johnson were the first two to rise and offer brags and I have to apologize for not hearing what they said. Hal Leland then reported on a trip to Colorado to see a grandson and enjoying the wonders of Rocky Mountain National Park and fall colors in Aspen. John MacFarlane prefaced his brag by telling us that in the 1990's Bill Gates' investment company, Cascade Investments, bought 10% of Otter Tail Power Co and that representatives annually visit to check up on the company. The prior night John had dinner with, among others, the executive and second-in-command of Cascade, at Toast. Michael Larson, the executive, is running about a $70 billion portfolio and he referenced Rotary and PolioPlus. Zack Stach contributed a scooter buck and a self-imposed fine, while Wally Cole said he and Marcie had made a 12-hour day trip to Hibbing for a class luncheon at Mike's Pub. Steve Andrews said that the Andrews family observed his parents' 76th anniversary the prior Sunday while Buzz Lundeen thanked Steve (Leitte or Andrews -- I can't remember which) for understanding old guys and alluded to his upcoming knee replacement surgery on Halloween. Finally, Lisa McFarland suggested someone by the initials of W.C. was hoarding the desserts and it is presumed the person was so busy chewing that he could not respond. Somewhere during the course of all of the foregoing there was a reminder to sell roses, with November 10th our delivery date. Anthony Nordan introduced our program, stating that the three places he spends the most time at are his home, Salvation Army and the Otter Cove Children's Museum. Our speaker was Katie Ganoe, its (the Otter Cove in case there is any confusion) Executive Director. The museum celebrated its second birthday in September of 2022 and to date has hosted 44,270 visitors representing 45 states and 564 unique zip codes. It currently has 444 active memberships. This year alone they are estimating 30,000 people will visit the museum. There are five different membership types, and, on average, there are four people for each membership. Katie said they have outgrown their main level and are starting to explore the possibility of expansion, working with the original designer. They are a few weeks away from seeing the initial plans which would include an elevator to the second floor and possibly buying the building. Total cost could be as high as $5 million which means any expansion would most likely be done in phases; the original cost of opening up was just under $1 million. To make its facilities available to low-income families, the museum has an accessibility membership at no cost with a $150 value that is now used by about 90 members. They are planning a monthly event for children with special needs and are hoping to have four free admission dates each year -- right now they have three. In 2021 Otter Cove is estimated to have contributed $2.4 million to our local economy. There are 11 part-time staff while Katie is full-time. They have an eight-member board and rely on 10 to 15 volunteers. The target age group for its exhibits is up to age 10, while Katie described the "sweet spot" as age seven. Katie also talked about a coalition of six or seven other children museums in greater Minnesota that is exploring ways to make children funding more equitable throughout the state. She also is part of a two-year effort, the Rural Childcare Innovation Project ("RCCIP"), to identify and support efforts to increase the availability of childcare. She provided an analysis indicating that 804 children in Otter Tail County, 203 in School District No. 544 and 504 located in the zip code areas for Fergus, Dalton and Elizabeth are in need of childcare, while our current capacity is 497. There are currently 54 licensed family care facilities and one licensed childcare center in our community. The cost of family childcare is estimated at $564 per month, with the cost of care at a childcare center is estimated at $780 a month. The percentage of children under five with all parents in the workforce is estimated at 86%. Right now, the Project is planning to host an appreciation event for childcare providers and pre-school teachers in December and then a community-wide townhall event in late January to discuss what can be done to improve the situation. Katie also noted that Pioneer Care opened an onsite high-quality childcare facility for its employees in September. There is underway a survey of both parents and employers located in Fergus Falls asking each to share their childcare needs and experiences. The employer survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Employer-FergusFalls, while the parent survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Parent-FergusFalls. |
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