President Gail Kenison presided over today’s meeting and Ken Moulton was our greeter.
34 Bow Rotarians present, 1 guest (Betsy Patten guest of Eric Anderson), 1 speaker (Matt Taylor) and 1 visiting Rotarian (Dave McElwey from Yorktowne, VA) for a total attendance of 37. There were 3 scooters.
Announcements
Gail called upon Dave Scanlan for a report on the summer concert series. He reported the first concert takes place on Sunday and will feature The Concord Coachmen/Laconia Chordsman. Thanks in advance to Chuck Rheinhardt for being the emcee and to Peter Imse for helping during the concert. Gail will be the emcee for July 17 concert featuring the Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Band. Dave will email assignments to those who signed up to help. More signs and posters available.
Gail read two thank you notes. Christine Mitchell, a junior at UPenn, thanked the club for continuing to support her with another scholarship. She lauded the advantages of Bow Rotary and how events such as the Four-Way Speech Contest positioned her for success in college. Mike Garfield, a member of Bow Destination Imagination team, thanked the club for helping to defray the cost of the team’s trip to the global finals.
Gail spoke of her goals for the year to come. She is ready to go, but first she thanked Mike Griffin for his service as president and Judy Goodnow for her commitment to follow her as president in 2017. She also thanked each of the newly-elected officers and board members for their willingness to serve. She reminded all that our club is tracked by Rotary International and that what we do really matters.
Her goals for the coming year include: 1) get EarlyAct started at Bow Middle School, 2) with upcoming 100th anniversary of the Rotary Foundation, each member make a donation of $26.50 for the year, 3) she wants all to have fun…”Do you know that service is the rent we pay to be part of this world. We are to let Gerry know if things are not fun. While at president-elect training Gail and Donna Deos quickly earned the nicknames of “Galeforce” and “Donna D’Awsome. Gerry was called forward to receive a Rotary “Sheriff’s” pin – as he will serve as the next Sargent.
Sargent at Arms
Fines: Gerry jumped right into his first meeting as Sargent at Arms and addressed two logo violations (Jerry Kingwell and John Ruggles) and bestowed a second violation on Jerry for a photo pin violation in a local newspaper. John also shared news that Mr. Rhodes passed away.
Birthdays
Chris Parkinson celebrated a memorable his birthday while in Portugal and hinted at his age via a well-known Beatles tune with a certain number in the lyrics. He and his wife had a fantastic time traveling throughout the country. After 14 days, they were still together. He attended a makeup meeting in Lisbon which he found to be a very different experience…meeting started at 9:30 p.m. and ran until 11:30 p.m. with only one person speaking the entire time and not in English. Chris presented the club with a banner.
Happy Bucks
Ken announced that as of 3:00 a.m., he is now a grandfather. Mark Lavalle gave two happy bucks, one for seeing Noreen Christensen downtown for the first time since her accident. He reported that she is anxious to attend next week’s meeting. A second happy buck was given in honor of Gerry’s good work on behalf of Downtown Concord and all the improvements which afforded a nice outdoor venue for Noreen to visit during her recuperation which is how Mark came to see her. Bill McGonagle and his wife are looking forward to trip to Grand Manan to spend time with the Couches. Judy reported that she was overwhelmed and left with few words to say at the meeting when she was given the Paul Harris award. She thanked all and gave $100 to the Foundation. Mike is very happy that his daughter Caitlyn, who just graduated from college, is moving to her first apartment in Brighton to begin her first job. Linda Lorden offered a happy buck in honor of Gerry as she could “feel your pain” as Sargent at Arms. Steve DeStefano was happy that he bought and closed on a home in Ft. Myers, FL. Chuck was happy that he was in NJ for his 50th high school reunion. He knew 50% of those in attendance and he is glad it will be his last!
Gail excused scooters.
Program
Our program today was Matt Taylor, Bow Community Development Director who was introduced as a “new spark” in town. Matt recalled a memorable interview in which it was stated that Bow might be getting a reputation that it is not business friendly. He lauded the foresight shown by the construction of the new water system along 3A. No magic bullet exists in terms of growing business, but we must treat customer’s right. He intends to help Bow create a more business-friendly environment. In Nashua he learned that it is important to reduce surprises for business developers and to make sure you create fair and clear rules. He cited several new initiatives he has taken, a technical review committee formed and his department re-organized. Staff skill sets are better matched with the tasks. Both will save tax dollars. Changes made to planning and zoning board meetings. Using large-format displays in meeting room so audience can better see plans and items discussed. Other town boards and committees to be reviewed to make sure they have tools and resources needed to function and lessen the potential for legal action. Training to be held for both staff and board members. Good news! Several new businesses have opened in town or will soon, others are expanding. Those heard were Weaver Brothers, Granite State Solar, Matt Brown Trucking, Audley Construction and Coastal Forest Products. These may be small compared to the impact of Merrimack Station on the tax base, but they add up. Housing starts up a bit with four permits issued this month. The economy looking better locally. “Logistics” space is hot right now. No real activity in terms of office space or retail. On the Bow Business Development Committee, Matt offered that they now publish a newsletter about what is going on in town and that the B-to-B visitations/events are continuing/planned. The website to be revamped to become more of a marketing tool. Future plans include options for dealing with the water quality issue in Bow Junction. The update to the Bow Master Plan was discussed as well as outreach efforts to gain citizen input. In closing, he encouraged all to consider service on one of the committees or boards that have vacancies – recycling committee and conservation commission among them. Everyone in town can have a role in planning for the town’s future. He pointed out those in the room who are serving in leadership roles including Harry Judd and Chris Nicolopoulous. Club guest Betsy Patten was also mentioned as an alternate on the planning board.
In response to questions, Matt confirmed that a 12-unit, “higher-end” subdivision was approved near Woodhill and South Bow-Dunbarton Roads with lots also off of Old Woodhill Road. No word about a second Excel building. Comment made about roads in town that are state jurisdiction, if the state repaves them, they can’t be touched for 5 years, including for utility work. Some flexibility exists.
Matt was presented with a book, “If I Built a Car” to be given to Bow Elementary School.
Respectively Submitted,
Matt Gatzke
