President – Elect Introduces Visiting Rotarians & Guests: Bernice Wood introduced visiting guests. This week we had Bill Patterson, Brenda Cormier, and William Ferrigno join us for lunch.
Announcements: Lucie informed us of an upcoming past Presidents luncheon at our next meeting, June 14th. Lucie is making plans for an annual Fellowship Meeting in Hills Beach this summer; Date, time, and details to be determined.
On June 29th, Funtown will be donating $1 of every admission to our club, all are encouraged to spread the word and attend for a fun day of amusement park activities.
Jim Godbout had a few announcements as well. He needs helping hands to spread sod at the rotary house on June 10th, this Saturday, the more help the better. Jim also gave us an update on the sale of the house. The property is for private sale, for $239,000.00. A buyers broker fee will be paid to a real estate agent in the amount of 2% of the sale. The property has a lockbox for accessibility, and Bill & Keith will be assisting with legal paperwork for the transaction. Some Rotarians will be available for showings as needed. More information to follow.
Polo shirts have all come in, the second order was picked up this week. A reminder to please bring $30 for the gentlemen and $37 for the ladies, if you haven’t paid yet please do so. Checks can be made out to our club, please turn in to Nicole, and grab your new shirt. She will have the shirts at our meetings for you all to claim. We are all going to look so sharp!
50/50 Drawing: Matt Simmons won the 50/50 this week and we didn’t catch the amount, but he was generous and donated the winnings to the Red Ribbon.
Sergeant At-Arms (SAA):
Happy dollars: Joe Boyle was happy he attended his old club and had a great time. RaeAnn for playing soggy golf last Tuesday, Joe Bassett was happy for grandchildren and one of them is starring in a Charlie Brown performance. Conrad is happy for the efforts of our group in the Rotary house celebration last week, and is grateful for two great weekends in a row. Brenda is happy her friend Brenda Cormier attended our meeting as a guest this week. Mark Nahorney was happy he had a great trip, and his wife sang at Carnegie Hall! CJ is happy and looking forward to her daughter’s wedding next week. Brian Dallaire is happy this week because he is headed to Alaska for vacation, lucky guy! Jim G. is happy his friend Bill Patterson joined us today. Sabine is happy to have had help with laying sod last week, Sarah is thrilled to be under contract with her first house, Matt Simmons enjoys Chamber events and is happy to have such a great rotary club. He is also thrilled to have made budget for SAA, and his son made the All Star Team! Matt had a happy week.
Matt Simmons and Sarah Curley fined members who haven’t paid for their new rotary polo shirts, please be reminded to pay for yours if you haven’t already. Lucie for starting the meeting late. Nicole and Fausto for teasing Matt on FB, Nicole actually had to pay Fausto’s fine because he wasn’t in attendance. Bernice for not announcing visitors correctly. Linda was fined for her birthday, Rotarians celebrating an anniversary date were fined, as well as all new members in attendance to include Nicole, Jessica H., Joe G, and Linda V.
Speaker Presentation: This week CJ Lassek from the Biddeford+Saco Chamber of Commerce spoke to our club about the upcoming 90th Anniversary, to be held on Saturday, October 14 from 5:30-9:00pm at Thornton Academy. The event will include business awards, a silent auction, dinner, cash bar, a keynote speaker, entertainment, and more. The Chamber is soliciting nominees for their event, and the nominee must be an active Chamber member. A nominee form was handed out at our meeting. Contact PJ if you need a new form or didn’t receive one and wish to fill one out.
Rotarians are encouraged to submit the 2017 Nomination form for the event by August15.
For those of you who missed last week’s meeting at the Center of Technology, you missed a fantastic job by the committee that put it all together. Conrad Welzel and company worked long and hard (there was less planning for the first moon landing). Everyone looked wicked sharp in their new Rotary shirts, the house looked great (even Lucie cleaned and Doug says she does not clean their house!) and the few contractors or suppliers who did show seemed incredibly appreciative. Unfortunately, since it was one of the few non-rainy days we have had this spring I suspect many of the generous contractors and suppliers who contributed their time and expertise to the latest Rotary house were making hay while they could. We should all applaud the committee for doing such a wonderful job of putting the whole celebration together.
Now comes the fun part, selling the incredible house that came together with the leadership and vast energy of Jim Godbout (when does this guy sleep?). If you know anyone who would like a really nice house (okay, it’s in Biddeford) please let Jim know. Oh, again for those who missed the meeting last week, there is now a dumpster in the yard of our newest Rotary house. I am guessing that demolition may commence soon. Let the games begin again!
As we approach the end of Lucie’s year I am certain that she is thrilled, but of course we will be heading right into Jackson’s year. It is my assumption that Jackson has or will be reaching out to you to ask you to be on a particular committee or to even head up a committee. If you can make the time please say yes. Getting involved in a committee is a great way to feel engaged in the club and a great avenue to really give back to the community in some way. Furthermore, I am guessing that some members of the club have been serving in their club positions for a long time and they may want a change. So if Jackson approaches you please don’t run the other way.
In case you are paying attention, this week’s meeting is an open meeting. We may try and do some more classification talks, but otherwise it will be an open forum. The following week is Past Presidents’ day during which we have a chance to thank our past presidents for their service to the club. On June 21 we will have our annual awards meeting. That meeting is our opportunity to honor both club members and people from the community for their contributions so please try and attend if you can. And finally on June 28 we can all skip the meeting because it is just Lucie’s swan song and I think we have all heard that tune.
Finally, if you are a new incoming Board member you might want to attend this week’s Board meeting at P&C Insurance starting at 7:45 on Wednesday. You will see the picture of Robert’s Rules of Disorder, but perhaps get a glimpse of what our Board meetings should be like.
A single family home on Main Street in Biddeford sat shuttered for years. The abandoned home was less than 1000’ from the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology (BRCOT), and despite its woeful condition and back taxes owed, Superintendent Jeremy Ray saw a perfect educational opportunity. As a member of the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club, he worked with their Board of Directors to consider sponsoring a renovation of the house. They agreed and the city deeded the property to the Club for the duration of the renovation. A year later, a celebration with an open house will take place on May 31 between 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. followed by lunch. Park and gather at the BRCOT.
“It’s a win-win-win,” Ray said of the renovation project undertaken by Club volunteers and BRCOT students. “The club has generously supported our Building Trades programs for over 20 years. We have constructed several modular homes, sold them for a modest profit, and the funds have supported both the Rotary’s community work and the Center of Technology. The benefits of a project like Main Street are even greater: our students get real-life, on-the-job experience in a challenging build environment. The neighborhood is improved by our work. Volunteers and those who have donated services and materials feel proud of their investment. The city is paid the back taxes, and when the home is sold, it returns to the tax rolls.”
“The Rotary House is an exemplary model of technical, hands-on training for our students,” said BRCOT Director Paulette Bonneau. “They are learning valuable skills, working side-by-side professionals in the field, seeing their success first-hand, and enthusiastic about their learning. We are extremely proud of the students in this project from Biddeford High School, Kennebunk High School, Old Orchard Beach High School and Thornton Academy.”
Rotarian and major project sponsor Jim Godbout agreed. “The kids are working so hard, sustaining a months-long effort, adapting to conditions ranging from weather to codes to working with the various trades. This project is solely managed by the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club, logistically and financially, so we are grateful to our Rotarians and local businesses who have volunteered hundreds of hours and contributed countless thousands of dollars. It’s truly a community investment with a community payoff.”
Major donors to the project included: Master Level – Anderson Insulation, BRC Bedard Roofing and Construction, Maine Granite & Marble, Spang Builders, Tremblay Kitchen Cabinets, Moody’s Nursery, and Coastal WinAir Company; Journeyman Level - Quality Floors, Kevin Bedard Construction, and Distinctive Tile; Apprentice Level – Nate Libby Masonry, Kamco Supply, Biddeford Painting, Ventura Staircase & Woodturning, K&S Overhead Door, Deering Lumber, Southern Maine Builders, Parent Drywall, Boise Cascade, and Woodman Edmands Danylik Austin Smith and Jacques; and other donors - Taylor Rental, Dupuis Hardware, Builders Supply, Maine Street Design, Hydronic Alternatives and Ray Dusseault Masonry.
The house is in the final stages of renovation and will culminate with a celebration recognizing all those who contributed. Local businesses who contributed will be honored during lunch at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology. “The City was so impressed with the work of our students and volunteers that they’ve agreed to deed another property in arrears to the club. In September, a new group of Building Trades students will again partner with Rotary volunteers to restore a shuttered property and improve our community,” Ray said.
Julie Villemaire needs more volunteers!Please remember it is up to the TACK coordinator to ensure that someone is taking the minutes each week during your assigned month. If you aren’t able to take the minutes yourself, please reach out to fellow members for volunteers. Please forward the minutes to Julie Villemaire and Brian Dallaire so they can get them posted for the rest of the members.
Invocation: Joe Bassett
PROGRAM IDEA???? PLEASE CONTACT Bill Kany, PROGRAM CHAIR or a member of the Program Committee. Remember it is the responsibility of every member to help get Programs for our meetings.
Energy: Saved enough energy to light 44.8 lightbulbs—24 hours a day—for a year.
Emissions: Saved the emissions equivalent of driving a car 8,484 miles.
Volume: Diverted enough containers to fill 322.5 lobster traps.
Fill up those green bags. If you need more bags and/or labels, just let Julie Villemaire know and she can hook you up…no charge!
Simple fill with returnables and drop off at any Hannaford.
Alternately, if you already have a CLYNK account of your own, you can designate you funds as a donation. Hit the Donate button and search for Rotary and you'll find our account.
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