Next Week: we had a speaker cancellation, so it will be a surprise!
President John Cottle opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Thought for the Day: Fran Leibowitz “I’ve done the calculations, and your chances of winning the lottery are the same whether you play or not.”
Guests: Jill Jahelka and Bill Lemos of the Kelley House Museum/Mendocino Fire Dept pond restoration project; and Mei Lin Jackson, our outbound exchange student of 2011.
Guest Mei Lin Jackson, and in the background, guests Jill Jahelka and Bill Lemos.
Celebrations: Club anniversary – Prez John C., 6 years. Today is Dean’s birthday.
Happy Dollars:
Lindsay’s happy moment.
- Gary: happy about something regarding poker night (sorry I missed the details!).
- Matt: happy that Rotary Park’s mowing and tree trimming scope of work will be done on Monday.
- Lindsay: she’s giving happy dollars to start off Mei’s conference project
- John P.: will happily give $20 when he can get 6 people to go out and clean highway. Jody, Ray, Brandt, Guenter, Heather, John C and John P, Bruce agreed to participate on Saturday, April 4 – it’s set! – and John will take back his happy dollars if everyone doesn’t show up!
- Bruce: happy to auction off a birdhouse painted by a local artist and to donate the proceeds as a contribution to Mei’s trip!
Sunshine Report:
Everyone is still slllooooowwly recovering. We’re thinking of you all, Wilma, Jerry, Joe and Chatter!
Announcements:
Prez John reminded everyone that fines for missing meetings have been reinstated, $5 each. Make-ups will help you avoid the fine.
Mei describes the Rotary District Conference she’d like to attend in April.
Mei Lin Jackson was our outbound exchange student to Argentina in 2011-2012. The third weekend this April she wants to go to the Rotary District Conference in Yosemite, where she will help oversee programs for the current exchange students. After this she’ll be part of Rotex, and they’ll pay for her travel. Bruce’s birdhouse auction brought in $85 toward Mei’s conference costs. Bruce also had two
Mei with her conference funds, plus!
Rotary caps to auction off, which brought in another $11. Donations made up the rest of Mei’s needed $150 for the conference, and then some — she got $216! Congratulations, Mei!
The birdhouse is auctioned!
Saturday, April 18, is the date for the North Bay Rotaract 5k Fun Run in Arcata. Sign up if you’re going to be in the area, and support a good cause!
Our local Symphony Spring Concert is this Saturday/Sunday. See www.symphonyoftheredwoods.org for more information on this high quality concert!
Our club’s Community Service Committee meeting will be Thursday, April 2, at 11:00 am, immediately before our regular Rotary meeting.
Pete Rose receives the Rotarian of the Month Award from Prez John!
Casino Night report: We netted almost $5400, after expenses. Congratulations!
Rotarian of the Month: Prez John awarded the honor to Pete Rose for his major contribution to the success of Casino Night!
Today’s Program:
Guenter introduced Jill Jahelka and Bill Lemos, who are here to talk about the Kelley House Museum’s plans for fixing the pond. Bill is on the Fire Board, Jill’s on the Kelley House Board. Both Bill and Jill grew up here, and remember the pond being full throughout their childhoods.
Speakers Bill Lemos and Jill Jahelka share their childhood pond memories.
The pond has been very low for many years due to the low water table, and possibly due to the underground French drains that were installed several years ago. The Fire Dept and Kelley House decided to collaborate to restore the pond, so that it will be filled on a permanent basis. They’ve designed a liner to keep it full, and it will include a filtration and circulation system as well.
Pond was built in 1880s by the Kelleys as a place for kids to play. It even had a dock and a rowboat. There have been fish there in the past… they will put in an underwater shelter for fish to protect them from the egrets and raccoons. The plan is to have geese live on the pond again.
Importantly, the pond will help with fire protection. There is no other dedicated water source in downtown Mendocino, and the pond will hold 130,000 gallons of water (wow!). This will help with insurance ratings and coverage for all who live and work in Mendocino. Plus it’s one of the most-photographed spots in Mendocino.
The Kelley House pond, as seen on a postcard from “back in the day.”
Jill Jahelka talks about the history of the pond.
Jill shared a postcard of the pond from “back in the day” — a beautiful spot indeed when it is full. So far they’ve raised about half of the $60,000 they’ll need.
Dine out on May 6 at the MacHouse — proceeds go to this pond restoration project — reservations are recommended!
The pond’s liner should be installed this summer. After the pond dries out this spring, a Parlin Forks crew will come and smooth the surface of the pond for the liner’s installation. The project team has put over a year of planning into this so far, and have the rocks in place that were required prior to liner installation.
They’ll have to make sure the pond remains full — between rainfall and the Fire Dept, they will keep it full. A 5,000 gallon water storage tank will be installed on the Kelley House property (behind a fence, not visible), mostly filled with surplus from the Kelley House, and this should help with keeping the pond filled.
Bill Lemos tells about the fire protection benefits of restoring the pond.
There have been 5 attempts to refill the pond over the past 20 years. This time, it’ll get done!
They still need to raise about $30,000 (they’ve raised about $30,000 to date, including $10,000 from the Fire Dept for the hydrant and its installation). They’re working on grant applications, and maybe a kickstarter fundraising effort. Donations are tax deductible.
The Pond Project banner.
Today’s Raffle Winners: Tom Honer, and Bruce Lewis. The pot is up to $180, and there are only 13 cards left.
The birdhouse painted by a local artist (artist’s name not given).
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.