July 18, 2022

The meeting was presided over by Past President Carly Robbins

Thought of the Day:

Chuck Ellsworth elicited chuckles with a funny anecdote about his grandson.  The lesson was, “Be careful what you wish for!”

Guests:

We welcomed a number of guests today, including former Rotaract Christine Tyson, our outbound exchange students, and Amanda Moxon, the new President of Old Town Rotary.

Club Member Recognitions:

Jera Newland was promoted to a Blue Badge member!  Jera is recognized for her enthusiastic participation in our club, including Board of Directors service, arranging the catering for club lunches, and organizing fun fellowship events.  We are lucky to have Jera!

Mike Martin recounted his recent fossil hunting and metal detecting trip.

Greg Williston was congratulated on his recent retirement after 20+ years with SHM Engineering.  Greg will celebrate with a trip to Ireland next week!

Jason Chand recounted his wife’s fantastic scuba diving adventures around the globe.  Jason got to stay home and do absolutely whatever he pleased.

Klark Swan’s daughter performed in her first ever musical performance.  She played Mr. Warbucks in a production of Annie.  This sounds adorable and we demand pictures!

Arny King finally got to take his family to Disneyland after postponing the trip due to COVID.  It was everything they hoped for and more.

Club History:

Dr. Kim gave us a short history of our Burl newsletter, which originated in 1942.  He presented our immediate Past President Klark Swan with a bound copy of all the Burl newsletters from her presidency.  Thank you Dr. Kim!

Who’s who in Rotary?

Carly announced that our new District Governor is Jennifer Strong from Rotary Club of Sebastopol, and new International President Jennifer Jones, who hails from Canada and is the first female in Rotary history to hold the position!

Upcoming Events:

Don’t miss the Madaket Cruise social on July 21 or the Crabs ballgame social on July 24!

Coming Soon: Volunteers and Sponsors are needed for the Coast Guard dinner at the Elks Lodge

October 15: the Foundation Celebration will be held in Fortuna

May 4, 2023: the District Conference will be held at Konocti Harbor Resort in Lakeport.

May 27, 2023: the International Conference will be held in Melbourne, Australia

Program: An Airport Update

Today’s program was brought to us by County Supervisor Virginia Bass and Humboldt County Director of Aviation Cody Roggatz.  Virginia and Cody gave us an update on the history, current situation, and plans for our County airports, focusing on our largest airport, the California Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport, or ACV.

ACV has been through many trials and tribulations, including a 95% decrease in passenger traffic during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The airport saw flights decrease to only 1 or 2 per day, with an average of only 5 passengers on each plane.  They are also facing the effects of an industry-wide pilot and mechanic shortage.

However, they have also made great progress.  Passenger seat capacity has increased to 150% of prior years.  A microgrid has been installed that generates enough energy to power the entire airport as well as some homes in the area.  5 million dollars is being invested in hangar improvements, and a 20 million dollar runway and electrical installation project at ACV is in the works.  They are also making parking lot improvements that we all look forward to.

Thank you very much Cody and Virginia for the presentation.