Members absent: Nick DuBois, Scott Gordon-Macy, Turner Lewis, Mark Lovey-Reyes

Jim Maxwell, Ralph Meima, Michelle Pong.

 

Many thanks to our lovely greeters, Becca and Casey!

Amelia Farnum volunteered to be the greeter next week.

 

Guests: Bill Morlock, Diane Hashagen, Chris Johnson, John Mabie. 

 

Announcements

Sadie invited everyone to attend the Rotary Romp on June 8 at 6:00 PM. Meet at the Marina trail head at that time and run, bike or walk until 6:50 when everyone will meet at the Marina for drinks and/or dinner. Come for either or both parts of the evening. 

Josh talked up Camp for Common Cause, a fundraiser that starts tomorrow night (Friday, May 29th) to benefit the Brattleboro Drop In-Center and Morningside Shelter.  Josh, Dan and other fundraisers will pitch tents on the Brattleboro Common starting at 4:00 PM.  The family-friendly, overnight camp out will include a Community Barbecue, hosted by our club (I think!) that starts at 6:00 PM. There also will be live music. BBQ tickets are $10 ($5 for 12 and under) and are available at Morningside Shelter, The Brattleboro Drop-In Center and The Shoe Tree. Dan will be hosting a card game in his tent. All campers will pack up the next morning by 10 AM after a light breakfast. If you want more information about the event or would like to contribute to Josh and/or Dan’s fundraising effort, go to: www.firstgiving.com/team/293658.

Tristan is selling coffee ($12 a bag) to benefit children in Honduras. Please see him if you are interested. At the upcoming board meeting, our board will talk about whether or not our club will participate. 

 

Brags

Future Business Leaders of America’s recent car wash exceeded its fundraising goal.

Sandy S. bragged for Brattleboro Tire for solving his problem of getting the batteries for his golf cart to work

Amelia applauded her husband’s exemplary mechanical skills. He took their entire Scotty Camper apart and rebuilt it so it’s just like new (almost!). 

Aly shared how excited she is about her upcoming 3 week project working at Kindle Farm. It may pave the way for a job at Kindle Farm in the fall. That would mean she might have two job possibilities come September!

Damian bragged about the wonderful trip he and Katherine took to Ottawa over Memorial Day weekend to visit Katherine’s 80-year-old grandparents. They visited the Canadian War Museum while they were there, which was fascinating. 

Afternoon Rotarian and guest, John Mabie, told of his daughter’s recent graduation from American University in Washington, D.C., and her commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.  He and his wife, Valerie, made a road trip with Lauren last week to Fort Knox in Kentucky where she is taking part in a two month training.

Jerry Goldberg recounted the great job the American Legion did on Memorial Day commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. He also took the opportunity to praise all the brave men and women who have stepped up over the years to serve and protect our country.

Jon Secrest praised the club’s two state legislators, Valerie and Tristan, for their service to Vermont.

Toni bragged about her son Bret’s recent graduation from Norwich University. She talked about how phenomenal all the kids were at Norwich and about how proud she is of Bret who now has a “big boy” job in Arizona. 

Todd recounted how he recently turned his office into a geek lab in honor of “Touch a Geek Day” and about how dangerous it is for geeks to play with batteries and BBs.  After he inadvertently shot a BB right through his office wall and into a tree outside, he instantly understood why people who live in neighborhoods shouldn’t play with batteries and BBs.  :)

Kevin thanked everyone for donating to get him out of jail last Sunday. He also bragged about having shaved off his beard, which he had hoped would shave 10 years off how he looks — in terms of his age. Last, but not least, he praised our student Rotarians, Casey Manning, for being a stellar softball player, and Becca Freeman, for winning a race as part of BUHS’s championship track team 

Linda, Jeanette and Sadie received a shout out for their great work keeping the Rotary gardens in town in tip top shape.

 

Bowl of Life

This person’s family owns two farms. One of them is 6,000 acres, and the other 20,000 acres. Damian submitted this clue. These two farms are owned by his family and Katherine’s family. Both of them are located in Canada. He talked about how high tech each of the farms is and how they have divisions, ranging from trucking to auctions, and are big business. 

 

Guest Speaker

Bill Morlock, Executive Director of the Springfield Housing Authority, was our guest speaker. He has lived in this area for 14 years and is married to Chris Hart, the Executive Director of the Brattleboro Housing Authority. 

Bill said that Vermont is the 13th most expensive state to live in and that housing costs exceed many state residents financial capacity. This problem has been exacerbated by the fact that housing costs have gone up while wages have remained stagnant. As a result, many hub towns, such as Springfield, Brattleboro, Montpelier, and Bennington, must offer more affordable options. This cost shift puts stress on these towns’ fiscal resources. 

Bill talked at length about a project for youth in transition he is interested in starting in the Springfield area. Youth Services and the Vermont Land Trust recently formed a program, which inspired him to want found a program in his area that would provide wrap around services that include housing for youth in transition. His goal is to help 4-5 young people each year. 

Tristan noted that the housing vacancy rate in Brattleboro and Burlington is very low and asked what the vacancy rate is in Springfield.  Bill said it is roughly 5%. 

Bill said building new housing is very expensive. He pointed out that it cost $4.6 million to build a 20,000 square food building in Springfield that has 15 micro units. The micro units are bedrooms for single adults who share a kitchen and eating spacing. The building also includes four store fronts. 

He said a movie theater with six housing units that the Springfield Housing Authority recently renovated cost $4.9 million. The housing authority had to pool 9 different funding sources to underwrite the project. 

He noted that the Melrose Terrace project here in Brattleboro has a $13 - $14 million price tag. 

He also discussed the challenge of housing people after they are released from prison. Tristan noted that approximately 10% of prisoners are eligible to get out of prison but cannot due to a lack of suitable housing. Two hundred forty of these individuals are sex offenders, which makes finding housing for them even more difficult.