FogHorn July 2 Dave's Year Begins

Posted by Editor: FDBobko 
 
The FOGHORN 
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
 
Welcome to Dave Andrews
Club President 2015-16
 
Article by Dwight Wilson
  • Dave Andrews began his first meeting as President with the Pledge of Allegiance.
  • Dave introduced the incoming Board of Directors who are:
    • Warren Barmore – Youth Services
    • Joe Brennan – World Community Services
    • Rosi Fontana – Community Services
    • Dwight Wilson – Club Administration
    • Paul Wrubel – Membership and PR
    • Dianne Bobko – Past President
    • Elizabeth Schuck – President Elect
    • David Maahs – Secretary
    • Maya Munro – Treasurer
Joe and Dwight
 
Happy/Crappy News
Joe Brennan who was in the paper talked about in his previous club members were fined $100 each time they were in the paper.  He gave, but he said we are Half Moon Bay Rotary “whatever that meant”
Kevin O’Brien visited his family and granddaughter in Seattle.  His 4 year Granddaughter was standing on the dining room table and was asked to step down at which the granddaughter responded to her mother, “Don’t be so controlling……..”  Ginger responded, "What great mentoring of strong girls and women.”
Announcements
Ed Daniels thanked everyone for all of our support to him in the passing of his spouse Kris.  He says he is doing as well as he can.  He then talked about Tammy Townsend, an individual who was a pilot in Seattle whose cancer has returned and now needs to spend $8000 a month to support the chemotherapy to fight her cancer.  She and her family are facing financial ruin to pay for the treatment and Ed has already given $500 to the foundation raising money for Tammy.  He requested if the Foundation could support her and the membership could do as well.  Material supporting Tammy’s care was left with everyone.
Dianne Bobko reminded everyone of the 4th of July parade and the timing and location of the gathering
after the parade.  Cars supplied by Steve and Ginger plus Dave’s truck will be driving in the parade with the membership holding signs.  Parade starts at noon with everyone being requested to arrive by 11.
District Governor, Leah Rich will be here on July 16th.
Zabit Aimal, Rotary Peace fellow will be speaking at the South San Francisco Rotary on August 6th.
 
David’s first Inaugural address:
  • He introduced the new Rotary banner with the theme, “Be a Gift to the World.”
  • He jokingly stated he was going to request he be the first “paid” President of the club.
  • He also wants to get to know all of us, so he stated he was going to be staying with each member for a week at their homes.
  • More seriously he wants to make Child Literacy a major theme of the next year.  He highlighted Jane Levin’s initiative in this area.
  • He also wants to see major growth in the assets of the Half Moon Bay Rotary Foundation.  He gave twice his age birthday gift to the Foundation to emphasize the importance of his commitment.
  • Then he asked the membership a question highlighting what Kevin O’Brien would do if Debbie called saying she needed him right now and as he left to be with her an older woman needed an emergent ride to the hospital.  Each table gave a response and Kevin stated he would go home to Debbie after he called a Rotarian to give the lady a ride to the hospital.
New RI 2015-16 Theme and Banner - BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD
 
Happy Rotarians - Rose, Mary and Wes
 
OH, oh Steve - texting?
 
ROTARY AT THE 4TH OF JULY PARADE
 
 
 
Program:  Friends of the Library
 
SPEAKER:  HOPE ATMORE, CO-PRESIDENT
 
 
Article by Stacy Trevenon

President Dave Andrews started off his new year by introducing today's speaker, Hope Atmore. She is the co-president of the Friends of the Half Moon Bay Library, a nonprofit Coastside group that raises funds for and otherwise supports the library and its programs. They also are currently and actively seeking donations toward a new library building on the Coastside.
Hope started her program with some history of the current library: it was built in 1971, when the Coastside population was around 5,000. Now the library – one of the most heavily used in the San Mateo County Library system – serves around 29,000 patrons, from a space of about 78,000 square feet.
She spoke of the challenges the library and its staff face. Noise is an issue in the building, and the collections are limited. So is space: the library cannot house sufficient books or computers, and there is not sufficient reading space. The restrooms are not ADA compliant. Hope showed photographs of the library's cramped staff area.
She spoke of what Coastsiders use the library for, on any given day: Friends events, tutoring, programs, work by home-schooled students. The library also offers a good environment for local homeless: clean and with access to the Internet, and free lunch through the county for kids/families in the summer program.
Hope mentioned the former community room, now used for children's library space. She also described the library's popular summer reading programs for elementary school-age kids.
Addressing the issue of whether technology will ever replace libraries, Hope said no, that technology and books can coexist: she mentioned the large numbers of people who pack into the library to use its Internet access and computer system. And she described the library's program of checking out laptops with “hotspots” for Internet access, and mentioned technology into which bestsellers were downloaded, that people could have access to through library equipment.
She described how library staff are constantly rearranging the facility to help accommodate everything the community needs and uses it for. The library has a changing role now, she said: it's no longer only a place to read books but is now a hub of so many activities.
She spoke of how library staff tried to get a grant 14 years ago for a new facility. That did not happen, but they continue to try to do so. Over a series of more than 20 meetings, she said that the Friends are getting public input on design suggestions for a new library, and are now looking into financing. She described how some money is set aside for building costs, and how the city of Half Moon Bay voted in February to help with the financing process. Also, she said, in May the Half Moon Bay City Council voted to hire a manager for the construction, and has been sorting through proposals from construction firms, having narrowed 18 of those down to five. She described a selection committee made up of City Council members and Coastside residents.
Outreach to the community for design input has now reached the second round, she said, with the goal of getting information on what the community wants and needs in a library to an architect and project manager. She said that planners involved in the project want to partner with community groups and that outreach will continue in the fall. Construction is expected to begin, she said, in late 2017.
In answer to questions, Hope said that the idea of temporary library space during the construction had been considered. A final design has not yet been adopted, she said, and it is expected that the design will change and evolve in the process. The new library will be built at the same location as the current one. As far as what it will be stocked with, Hope said that the trend will be to increase available books in the library, including bringing in e-books. She concluded by saying that county funding is anticipated, up to $12 million.