Apparently running a library system involves learning a lot about roofing. And Sue Potter got to stretch her wings as President Pro Tem.
Notes from the August 17 meeting of
The Rotary Club of Clover Park
recorded by Tom McClellan
President Becky Newton was called away to visit a sick family member, so President-Elect Sue Potter took the gavel and ran the meeting without a hitch, in spite of barely being able to see over the lectern. She thanked our meeting setup crew of Mike Killen and David Cotant, and greeters Tom Faubion and Georgene Mellom.
Jeannie Hill got us in the mood with some inspirational thoughts about famous people who experienced failure before great success, including Steve Jobs who was fired from the company he founded, and Thomas Edison whose teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything. And Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she "wasn't fit for television". All three ended up persevering, and went on to do okay.
Guests at this meeting included Wendy Huber, who was the guest of Alan Billingsley’s wife Debbie, plus our guest speaker Gretchen Casserotti.
Future Programs
Aug. 24 Kyle Crawford, Children’s Feeding Program at St Leo’s
Aug. 31 Sue Potter, Food Waste - An Environmental Problem
Sep. 7 Mary Dodsworth, Lakewood Parks Update
Announcements
Tom McClellan reminded members about the upcoming Rotary BBQ on August 27, 4:00 to 8:00 PM. RSVP to tom@mcoscillator.com for headcount purposes.
Sheri Hodson once again asked members to fill out the club committee preference sheet and get it back to her. You can also access it at this link.
Jim Hairston said that the tally is still ongoing from the Golf Tournament fundraiser, and a final report will be coming soon. It took in about $27,000 in revenue, before expenses.
Georgene Mellom re-shared her Foundation Minute from last week, encouraging everyone to sign up for Rotary Direct, to make automatic periodic donations to the Rotary Foundation.
Gretchen Allen was out, so Tom McClellan filled in with a Membership Minute, Tricia Borgardt was nominated for membership and there were no objections from club members. She is evaluating whether to join our club. And Kathy Weymiller has not gotten back to Gretchen yet about possibly joining. Our goal for this year is to grow the club by 6 members, net of any losses, so we need everyone to be out looking for great people in our community who have always wanted to be Rotarians (whether they know it or not).
President’s Minute
Sue Potter took advantage of the privilege of being President Pro Tem to encourage everyone to come to the Nourish Pierce County fundraising event, “A Place at Our Table” Luncheon. It will be held September 13, 1130-1300 at the Hotel Murano. There is no cost to attend, although they will certainly accept anything you would like to donate. Contact suepotter@nourishpc.org to attend. Or see the web page at https://nourishpc.org/events/.
Fun And Fines
Sue then turned the mic over to Ed Trobaugh for his segment, but not before she had pointed out to Ed the two members who had arrived late. Ed thanked Sue, and fined her $4 for ratting on those Rotarians.
Teresa Nye had a race car update, saying she has been too busy working lately trying to save up money to pay for track time. That evening, though, she noted she would be going to a class on drag racing, and then Thursday she would be getting to run some laps at the Pacific Raceway. $5.
Ed then complimented Jim Hairston for the great job running the Golf Tournament. Ed used to run them, and so he knows exactly how hard it is. Ed further noted that the American Lake Veterans Golf Course is its 9/11 Memorial Golf Tournament on September 10. Golfers and sponsors are needed.
This Week’s Program
Gretchen Caserotti is the new Executive Director of the Pierce County Library System. She just arrived in June, and is rapidly getting up to speed on all of her new responsibilities.
She was born in Minnesota to an artistic family. She originally pursued a career in theater (by which she clarified she means “waiting tables”. She found that she loved bonding with the cast and crew on a show, and loved story telling. She found her way into the New York City library system as a children’s librarian, and got a master’s degree in Library Science at the Pratt Institute in New York. She then developed a national reputation for innovation while at the Darien, Connecticut library. She then moved on to Meridian, Idaho, where she ran their library district, earning her recognition as 2018 Woman Of The Year by the Meridian Chamber of Commerce, and a 2019 Woman Of The Year recognition by the Idaho Business Review.
In Meridian, she developed a tiny library for kids out of a converted shipping container. She built a “business library” with professional instruction on “how to” skills and resources for technology jobs.
The Pierce County Library System (PLCS) has 19 branches stretched from Mt. Rainier to the Key Peninsula. It does not include Tacoma, which has its own library district. PLCS serves 630k people, and is partially funded by property tax revenue.
Gretchen addressed the current challenges at the Lakewood branch, which has some significant structural problems. It was originally built in 1963, and then expanded in 1974. That 1974 remodel introduced some design problems they are now grappling with. There was a big renovation in 1994, and the roof was replaced again in 2009. In 2010 a Master Facility Plan was published. 2019 saw an effort at public engagement to asset interest in building a new library. There was a plan to hire an architect in 2020, but Covid got in the way of that, and focus shifted to offering curbside book service.
2021 saw leaks develop, and the roofing company said that the structure was too damaged to repair. There was structural damage, and a risk of collapse. In addition to those problems, the elevator shaft is leaking, and the HVAC system is at the end of its useful life.
The City of Lakewood has been a great partner, and helped to form a community advisory committee which is assessing public input. Gretchen looks forward to getting their recommendations in the fall of 2022. The committee will also assess the future of the Tillicum branch, which as its own structural issues.
Current plans involve trying to put up a temporary Lakewood Library location, while the existing building and site get figured out. She cannot reveal that news yet, as negotiations are still ongoing.
Gretchen offered this quote from R. David Lankes:
Bad libraries build collections.
Good libraries build services.
Great libraries build communities.
Gretchen wants to commit to building communities in this new job. She noted that at most branches, the meeting room is a huge community asset. There are big trend changes in library space usage. Magazines and newspapers are no longer important. Children’s books take up 25% of space, but account for 60% of utilization.
Raffle
With $560 in the pot, and only 16 cards remaining, Becky Newton’s ticket won, but Sue Potter as proxy was not able to draw the lone remaining ace.
And Finally…
What could possibly go wrong?
