Festival City Rotary Newsletter Feb 7, 2012
The Rotary Club Of
President: David Moore
Minutes of the meeting of Feb 7, 2012
Club email: festivalcityrotary@gmail.com
Club web blog: www.festivalcityrotary.blogspot.com
ClubRunner site: www.festivalcityrotary.ca
Guests: Rob Ritz is from the Stratford Rotary Club. Katie Alward is from City Hall. Sam Theocharis, Louise Spandler and Geza Wordofa are potential new members. Rotary Exchange student Phanuwat Kongwattananon (Nu).
Draw Prize: An ecstatic Bob Shannon was the winner of a prize donated by Wayne Young. After 3 years of trying, Bob was beginning to despair of ever winning the coveted prize.
Announcements:
- Spaghetti Dinner: Jean Aitcheson announced some major changes to this year’s event. It will be held at the Army, Navy and Air Force Club on March 26. It will be a buffet style which will make it easier for volunteers. Takeout will be offered in a separate area. Jean has contacted food producers for ingredients. Begin to invite friends, relatives and workplace associates to the event. Posters and tickets will be forthcoming. It is hoped that dinners can be supplied to night shift workers at some of the local factories. The goal is to sell 700 dinners.
- Curling Bonspiel: The 13th annual Service Club Bonspiel sponsored by Timber Mart takes place Saturday February 25 at the Stratford Golf Club. The first game begins at 9 AM. Our club will be entering at least one team. The cost is $35 per person and includes a light lunch and prizes. Contact Bill Helmuth if interested. This is a great way for non-curlers to try their hand at the game.
- Board of Director’s Meeting: The board meets Thursday Feb 9 at the home of Dianne Yundt
- Calling All Bridge Players and Wannabe Players. Ron Rogers announced that Bridge lessons begin this Thursday Feb 9 at his house for beginners. If you are interested in learning to play Bridge contact Ron at rjrogers@wightman.ca
- Bard’s Birthday Committee: Anyone wishing to join the committee to assist please speak to Anna Sherwin.
- Dinner of the Month Draw: Dianne Yundt asked club members to continue selling tickets for the draw. Email friends and contacts. She has been successful with this approach.
- Bingo: Volunteers are reminded of the Bingo this Friday starting at 5 PM
Guest Speaker: Bill Helmuth invited Katie Alward from the city’s recycling department to speak to us about forthcoming changes to the recycling and hazardous waste program.
The city has contracted a new company “Canadian Waste Management” to collect recyclables. Homeowners will no longer have to separate their recyclables. All can be placed into a single blue box. Added to the items which can be recycled are empty grocery bags and empty paint cans. Shredded paper in tied grocery bags or clear plastic bags will also be accepted. No longer being accepted are the “gable top” boxes such as the waxed milk and drink cartons. Styrofoam is still not accepted. Businesses will be allowed to recycle cardboard for free instead of being charged for it.
Katie also said that battery collection has been expanded so that batteries can be dropped off at various locations such as the library, city hall and the Rotary Complex.
Katie is working on expanding the hazardous waste program from 2 collection days per year to 6 on the last Saturday of each month from April to September.
As for the yard waste program it is recognized that there is a problem with the paper bags and decomposing plastic bags. They tend to fall apart when wet. Katie is working on reopening the tender for yard waste collection to allow for the use of plastic buckets to hold wet yard waste at the curb.
Katie was asked why the city doesn’t collect kitchen organic waste for recycling. Her answer was the cost. It would cost about $750 000 per year to process a minimum of 1 tonne of organic waste and about $250 000 to purchase the organic bin containers for the whole city.
Katie was thanked by David Moore.