May 12, 2014

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka
May 12, 2014

Menu: Slices of beef, slices of ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, ciabatta rolls, and a salad bar.

John Bartholomew led the pledge. Dan Heinen gave the invocation.

Announcements
Christian Hill reminded us that the annual Rotary raffle is May 31 at Baywood. This year’s theme is the Great Gatsby, so dress in your zoot suits.

President Ziggy announced that he will be in Santa Cruz next week and President elect Jay Bahner will be at the helm.

We still need $6,300 in donations for Rotary International but the good news is that Rockport Health Services will match up to $3,100 of that sum. Be generous.

The Club photo was on display in the lobby. You can have your own personal copy for $25. For a wallet size that you can trade with Rotarians from other clubs see Don Leonard.

Science Fair coordinator Mel McGuire introduced 10 of the 16 students sent to the big science fair in LA. They won four awards-two 3rd places and two honorable mentions competing against 1000 other students. Projects included Tsunami Wave barriers, immersing vegetables in hot water to make them last longer, dimples on airplane wings, earthquake isolation systems, hand sanitizer tests, and the effects of stream pollution on invertebrates. The students were all very articulate. Support the Science Fair.
Program
Our program was The East West Railroad proposal, narrated by our own David Hull. Co-presenter David Tyson couldn’t make it because he’s in Pt. Arena living out his dream of working as an acting city manager and, Ziggy informed us, living above a bakery. The railroad proposal calls for a line running from the Bay to the Central Sacramento valley. When and if it’s completed, our deepwater port will be connected to the rest of the world.

There are millions of dollars in potential business including transporting automobiles shipping vegetables to China, carrying bales of marijuana to Chico, and freighting coal and iron ore. This would create many jobs. They have formed the Upstate Rail Connect Committee and are looking for $300,000 to fund a feasibility study. Is it feasible? Got money? They have lots of support from the Central Valley, the Wyott tribe, and the cities along the way, but no funding yet. For more information visit www.ci.eureka.ca.gov.

Next week: A proposal for a wagon road between White City and Weaverville.

Submitted by Hank Ingham