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Bret Bradigan, Editor |
August 21st, 2009
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August is Membership and Extension Month
Upcoming Programs and Events
Presented by Program Chairman, Leland Hammerschmitt and his crew.
August 28th-District Governor Visit-Luz Maria Ortiz
September 4th-John Johnston, CEO Ventura Co.-Managing Ventura Co.
September 11th-Laura Whitney-Ojai Foundation/Get Acquainted Talk
September 18th-Al West and New Club Member-Craft Talks
September 25th-Dr. Laura Danly-Curator Griffith Observatory
In the Beginning....
The long, warm summer continued Friday as ambling Rotarians made it into the Soule Park Clubhouse for their weekly confabulation of fellowship. Greeting the amblers amiably were Terry Twichell and Laura Whitney.
The pledge was delivered by Mr. Twichell, and Mrs. Whitney read the Four-Way Test to the assemblage, while erstwhile jefe Bruce Brockman manned the microphone with his legendary agility.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Visiting Rotarians: None
Guests: Karen Brubaker, wife of new member Dave. Norm Davis, our program presenter. Christian Thorup, former Rotary exchange student, back for a visit with Anne Helson and her family.
New Member Inductions:
The meeting began on a high note with two new member inductions:
But speaking of high notes ....
President Scott Smith set the tone with the story of famed violinist Josh Bell, who, as a sociology experiment, spent 45 minutes playing his $3.5 million Stradivarius in a Metro station in Washington, D.C., "During that time, 2,000 people passed, most on their way to work," and only six people stopped to listen. Just the previous evening, he played a sold-out show with ticket prices at $100 each. The experiment was organized by the Washington Post to answer a few questions: "In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?" Apparently, not many. The piece, accompanied by the video of Bell playing, won a Pulitzer prize for the Post.
"One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in world. playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, what else are we missing?"
Amani Hishmeh, pharmacist/owner of Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, co-sponsored by Drs. Skankey and Fauvre, was the winner of the past year's Fred Clapp Award for Business Ethics. She also contributed supplies to the club's medical mission to the central American island of Roatan. Her mentor will be Al Jacobs.
Dave Brubaker, president/CEO of Ojai Community Bank, is a Ventura County native with long experience in banking. He describes himself "as a generalist" and expresses a willingness to pitch in where needed. Bill Ghormley is his sponsor.
President Scott Smith also thanked Ian McLean for refining the mentor program .
Announcements. . .
Please click here. Our District Governor, Luz Maria talks to Merrill Hoffman from Rotary Club of Santa Barbara about Membership. Merrill gives his insight on how he has brought more than 70 members into Rotary. August is membership and extension month. Please, Share Rotary.
• Terry Beckett encouraged the club to turn out for the District 5240 Conference, which will be held Oct. 21-25 at the Ventura Marriot. Contact him for more information.
• Scott Eicher gave the lowdown on the upcoming Taste of Ojai, our club's largest and only fund-raising event this year. Set for Sept. 19 from 3 to 6 p.m. on the rolling fairways at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa's world-class golf course. The price has been lowered from $65 to $60 this year, and Ojai's leading restaurants and restaurateurs will be serving up their favorite dishes, along with plenty of beer and wine. Sponsors already signed up include Derby and Derby, Stacey Benotto's Ojai Bowling group, Ojai Community Bank, the Parsons Group, Ojai Valley News and local wineries Casa Barranca and Old Creek Winery. Tickets are available at Attitude Adjustment , Vesta and the Chamber of Commerce.
Fining: Kelly Randall
Kelly led the fining with a plethora of confessions and monetary atonement.
There, I fixed it..
The Program-Norm Davis
Program chair Leland Hammerschmitt introduced Norm Davis, a trustee on the Meiners Oaks County Water District, a retired businessman with a long interest in water issues.
Davis spoke about plans to demolish Matilija Dam, a project with a price tag he estimated at $220 million, though other estimates come in lower. Davis decried the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approach to the project, which would be the largest dam removal in U.S. history. Built in 1947, the dam quickly became silted in and practically useless for storage or flood control .
The goal of the Matilija Dam removal project is two-fold: restoration of upstream spawning habitat for the endangered southern steelhead trout, and allowing the silt and sands to restore beaches along the Ventura County coastline . The biggest problem with the Corps' demolition approach, Davis said, was the problems of dealing with 6 million cubic yards of debris behind the dam. Various options have been discussed such as trucking the sediments to the ocean, sending them through slurry pipes to designated areas, and .
Davis said those approaches all create more problems than they solve. For example, the Corps of Engineers spent $500,000 on a study, and failed to recognize that the Meiners Oaks County Water District had well fields below the dam, that would certainly be impacted by the flow and deposit of all those sediments.
Davis favored a gradual approach to the dam's demolition. Instead of blowing it up and having to remove and place massive amounts of sediments on or near private land, whose owners are understandably suspicious about its effects, he suggested "notching" the dam, or removing small portions of the dam, allowing storms to take away the sediments in a more natural fashion. He said that approach would be much less expensive and have far fewer negative consequences. The dam has been notched twice in its history.
Lively debate ensued during the question-and-answer period. Bill Prather said, "I just don't see good options, if we do nothing." Davis agreed that the dam needed to be dealt with, but disagreed with the Corps' plan, and the lack of community participation in the process.
Final Thoughts
Prez Scott concluded the congregation with this statement:
"As we go out this week, let's think about violinist Joshua Bell and his violin in the subway hall ... the oblivious people hurrying about in their own worlds 12 hours after paying a premium to experience the beauty of the same music ... let's remember the children who tried to stop to listen. How can we be more like them, and less like the adults pulling them on their way."
