President Ron:

 

 

Barb:  Barb was approached, through Jr. Achievement, by a group called Solutions with Impact.  They are running a boat rally for kids this year, and they are looking for volunteers.  This is not a new event, and it is to be Covid-friendly.  If there would be Rotarians interested in volunteering, we could make it a Jr. Achievement-Rotary event.  Jennifer Jerrett has already indicated a willingness to volunteer.  Dates: August 21 and 22, on Lake Muskoka.   Information is still a bit vague.  Web site: “Boat Rally for Kids”.  Please let Barb know if you are interested in participating as a volunteer.

 

Brandy:  Update on International Committee: We have $ 3,000 coming back from the water project from the Nepal District Grant from last year. And we were able to get in the district grant for the new project which will be encouraging economic development in Nepal.  The global grant application also got in on time for another Nepal project.

 

Jennifer S.: The “Rotary Connects the World” Gala originally booked for April, will be booked now for April 2021. Also, the International Committee has contributed to another global grant with clubs from the USA to an organization called “Save the Rain”.  This is the organization that the Montessori School is involved with.  Our club contributed $ 2,000 and the district is putting up $ 5,000.  The children are very excited to see the impact that Rotary can have on this project.

 

Cam: He was approached to do some repairs to the Hunter’s Bay section of the Trans Canada Trail.  The committee has agreed to allocate $ 1,500 out of their budget to do some of these improvements.  Some volunteers may be needed.

 

Rotarian Ross Kirwin introduced guest speaker, Denise Corry, Chief Administrator for the town of Huntsville.  Ross welcomed Denise to speak on the town’s response to the Covid 19 pandemic.

 

Guest Speaker Denise Corry:  Denise has been with the town for 28 years and is pleased to give back to the community.  She thanked the club for the opportunity to speak today.

 

On March 17, life changed.  The province declared a State of Emergency.  With crisis comes planning and the municipality is good at that and used to that.  However, this was a crisis with no playbook, but it was the same situation at all levels.  The town needed to maintain core services, so they pulled together to assist the community.  They experienced a huge decline in revenues, with a projected loss of $ 2.4 million to the end of the year.  They had to make tough decisions, through facility closures, even the town hall was closed but maintained only minimal staff. 

 

It was a big undertaking to set up staff to work from home with no ill effects in services.  It was a hard decision, but some staff had to be laid off and summer students have not been hired.  Facilities closed and focus was on maintaining core services and how to support the community.  Tax penalties were waived over a period of time; also some permit fees were waived.  While waiting for direction from the province, they were working on recovery plans. 

 

Stepping back, it was a challenge.  The province and the Simcoe/Muskoka Health Unit both did an amazing job and gave good direction.  There were times when they were not on the same page, and that was a challenge for all municipalities.

 

Now we are in Stage 3, probably at full speed but not back to normal.  So, there are some take-aways:

 

“How do we want to be remembered, as a result of Covid, as a community, or as an organization, or as a CAO?  Hopefully, we will be remembered as a group that kept people safe and that we played a crucial role in the economic recovery of the community, and for the leadership that was provided in our community by the council and staff.”

 

Questions:

Peter Redwood:  Please comment on phasing of the operation on Main Street? A: We have a report coming on July 27.  The challenge is that there is never a good time to rip up your main street.  Health professionals are suggesting that the Covid situation may be around for 1 ½ years.  So, do we tackle main street in 2021 while Covid is still around, or wait until it is over in 2022.  A survey of local businesses gave a mixed result, whether to take an accelerated approach in 2021 and be finished by May, 2022, or wait for the next year.  Much more details will be in the report coming out on Monday.

 

Jim Hutton: Kudos to council for their handling of essential services, particularly regarding recycling

 

Bill Sibeon: Was the recommendation for main street to be ripped up in 2021?  A: No, the response to the survey was split.  The decision will be weighed heavily on recommendations from BIA.  It will be full closure of portions of Main Street, with parts kept open.  They are looking at an accelerated schedule which also has problems.  Some businesses have access at the back of their stores, which would be helpful to them.  There is no easy answer.

 

Ross Kirwin:  while visiting Midland, their Main Street is closed, and he asked people there how they are coping.  They replied that shops are still open, and they are managing.  Ross suggested the BIA could check with other towns to see how they coped. A: There was a town with the main street ripped up that our BIA has talked to and theirs was a success story.

 

Peter Redwood made a vote of thanks to Denise.  He stated that he watches council meetings and he is pleased that Denise is keeping things in check with her wisdom.  The club is making a donation to The Rotary Foundation on her behalf. 

 

 

Mary:  Her house is going on the market on Saturday and her real estate agent is Kim O’Grady, so they are busy.  They may buy a condo in “Tom”, in Campus Trails, which won’t be ready til next spring, so they may live on the street until then😊. 

 

IPP Drew:   They are considering seizing an opportunity to move to England for a year, although there are some complications.  Len and Nina went to their home to look at possibility of renting the house, and within 48 hours, they had secured a deal for a year, starting in September.  Drew is not sure if they will be moving away then, but they will be leaving their house.  So, this was a happy buck shout-out to Len and Nina, and their business.