Pagosa Springs Rotary ClubThe meeting’s business then began with the introduction by Dave Campbell of a new member, Frank Estes. Frank was sponsored by Pat Love, who took the floor for the fanciful recollection that she and Frank met “as children 30 years ago.” (Whether Pat’s fancy was to be found in the remoteness of the claimed meeting date, the stage of life at which it purportedly occurred, or both, was not clear, but it was well-recognized by many present.) Pat observed she was glad to be able to sponsor Frank, since her own membership began simply by crashing the party, armed with no sponsor but only a cheery smile.
CiCi Stuart started the meeting with a thoughtful invocation attributed to Mark Twain, in which the writer counseled lliving with courage, the human quality he reckoned as the root of integrity.
Sue Walen followed by leading the singing of “America the Beautiful.”
The meeting’s business then began with the introduction by Dave Campbell of a new member, Frank Estes. Frank was sponsored by Pat Love, who took the floor for the fanciful recollection that she and Frank met “as children 30 years ago.” (Whether Pat’s fancy was to be found in the remoteness of the claimed meeting date, the stage of life at which it purportedly occurred, or both, was not clear, but it was well-recognized by many present.) Pat observed she was glad to be able to sponsor Frank, since her own membership began simply by crashing the party, armed with no sponsor but only a cheery smile.
President Shellie Peterson then took a moment to remember Katy Threet, who passed away in Houston on May 13. Please see the obituary in the May 16, edition of the Pagosa Springs Sun. Codie Wilson will say a few words about how important the Threets have been in the Clubs efforts. Shellie simply sucks at this type of conversation.
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Exchanger Theo Bonlokke next reported that the Pagosa Springs High School baseball Pirates had made the Colorado State Playoffs. Fellow-exchanger Cata Acuilera rejoiced in the impending arrival of her family for a visit from home in Chile. She also invited Rotarians to the High School Choir recital next Thursday (while declining for the second week running an invitation from the indefatigable Dave Cammack to provide the meeting a preview sample of the choir’s repertoire).
Exchanger Theo Bonlokke next reported that the Pagosa Springs High School baseball Pirates had made the Colorado State Playoffs. Fellow-exchanger Cata Acuilera rejoiced in the impending arrival of her family for a visit from home in Chile. She also invited Rotarians to the High School Choir recital next Thursday (while declining for the second week running an invitation from the indefatigable Dave Cammack to provide the meeting a preview sample of the choir’s repertoire).
How sad we will bee to see these fine students leave us!
Kim Moore announced the May 25 Vets 4 Vets golf tournament. (A scramble, your reporter thought Kim said. To some people, that refers to eggs, but to golfers it evidently means something altogether different. What that may be, exactly, is not clear to those of us whose horizons are more limited. But come to think of it, my own few golfing efforts have involved scrambling, mostly through the woods in search of my ball. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what Kim had in mind.)
Birthdays were then announced with élan by our inimitable Betty “Bubbles” Switzer. Livia Lynch, John Shepard and Melanie Garrett were the honorees, whose natal dates were robustly celebrated by an assortment of voices, ranging from motley to soaring (one can’t be sure, but Dave C may have been closer to the motley end of the spectrum, where your reporter was to be found bellowing lustily.)
Betty then branched out to anniversaries, announcing 19 years of bliss for Shellie and Kim Peterson, 28 for Marianne and Mike DeVooght, and 39 years for Margaret and Larry McClintock. Betty’s bubble brandishing show was then completed with announcements of one-year Rotary anniversaries for Ci Ci and Bruce Stuart, Georgann Baumgartner, Sandra Houston and Alan Roth.
Betty then branched out to anniversaries, announcing 19 years of bliss for Shellie and Kim Peterson, 28 for Marianne and Mike DeVooght, and 39 years for Margaret and Larry McClintock. Betty’s bubble brandishing show was then completed with announcements of one-year Rotary anniversaries for Ci Ci and Bruce Stuart, Georgann Baumgartner, Sandra Houston and Alan Roth.
Livia then came forward again for the eagerly anticipated announcement of the 2019 Rotary Scholarship awards. Before she announced the winners sharing in this year’s $37,000 Rotary bounty, Livia acknowledged committee members Marianne D, Melanie G., Alan R., Betty S (still trailing bubbles), Pat Love, and Meg Wempe for their hard work. (Your reporter can verify from discussion with at least one of the members, that the committee indeed deserves congratulations for its diligence and effort devoted to what is one of Rotary’s signature community contributions.)
Winners (including College plans to the extent recorded by a reporter handicapped with a slow pen and fading hearing, compounded by the absence of a few winners) are: Javier Marinelarena (Univ. of Colorado), Nathan Lewis (Iowa State), Sara Ross (Cody Wilson’s granddaughter, headed to Sothern Oregon Univ.), Cole Cayard (University of Denver), Kianna Plate (Ft. Lewis), Morgan Thompson (Colorado State Univ.), Paul Farrah, Cade Cowan, Cameron Lucero, Jonathon Robel (Colorado School of Mines), Madison Peart (Brigham Young University), and Edgar Arellano. All were welcomed with a hearty round of applause.
The last item of Rotary business came courtesy of Bob Eggleston, who asked, can you add (e.g. 10 + 11 = ?). If you know the answer is 21, proclaimed Bob, chair for the Rotary Casino Night to be staged June 21, who was looking to round out the roster of dealers, “I can use you.” (Hint: offer coffee and donuts, Bob, or perhaps something more nearly associated with the event. Check with Jann on proper technique for the offer of inducements. And remember, there won’t be any snow, so talk that up too!)
Next week’s meeting on May 23rd will kick-off the Casino Night promotional effort, Bob added, and tickets will be distributed to members for sale.
Pat Love reminded all that decorations will be needed for the PLPOA events center, venue for Casino Night, and solicited volunteers for the decorating committee.
Speakers: Jodi Scarpa, Sherry Waner, Mary Jo Coulehan, Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation
The Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation (CDC) works, according to its website pagosaspringscdc.org, to “help change the economic future of Pagosa Springs.” Among other things, the CDC
- Provides strategic direction for the community’s economic future;
- Seeks to build economic development networks among constituents including community businesses, Region 9 Economic Development District, Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center at Fort Lewis College in Durango, and agencies of the State of Colorado;
- Helps administer Enterprise Zone Tax credits that provide tax incentives to encourage businesses to locate here and expand;
- Gathers, interprets and presents data about economic activity in Archuleta County; and
- Advises businesses as they begin, grow and mature.
The not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization is funded by its membership, and by contributions from Archuleta County and the Town of Pagosa Springs.
CDC board President Jodi Scarpa, Pagosa Springs Medical Center Foundation Director, led off the presentation by boiling the website’s description down to some key elements: the organization’s efforts focus on planning for infrastructure, supporting existing businesses and assisting start-ups, and overall, seeking to facilitate business growth and to build local employment.
Ms. Scarpa cited the CDC’s work on bringing improved broadband internet service to the community as an example. Mary Jo Coulehan, Director of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce, which contracts to provide administrative support to the CDC, then gave more details on the CDC’s broadband effort.
The need for improvement in broadband infrastructure is obvious to all in the community, Ms. Coulehan observed. Achievement of the goal of improvement is challenging due to low population density and difficult terrain, she said, which increase the capital cost of service delivery and diminish the rewards of commercial investment. To overcome the resulting lag in private investment, she related, the CDC started its mission to improve broadband by hiring a consultant to identify specific improvement targets based on impact and feasibility, having high value sufficient to justify publicly supported effort.
With broadband targets chosen, the CDC is moving forward, Ms. Coulehan told us, with efforts to secure grant funding from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to establish “last mile” connectivity in unserved areas (last mile referring to facilities for the final connection to service users).
With respect to large areas of the community currently having internet service at levels that have become obsolete, middle mile connectivity will be built out from the existing regional SCAN network, which runs through Pagosa in the Highway 160 corridor. SCAN is a high-capacity, fiber optic cable network, which was originally developed throughout the region several years ago to provide high speed internet access to public facilities (government installations, schools, public districts, etc.).
A substantial, and so-far unused part of the cable included in the SCAN network is owned locally by the Town and the County, which have both agreed to dedicate their unused cable to a system now being established under CDC guidance to deliver high speed broadband to customers in the community.
The plan being followed will involve leasing access to the existing publicly-owned, SCAN fiber to commercial Internet Service Providers. Leases will be on condition of use of the access promptly to provide delivery of last mile service to consumers. Thus, essential infrastructure will become available for broadband service in the community, without the need for commercially profitable return on expensive capital investments.
Customers should begin to see changes in the availability of high-speed internet service for homes and businesses as early as the end of this year, Ms. Coulehan predicted, and progress will pick-up further in 2020.
The CDC’s Sherry Waner, 1st Southwest Bank Chief of Development, then took over the presentation. She described CDC’s program to make “microloans” available to local businesses on terms that would not be available from commercial lenders. The loans are designed to help cover the cost of small start-up investments, she said, mentioning loans made to a medical practice, an auto repair shop, and a vending machine business as examples.
Ms. Waner also discussed the CDC’s involvement in facilitating exploitation of the relatively new, federal Opportunity Zone tax incentive program. The CDC has provided educational presentations on the program, and will help with identification of eligible projects.
Ms. Scarpa then closed with a mention of the CDC’s plans for expansion of its efforts, including hiring an executive director to oversee its increasing work. Noting the upcoming Economic Development Luncheon on May 22, she commented that participation in the CDC is an investment in a stronger community.