Rotary Club of Marana
 
                                                                            
Following the Pledge of Allegiance President Tony Hunter searched furtively and  futilely for anyone with a song or even a thought.
Quickly moving on with the deftness of all great public speakers, our President whipped out from behind the rostrum a banner from the Rotary Club of Eureka, Arkansas. This banner was brought back to us from member Bob Bishop who did a make up while visiting in Eureka. Thus Bob was marked as attending today's meeting although he was not here today!
 
There is a New Member seminar to be held August 11th in Green Valley. Tony would like for at least three members to attend. Membership Chairman Randy Brooks will be out of state on Rotary business that weekend. Cost for the half day sesion, which I believe includes lunch, is $30. I believe we have Denise West as a probable attendee. Think about it and, if interested, let Tony know. Possibly carpool and a singalong in transit may entice an additional two members?
 
The Board has agreed to spend $2,500 from the Marana Rotary Foundation towards a District Grant match for assessment costs of our planned Global Grant project in Africa. The $2,500 commitment was made with the understanding that $2,000 will be raised by specific club members with $500 from current Foundation money.
 
District 5500 sent our a club a letter documenting the completion of our 2017/2018 Literacy project. Well Done! Jo Holt was given a round of applause for her leadership. Jo also announced her leave of absence for the next three months while political commitments consume her time.
 
DG Kirk Reed here next Tuesday.
In two weeks we meet at The Marana Town Hall Conference Center for our annual assembly.
 
Treasurer Lynne Himmer reports we made a profit of $5,000 from our Tour de Cookie event. Big thanks to Dan Contorno and all who worked to make this a success.
 
A tour of The Port of Tucson has been organized by Presidio Rotary Club. It will take place Wednesday 8/8/2018. Call John Dooling if interested for details. 744-3998.
 
HAPPY BUCKS
Dan- Has plumbing leak in his Pinetop Trailer and daughter's car is broken down.(Is it just me or does Dan not understand the concept of HAPPY BUCKS?)
Peter-The well traveled Mr Mack just returned from England where a celebration of his fathers life was held. His father was 87.
Denise-Pleased to have the Marana Town Manager as our speaker today.
David-Clouds, rain and the cooler weather
Don-His wife's eye surgeries are complete and successful. Headed to Seattle for a couple of weeks.
Randy-Headed to state of Washington and on to Canada for two or three weeks. Plans to visit John Zwick.
Randy also promised two Paul Harris Fellow's to our membership. One to the member who recruits the most members the first six months of the year and ditto for the second six months.
 
Joke Off
Lynne-Late at night a drunk sneaks into his home and falls on his kiester breaking the two bottles of booze in his back pockets. He attempts to bandaid his cuts using the hall mirror before stumbling off to bed. In the morning his frau confronts him with his drunken status the night before. "What gave it away?" he asks. His wife explains, "The front door was left open, there was whisky and broken glass in the hallway and there were bandaids all over the mirror!"................ Now that's funny!
 
Maeve-Needs to work on her delivery. Patron asks for a glass of punch at the bar. Bartender says "You will have to get in line." The guy looks around. There is no punch line............... You know, this is actually funnier when I type it than when Maeve told the joke.
 
If you are still reading it must be because you are interested in what Jamsheed Mehta, Marana Town Manager, had to say. Jamsheed was born in Karachi, Pakistan and educated as a civil engineer at The University of Kansas. He was Transportation Director in Glendale, AZ prior to coming to Marana. He got on his audience's good side early by relating his familiarity with the global good works of Rotary International specifically programs for the visually impaired and polio inoculations in Pakistan. He believes RI has been doing good in Pakistan for possibly 100 years. 
The Town of Marana is dependent on construction revenue directly or indirectly for roughly 80% of its budget. This is fine for many years into the future as there is much land to grow, however this will have to change as time goes on and construction plateaus. Also, recovering from the Great Recession has been slow. Many developers have reduced lot sizes from 10,000 square feet to 6,000 square feet. Population has increased from 35,000 to 45,000 over the past ten years which is good but less than projected ten years ago. This year 818 new single family home construction permits have been issued.There are four parks in various stages of development, a four story hotel to open in three months, two senior care centers and an apartment building under construction right now.
A major concern is the Marana Main Gate. The ambiance one feels when first entering the town of Marana is very important to attract future citizens and businesses. Perks are available to entice builders to plan parking in the rear of their establishments and possibly town parking within walking distance to local stores to preclude the need for parking lots.
Marana has 18 miles of frontage road on Interstate 10 and  an airport with plenty of space for expansion and long runways. The waste water treatment plant is now three times the size as when purchased from the city of Tucson a few years ago. Water access is being jointly planned with Metropolitan Water District and the Town of Oro Valley.
Speaking of water, much of Marana is in the 100 year Flood Zone. The so called Tortolita Alluvial Plan brings flood water west from the Tortolita Mountains towards Marana. The S&P railroad serves a berm as does Interstate 10. As land is rezoned to housing more flood prevention projects will be required. Much land within Marana is state owned and will be sold off for development in the coming years with proceeds going to fund education statewide.
The town took over its own Animal Control within its boundaries from Pima County this past year. While there were some Doubting Thomas's the takeover has been a resounding success with 50% of lost animals being returned to their owners the first day of the loss being reported.
There are numerous community programs for citizen involvement and a Citizens Forum to bring issues before the Town Council.
Marana prides itself on being family friendly and their Founders Day, Harvest Day and Fourth of July celebrations are evidence of this commitment.
 
 
 
Following up on our club meeting this morning, I have two additional items I would like share with you.
 
  • Marana Rotary Foundation Board
    • I am requesting volunteers for the Foundation board. We will need at least four to meet our requirement, but more are welcome if there is an interest. The duty of this board is primarily to review funding requests and ensure the proper stewardship of Foundation funds. It does not meet often and is not an exceptional time commitment, but it is a very important role indeed.
    • Please relate your interest in serving to me by email.  
    • We will confirm our Foundation Board at the club assembly meeting. 
  • Club Assembly
    • As mentioned at the club meeting, our club assembly on the 31st will be held at the Marana Town Hall at 7:00 AM, address below:
Conference Center
Marana Municipal Complex
11555 W. Civic Center Dr.
Marana, AZ 85653
  • When you arrive, please park in the Visitor's parking lot and proceed up the outer stairwell to the 2nd-floor terrace. The conference center is just a short walk towards the far end of the building. 
  • Donuts, danishes, and coffee will be provided. 
Thank you all for your service, and let's all look forward to the visit from DG Kirk Reed next Tuesday!
 
YIR,
Tony
 
P.S. If you are planning on attending the district's membership seminar, here is the registration link .