Our April 7 meeting at Seascape had 28 attendees in person and 3 on zoom.
Constantine was a non-surprise guest and during the pre-meeting social got chatted up into having an event at his Bed and Breakfast which is near the Boardwalk- looks like that will be in June.
Al keyboarded us in the Welcome Song I n his inimitable style, but- we miss Sam’s accompanying guitar.
Dr. Art’s thought for the day hit home- “You know your age when you sit on the floor and can’t get up”
Announcements: Keith reminded everyone that his Cinco de Mayo party is on Uno de Mayo at his house. Every event at Keith’s house is a great time. He passed around the signup sheet. Guests are welcome and encouraged. Parking is tight so car-pooling is encouraged.
Dagmar reported on the beach cleanup- a comparatively small turnout was attributed to the 9am start time (usually 10 am) so the next one will start at 10 am. The small but mighty crew picked up 17 lbs. of trash including over 150 cigarette butts and a bunch of recyclables. The event saw the debut of Rotary capes which appear to confer superhero powers on the wearers. Michele and Kunha looked like Supergirl and Wonder Woman.
Win announced the non-denominational concert at his church which is raising money for Ukraine.
Dr. Art was honored with a Paul Harris Award certificate recognizing his incredibly generous donations.
He then was the detective and asked members to name a Black author and/or a book written by a Black author. The club members did pretty well- Oprah, the Obamas, Dr. King, James Baldwin, and a few members knew authors and books that Dr. Art didn’t know about.
Don’t even want to mention Rich’s answer… accurate but…..
Our guest was Jack Brown who spoke on behalf of Yes on Greenway. Jack had a slide show and an oral presentation and took questions from the members, and there was some discussion among the members. Hoyles Rules were not strictly followed.
Highlights of Jack’s presentation:
The proposed pedestrian/bike trail will be paid for by existing funds from proposition D. The proposed railway would cost millions of dollars.
The existing rails cannot carry any trains other than 5-10 mph freight, and freight traffic is minimal since the Davenport cement plant closed. The measure would probably result in the existing tracks being torn up.
The rail trail runs from Watsonville to the San Lorenzo bridge just South of the Boardwalk, it is 32 miles. It does not impact Big Trees/Roaring Camp’s line.
Rail Banking maintains the status of the land so that future rail use is not forfeited.
If passed, the proposition would amend the current county plan from the current focus on developing a passenger rail line from Watsonville to Los Gatos, to prioritizing the trail.
RTC surveys in 2016 showed only 300 riders would use the service. Michele Bassi noted that neither she, nor anyone else she knew in Watsonville, had been contacted and there was very little information circulated to Watsonvillians.
Laura questioned the wisdom of dismantling the existing alternative infrastructure to Hwy 1, especially given the daily traffic jams.
Kelly noted the great expense of maintaining/repairing the deteriorating trestles.
Doug pointed out that all commuter train systems are heavily subsidized, the fares do not fully pay for construction and maintenance.
Jack said one problem with the proposed passenger train is that it would require riders to drive or otherwise make their way to the train stations, ride in with stops along the way, then find another way to get to their destination.
Anissa won the raffle in her leopard print dress.
Actual Cinco de Mayo is Thursday (do we have to say May 5?) and that lunch, as well as 4/28, will be at Michael’s on Main.
(May 4th is Star Wars Day….if you don’t know why, say the date slowly).
PLEASE fill out the RSVPs for the lunches, even for Michael’s on Main. Every restaurant that we contacted (about 12) said they would require it and the area presidents who are looking for new places also report that head counts are required. Kendra has made the form as easy as possible and if we don’t get accurate head counts we will either be paying for meals that go uneaten (no doggie bags allowed for buffets, per state law) or we will be short of food- as happened this past Thursday.
See everyone at Seascape on April 14!
