The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on January 31, 2022 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
President Dave DeBois rang the bell at 6:30 p.m., calling the club meeting to order.
Brian Tucker led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were George Anderson, Pete Anderson, David Aubry, Rich Bergdahl, Gary Cohn*, David DeBois, Shellie Gehring, Margie Glenn*, Brandon Honcoop, Michael Hunter, Laura Loomis, Jim Meniketti, Rick Ostrander, John Pruitt, Patti Smith, John Storbeck, Bill Taylor*, Brian Tucker, and Rick Walter. *Attended the meeting online.
Guests:
There were no new guests this evening. Isabelle Kalisa, whose membership begins tomorrow, was warmly welcomed as a new member with a round of applause.
Greeter:
Our greeter this evening was Jim Meniketti, who manned the front desk.
Announcements & Club Business:
Steve Shinstrom announced that he will be hosting a Bunco party at his house April 19. Mark your calendars. We do need a bit of cheer and frivolous fun. (Members may sign up for the event using ClubRunner; see the related article in the Spokesman.)
President Dave made several announcements:
- The results of the recent Club survey will be discussed at the next Board meeting. The results will then be shared with members, perhaps in a Zoom meeting.
- The Duck Dash will be during Summerfest, July 29-31, rather than Oktoberfest.
- A Tiny House building organization is looking for volunteers to help build such structures in May – no carpentry skills need.
- On April 20 there will be a fund raiser for Issaquah Rotary at Pickering Barn.
- One Monday we may join a District 5030 Zoom meeting on preventing sex trafficking.
- The Kirkland morning Rotary Club is interested in a joint get-together, perhaps at the Flatstick Pub. The morning Club is raising money for food in Antigua.
- We are looking at meeting April 18 at Electric Boat in Kirkland, and doing a scavenger hunt.
- February 25 is the Hearts & Wine Event – sign up for this Harvest Against Hunger fundraiser.
Happy Bucks:
There were no Happy Bucks collected during this meeting.
Program:
President Dave introduced our speaker, Elizabeth McGovern for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Ms. McGovern spoke to us about the state’s court-ordered effort to retrofit stream crossing so that they are more migrating-fish friendly. The court injunction covers much of northwestern Washington and is aimed primarily at improving survivability of salmon and steelhead runs. The court’s mandate requires that 95% of affected culverts controlled by WSDOT in 2013 be ‘fixed’ by 2030.
Ms. McGovern described some of the issues being addressed such as water velocity and elevation drop, that currently make it difficult for migrating fish move up or down a waterway to the ocean. She described the types of barriers being addressed and how they are corrected. There are various solutions available, such as removing the need for a highway to cross the stream, removing culverts and installing a full-span bridge, and building a stream-simulation culvert that mimics a natural stream. WSDOT has a responsibility to see that these issues are addressed even if all the roads involved are not owned by WSDOT.
WSDOT has coordinated with many entities – tribes, regulators, local jurisdictions, etc.
Rotarians had several observations and questions following her talk, and we all came away with a better understanding of many of the issues involved.
President Dave announced that Renton Rotary will be helping clean up along the Duwamish April 16, for Rotary District Service Day. They would welcome volunteers to participate.
Joker Pool:
There was not a Joker Pool this evening.
Adjournment:
President Dave rang the bell at 7:35 p.m. to adjourn the meeting.
Respectfully Submitted
Dave Aubry – Acting Scribe