Club Business
President Jim Cartner opened the meeting. Thomas Phelps led us in prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Carolyn Rhode introduced her boss, Dr. Algie Gatewood. Next week Katie Dukeshire has the program. A club assembly is scheduled for July 31st.
Happy Dollar Announcements
- Jim Carter celebrated yesterday’s baseball miracle. The Burlington Royals were down 2-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, but won on a walk-off homerun, boosting their record to 6-21 for the season.
- Dick O’Donnell congratulated Marybeth Delfs on the opening of her new business, Burlington Weight and Wellness Center. He also mentioned that he and his wife are heading for Walla Walla, WA tomorrow evening to see the grandkids.
- Thomas Phelps was glad to finally put to use his twelve years in Catholic School when he led prayer today.
- Micah Fox gave kudos to Carolyn Gibbs for the tremendous job she does as club secretary.
- Carolyn paid a dollar to say, “Thanks.”
Club Member Responsible for Our Program: Brian Dement
Brian is a newly minted past president, a title he relishes. He attended UNC-Chapel Hill and loves all things Tar Heel. He works for Diversified Testing Labs. He is married to Patty, his wife of 17 years. They have a son, aged 16, who is about to enter the world of driving. Brian loves Alabama football, traveling, and Formula One racing.
Dan Ingle and Cindy Brady – Why we need to vote “yes” for two bonds and a sales tax increase in November
Dan Ingle is no stranger to most of the folks in our club. He is married to Debbie, with whom he has four daughters and nine grandchildren. Over the years he has served our community in a variety of capacities, ranging from Elon Chief of Police, County Commissioner, and State House Representative.
His program focused on why we need to raise taxes and vote for bonds. His first point was that we need to pass the bond for high school construction because we have not built a new high school in fifty years, Cummings being the last to go up. We are unacceptably overcrowded at Southern, Eastern, and Western, due to the fact that our population has doubled since the last construction project and more people are moving in all the time. Modular classrooms cannot solve the problem, since the lack of space shows up most significantly in the cafeterias, bathrooms, hallways, and auditorium areas.
Dan then shifted his attention to the bond that will provide for new construction at Alamance Community College, which he described as a “real jewel” for the county. ACC also suffers from overcrowding. Dan stated that we get a tremendous return on our investment there. They need a new biotech center, an expansion of the nursing program, a public safety training center, a child development center, satellite programs in the west and east, and a new student center.
Lastly Dan advocated for passing the quarter cent sales tax, which would alleviate the cost burden for the two bonds on property owners, since a good percentage of that increase will be paid by retail shoppers from other areas. Groceries and gas will be exempted.
Cindy Brady concluded the presentation by saying she believes passing these bonds is very doable. She requested that members volunteer to advocate for passage by completing the cards found on each table.
Conclusion
Katie Dukeshire failed to draw the Ace of Hearts; so, the raffle pot continues to grow. President Cartner donated a book to our speaker, following our year long emphasis on literacy. To conclude, we all stood to recite Rotary’s four way test before Jim adjourned the meeting.