Meeting Minutes 07-16-2026

Meeting Minutes: Westlake-Bay Village Rotary Club

 

Date: July 15, 2026

 

Location: Westlake Porter Public Library

 

Attendees: Jeff Appel, Alyssa Damm, Glenn F., Scott Goggins, Lisa Hebert, John Hanna, Justin Hien, Joe Kraft, Kevin Krantz, Gary Lydrickson, Andrew Mangels, Brian Moran, Wayne Neiman, Shane O'Brien, Steve Pettyjohn, Gene Sasso, Tim Smith, Terri Speck, Jim Strunk. Jeff Trowbridge, guest and member prospect attended his 3rd meeting. Scott Goggin also had a guest,

 

Transcription Summary from Audio Recording (Full notes available upon request.)

 

 

Opening & Traditions

  • Invocation & Pledge: The meeting began with an opening invocation focusing on planting seeds of service, wisdom, and courage. This was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test.
  • Exchange Program Interest: The start of the meeting was briefly delayed to welcome a local student and her mother from Westlake High School, who stopped in to express strong interest in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Terri will follow up with them.
  • Guest Welcome: The club welcomed Nick Miller, the Principal of Dover Intermediate School (Westlake City Schools), who attended as a guest and shared that he has worked with the district since 2006.
  • Member Recognition: Congratulations were extended to John Hannah on receiving a pin for his Paul Harris Fellow milestone.

Upcoming Community Events & Announcements

  • Edna House "Christmas in July": Members were invited to attend this event on Thursday, July 23rd, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, featuring laughter tours and an ice cream truck.
  • Diaper Drop: The annual diaper drop collection is active with two weeks remaining; members are asked to bring in their diaper donations by July 29th.
  • Connecting for Kids Fundraiser: The "Embracing the Pace" 5K event is scheduled for August 22nd.
  • Annual Golf Outing: Registration is officially open for the annual golf fundraiser. Information sheets with a QR code for players and sponsors are being distributed. Focus will shift to raising sponsorship and silent auction items as soon as the Art Festival concludes.
  • Alzheimer’s Association Walk: The walk is scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd, at LCCC in Elyria. Rotary is aiming to raise over $1 million nationally under the Rotary Action Group banner.
  • Cleveland Guardians Outing (Wednesday, August 19th): Members were reminded to sign up by the July 31st deadline. The event will take place at the Paul Davis Plaza area and features food, raffles, and social time.
  • Declaration of Independence Reading Recap: The library's recent public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the pavilion was a great success, drawing about 50 attendees and featuring the Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard.

Special Focus: Art Festival Logistics (A Week and a Half Out)

  • The bulk of the meeting was dedicated to final logistical planning for the upcoming annual Art Festival.
  • Sponsorships: The club has raised $16,750 in sponsorships to date. High-resolution logos are being gathered for banner printing, which will begin early next week. Last-minute sponsors can still be accommodated over the next few days.
  • Artist Participation: A total of 70 artists are officially registered—matching last year's target—with roughly half of them being brand-new to the festival. The club discussed printing "First Time Vendor" signs to give these artists an extra warm welcome.
  • Friday Setup (Day Before Festival):
    • Setup begins at 8:00 AM. Volunteers are needed to pound fence posts, string up fencing, measure and spray-paint booth boundaries, hang sponsor banners, and stage tables and chairs outside. The raffle tent and a special hybrid art display tent will also be erected on Friday.
  • Saturday Festival Day Timeline:
    • 6:00 AM: Setup crews and early volunteers arrive. Coffee and donuts will be provided.
    • 7:00 AM: Artists arrive for check-in and unloading.
    • 9:45 AM: Opening Ceremony, featuring a proclamation by Mayor Clough, remarks by Bay Village City Council President Dwight Clark, and words from the District Governor. All Rotarians are asked to gather at the main archway in their Rotary shirts/gear for a group photo immediately following the ceremony.
    • 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Festival hours.
    • 4:00 PM: Breakdown begins. High-school student volunteers (35 in the morning, 35 in the afternoon) will assist, but adult Rotarians are urgently needed to serve as "Team Leads" to coordinate the student groups.
  • Post-Festival: A volunteer thank-you party will be hosted in the beer and wine garden afterward.
  • Operations & Layout Details:
    • Festival parking will be directed to the adjacent school lot to keep the library's main lot open for regular patrons.
    • Golf carts will run a continuous shuttle service between the parking areas and the festival entrance.
    • Jim Strung will coordinate a volunteer grilling station behind the library loading dock to keep volunteers fed with hot dogs and water throughout the day.
    • The library's reading garden will serve as the restricted beer-and-wine garden. If a DORA is approved, attendees will be able to visit the artists and listen to music with their refreshments.

Happy Bucks

  • Celebrating Dover Intermediate School Principal Nick's leadership and welcoming him to his first Rotary meeting.
  • Personal achievements, including Justin's being recognized at a high-level Raymond James conference in Denver.
  • General gratitude for the hard work of the Art Festival committee and the community impact of Rotary's youth programs.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:36am.