Rotary Minutes 5/6/26
7:15 Meeting called to order by President Deborah
Pledge of Allegiance
Welcome to our guests:
Lyla Thorne - Winston Prouty Building Project
Student Rotarian - Gilbert
Former Student Rotarian - Ava
Thank yous to:
Jon for serving - ( next week Melissa)
MJ scribe - ( next week Jon)
Greeters - Josh and Will
Sergeant at arms - Justin
Treasurer - John
Secretary - Melissa
Announcements:
Sandy - Michael McGillian - new lawyer at Shriver Law Firm
Nick - Green Up Day - 13 bags at Exit 1 finished in about an hour ( less Busch light and more sushi ) Add it to 30 f0r 30
Board Meeting on Thursday ( 5/7/26 ) at Nick’s Office
Pot Luck at Deborah’s on Saturday night
Tristam looking for feedback on T shirts - $ 17.00 - $18.00 C & S will print them . Provide a shirt for new members is a possibility
Dan - Blood Drive - May 19 - Pass around the sign-up sheet
Sandy - History Walk June 20 and 27
Mona - Bingo - May 16 - can drop food off at MJ’s
Mona - Welcome Center - June 20 - Nick will help coordinate We cannot sell coffee .
MJ - Book update . All Brattleboro books are in and sorted . Waiting on outlying schools and will coordinate distribution
Deb - Scholarship Committee - Have 9 applications including 1 for Penfield . Due May 9th
Tristam - Haiti Water Sanitation - He listens in each week on Zoom - Very well-managed project
Gilbert - All State Band tomorrow in Burlington - Spring sports - track - and the year is winding down
Ava - sophomore at University of Michigan - molecular science with medical school in her future. Working in an ER part time and very appreciative for the Rotary
Breakfast/Social time
Reconvene
Anniversaries: Jim Maxwell 13 years - shared about his family
Brags:
Josh: 1. Jon is a great biker and Josh will buy breakfast for anyone who bikes or walks 2. Brag for Kristin and the event at the Retreat Farm that includes Ken Burns 3. The Rotary post from the club in Bombay that emphasized what it means to be a Rotarian
Nick: Green Up Day crew and his Celtics lost to Sandy’s Sixers - will cost him a drink
Justin: The 10th will mark four years of his long-term Covid diagnosis and although he has less energy and is more tired he has more time to volunteer and is now “ understanding what actually matters”
Will: The Retreat Farm Event that includes author Jill Lepore - Pulitzer Prize winner - We The People
Dan: New Orleans volunteer event that he and Deborah volunteered at and they saw the Eagles
Deborah: For Josh who knew about the New Orleans event
Speaker Lila Thorne is introduced by Sandy ( The Village at Winston Prouty)
- Appreciates Rotary and has had a connection for many years - including having a child who will be receiving a book
- She has a consulting firm that is “guiding the project” - campaign to raise $4,750,000.00
- Winston Prouty began in 1969, moved to the Austine Campus in 2016 and began this housing project in 2023
- Winston Prouty has the infrastructure - has the open space- convenient to I 91 - access to public trails - access to childcare on campus
- Plan to build 30 units in a three-story building for middle income families
- No federal funding only private fund-raising
- Rent between $1,400.00 and $3,200.00 for 6 options of apartments
- Winston Prouty will be the owner no HOA fees
- Question about communal space- might build a rec center- maybe have community events happen there
- This project might “ put Brattleboro on the map” for thinking creatively about money and the housing concerns
- To get the $4,000.00 from the State we need $2,000.00 by June 1 - Have 625,000 of that
- 14 month build - to start in 2026 and be ready to lease in 2027 - Already have a wait list
Cards - In the deck
Four-Way Test
Adjourn