Little Sugar Creek Greenway
By: Jill Santuccio
    
                          
A quartet of speakers informed the club about progress on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway (LSCG), Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence Day on May 20 and related activities. Leading off was the club’s own inimitable Tony Zeiss. He reminded members that the Rotary Club of Charlotte has been involved in the LSCG for nearly a decade and that the original concept followed a chamber visit to the Denver/Pueblo, Colo., area – home to a similar project.
 
The urban section of our Trail of History extends from Cordelia Park in NoDa through the Metropolitan to Carolinas Medical Center and the edge of Freedom Park. The 15-mile LSCG ends at the state line near Carolina Place mall.
  
The largest element of the LSCG and historic trail project that our club was involved in is the clock tower located at Kings Drive and Morehead. We made a significant financial contribution, augmented by Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation as well as private donations.
 
Julie Clark of Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation provided more information on the LCSG, which she called the “spine” of the 258-mile Carolina Thread Trail spearheaded by the Catawba Lands Conservancy. She outlined how LSCG is more than just open space: it is a linear legacy park, a source of transportation recognized by a $5 million investment from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, an example of creek restoration and water protection, an economic development tool as it is the core of the Metropolitan sales center and a shining example of partnerships with Mecklenburg County, CPCC, our club and other organizations participating.
 
Rotarian Chase Saunders told of the James Jack sculpture and how many club members pitched in to make his dream of an artistic testament to “our guy who finished the ride” come true. Jack was the horseman who carried the original Mecklenburg County Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1775. Chase recognized visitor Charles Jonas of the May 20 Society – the driving force behind the celebration of the historic date and the group that has generated much of the funding for keeping history alive through these projects.
 
Moira Quinn of Center City Partners- and a May 20 Society board member – highlighted the festivities that will take place on May 20, including NPR senior news analyst Cokie Roberts speaking to a group of school children in the morning. The unveiling of the James Jack statue will take place at 11:30 a.m. near the intersection of Fourth Street and Kings Drive. Since CPCC will not be in session, Tony Zeiss recommended that visitors park in the theater/faculty deck on Fourth Street.
 
Throughout the presentation, Dr. Zeiss and others pointed out the numerous contributions of an esteemed list of club members and visitors who helped with various elements of the project. The list is long and thus your Rotary Reporter will decline naming them all for fear of omitting some.
         
 
Head Table: Quincy Foil, Mark Jones, John Snyder, Tod Thorne, Tony Zeiss, Chase Saunders, Tom Hodges;
Invocation: Lisa Mask;
Visitors & Guests: David Zimmerman; Health & Happiness: Tony Zeiss; Song and Piano: Thomas Moore; Photos: Bert Voswinkel

•  Thanks to David Norman for his time and talent to take photos for the Roster; Bill Constangy finished first place in the nonpartisan primary for Superior Court; Cindy Wolfe, Elsie Garner and Meg McElwain were recognized in Charlotte Business Journal’s 2010 class of Women In Business Achievement; read the May edition of greater charlotte biz for a profile of law firm, James McElroy & Diehl (Pender McElroy); Alan Adler and Jim Kothe have collaborated to present a program to several Rotary clubs around the District on attracting and retaining customer; Leland Park was at Rotary looking fit as a fiddle; DavidsonNews.net posts a story on Pat Millen, wife Eileen Keeley and their three children as they celebrate living in Davidson for 20 years. Leland Park reports living in Davidson for 43 years.
     
• John Tabor recognized Jerry Walters and John Mahaffey, Paul Harris Fellow and Henry Snead, Level Four for their contributions and support to The Rotary Foundation. President John thanked John T. for his efforts to increase sustaining and Paul Harris Society members and also presented John with his Level Two pin. It was also announced that David Zimmerman has become a member of the Bequest Society, which is a designation of $10,000 or more in your Will.
        
• HOST FAMILIES NEEDED! Plans are underway to host exchange students from Thailand (boy) and Germany (girl) this fall. The students will attend Charlotte Country Day and Myers Park and host families are needed. Please contact Matt Joyner for the details.

Recap of monumental measures taken by the 2010 Council on Legislation: make e-clubs a permanent part of Rotary International, create a fifth Avenue of Service for New Generations, increase the annual per capita dues that clubs pay to RI by US$1, and give Rotarians in North America a choice of how they receive The Rotarian.
 
Representatives approved a $1 increase in annual per capita dues starting in 2011-12 that will allow RI's budget to remain profitable through 2013, but experience a deficit of about $3 million by 2015. Rotary clubs will pay per capita dues to RI of $51 per year in 2011-12, $52 per year in 2012-13, and $53 per year in 2013-14. Per capita dues were already set at $50 for 2010-11.
 
After years as part of a pilot project, e-clubs found a permanent home in Rotary. Representatives approved a measure that will allow up to two e-clubs per district, amended from just one per district. Proponents of the amendment argued that districts that use more than one language would be better served by more e-clubs.
 
Representatives also voted to add a fifth Avenue of Service, New Generations, to the four that already exist: Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service. Before starting a project, Rotarians are asked to think broadly about how their club and its members can contribute within each avenue. Supporters of the fifth avenue feel it will encourage and recognize the positive change implemented by youth and young adults involved in leadership development efforts, service projects, and exchange programs.
 
In the final days of the Council, representatives voted to give Rotarians in the United States and Canada the option of receiving an electronic version of The Rotarian magazine. The Council rejected a proposal to completely do away with the subscription requirement, but it did allow for joint subscriptions for two Rotarians residing at the same address. It also voted against giving a choice between print and electronic magazines to Rotarians living outside North America.
The Council on Legislation meets every three years to consider changes to the RI Constitution, RI Bylaws, and the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. This year's Council convened 25-30 April. Representatives from Rotary's 531 districts considered more than 200 pieces of legislation submitted by Rotary clubs, districts, and the RI Board of Directors.