ImageJune 4, 2014 Newsletter    Image

By John Hammer

Charlotte Shelburne Rotary

 

 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 7:15 a.m.

Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room

Welcome

President Dave opened the meeting with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom gave the invocation.

Guests: Clary Franko, SunCommon - Speaker

Upcoming:

Mid-June – Volunteer work in repairing a second (and shorter) bridge at the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge. The Hinesburg garden shed project is still in the design phase though the lumber has been delivered.

June 6 – Bowlathon at Champlain Lanes.

June 11 – Committee Meetings

June 11 – Essex Rotary Golf Championship.

June 12 – Board Meeting.

June 18 – Jan DeMers – Champlain Valley Office of Opportunity.

June 26 – Changing of the Guard at the Trinity Church Parish Hall.

July 28 or 29 – Camp Ta KumTa Breakfast

Week of July 22-Aug 2 – Volunteer at Charlotte Frogbit eradication project.

August 22 – Volunteer support to the Charlotte Senior Center Annual BBQ

District 7850 Calendar: Hot Link http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Events/EventsCalendar.aspx?accountid=50051

Announcements

Bowlathon – Ric invited all interested members to try to attend.

Projects – Michael Clapp reported, “No more current news.”

Shelburne Veterans’ Memorial – Sam Feitelberg reported that they had raised $4,800 from the raffle tickets and all told they have raised $40,000 towards the Shelburne Veterans’ Memorial. He thanked all who had contributed thus far.

Rotary Foundation Drive – Pat Sokolowski has reopened her drive for the next three weeks with a matching of donations for the Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus. Limit this time is $100. Roz said she had redeemed credit card mileage awards as cash and contributed that to the Rotary Foundation.

Shelburne Library – Lara Keenan mentioned that the Pierson Library’s long-standing book reader for youths, Mary Catherine Jones, was giving her last reading on Thursday. Mary Catherine has been reading books to children for many years every Thursday morning. She will be missed. Mary Catherine is the mother of Caroline Jones, our club’s winner of the Rotary speech contest last year. The library will commence its summer reading program on June 21 with a science-centered program entitled “Fizz, Boom, Read!”

CVU Graduation – Joan Lennes reported that CVU will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at its commencement day on June 13 at 1215 in the Patrick Gym of UVM. All graduates from the past are invited to process in at that time. There will be a reception afterwards.

Sergeant at Arms

Terrill Titus – Paid fine for her great anniversary yesterday and also for the Shelburne Farmers’ Market.

Pat Sokolowski – Will be celebrating her 35th wedding anniversary next Tuesday.

Linda Gilbert – Had a wildlife experience this morning when she observed a rather bold fox about 20 feet away. It just looked at her, turned and trotted away.

Kris Engstrom – Happy for her second bionic eye.

Roz Graham – Had a wildlife experience as well as she noted a small fawn in the field across the road from her office window. It was being approached by a large brush-hogging tractor about 20’ away. As most fawns will do, it remained transfixed as the mower went by. Before it could return, its mother returned and led it away.

Doris Sage - Happy with her new kayak.

Howard Seaver – Two weeks ago he attended a 50th reunion of his law school buddies in Cleveland and had a wonderful visit to the Rock and Roll Museum where he “wallowed” in the songs from the past.

Gary Marcotte – Paid for the many meetings he has recently missed.

Dennis Webster – Thankful that Gary Marcotte is around as he had saved his bacon. He wasn’t specific. Was it his cooker that Gary fixed?

Carole Obuchowski – Her wildlife experience was to see a large crane or heron on her way last week to the Mt. Mansfield Trout Club.

Fritz Horton – Reported that there is a pelican in the area.

Lara Keenan – Ten years ago she saw her future husband walk through the door.

John Dupee – Going to Washington D.C. next Saturday by honor jet.

District Governor Steve Dates won the draw and picked the Eight of Diamonds to roll over the $29 pot.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker – Clary Franko of SunCommon

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SunCommon provides affordable solar energy and has been around for 2 ½ years. They believe that everyone should have clean air and water. Solar energy is one way to get there.

Vermont spends $2.6 Billion on energy every year. Of this about $800 M is for heat, $800M is for electricity and $1 B for transportation.

In considering going solar there are three considerations: Net metering in which electric rates are reduced by pumping back excess generated electricity to the grid, financing options such as SunCommon’s holding ownership of the panels while the user gets the power (nothing down and making monthly payments similar to borrowing for a car), and decisions on where to put the collectors (on the roof, in the yard or in collector orchards).

An average array will consist of 16-20 panels for an average Vermont home that pays an average of $120 per month in heating. SunCommon arranges long term financing and is working on some collector orchard schemes. They only sell and deal with fixed arrays.

Franko was really here to push heat pumps for heating. These use ambient heat exchangers to heat the house in the winter and cool it in the summer. The heat exchangers are located both inside and outside with piping in between. They work down to -18F. Most homes would use 1-3 at about $3,000 each. They would be ideal paired with solar because the heat pumps need electricity to circulate the heating/cooling medium.  So you would end up with clean fuel with heat savings and comfort.

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Roz Graham thought that Vera Simon-Nobes’ talk on argitourism might be enhanced by reading the article at: http://localbanquet.com/stories/issues/2014/spring-2014-issue-28/item/the-thorny-issue-of-farmer-pay