We had our meeting on Webex.
Vistors: Roger Lande was the guest of Sarah Lande.
Invocation: We started our meeting with Paul Fitzpatrick singing us a fun invocation song.
Cowbell Ringing: Jessica Wittman was pleased that the fellowship meeting last Monday went well.
Club Business: We had the 3rd reading for Mike Wedell. After social distancing is lifted, we will have a public recognition for our 13 park benches and 36 wayfinding signs we gave to the city through our grant. Every other Monday we will be having a Webex Rotary meeting (next one will be May 4th). Every other Monday we will be having a Webex fellowship meeting (next one will be April 27th). Per the survey results, we will continue billing dues as usual. Another survey will be going out soon to gather information for the 2020-2021 Rotary year. If you are interested in joining the Rotary board, please contact a current board member.
Program: Our program was our Mayor, Diana Broderson. Mayor Broderson provided us with some statistics and information on the Coronavirus in our area. Due to the size of our region, we aren't seeing the high death rates like major cities. Our cases are not going down yet, larger cities spiked sooner. The state of Iowa has been split into 6 regions. We are in region 5. She explained to us how regions are scored 1-10. We are currently a 9. If we hit level 10, like region 6 did, the recommendations (no gatherings, masks worn, etc.) from our Governor become mandatory and we will see them being enforced by local police. Muscabus is driving by appointment only, you must wear a mask and need a ride to grocery store, work or doctor appointment. Parking downtown is free right now, but they are enforcing that vehicles must be moved every 2 hours. All parks are closed. Golf courses are open - 1 person per cart, club houses are closed. Muscatine Art Center and Library are closed but they are doing a lot of online learning. Public Works - all contract work is still moving forward. They are trying to complete the 2nd Street project quickly so when businesses are able to open again, they hopefully are not impacted too much. To help small businesses, the city of Muscatine is using 3 years of its budget for small business loans to distribute to as many as 160 small businesses, max of $2500 each. The city will analyze loans in November - some may end up being forgivable depending upon the business. Muscatine has an Emergency Management Commission. It has a plan in place for any possible emergency. The Public Health Crisis Plan is working closely with Public Health and the CDC. Resource: coronavirus.iowa,org Thank you Mayor Broderson.
Please continue to check your e-mails for information on our future meetings. April 27th - we will have a fellowship/social meeting/ May 4th - will be our next formal Rotary meeting. See you all soon - stay healthy and strong.