Satpal Sidhu, Whatcom County Executive President Paul Grey
District Governor Elect for 2023-2024, David Lukov - Mt. Vernon Rotary Club
August 1, 2022
Opening Welcome:
Rotarian Dr. Kathi Hiyane-Brown, President of WCC, welcomed Rotary to the new meeting location at WCC. Big thanks to Ward Naf for helping make the connection and Brad Burdick who proposed this location after reviewing 10 locations.
Paul got to meet International President of Rotary, Jennifer Jones, in White Rock B.C. and appreciated her team spirit and vision and noted her “Imagine Rotary” tagline. Her four priorities moving forward are:
Increase impact (going beyond the borders of the USA)
Expand Reach (let the world know what Rotary is doing)
Increase participant engagement (Paul’s goal is to have 100% engagement of our members through things like the 10 service projects, international projects, Mark’s Computer project, etc.)
Increase ability to adapt (especially after C19)
Club and Committee Announcements:
Community Boating Center BBQ - August 11th 6-8pm
To celebrate the partnership between the RCOB and the Community Boating Center to help build their new building, the Center has invited club members and significant others to a potluck dinner on Thursday, August 11, between 6 and 8 p.m., at their Fairhaven venue (555 Harris Avenue). The Center will provide an offering of BBQ meats, sides, and cool, non-alcoholic drinks. You're welcome to bring your favorite beverage.
If you'd like to come, please help them with a simple RSVP so they can get a head count. Please reply by Monday, August 8. Below is the form to register.
BREAKING NEWS: WE HAVE MOVED TO OUR MEETING LOCATION TO WHATCOM COMMUNITY COLLEGE, PAVILION #201 EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2022. HERE ARE THE NEW DIRECTIONS (ONES HANDED OUT LAST WEEK HAVE BEEN REPLACED) PRINTABLE DOCUMENT CLICK HERE
The buildings address is 241 W Kellogg Rd. But this is not where you park. There is no parking off of Kellogg Road. You must enter parking off either Eliza Ave or Cordata Parkway. You are looking for the YELLOW lot (look on light poles for Y2 or Y3).
Enter from Eliza Ave: the driveway between Kellogg Rd and Westerly Rd has a driveway into the campus, follow that about 200 yards until it slopes down, park in the area between the three buildings.
Enter from Cordata Parkway: Just north of the WTA station and Cruisin Coffee before the round about is Orca Lane, take Orca Lane around the first two buildings until you find a large parking lot between three buildings.
Nathan Twining announced the Rotary Golfun Tournament happening on 26 August in Lynden. There is a lunch included and a dinner afterward. Nathan said you don’t have to be a serious golfer to join in. Contact Nathan for details. $125 entry.
You will still receive an email from Sandee each week prior to the Monday 12:30 meeting if you are unable to attend in person (you can start logging in at 12:00 for short socializing) with the link for that privacy-protected meeting. If you have n done so, please download the Zoom app on your computer (you need a camera and microphone on it), iPad or phone. There is no cost to you. If you cannot do either, you can also call in. On the invitation, there are US phone numbers you can call and enter the meeting ID number also indicated on the invitation.
Lunch will be $22 for a buffet meal. We must notify them by Monday at NOON the week prior to the Monday meeting as to the number of members attending. We are sending out meeting "Invites" weekly and members are asked to sign-up ASAP. You can also sign-up by going to the event section of our website at bellinghamrotary.org. If you sign up for a meal at the meeting, you will need to pay the $22 even if you don't wind up attending the meeting after the numbers are turned in. If you plan to attend but not eat, PLEASE indicate that on your sign-up so we don't overorder meals and still make sure there is enough seating.
Four Points also will not collect the payment weekly, so the Club will collect payments prior to the meeting or at the door.
We urge members of the RCOB to set up a Venmo account for ease in payment of Meeting lunches, Happy Bucks, Minister of Fun, Dues or donations to the club. Our account is @RCOB- Bellingham. If you do not have a Venmo account you can set up an account with your computer then download the app. on your phone (just Google "Venmo" and you will find all the information you need) You then attach it to a debit or credit card (a fee on your end) or attach to your checking account at no cost. Payment will be sent di ctly to the RCOB checking account. When you use it for the first time it may ask you the last 4 digits of the RCOB phone number which is 0282. Give Sandee a call if you need help. 360-734-5532
Other payment options are to bring a check in the correct amount to the meeting made out to RCOB or cash in the exact amount to speed up the payment process. There is also the PayPal option as usual and we are set to take payments at the meeting. We have a QR Code that you scan and simply click to pay thru paypal also.
Website and Phone App instructions:
Here is a tutorial on how to login for the first time. (Click here) Go to belling mrotary.org first. In order to login you need t know your user name and password in your Clubrunner account. The user name is Your first name.Lastname.264 unless you have changed it. Example: Sandra.Lindhout.264 the password is initially set by Clubrunner at 264 unless you have changed it. Sandee can see your Username from her computer but not the password. She can also change your password for you from her computer at your request if you run into problems.
Once you have originally created your User Name and Password you can download the ClubRunner Mobile app on your phone:
Steve Ban introduced our speaker, Satpal Sidhu and Satpal's guest, Jet Holmes.
Chuck Snyder visited us on Zoom from Arizona
Rick Kaiser brought his wife, Ann
Shauna Naf introduced her Mother, Sue Parsons and Eve Schulten, Exec. Dir. of WCC Foundation.
Members attending on Zoom: Nancy Jordan, Corey Chaplin, Bob Morse, Dennis Williams, Fred Kaiser, John Moffat, Loch Trimingham, Rob Olson and Catherine Riordan
Program:
When Satpal was in India in his 20s his boss was a Rotarian and recommended him for a 6-week Rotarian Exchange Program. He was selected from 25,000 Indian members to participate, and in 1978 Satpal came to Wisconsin. He liked America so much he decided to immigrate.
Satpal first spent some time working in Canada before moving to Whatcom County in 1988. He and his wife Mundir, married for 40 years, have lived in Lynden for 30 years. They have three grown sons who attended Meridian schools.
A Fulbright Scholar with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a MBA, Satpal's past professional experience includes work as an engineer, project manager, business executive, educator and small business owner. He was recognized by two Washington State governors for his achievements in workforce development as Dean of Engineering & Trades at Bellingham Technical College.
Satpal served five years as a member of the Whatcom County Council and is now serving his first term as Whatcom County Executive.
He’s faced numerous challenges when first starting as County Executive -- the floods of 2020, C19 beginning a month later, and the floods of 2021, which was the biggest natural disaster ever in Whatcom County (costing $150m). It has been his aim as Executive to address the things that will have impact years down the road. He wants to deal with the existential things, not just managing the County (which basically runs itself).
For example, addressing wetland issues takes ten years to accomplish. There’s not enough time get it done in one term, therefore you can only just get things started. To get it started you must connect with the farms, the EPA, the tribes, and bring them together to get these water issues addressed.
Since 2002 we’ve known a new jail is needed. In January of 2022 Satpal brought 30 community members together as an advisory committee to work together with the Health Department and Sheriff’s department to answer the questions of jail kind, size, and location. The funding will be procured in 2023, the building started in 2024, and it’ll take three years to build.
Housing affordability and homelessness is another important issue. Satpal said, “We’re the richest nation on earth. We’ve put men on the moon, and still can’t handle 1% of the population in homelessness. 99% can’t take care of 1%.”
The County received $44m from the American Rescue Plan Act. Half is going to childcare, and half is going to affordable housing. Other examples of addressing these issues, the County bought 10 acres in Ferndale to hold for 2 years while Kulshan Land Trust pulls together the funding needed to build affordable homes. The County give Opportunity Council a county property to utilize. The County helped Lighthouse Mission Ministries get into the old Safeway on Cornwall.
In response to prewritten questions by Rotary members Satpal addressed why the jail is failing. He doesn’t want to point fingers for why it failed in the past, but instead wants to press into the future. He highlighted that we need to invest in some of the building development work now (at a cost of $10m) so as to maintain a building timeline. Even when the initiative could fail at the ballot.
Crime is a serious problem, again we need to deal with it legislatively through the ballot box, which ultimately means it’s our responsibility as citizens. The County built a Triage Center of 32 beds to address the behavioral health of some of those doing these crimes.
The County together with COB is addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion issues brought about by George Floyd. There are 20 people on a working group called the Racial Equity Commission. By 2023 there will be a commission similar to the Domestic Violence commission that has 50% public and 50% private participation.
The EMS Levy is being asked to be renewed for another six years with additional services.
The County aims to balance environmental needs with commercial needs by both being done at the same time. For example with water issues, as the largest raspberry producers in America, farmers changed to drip irrigation and saved 80% of their water loss that had been occurring with the water guns.
In 2023 a new comprehensive plan for the next 10 years will be put together addressing finding buildable land, climate change, environmental protections, etc.
Future buildings being built together with COB for shared efficiencies are being proposed. There’s lots of working together necessary to get things done.
Please reach out Satpal if you have further questions.
