Welcome to the Sunrise Spirit –
the Weekly Newsletter of The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise
We hope that you will attend one of our lively Friday meetings,
whether or not you are interested in joining Rotary.
We meet (almost) every Friday at 7 am in the Plaza View Room
of Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse,
Please note:
We have returned to hybrid meetings.
Please join us, either on-site or online!
For more information and for the meeting links, please visit the RCAS Website.
Rotary Vision
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create
lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
The RCAS Calendar
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
- June 4-8 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.
- June 25 – RCAS at the Humboldt Bay Oyster Festival
- July 10 – President Vanessa Picks Up the Gavel!
Click Here to access the current period’s sign up for Backpacks for Kids!
For Openers …
With President Ian on vacation on the other side of the USA, Past President Maggie once again took the wheel … er, gavel. After we welcomed our guests and Visiting Rotarians, we learned that the very next day, there was an opportunity for service. Food for People would be presenting the the Move to End Hunger, a walkathon to raise funds for the organization. Maggie then afforded Sunrisers the opportunity to brag about anything. Here’s what we heard:
- Terri Clark noted that her husband (and fellow Sunriser) Marty Lay was laid up – he broke his leg nine days earlier! Mend quickly, Marty!!
- The Justice Of Your Club (JOYC) did some braggin’ on account of her daughters.
- Dallas Fuentes noted that he and his wife Aleck Tan have their 10th anniversary coming up soon (June 12th, to be precise).
- Matt Babich let us know that his daughter Tasha (one of our first Rotary Kids) has “stretched out her college fund”, making it a travel fund.
- Carol Vander Meer bragged on her husband Steven, who was participating in the local “Open Studios” event over the weekend.
- And John Gullam reminded us that the Crabgrass Band would be opening their season that very night. Oh yeah – the Humboldt Crabs also planned to play some baseball at the same location.
David Loya on Arcata Community Development
Our Featured Speaker was David Loya, the Director of Community Development for the City of Arcata. David noted that changes in Arcata’s population have long been tied to the growth of Cal Poly Humboldt. The issues associated with the school’s growth affect a number of areas, but from an infrastructure perspective, the two main impacts are in housing and parking. He said that we can find solutions to difficult situations if we work collectively.
David also addressed issues that have arisen with the increase in the number of remote workers. He gave a hypothetical case of someone who relocates from the Bay Area to telecommute from Arcata. This person continues to earn the same that they earned in San Francisco, so they may potentially drive up housing costs here, as they also reduce the housing inventory.
Population growth also drives infrastructure issues with fire response and other emergency services. Arcata does not receive funding for these services from Humboldt County. But it’s not all bleak – our ability to provide water and deal with wastewater is “nowhere near capacity”. However, substandard housing continues to be a huge issue. David said that the City conducts frequent inspections of rental properties.
President Ian’s Acting President Maggie’s
Closing Haiku
I-an really likes
I remain mostly clueless
And I sense no point