Transcript (Click here to go to our website) Call to Order – President Weldon Garrelts called the meeting to order and led in.

(Click here to go to our website)
Call to Order – President Weldon Garrelts
called the meeting to order and led in the
Pledge of Allegiance.
Invocation – David Hunter: Bless this food and us who eat it, the best in town, no one
can beat it. And bless the memory of Abraham Lincoln, Our greatest president, many
are thinkin’, who kept our country unified, and slavery’s bonds at last untied. Amen.
Vittles – Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, mixed vegetables, salad and toppings, garlic toast,
Key Lime Pie, tea and coffee.
Lottery – Dave Hunter won the $12 lottery.
Lions Report – If you are ill or know a fellow Lion that is under the weather, please
call Pat Bryan at 586-4535.
Attendance – 21 members, 1 visitor ( Speaker), Birthdays – Rich Suchomski.
Announcements – Weldon Garrelts announced the April 4 meeting (a Friday) that is
part of the Lions World Relay is special and asked that we bring a guest to show our
Club.
Jay Hoeflinger announced the Sight and Sound Sweep Stakes, $10 booklets. This
supports the Lions of Illinois Foundation activities.
Program – Business Meeting. Secretary Fonda Bowden read the minutes of the
February Board Meeting.
CHAMPAIGN LIONS CLUB
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Minutes, February 4, 2014
Present: President Weldon Garrelts, 1st VP Charlie Osborne, Treasurer Karl Drake, Past President Ted Gonsiorowski, Director
Jay Hoeflinger, Director David Hunter, Lion Tamer Floyd Gordon, and Secretary Fonda Bowden. Members Present: Rich
King, Paul Kunkle, and David Lin. Absent: 2 nd VP Sam McGrew.
Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting, December 3, 2013, were approved.. Treasurer Karl Drake provided reports
through January 31, 2014. Board funding requests (Gifford and Salvation Army) totaling $600 exceeded the budgeted
amount by $20.00. The Board approved the overage. International and District 1E dues have been paid. The General Fund
has $2,698.55, the Charities fund $7,377.04 and the endowment fund has $3,605.64. Treasurers reports were approved as
presented. The basketball ticket raffle raised $675 minus $50.00 for printing of tickets. Jay Hoeflinger proposed a volunteer
opportunity for the club. Illinois Radio Reader needs volunteers to do reading. It takes about half an hour of training.
Newspapers are read 8 am to noon and recorded. Schedule is flexible except on Fridays. The service is for people who
cannot see to read and is broadcast over a special radio station. The Board approved the activity. Weldon reminded us that
veterans who apply to join receive a waiver for the initiation fee of $35. The Lions World Relay on Friday, April 4, 2014 is a
24 hour international event that starts at noon in New Zealand. Clubs around the world will start their lunches at noon in
their time zone. Lunch relays will move from time zone to time zone as lions steadily pass the event around the world
forming a Lions World lunch relay. Clubs register their participation with Lions International and the club with the most nonmembers (potential new members) wins. Food items will be collected for the needy and the club that collects the most items
wins. Also the club with the best luncheon theme wins. The Board agreed to participate. Rich King, David Lin and Weldon
Garrelts agreed to form a committee to plan the event. Weldon received an email invitation to participate in a fundraiser by
the Harlem Ambassadors. They are a basketball show that promotes anti-bullying. A representative will come to give a
presentation about the program in October if we are interested. They provide 1,000 tickets an=promotion/publicity for the
event. The Board agreed to invite them to visit our club and make the presentation. Lottery tickets beginning January 2014
are being sold at 1 ticket for $1, 7 tickets for $5 and 15 tickets for $10. Gordie reported that so far he has not had anyone buy
tickets at the new rates. Proceeds from the lottery originally were to pay for reimbursement to members for expenses to
attend conferences. Since few people attend and request reimbursement of conference expenses, it was suggested we think
about giving the lottery money to the charities fund. The 97 th International Convention will be in Toronto, Canada, July 4 –
8, 2014. Early registration fee is $110 if received before January 10, 2014. Regular fee is $150 through March 31. After that
it is $170.
The meeting adjourned at 12:52 pm, February 4, 2014 Respectfully submitted by Fonda Bowden, Secretary.
Sam McGrew introduced our
speaker, T.J. Blakeman, AICP,
Implementation Planner in the
Planning Development Office for
the City of Champaign. He grew up
in the small farm community of
Ashland, Illinois. He graduated
from the University of Illinois with
a BA in Urban and Regional
Planning. He has served as the first
Executive Director of the
Partnership, a business association
for Downtown, Midtown and
Campustown. He also served as
Chair of the City’s 150th
Anniversary, historical committee.
He is currently the Vice-President of
the Illinois Chapter of the American
Planning Association. His wife,
Katie, is the Champaign County
Circuit Clerk. They have a 2 year
old daughter and one on the way.
T.J. spoke about the 2013 Champaign city activities. It was the 5th highest all time
building permit construction.
There has been $1.6 Billion in construction during the past 10 years, with 1900 single
family homes.
The focus is now the Center City District, where there is a growing Champaign Skyline.
Builders are being creative for the taller buildings and using smaller bases. The effort is
to bring students and business back to campus town.
One new building will have the first automated Parking system at 4th and Green St.
For the Bone Yard, they are working to create an urban neighborhood.
There are also plans for completion of the Burnham area, too.
The University of Illinois has also expanded considerably, with the Ikenberry Commons
and the Business Instruction Lab
and the ECE Lab.
The city is encouraging new business growth, such as the new Kraft Foods warehouse
on North Mattis. This is the largest food manufacturing plant in the US. The Yahoo
building is coming along with about 200 new employees.
Regarding roads, the Windsor approach is ongoing and the 4th Street entrance to
Research Park is completed,
Green Street Phase III-2016 from 4th to Neil is ongoing
and the Washington Street Flooding project is planned.
They will be looking to finish up the Boneyard Creek Improvements, too.
An In-filling program is trying to help bring in business to fill an idle site, such as the
old Ford City on South Neil.
IDOT is looking to redesign the I74 and I57 Interchange.
The city is considering a Center City Park to replace the Orpheum Parking lot.
Major plans are also underway to redevelop the Bristol Park Neighborhood.
The new High School site has been selected, but now we need to figure out what to do
with the Country Fair site since it was not chosen.
You can see all of our plans by clicking here:
http://ci.champaign.il.us/departments/planning/champaign-tomorrow-comprehensive-plan/
Tail Twister – Omer Benn asked Paul Hendren to carry the bucket.
He started out with, “The problems don’t change, just the faces.” Then he fined Dave
Hunter for having won the lottery. Not really very smart…
Rich Suchomski for failing to serve as our greeter;
Fonda Bowden’s table for appreciation of her work.
Rich King bragged about his son’s expertise in the jazz band.
And paid for it.
And finally, Sam McGrew bragged about his granddaughter’s scoring 22 points in a
game.
Coming up
Feb 12 – T.J. Blakeman Champaign Planning and development
Greeter: Ed Tichenor
Feb 19 – Louis W. Kosiba IMRF “The Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund”
Feb 26 – Debra Joy Hart RN, BFA, CLL “Humor in Life”
Click here [email protected] to email Sam McGrew and let him know what
you would like to see in a Lions Club program some time.
Thank you for watching
Editor
Publisher
Rex Hess
David Hunter
To email Dave with your suggestions, click here → [email protected]
To go to our website, click here → http://www.champaignlions.org/