Valentines Alert!!!!  Valentines Alert!!!! Massage Therapist Claudia Silva of Face-Body-Spirit on Islington Street has donated yet another $120 gift certificate for a stone massage. This certificate will be auctioned off this Thursday! Bid High! 

Your humble log-writer-of-the-day thoroughly enjoyed Dave Holden’s “Signs of Spring” comedy routine. There’s nothing quite like equal opportunity humiliation.  Targets ranged from our presidential candidates (it’s like “The Running of the Bulls”) to Club members (Basil is practicing his English) to Guest Speakers (“Somebody dressed Dave Allen in a suit today.”)  Funny.  As was Tony’s comment when Dave said he hoped he hadn’t offended anyone: “You didn’t offend me but you’re funnier than me, so that’s the last time you speak.”

Sign up with Dave Holden to participate in the March 8 Poetry Hoot.

Announcements: 

q       “Peace Through Service” is Rotary’s theme for the coming year.

q       Club directories will be published every 2 years.  Tony D. explained that the number of changes made to the directory is not enough to justify an annual expenditure.  Members can print an updated club directory at any time by logging into Clubrunner: the "pocket sized" directory will next be printed around January 2013.

q       District Conference in Portland, ME on May 18-20

q       Paul Harris: The Club has 46,000 points, which translates to an ability to award 46 Scholarships.  While we don’t want to dilute the meaning of the awards, says Tony, we do want to award 2-3 Fellowships per year.  Call to members to nominate fellow Rotarians who “go above and beyond the call of duty.”

q       The Club’s still paying for 4-5 lunches every week, amounting to a $3 -$4,000 annual expense.  Tony asks that we close the gap and avoid more stringent methods of ensuring payment.

q       Portsmouth Rotary Annual Auction: April 19, 6-9 pm at the Portsmouth Harbor events & Conference Center.  All Members are asked to help procure Silent and Live ($ 1,000 plus) items. The event raised $ 16,000 last year to support local charitable orgs.

GUEST SPEAKER:  Dave Allen, Deputy Director of Public Works, City of Portsmouth 

Topic:  Portsmouth Water Systems & New Dissolved Air Flotation Water Treatment Plant

Interesting talk.  The Regional Water System serves 7 communities.

Talk focus:  Madbury Water Treatment Plant:  Located midway between Great Bay and Bellamy River Reservoir.  Completed in 2011, came in under budget at 6.5 million. Handles 4 mil gallons of H20 per day, serves 8,000 households.

The plant sits on 90 acres of land, now owned by the City. 

The project won a number of “Utility of the Year NE Water Works Association” awards. Rotarian James Peterson worked on sustainability and design engineering elements based on LEED principles. 

When asked, Allen said that the better water quality resulting from the newer, more stringent guidelines that precipitated the building of the new plant (5-6 years ago, the City was noted for turbidity violations) is a positive thing and healthy for consumers.

Allen also noted that plenty of notice (20 years) was given.  He said there’s been less notice on the waste management side of things.

 “We meet water quality standards,” said Allen.  “That may not be true of bottled water.”

RAFFLE:  Congrats to winner Nancy Notis.  Not a match for the $ 650 bonus.