Reese Peck County Administrator State of the Union Presentation

 

Reese Peck has now been administrator for one year and has become a permanent resident of Essex County. Reese throughout his careers has been an agent of change and was brought in by the supervisors to bring the county forward into the 21st century. Property tax base, education demographics, declining sales tax base, loss of businesses, are gravely impacting Essex County. Future problems such as storm water management, ground water protection, conserving the aquifer are very evident. On the positive side the supervisors are fully committed to progress, supporting the county modernization and encouraged by community support, including the EDA initiatives.

Budget and taxes are the key issues for 2014, total compensation for teachers, health care insurance, and retirement benefits are major issues.

Budget issues are heightened by a 35% of the  property taxes collected allocated to tax debt service, and 10% to supporting land use tax relief.

Tax policies are key to the deciding tax impact in this community... these options are to be subject of public debate. Growing our way out of the situation is one positive option, noting that in many counties at least 80% of economic development is generally driven from within the community.

Pictured above Bill Croxton, chairman of the Essex County Economic Development Authority, Reese Peck - county administrator, and Norman Wood - Tappahannock Rotary Club President.

Certificate of Appreciation from Relay for Life

King George-Dahlgren Rotary Club Accepts Tappahannock Rotary Gift

 

Holly Graf, the President of the King George-Dahlgren Rotary Club accepts a $500 check from Norman Wood, President of the Tappahannock club. Over the last two weeks, the Tappahannock Rotary Club passed the hat each week for the Colonial Beach school system's fire relief to support teacher supplies and other non-insurable educational items that were lost in the fire.  This is a testament to the power of giving by club members and ability to rise to the occasion when non-budgeted funds are needed.

Bobby Watkins - ABC Agent in Action!

Tappahannock Club member Francis Carneal introduced Bobby Watkins (who needed no introduction to most members) who regaled us with interesting stories from his career as an ABC Control Agent. This was a very humorous presentation and highly enjoyed by the membership. 

Sandy Longest Speaks for The Haven

Sandy Longest, Community Relations and Development contact for The Haven was guest speaker tonight.  The Haven provides services and shelter to victims of domestic and sexual assault in Essex, Richmond, Westmoreland, Northumberland and Lancaster Counties, covering 1,003 square miles.  There is no distinction made between gender, class, racial issues for assistance.  There are 9 part-time and 5 full-time staff.  There is room for 32 women and children.  There is a 24-hr hotline.  The Haven Thrift Store in Warsaw is a wonderful resource for income.  In the past 24 months, donations are down and requests for shelter are for a longer length of time.  Last year 13 people were denied services.  This year's budget is set at $723,000 with 48% from grants and 52% from community funding.  In addition to financial support, every day items are needed such as toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies.  They have bake sales and yard sales and special events each year. 

Tappahannock Rotary Club Christmas Dinner

Tom Saville


Gordon & Hilda Fletcher

 
Bill & Mel Reavis, and Anne Neuman

 
Mel Reavis, Anne and Tommy Neuman

Photos by Bob Jump
 

Emerson Hughes becomes a Paul Harris Fellow!

Congratulations to Emerson  "Em" Hughes who becomes part of the illustrious band of Paul Harris Fellows, and helping move the club towards 100% membership of PHF members - Tommy Neuman does the honors!

New Paul Harris Fellow - Cacky Taylor

Cacky Taylor becomes part of the honorary group of Rotarians who is now a Paul Harris Fellow, and helping move the club towards 100% membership of PHF members - Norman Wood, Club President has the honor to make the award!

Phillipe de Abreau gets the Rotary message from John Gregory!

John Gregory inducts Philippe de Abreu into the Tappahannock Rotary Club - John does all the inductions with a distinctive style - he makes sure you remember the key points!! Welcome Philippe - owner of the Automobile Service on Airport Road - specialist in foreign car servicing!
 

Program: Chesapeake Bay Oysters

 

Tom Madren provided our speaker, Chris Davis, who is involved in oyster replenishment of our Chesapeake Bay. He provided a wonderful, informative and thought provoking program.

If one went back to the days of Capt John Smith and his visit to our area one would have noticed that there was no erosion damage done to the bay and rivers and one could see 30 feet into the water clearly. Oysters were in abundance back then and served as great food for the native Americans. Oysters eat algae and that keeps our waters clean and pure. In John Smith's time, the local oysters were 12 inches in size and were divided in thirds to eat. By 1850, watermen had begun to over harvest oysters and we never recovered from that loss. Oyster population is about 1% of what it was in the 1800's. The main problems are over harvesting and soil erosion from farms.

We now are building new reefs for oysters to flourish once again. For awhile we toyed with Japanese oysters hoping they would take hold in our waters but that project has been abandoned. We are now trying to make new reefs for our oysters. To have a clean Bay and rivers, we need oysters. Man took them out, now we must put them back. This is something we can do even in our own area of the Rappahannock River. Chris Davis is to be congratulated for his efforts and for a very inspiring program. This Rotarian left with a desire to try to build a reef on his river area.

Rotary Club 2012-13 Out-performs the District!

Rotary Foundation Awards for his excellent club presidency leadership 2012-13, John Lewis receives two banners: 100% sustaining member club and 100% member participation in the $100 per capita club! Some clubs in our region won one or other of these two awards but Tappahannock was one of the very few who won both!

Norman Wood Program on Intelligence Collection

Norman Wood, President of the Tappahannock Rotary Club, was also the program speaker for Thursday, December 5th.  He gave his own speaker introduction and then put on his jacket to transition to the speaker role!  Lt. Gen. C. Norman Wood, USAF (Ret.) experience encompasses senior management positions in the government, military, industry, and the not-for-profit fields, primarily in national security and intelligence. 
 
He started his military career as a master navigator and electronic warfare officer with 3,400 flying hours mainly on RB-47's.  He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1964 as an EW in the RB-47, and has 1,000 combat flying hours from the Vietnam Conflict.  He was a SAC crewmember in both the RB-47 and the RC-135.  Moving on to his Headquarters assignments at the Strategic Air Command (SAC), and the Air Staff.  After attending the National War College, he was the SAC Intelligence Wing Commander, and the Executive Director of the President�s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board at the White House in the first Reagan Administration.
 
His General Officer assignments include Commander, Air Force Intelligence Service [1 Star] ,  J-2 (Director of Intelligence), US European Command [2 Star], head of Air Force Intelligence [2 Star], and Director of the Intelligence Community Staff [3 Star]. He retired from the Air Force in June 1992, and took a job as senior vice president and general manager of BDM Federal.  There, he was responsible for national security and technology applications programs, resources, and marketing with the focus on the intelligence community. 
General Wood became President and CEO of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), International in April 1996.  AFCEA is a global enterprise with more than 30,000 members, more than 1,000 corporate sponsors, and 143 chapters located in 32 nations.  He was also the publisher of SIGNAL Magazine, the journal for communications, electronics, intelligence, and information systems professionals with approximately 130,000 readers in 82 nations.  He retired on 1 October 2001.

Norman Wood's presentation covered his career highlights in the intelligence collection field and he concluded his evening with a discussion on the Snowden leaks case and it's detrimental impact on our intelligences service capabilities.  Here is shown with Rotary District AGM Bill Croxton and Past President John Lewis.

Salvation Army Collection at Walmart

Saturday you were welcomed to Walmart by the sound of tinkling bells - outstanding cold weather duty performed by Chuck Gilchrist and Doc Franks - another successful Rotary Christmas activity to raise funds for the needy. Also helping out on Saturday were Rotarians Joanne Ruffa, John Gregory, Carla Stearns and Joe Johnston

Merry Christmas From Aaron Biggs - GSE Australia

From Aaron Biggs was one of the Aussies who was on the GSE Exchange earlier year.....

Seasons greetings to you as the new year approaches. I hope that you are enjoying the change of the seasons and the coming cold weather. Its very hard for me to imagine what your Christmas will be like, as right now we have the air conditioning going day and night. I am not sure if card giving at Christmas is an American tradition, however it is very much an Aussie one so I have attached an electronic copy of one my wife made this year, showing off my little girl and our warm weather. I hope that it brings a bit of warmth into your life as the snow starts to fall. Please pass on my greetings to your wonderful Rotary Club, I still to this day smile when I think of the great time we had visiting you guys. May you have a wonderful Christmas full of family and fun and hopefully some sun. I know that it will be strictly a Traditional  Christmas this year for us ( A BBQ on the beach, with beers and cricket )......

Much love from Down Under, Aaron, Amber & Ariana. Biggs -  Aaron BIGGS | Constable 14261 | Broome Police Station | Western Australia Police

Labadie visitors from Vero Beach, Florida

Tappahannock Rotary welcomes Larry & Maureen Labadie based in Vero Beach Florida.  Strangely enough they both belong to separate clubs - Larry is a member of the Vero Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and Maurine is a member of the Vero Beach Oceanside Club.

New District ADG Appointed

Rotary District 7610 called John Lewis and asked him to become the Assistant District Governor for the Middle Peninsula / Northern Neck area taking over from Bill Croxton. This area includes 9 clubs including Tappahannock, Warsaw, Kilmarnock, Northern Neck, Matthews, Gloucester, Gloucester Point, West Point, and Middlesex. John's appointment starts July 2014 and lasts for 3 years. Congratulations John!

Delegate Keith Hodges visits Tappahannock Rotary

Keith Hodges, delegate to the Virginia House of Delegates for the 98th district visited Tappahannock Rotary and expounded on his views on education and Medicaid. Alivly questions and answers followed.

Tommy Neuman at the Veterans Day Ceremony

Banner Exchange with Tulum Rotary, Mexico

Joanne Ruffa returns to Tappahannock Rotary Club and presents Norman Wood, Club President, with the exchange banner from the Tulum Rotary Club, District 4200 in Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Mexico.

Paul Harris Fellows Awards to TEN Tappahannock Rotarians!

Thursday November 14th saw the most numerous Paul Harris Fellow awards to members of the Tappahannock Rotary Club - actually 10 awards to 9 Rotarians plus one very deserving spouse of a Rotarian - Carole Croxton - for all the Rotary volunteer work she has generously given over her many years associated with Rotary. Awards were presented by Bill Croxton,  Assistant District Governor and Tommy Neuman.

 Bill Meredith

 

 Joe Wolfinger

 

 Ron Geiger

 

 David Broad

 

 Carole Croxton

 

 John Frazier

 

 Bob Coleman

 

 Vic Brugh

 

Louise Velletri