On this first full day following the Vernal Equinox, Rotarians, visiting Rotarians, March Junior Rotarians, and guests gathered in the Lyric Ballroom at the Holiday Inn for a meal and fellowship. President Steve Yorde, with the (newly rediscovered?) Club #25 Rotary gavel in hand, had a noticeable “spring” in his step as he welcomed all with the ringing of the Rotary Bell. To celebrate the change of season, and in recognition of this beautiful day, we all rose and sang America The Beautiful accompanied by Past President John Baumgarten. Club Treasurer Greg Hansen quoted the venerable baseball sage Yogi Berra with the quote: You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there. A bold vision for the future with a common goal for the benefit of all is what motivates dedicated Rotarians to tackle the toughest challenges. As blessed as we are for all we have received, Rotarians are reminded to serve others, and to keep Rotary a beacon of hope, comfort and peace to all in need.

 

Dave Holappa began the Fellowship Report with introductions. We had one visiting Rotarian: Assistant District 5580 Governor Kay Biga, a past Club #25 member and founder of the Duluth-Superior Eco Rotary Club. Club #25 was graced with a few guests and a member candidate. We welcomed Lizette Lawien, wife and guest of member John Lawien; Matt Beaumier was the guest of Past President Mike Orman; and former Club #25er and prospective member Matt Hunter was the guest of President Steve. Once again the Duluthian, published by Club #25’s own Jay Ott, was ripe for harvesting contributions to the Golden Can. UMD’s Romano Gym was featured on the cover, and that drew work zone fines from Past President Tricia Bunten, Rob Hofmann, Marc Seigar, Past President Elaine Hansen and Bob Kase. A Leadership Duluth article was written by a staffer at North Shore Mortgage, so by relation, Chana Stocke kicked the can. Also noted in the Duluthian, MN Bankers Association recognizing North Shore Bank for its community involvement – thus Karol Sowers kicked the can. Todd Fedora contributed on behalf of US Bank as it was named one of the world’s mostethical companies. Christian Lawien, son of John Lawien, was hired by TKDA as an engineer. Jena Evans kicked the can on behalf of Ecumen’s Zvago development coming to the shores of Lake Superior. A few Rotarians stepped up to self-report: Mary Niemeyer shared news that sincetaking over Townsquare Media, she was proud to move it from #67 to #1 among comparable media markets – congrats Mary! Mike Orman’s law firm completed a merger and move of his firm to the Missabe Building. The move was a pleasant experience because of the efforts of fellow Rotarian Barb Perrella. Past President Branden Robinson shared that South Pier Inn was ranked #3 among “most romantic” hotels in the region … could it possibly be due to those mattresses he hawks on TV, or is it the result of his own unique charms?

 

Podium announcements began with a brief report on the District 5580 Guatemala trip by Chana Stocke who will provide a complete program later this spring along with staffer McKenzie MacFarlane. In addition, she has twenty one-pound bags of coffee available for purchase to support further work in Guatemala. Natalie Zeleznikar asked all Rotarians to mark May 9 in their calendars for the Annual Club #25 Dinner and Auction. Once again, we will be at Marshall School and are encouraged to bring our own adult beverages. Past President Phil Strom presented Past President Tricia Bunten with a Paul Harris Fellow ruby-adorned pin recognizing her commitment to Rotary International’s work throughout the world. Thank you, Tricia! Assistant District Governor Kay Biga was on hand to remind everyone that this year’s District 5580 Conference is scheduled for April 25-27 in Minot, North Dakota. Kay will be driving to the conference and welcomes fellow Rotarians to join her!

 

Chair of the Day Catherine Carter Huber then introduced our program speaker Dr. Nicholas Van Deelen. Dr. Van Deelen is a familiar and welcome guest, as he spoke before Club #25 last year on the timely subject of opioid addiction. This time Dr. Van Deelen shared St. Luke’s ambitious plans for the future of its Duluth campus. In his presentation: St. Luke’s Campus Expansion: Looking to the Future, we learned that the future is bright and Duluthians will be the beneficiaries of St. Luke’s growth. Starting in 2010, it was clear to the leaders at St. Luke’s that they had outgrown their current capacity. Following their guiding principle, “patient-centered approach,” planning commenced to provide the community with facilities that improved access to care, maximized operational efficiency and provided a more personal experience between patient and doctor. A three-phase plan was conceived with the first half of Phase I completed between 2012 and 2015 at a cost of $45 million. The resulting Building A provides new and highly modern surgical suites, including the da Vinci® Surgical System  – the latest in robotic surgery. The second half of Phase I will begin later in 2019 with a completion date of 2020 and will include a new 38-room Emergency Department with a marked improvement in privacy, as well as a Helistop atop the renovated parking garage. Due to the rooftop proximity of the Helistop, Emergency patients will have direct access to the Emergency Department. It has been noted that St. Luke’s has been holding community listening sessions and has already responded with redesigns of the Helistop to calm noise and “helicopter wash” that is of concern to area residents. This second half will cost approximately $37.5 million. Phase II is a $61 million investment and will provide a new five-level building that mirrors Building A. Phase III, the largest and most ambitious phase at $152 million, will see a six level in-patient tower rising above the Phase I and Phase II buildings. Beyond these plans lay the possibility of partnerships that could lead to affordable
housing, hotel and retail, additional parking and a walkable green access to Superior Street and the Lakeshore.