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February 5, 2008 No. 16
Vol. 86
This Week’s Program:
George Hixon, Project Manager
Progress Energy Florida Bartow
Repowering Project
George Hixon has spent his entire career in consulting engineering and
construction, and he has extensive project management experience. His
work has taken him all over the world, including South America, Mexico,
New Zealand and Australia. Now he heads up the construction project at
Progress Energy Florida’s Bartow power plant on Weedon Island.
The Weedon Island Preserve is located in
St. Petersburg, owned by the state and managed by the Pinellas County
Park Department under a lease agreement with the state. The Island was
included on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1972 and
purchased by the state in 1974 with funds from the state's Endangered
Lands Program. It has a 9,000-foot nature trail system throughout the
Preserve. The Preserve officially opened to the public in 1980.
Because Progress Energy is committed to delivering reliable electricity
while preserving the natural environment, the company developed a plan
for repowering the Bartow Power Plant on Weedon Island.
“Repowering” means the site is switching fuel from number 6 oil to
natural gas and making technology changes to accommodate this switch. It
results in more electricity and cleaner air with no new land. The Bartow
site is expected to generate twice the electricity and provide
significant environmental and system reliability benefits to the
residents of Tampa Bay.
George has worked for Progress Energy for about two years, most recently
at the company’s Roxboro plant in North Carolina. He received a
Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Clemson University. George
hails from Pennsylvania but now lives in Melbourne Beach, Fl. He and his
wife have two grown children.
Welcome, George! We look forward to learning from you the benefits of
“repowering” projects.
Last Week’s
Program: Dr. Goliath J. Davis, III
Deputy Mayor, City of St. Petersburg, Midtown Development
Kiwanian-of-the-Day Judge Mark Shames
introduced long-time friend and our speaker, Dr. Goliath J.
Davis, III. Davis congratulated our Club for our help with the
Doorways Scholarship program and said he recognized many of our members
for the work they do around the City.
The Midtown initiative was started in 2001.
The area is finally realizing the dream Midtown residents had to have in
their community what most of us take for granted: a grocery store, a
post office, a library and a bank. The first two – Sweetbay and the P.O.
– are in place, the library (partnering with the YMCA to help kids with
homework and life skills) has broken ground and SunTrust Bank is
scheduled to open in the near future. BB&T is financing the bank and
Fifth Third is bringing the tax credits, so Davis commended the
collaborations that have taken place to make the dream a reality. Renker
& Associates is the architect for library and youth center.
Davis fielded questions from the floor to
guide his talk. When asked about his political aspirations, he smiled
and would only say that he’s “happy to serve the City’s Mayor.”
Affordable housing? Go said that it’s a nationwide problem, but housing
prices are now plummeting. “Affordable came to mean $180,000, which was
not affordable for many,” he said. But now the City is working with
Habitat for Humanity, Grady Pridgen, Inc. and others on “Midtown Green,”
originally designed as townhouses. The community objected to townhouses,
equating them with closely grouped families in housing projects and wary
of the many problems that created. Talks to resolve the issues are
ongoing, but even so, explained Davis, the cost scale was set for low
income, but financially stable families, which doesn’t solve housing
problems for some. Many can’t be placed anywhere successfully. Our
homeless problem cannot be solved, he said, only managed. The homeless
are not a monolithic population and many differing situations have to be
addressed. Some are homeless vets irreparably damaged by the wars in
which they served, some homeless people are alcoholics or addicts, some
are unmedicated mentally ill and some are working poor who cannot afford
to live anywhere but on the streets. When New Hope Village Tent City was
established near St. Vincent de Paul, families came there looking for
loved ones. When necessary, the City bought them bus tickets and sent
them home. He explained the ordinances that have been put into place to
resolve some of the problems and assured our group that officers were
being trained in their enforcement and the homeless were being informed
so that offenses on either side could be minimized. It’s not necessary
to throw a lot of homeless people in jail when there are so many
dangerous people out there, he said.
Asked for his stance on the Rays’ stadium
debate, Davis declined to take sides, explaining that he may be asked to
mediate the anticipated contentious discussions about it in the future.
But Davis said he would tell us that he voted no on Amendment One
stating that we need sensible tax relief, especially for really
distressed homeowners, not $240 a year toward property taxes in the
thousands that will result in City layoffs to fund it. (Unfortunately,
by later that night, it was voted in.)
He answered questions about Whitted Airport
– “negotiations got bogged down, because private businesses can’t be
subsidized by the City” – and Midtown employment – “still an issue, but
improving,” citing job increases at EuroBake and others and told us that
a St. Petersburg Job Corps will be up and running by 2009.
All in all, Dr. Davis gave us a candid, but
optimistic “State of the City” appraisal. We’ll ask him back a year from
now and see what has improved and where work still needs to be done.
Thanks, Go, for an enlightening review of our City’s changing landscape.
Guests and Visitors
Fifty members and three
guests met at Orange Blossom last Tuesday to hear Dr. Davis give us the
forecast for St. Pete. Harry Eisenaugle brought Bob Claycomb,
Cynthia McGowan introduced Shannon Orrell, and President Markus
hosted Paul Misiewicz.
Kiwanian of the Week
We’re including a new
feature to help members new and old get to know each other better. A
short biographical portrait and a picture of a fellow Kiwanian will
appear in each issue as we receive them.
Name: Bob Piplitz, CFP
CRPC
Company and Title: Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management
Vice President, Wealth
Management Advisor
Joined Kiwanis because?
Bruce McKelvey asked one of my partners to join and got stuck with me
instead. Bruce has done a fair job coping with his disappointment.
Your single favorite
Kiwanis experience/event? Announcing winners in the freezing rain for
the Special Olympics.
Tell us about your
family, including pets. Family/pets: Ginger a hideous basset
hound/pointer mix that resembles a giant salamander. Twix a vocal 20
year old cat named after my vice. Sweet Pea my wife, an American Pit
Bull.
Perfect day away from
work? Fishing with my son in the morning, skiing with friends in the
afternoon, and watching a giant monster destroy New York city with my
wife at night. OK so I just experienced the cultural masterpiece "Cloverfield"
and agree that it is the most important film ever made. When voting for
President you have to ask yourself "Which candidate is going to protect
my family from giant monsters?" It seems strange that this never comes
up in the debates.
Best vacation ever?
Working summers as a waiter in Wildwood NJ.
Favorite movie? "An
American Werewolf in London". I'm a sucker for the classics. Excellent
character development and dénouement. Have not had time for a side by
side comparison with the new contender.
Sports or art walks?
Depends on proximity to a well stocked fridge.
Beach or mountains? My
wife tells me it's the beach.
One thing most people
don’t know about you? Even though there's no reason for it, I'm
incredibly modest.
Quote to live by? "To
whom much is given, much is expected."
If you were on Kiwanis
Survivor, who would you vote off the island? I'd vote off all our thin
members and guys with a full head of hair. It's unnatural! So I guess
that leaves just Mitch & me on the island.
What’s Happening?
Farewell to Fellow
Kiwanian Bob Willis, 1/2/29 – 1/24/08
We were sorry to hear
that our fellow Club member, Bob Willis, esteemed attorney (Skelton,
Willis, Bennett & Wallace) and active civic leader, passed away on the
24th at age 79. He had been a member of our Club since 1974. A memorial
service was held last week at the First Baptist Church. His family
suggests that friends who wish to do something in his memory make
donations to the West Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of
America, 11046 Johnson Blvd., Seminole, FL 33772-4715, or to the charity
of their choice. Bob, may your life and service inspire those who come
after you.
Nothing Says Love
Like Peanuts and Bananas
The Social Committee is
organizing a Valentine’s Day Social dinner and drinks, followed by
Moonlight & Magnolias at American Stage. Come see David O.
Selznick’s peanuts-and-bananas plan to get a script and a director to
save the biggest movie of all time! It’s full of laughs and a hysterical
(or is that historical?) re-enactment by three men of the scenes that
made us love Scarlet and Rhett. This is your last chance to sign up to
attend with your sweetheart or as the sweetheart of all our fellow
Kiwanians! We have a group of about 30 going; talk to Tom Nelson
or Lorin Bridge to get in on the fun! Cynthia McGowan
promises Valentine treats and coffee at intermission.
Wine and Dine With
The Gov
Don’t forget – the
Kiwanis Governor’s dinner is being held at the Wine Cellar on Friday,
February 8th. If you’d like to attend or if you have
questions about attending the event, please see President Markus
or any Kiwanis officer for more information.
Letters From Our Jim
Fischer Scholarship Fund Recipients
Bob Byelick read
samples of the 84 letters our Club has received from 7th and
8th grade recipients of our Club’s Scholarship Fund who
wanted to keep us abreast of their achievements and their dreams. By
turns moving and comical, the letters were testimony to the impact the
scholarships have on these young scholars’ future plans. We will print
excerpts from some of the letters in future issues. Another reason we
can be proud to be Kiwanians!
TODAY’S QUIZ:
1. What are the
benefits of “repowering” electric plants rather than capturing energy
from the sun, plants or oceans?
2. Who was the first
woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame?
3. Chocolate contains
phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate
the same reaction in the body as what?
4. Who introduced the
Civil Rights Act and who signed it into law? In what year?
LAST WEEK’S
QUIZ:
1.
Oprah Winfrey was born on this day in 1954.
2. Peter Demens,
a noble Russian aristocrat, brought the Orange Belt Railway to St.
Petersburg. On June 8, 1888, the first train arrived, carrying empty
freight cars and one passenger, a shoe salesman from Savannah. Built one
rail at a time, with unpaid laborers and creditors threatening to lynch
Demens all the way, the railroad finally chugged to St. Petersburg.
Demens named the city after his birthplace, St. Petersburg, Russia.
3. The largest island
in the world is Australia. But Australia is also a continent, so
some people don't consider it an island, in which case the largest
island is Greenland.
4.
The first puzzle generally accepted to be a
crossword appeared in the Sunday "Fun" section of the old New York
World on December 21, 1913. The fledging company, Simon
and Schuster, made the first jigsaw puzzle books for adults around
1900.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
May all I do today
be for the healing of the whole.
May all I do today mend our broken world.
May all I do today bring blessing on the earth.
May all I do today be for the good of all. Amen.
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