Rotary Log: March 22, 2012 (Port Authority)

The PCC parking lot was jam-packed for our Thursday lunch meeting! In fact, this log writer had to take one of the last parking spots at the farthest corner of the lot. While Prez Tony would have everyone believe that this packed parking situation was due to the incredible draw of our weekly meetings and exciting agendas, coupled with his able stewardship as president, the truth lies closer to the gorgeous stretch of 85-degree days that we’ve been blessed with. It brought out the Seacoast’s golfers in droves, and between their carts and the extra influx of cars, there was nary a spot left. That’s OK, Tony, we’ll still let you take credit for the crowd turnout.

Nancy Clayburgh led us in the Four-Way Test, and Peter Grace marshaled the troops through God Bless America.  Reverend Gordon Allen kept his blessing short and sweet, so that Rotarians could tuck into the meatball, sausage, and pasta lunch without delay. 

Club Secretary, Deb Grabowski, welcomed guests and visiting Rotarians, among them: Barb Miller, guest of Janis Reams; Bob Morden, guest of Ed Mallon; Dan Raposa, guest of John Pappas; and Brendan Ward, guest of Marie Brownell.

Announcements
We’re all well aware of the Walter Liff Consortium that has cornered the market on raffle wins for years now. But… it appears that Prez Tony “may” have rounded up some goons on the side to strong-arm Walter into donating his recent raffle wins for Portsmouth Country Club gift certificates. (We’re not naming names, and at newsletter press time there was still no hard evidence to suggest that goons were in fact used to “persuade” Walter to donate.) Regardless, Walter gamely stepped up to the podium. If he was fearing for his safety with the possibility of another goon stalking him from the shadows, well, his eyes never gave it away. He kept the bidding brisk for last week’s and this week’s PCC gift certificates. Bill Powers won the pair for $65.

Mort Schmidt took to the podium next to honor Bob Herold and Jay Gibson with bejeweled Paul Harris pins for their continued generosity to the Rotary Foundation. Bob was presented with a pin with a single sapphire, while Jay was to receive a pin with not one, not two, but three sapphires! However, due to a name mix-up, Bob almost walked away with both. The situation was quickly remedied, and Jay got his pin. So close, Bob. Next time, perhaps…

Joanie Dickinson reminded the room that silent and live auction items are still needed for our annual auction coming up on Thursday, April 19, from 6:00-9:00 pm. The auction will be held at the Portsmouth Country Club. Wine bottles are also encouraged—and no, not to drink while mingling at the auction. Please make sure any wine bottles you bring are unopened when you arrive. They are meant to be raffled off, people.

The lunchtime announcements continued to amuse one and all, as Basil Richardson stepped up to the mic. Try as I might, this log writer could not quite make out what Basil was announcing. It had something to do with spreading mulch on Saturday, March 31, at 8:00 am. People who can demonstrate their mastery with a rake, and those able to lift one-third of their weight (and stop a speeding train while looking good in a cape) are encouraged to show up for grunt duty that morning. See Basil for more details, as that’s all I could cobble together from his announcement.

Neal Ouellett primed the crowd for the upcoming Joke Day on Thursday, April 5, with several zingers targeted at Rotarians. Given the laughs generated just for the announcements portion of our meeting this week, Neal would do well to recruit all those named above to join his joke panel. Please be brief. Please be funny. Anyone who turns to Reader’s Digest for his or her content will be flogged and quadruple fined.

Stan Cross wrapped up the announcements portion by reminding us that the Portsmouth Air Show is coming June 30 and July 1. We will have a concession table, so dust off your muffin tins and Bundt cake pans and get to work. Sign-up sheets will be available at lunch for several weeks.

Program Highlights
Programs Committee Chair, Norm Olsen, introduced our guest speaker, Captain Geno Marconi, who was appointed Director of Ports and Harbors in 2002. Geno explained that the Division of Ports and Harbors has been a standalone agency for the last 40 years.

We learned from Geno’s slideshow that the Port Authority is responsible for the management, maintenance, operation, and maritime security of:

§         The state’s only deep-water, public access, general cargo marine terminal;

§         Passenger ferry, commercial fishing, and recreational vessel facilities in Portsmouth, Rye, and Hampton Harbors;

§         Moorings permits and placement of navigation aids in tidal waters;

§         Licensing for harbor, river, and docking pilots;

§         Maintaining and dredging channels, harbors, and anchorages;

§         Establishing and maintaining New Hampshire’s Foreign Trade Zones; and

§         Managing a revolving loan fund for commercial fishermen.

Geno covered each area of responsibility in detail. He explained, for example, that the division works hand-in-hand with the Army Corps of Engineers on dredging projects. The division has managed more than 50 successful loans through its revolving loan fund. They have permitted between 1,500-1,700 moorings from Durham and Dover, to Portsmouth, Newcastle and beyond, down to Seabrook. The red and green buoys we see bobbing along the Piscataqua and in the bays and harbors are all under their jurisdiction, providing critical navigation and safety markers for our waterway’s travelers.

Geno also shared interesting tid-bits about the three piers/marine facilities under their management.

“There are approximately 55 commercial fishing boats that are permitted to use the Portsmouth pier on Pierce Island,” said Geno. “Understandably, we provide the retail gas. But, did you know that we also provide the ice for these commercial fishing expeditions? It’s not uncommon for these guys to haul four tons of ice with them when they set out on a trip.”

Daydream sidebar: Imagine how many sno-cones Geno’s agency could crank out. I smell a new side business here.

Geno discussed how the Rye Harbor marine facility needed reconstruction after the Mother’s Day Flood several years back. The Rye location serves 33 commercial fishing vessels, as well as charter fishing.

“Like Rye, the Hampton marine facility serves 33 commercial fishing vessels,” Geno continued. He also noted that Hampton used to offer duck boat tours years back. Quack, quack.

The Portsmouth Market Street terminal is the only deep-water facility in the state. The division also handles scrap metal, road salt piles, and more recently, they’ve begun overseeing windmill projects. Some of you may have seen the giant windmill blades being trucked into Pease Tradeport in the last year.

The meeting adjourned with Geno fishing (ha!) the winning raffle ticket number from the shiny metal bucket. Bob Smith won $82. No winner for the bonus round, which is now up to a whopping $850! Fear not, fine fellow Rotarians. Goons have already been dispatched to shadow Walter until one of the rest of us wins that pot of gold.

See you next week!