Byesville Rotary celebrates 2023-24 service year

 

Pictured: Shana Fair, Byesville Rotary President for 2024-25, and Dylan Perry, Asisstant District Governor for Rotary District 6690.

 

Byesville Rotary Club celebrated the end of its thirty-seventh year at the Dockside Restaurant, Lake Seneca. Club members, friends and supporters of Byesville Rotary attended.

 Chuck Fair, outgoing president, reviewed the 2023-24 activities which included the annual Christmas Food Basket project and the club’s Scholarship Awards given to graduating students from Meadow Brook. Chuck presented handmade ceramics to Jordi Harding, Jan Wilson, Tanya Hitchens, Shana Fair, Jim Bacos and Dennis Harding in recognition for their contributions to club activities during the year.

 He presented Lisa Groh with the club’s “Rotarian of the Year” service award. Lisa is responsible for writing grants. The most important is the grant supporting the club’s Christmas Food Basket program. Lisa chairs the Membership Committee and organizes activities to build membership in the club. She also ensures club meetings are offered via Zoom and are streamed to FaceBook.

Dylan Perry, Assistant District Governor for Rotary District 6690, conducted the induction ceremony and swore Shana Fair in as the club president for 2024-25. After officially receiving the gavel, Shana presented Chuck with a plaque recognizing him for his year as president.

What a fun party. A Rotarian from a different club in District 6690 who was having dinner at the Dockside stopped by the party to congratulate the club.

Contributions to the cub’s Foundation are welcome and will help the club increase the amount provided by the scholarships. Make contributions directly to the Foundation at: https://appalachianohio.org/grow/funds/fund-profiles/byesville-rotary-fund/

 Connect with #ByesvilleRotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. Join us for a meeting on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at 7:30. Most club meetings are live streamed to Facebook and Zoomed. Watch the Byesville Rotary Facebook page for details.

Byesville Rotary takes virtual tour of renovated Byesville Library

 

Pictured: Jordi Harding, Speaker Chair, and Michael Limer, Director of the Guernsey County District Public Library.

 

Michael Limer, Director of the Guernsey County District Public Library, took Byesville Rotarians on a virtual tour of the remolded Byesville Library. Limer stated that he began by trying to freshen up the library. It was dark, lacked windows, and had unused space. During the planning stages, he and the library board decided to do a complete renovation.

 A first major problem that needed solved first. A survey indicated that the current building was 10 feet over the property line. Limer worked with Byesville officials and the Port Authority to solve this problem. The property, owned by Byesville, was transferred to the Port Authority which then transferred it to the library.

Work began to renovate the library building. Plans were drawn up and bids solicited in September 2022. Stanley Miller was awarded the project. Construction began in January 2023, when the library building closed, and staff began preparing for construction. The library continued to supply services to Byesville by scheduling the bookmobile in Byesville twice a month.

Limer used architect specs and drawings to present a virtual tour. The library roof will be raised and more windows added to give the library more natural light. The wall between the main area of the library and the little used back room will be removed and replaced with glass panels. The room will become the children’s area of the library and be used for children’s programing.

The main area will be furnished with computers and furniture that invites people to stop and spend time reading. At the rear of the main area, a small meeting and a small staff lounge and workroom will be constructed.

And best of all, a drive- up service window will be added. Library users can request materials from each of the Guernsey County library branches and any of the 98 libraries that are members of the SEO (Serving Every Ohioan) Service Center Consortium. The materials will be delivered to the Byesville Library and can be picked up or returned via the service window.

The Byesville Library will hold a grand opening on Friday, December 8 at 10:00am.

Connect with #ByesvilleRotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. Join us for a meeting—most club meetings are live streamed to Facebook and Zoomed. Watch the Byesville Rotary Facebook page for details.

 

 

 

Byesville Rotary visits renovated Byesville Museum

 

Pictured: Jordi Harding, Mike Port, Jim Bacos, Dennis Harding, Tammie Archer, and Jan Wilson checking out the smart TV screen presentation.

 

Donald Marlatt, Dennis Harding, Jordi Harding, Chuck Fair, Mike Port—Display case at Byesville Museum.

 

Closeup of items in display case.

Jay Jackson, mayor of Byesville, and Mike Port, Byesville councilman, took Byesville Rotary members on a tour of the newly renovated Byesville Museum. And Welcome Center. Step in the door and your eyes are drawn to the educational resource center and its wall of smart TVs displaying digitized pictures of Byesville’s history. One screen is devoted to veterans.

 The next thing a visitor notices are the display cases. One exhibits samples of products manufactured in Byesville—cute plastic toys, handy kitchen utensils, and pottery. Another display holds memories of local schools.

An Open House for the museum is scheduled for October 28.

Jackson reported that work on the museum was instigated by a water leak three years ago. Much of the village’s paper history was damaged. The village decided to use the insurance money to renovate the museum--the walls were repainted, new lighting and new flooring was installed, CARES money was used to develop an education center containing smart TVs and six research stations linked to the internet.

The educational resource center provides internet access to people who want to look for a job, work on a school project or take a class. The museum also serves as the village Welcome Center. Rack cards and pamphlets about area business and tourist attractions are available.

Jackson and Port indicated that continuing plans for the museum include increasing access to Byesville’s history by developing a small back room which currently contains a small, old-fashioned and very heavy printing machine. Additionally, they are planning to develop the upstairs room into a meeting space. Jackson wants to re-establish the Historical Society and create various types of activities centered on the museum.

Currently, the museum is staffed by volunteers. Open hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Hours may vary. Please call to confirm we are open at 740-260-3088 or watch our Facebook page.

People interested in volunteering can connect with the VIP (Volunteer Impact Program) by going to www.ByesvilleOH.gov.  Look for the volunteer link under the “Our Community” button.

Connect with #ByesvilleRotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. Join us for a meeting—most club meetings are live streamed to Facebook and Zoomed. Watch the Byesville Rotary Facebook page for details.