The meeting was opened by Club President Kathleen McNalty. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was rendered and Milt read the morning prayer.
Announcements
Welcome guests Mark Van Horne and Woodie Lotts (both have signed up to become members of Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary Club)! Jose Oglesby, owner of the Wenatchee Apple Sox, was a returning guest.
Thanks to Mark and Wayne for setup and cleanup. Thanks to Marcy and Alan for being morning greeters.
Alan reminded the club of the Bike Ride meeting Tuesday, March 29th at 5 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, next to Pybus. All club members are welcome.
Kathleen said our club would have a table at the Non-Profit event at Pybus on Saturday, April 9th from 10-2. Volunteers are needed to be present to answer questions about Rotary, and to sell tickets for our Road Apple Roulette fundraiser in May. See Kathleen to be added to volunteer list.
Robin reminded the club that the District Conference will be held in Wenatchee, May 12-15, 2022, and that many volunteers from the local club will be needed to put this event on. The cost for attendees is $199 (USD), a bargain! Some highlights are The David Thompson Canoe Event Re-creation on Friday. Also on Friday is Home Hosting, where local Rotarians host visiting Conference Rotarians for dinner in their local homes. Registration for the District 5060 Conference can be found here: District 5060 Conference Registration
The Wenatchee Apple Sox players are arriving on June 3rd for their first game on June 6th said Allie, General Manager. Host families are needed to house players. All they need is a bed and something to eat! Families hosting players get season passes and other benefits. Contact Allie@applesox.com to host a player. Jose Oglesby, owner of the Apple Sox, nodded his head in agreement!
Wayne had received a text from former club secretary Joanne Rosenthal to thank him and the club for condolences cards for her husband Arron.
Brags and Confessions
Wayne bragged about having seafood in Anacortes while visiting his wife Karen's daughter on Samish Island. While there, he also had lunch with a former Naval Reserve shipmate from 35 years ago. A great drive each way with no rain until he got home!
Alan said he had nothing on his schedule so did nothing special.
Kathleen and hubby Steve went to Phoenix for Cactus League baseball. They attended 4 games and 3 of them ended in ties. No playoffs for tie games during Spring Training!
Robin and DG hubby Richard attended the Blue Denim event where the new District Governor was being trained. It was also training for the District First Lady (proper hand waving during parades, how to wear a tiara, etc.). Robin and Richard are going to miss those flights on the District Governor's private jet!)
Program
Milt introduced our speaker Monica Lotts, owner of the Wenatchee Valley Shuttle service, and Mike Smith, WVS Manager.
They studied shuttle services around the Western US. The one in St. George, Utah, runs to Las Vegas 7 times daily. Shuttle services are regionally regulated.
After moving back to Wenatchee, they were licensed by the state to operate in the Central Washington region. Wenatchee to Sea-Tac airport with intermediate stops in Peshastin, North Bend, and Bellevue (3-6 shuttles daily depending upon season and demand). Former route was from Wenatchee to Spokane Geiger Airport, but was dropped due to low ridership. This Spokane route may be reinstated in the near future.
Her husband also started a nationwide trucking company but that proved to be a challenge for Monica, who was the nationwide dispatcher and troubleshooter. They decided to end the trucking! Her husband has several construction-related businesses in the Wenatchee Valley that are doing very well.
In the hiring of shuttle drivers, they always told the drivers that they were being "hired for their hands and feet, but also for their hearts and heads"!
Riders on the shuttle are requested to complete the online survey regarding their ride. All the surveys are read!
Monica said that 75% of their shuttle service is between Wenatchee and Sea-Tac airport and that 25% is charter service for groups like the Wenatchee Apple Sox, private groups to Seahawk games, and high school sports teams. (Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary Club chartered a WVS van to take 20 club members to the Boeing Final Assembly plant in Everett in 2016!)
Questions and answers:
Q1: What are the vehicle sizes available for hire?
A1: In the next 3 months, they are getting 3 more new buses. They currently have 3 large buses (55 pax), several mini-buses (34 pax)) and 5 shuttle vans (14 pax). Seat cushions are replaced yearly for a better passenger ride!
Q2: What about Spokane? Will that shuttle be reactivated?
A2: They are looking into getting a license for that region of Washington. It might start up again next year, depending upon volume.
Q3: What about pricing? Are your rates competitive with the Greyhound bus?
A3: Yes. The Tacoma to Sea-Tac Shuttle is about $56 for 45 miles. WVS is $54 for 151 miles. (Rate to increase to $59 soon.)
Q4: What about electric vehicles or hybrids?
A4: With the obstacles faced enroute to Sea-Tac airport (mountain passes, avalanche control, stopped traffic) it is not an option. The charge time would add additional time to the trip which is already at 3 hours with a gas vehicle.
A5: Bryon is looking into helicopters...stay tuned!
Q6: What happens when a flight is canceled at Pangborn?
A6: Alaska Airline calls WVS to see if they are able to send a bus or van up to Pangborn Airport to take people to Sea-Tac Airport. The bus would then depart from Pangborn terminal.
Club President Kathleen McNalty told Monica our club is donating a children's book in her name to the library.
Raffle
Kathleen's ticket was drawn, but the wrong marble was pulled. Better luck next week! The pot will be worth $160 or more!
Meeting was adjourned at 8 am.
No comments:
Post a Comment