Saying it "was a little shocking to me you hadn't already received it," San Mateo Mayor Diane Papan slipped a big surprise into her and former Mayor Rick Bonilla's presentation on the city's billion-dollar wastewater treatment plant replacement project, announcing she has chosen to honor San Mateo Rotary with the Mayor's Award at the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce's 24th Annual Business Awards Dinner Feb. 21.

She made particular mention of the club's signature scholarship program, which has helped hundreds of students pay for college expenses over the years. She said she also funds a scholarship and said it helped move her to make the award.

The dinner will be held at the San Mateo Marriott, 1770 S. Amphlett Blvd., cocktails at 5, dinner at 6.

Reservation information is available from Sylvia Lopez at the chamber, 401-2440, or on the CHAMBER WEBSITE.

 

Anne Campbell, Angel Riley and Gerry Bundy issued a call for help on behalf of 32,000 kids rendered school-less by the Paradise Fire. Many lost their homes as well as their schools and are in need of gas cards, bus passes, laptops and school supplies.

Our board has authorized a $5,000 contribution.

Significantly, every board member matched it with a $100 personal donation and the group is asking all Rotarians to do the same.

A $100 donation can be made by credit card at check-in on the day of meeting or by mailing a check made out to "San Mateo Rotary Foundation" to Angel Riley, Chauvel & Glatt, 66 Bovet Rd. Suite 280, San Mateo, CA 94402.

 

 

Signups are required: Email Anne LeClair or Liz Mayta

 

 

Mike Peterson reports that 15 helpers turned out to stick Rotary labels on 400 dictionaries to be given away to third graders in February.

The distribution date is not yet set, but volunteers are need to give an hour or two to the kids; they cherish these books as if they were the most powerful PS2 there is, and maybe they are.

Email Mike Peterson

 

Dave Bauer issued the invitation to fellow San Mateo Rotarians.

It'll be held this Saturday, 5–7 p.m. at Twin Pines community center in Belmont.

Details at LOBSTERFEST

 

 

Mayor Papan made a long walk to connect her Greek heritage to wastewater treatment by pointing out that dealing with sewage waste has been a preoccupation of society since Greek times. Ancient Greeks had their sewage collection system and, while it's not quite as ancient, the City of San Mateo has had its own for about 80 years.

Some of the most important parts of the wastewater treatment plant are 75 years old and half the system is at the end of its useful life.

The city collects and treats stormwater and wastewater flows from the city, Foster City, southern Hillsborough, the Crystal Springs County Sanitation District and part of unincorporated San Mateo County.

Capacity is 40 million gallons per day (m.g.d.), though it can handle 60 m.g.d., though not at the same level of treatment.

When it pushes the 60 m.g.d. limit sewage lines back up in the Delaware area and others and raw sewage overflows, known in the trade as sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), happen.

SSOs in 2003 caused regional water quality agencies to fine the city $1 million; because it has agreed to upgrade the plant and sewer mains it can apply a portion of the fine to the project.

The federal government is funding $277 million of the project and the city is bonding for the rest.

Click the image below for details about the project.

 

 

Filling in for the sage Bruce Bean, who was on jury duty, was Past President Chris Eckert, whose wardrobe shows no judgment whatsoever and who, therefore, will never be called.

He immediately took us back to those heady days of five and six President's Clubs per meeting, threatening a ringing phone with a $150 fine, but no one confessed so he was left to ponder his next move.

 

June Lamb was mindful of her younger brother's recent passing and offered a thought about how important what we leave behind is to those who survive us. She urged everyone to tutor a kid. "It will change a life."

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't exactly news — he has covered it in a book — but it was definitely entertaining how Ro Bianchi came to be tagged to pitch a $30 million Bank of America loan to Brazil before the bank's board of directors.

The context was that Brazil had just defaulted on a $30 million loan.

There he was, standing in front of three dozen bank directors pitching a losing cause but managed a tie vote. Iver Iverson was president and he had the tie-breaking vote. "Why do it?" he asked. Because Brazil is cutting down trees where it found gold and is going to build a new capital, Brazilia, he said. If you don't, all the other American and European banks who were stung by the last loan default will get all your property and your Brazilian banks when the other banks pony up. Two days later the boss asked him if he'd like to run the bank in Brazil. He declined because Cal doesn't play in Brazil, and that's how Ro Bianchi became our "Go Bears!" champion.

 

PrezEckert got $150 out of Jeff Lowenstein because Jeff's wife is an antiquarian bookseller who recently sold off a Dante Alighieri collection, which included the Inferno, which justified her advertising the "Book Collection from Hell."

 

 

 

 

We were honored by the presence of Dave Bauer of Belmont-Redwood Shores and Mike Utz of CalWater.

 

The esteemed Mark Simon was cajoled by Dick Bennett to come and hear the mayor and former mayor talk about wastewater, and Sue Lempert introduced Ken Chin, a member of the San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of  Trustees.