Prior to today’s meeting Dave Hoel and John Risdall presented a check from the NBMV Rotary club to the New Brighton Area Historical Society.  Dave and John are shown below with Ron Cota and Wayne Searles, members of the NBAHS board of directors.

A reminder from our Treasurer, John Ordway, that paying your April - June dues this week will maximize the amount of matching dollars available to us in the coming Rotary year.

Today’s meeting was off-site at the New Brighton Public Safety Building.  The food was catered by The Exchange, providing a delicious pizza buffet lunch.

Geoff Hollimon opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and Nils Friberg offered the invocation.

Our Guests today were Marv Sorvala, Assistant City Manager Devin Massopust and Ramsey County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire.

Jason Slama has received a note from Feed My Starving Children thanking us for our recent food packing outing.  FMSC will be able to feed 4 children for a year because of our volunteer efforts.

Our program for today was a tour of the New Brighton Public Safety Building.  Our tour guide was none other than the Director of Public Safety, Tony Paetznick.  Before the tour, Director Paetznick provided a few details about the building.  Built in 2002 at a cost of 10 million dollars, the 65,000 square foot facility was, and still is, state of the art. The building houses the police and fire departments and their administrative staffs.  It also includes four holdings cells, a firing range, meeting rooms and the Emergency Operations Center.  Our own Jim O’Brien was the architect for the project. 

New Brighton currently has 29 full time police officers and 45 paid on call firefighters, many of whom are cross-trained for both roles, creating a genuine family atmosphere in the Public Safety Department.  Director Paetznick guided us through nearly every nook and cranny of the building and his pride in the building and those who work there was clear for all to see.  Thanks to Geoff Hollimon for arranging the tour.  Photos of Director Paetznick and the Public Safety Building are shown below.