Rotary Club Signature Lunch Minutes for April 8, 2025
Greeters: Susan Rostkoski and Bill Collins
Inspirational Minute: Michael-jon Pease
Tech Team: Andrew Vincelli and Rob Thomas
Club President Shelly Rucks opened the meeting with news that former Club 10 Rotarian Carole Kralicek had passed away and she asked for a moment of silence to remember her.
We had one visitor who is considering membership, the new general manager of Saint Paul Town & Country Club, Carl Grandberg. Welcome!
President Rucks delivered a summary of the changes made to our Club 10 By-laws:
- A new board position has been created, by the title of “Image Officer.”
- Past presidents of other Rotary Clubs may become eligible to become president of our club after serving one year on the Club 10 board.
- We will permit a range of directors from 8-to-10, rather than hold fast to a rule that we must have 10 directors at all times.
President Rucks thanked Past President Heidi Fisher and Karin Ciano for their work on updating the bylaws. And the revisions to the Club By-laws passed unanimously with a vote of 29 members.
Susan Rostkoski introduced the featured speaker, Dan Tranter, from the Department of Minnesota Health, Indoor Health division. Mr. Tranter spoke on two gasses and one fungi that are commonly found in our homes and can be hazardous to our health: radon, mold, and carbon monoxide.
Radon is the leading cause of cancer in non-smokers in the U.S. Last year, 600 Minnesotans died from radon-related cancer. Primary cause of radon? Uranium in the soil seeps into homes and we breath in the gas. At high levels, it can cause cancer.
Mr. Tranter advised everyone purchase a radon testing kit and test every 5-8 years.
Mold is not as deadly as radon, but it can cause allergic reactions, respiratory problems, as well as eye and skin irritations. Rather than testing for mold, Mr. Tranter advised conducting a top-to-bottom inspection of your house with a moisture detector.
Carbon monoxide was the third household hazard Mr. Tranter discussed. He advises everyone have CO detectors in our homes located near our bedrooms. Ideally you should have one CO detector placed within 10 feet of each bedroom. He said CO detectors are not expensive and readily available online and in hardware stores.
Questions? Call him at 651-201-4601 or https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/index.html
Lastly, Linda Mulhern said she is looking for two host families for our inbound student from Nagasaki for the 2025/26 school year. Call her if you are interested at 651-698-4488.
Submitted by Carolyn Will