Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Dear God,
As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, may we be reminded that while independence and self-reliance are things to be celebrated, You created us to be in communion with one another. Help us to remember we were each created with strengths and weaknesses, we were made to support and help one another, and there is strength in not only assisting others, but also in asking for and accepting it ourselves.
Amen.
Get to Know Vida McDowell
President Sarah Umbreit interviewed Vida McDowell for this week’s “Get to Know a Member.”
- Vida said her favorite part of Independence Day is how much becoming a United States citizen means to her, given how hard she worked to earn it, with the parade a close second.
- When she goes to watch the fireworks, she and her family usually find a spot off Clyo Road, depending on where the traffic allows.
- Of the events left in the Optimist year, she most looks forward to the Golf Outing. After 26 years running its silent auction and raffle, she is stepping back and handing that role to Evelyn Griffin, Debe Dockins, and Carrie Thompson while she stays on to support them.
Vida McDowell joined CNO on April 19, 1999, sponsored by Laura Caschera.
Announcements
Americana Float Teardown
Mike Cordonnier needs four to six volunteers to help tear down and retire the CNO Americana float on Monday, July 6, 2026, at noon at Centerville High School, behind the theater department. The work should take no more than two hours, and members who can lift and haul are especially needed. Sarah Umbreit also thanked Mike and Joan Cordonnier for the many hours they spent refurbishing the float for the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Big Backyard Party
Bob Lawson is looking for volunteers for the club’s station at the Big Backyard Party on July 25, 2026, at Oak Grove Park. The Big Backyard Party is an afternoon of family activities for all ages, and the club runs the casting station, helping children learn to cast through the Passport to Fishing program. No experience is needed, and there are no hooks, worms, or live fish involved; volunteers simply help the kids practice casting. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Golf Outing and Silent Auction
Steve Rau reported that the club’s 34th annual Golf Outing is on track for July 13, 2026, and he still needs three more volunteers for the day of the event. Debe Dockins shared details on the silent auction, which moves online this year thanks to Carrie Thompson, so members can bid without being present. Items include foursomes with carts at major golf courses secured by Tom Conroy, jewelry from James Free arranged by Barbara Santo, tickets to Moulin Rouge at the Schuster Center, and a wine dinner at Manna. Members are encouraged to keep bringing in bottles of wine and gift cards for the auction, and all proceeds go to support the club’s work with youth. Because the golfers will be bidding too, online bidders should keep an eye on their items. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Semiquincentennial Picnic
Connie Risch invited everyone to the club’s semiquincentennial picnic on Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 11 AM to 3 PM at the Oak Grove Optimist Shelter. The event is free and open to members’ families, children, grandchildren, and guests. Fried chicken will be provided, and members are asked to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. Activities will include games and water fun, so plan to dress accordingly, and the picnic will be held rain or shine under the shelter. Please register in advance so the club knows how many to expect. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
CNO 2.0 at Rumbleseat Wine
The next CNO 2.0 evening meeting will be held Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 5:30 PM at Rumbleseat Wine. The evening’s guest will be Crayons to Classrooms, and the meeting will double as a school supply donation drive and a service project for the organization. Members who cannot attend that evening can still help by bringing supplies to Tuesday lunch, and the club will make sure they get where they need to go.
Top supplies needed:
- Marker packs (regular and dry erase)
- Colored pencil packs
- Pencils
- Crayons
- Children’s scissors
- 70-count spiral notebooks
- Glue sticks
- Filler paper
- Pocket folders
- Construction paper
Castle Fishing Derby
Andy Dickerson announced that the Castle Fishing Derby will be held July 13, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 3 PM. Volunteers do not need to know anything about fishing; they help with setup, food preparation, and keeping things moving. The derby falls on the same day as the Golf Outing, so members who are not helping at the outing are encouraged to lend a hand. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Centerville City Schools Facilities Update
Jane Fiehrer introduced the afternoon’s speaker, Jon Wesney, Superintendent of Centerville City Schools. Jon brings more than 30 years of experience in public education, most of it spent serving Centerville’s students, staff, and families. A graduate of Morehead State University and the University of Dayton, he began his career as an Industrial Technology teacher and has held a range of leadership roles across the district, including Career Tech Principal, Coordinating Principal at Centerville High School, Director of Business Operations, and Superintendent. He and his wife, Michelle, live in Washington Township, are the proud parents of two Centerville High School graduates, and recently welcomed their first grandchild.
Jon introduced Katie Kenney, the District’s Communications Specialist, along with Jennifer Naylor and Jeff Parker of SHP, the Architecture and Design firm helping the district with its Facilities Master Plan. He explained that the district has 13 buildings serving students, and they are aging. The average building is about 61 years old, 12 of the 13 are more than 50 years old, Magsig Middle School is now 102, and the newest, Primary Village South, is 19. Rather than replace a dozen buildings at once, the district is developing a comprehensive, long-term plan, and it wants community input. More than 1,400 people had already taken the district’s online survey, and Jon encouraged everyone to add their voice.
What Makes a Successful Master Plan
Jon turned the presentation over to Jeff Parker of SHP, an Architecture and Design firm based in Butler and Hamilton counties that does school planning work across the country. Jeff said a successful master plan has to do three things: it has to be great for learning, fiscally responsible, and community supported. He described it as a three-legged stool that fails without all three legs. The district is early in the process, in what SHP calls the listening and learning phase, getting to know what makes Centerville unique. Over the fall, the team will develop and test options with community groups, narrow them down through a series of surveys, and present the results to the Board of Education, which will decide on a direction in January or February.
How the State Shares the Cost
Jeff walked through a summary of the district’s 13 buildings and pointed to two columns that drive the state’s decisions. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, or OFCC, helps districts improve their classroom buildings, but it follows certain rules. It generally does not build or renovate buildings serving fewer than 350 students, and it does not like to spend on a renovation that would cost more than two-thirds of the price of a new building. Magsig, for example, carries a renovation-to-replacement ratio of 69 percent, meaning bringing it up to modern standards would cost 69 percent of a new building, so the state would encourage replacement instead.
The OFCC ranks all 607 Ohio districts by property wealth per student and offers help to the poorest districts first, working its way down the list. Centerville sits around 500th of 607, which places it on the wealthier end and translates to a local share of 82 percent: Centerville would pay 82 percent of a project’s cost and the state 18 percent. For comparison, Jeff noted that Kettering’s local share on a recent bond was about 60 percent and Fairborn’s was 40 percent, with the state covering the rest.
The Expedited Local Partnership Program
Because Centerville’s turn on the OFCC list is years away, the district can use the Expedited Local Partnership Program, or ELPP. Under ELPP, the district funds needed work now and the state reimburses its share later, when Centerville’s number comes up, as a flat percentage that is not adjusted for inflation. Participating involves four steps: updating enrollment projections and facility assessments, which is underway this summer and funded by the state; developing a long-term master plan that looks 10 years out and addresses all students in kindergarten through grade 12; determining the discrete portion, meaning the greatest needs and what the district can afford; and securing local funding. Jeff noted that a complete master plan for a district Centerville’s size could be roughly a $400 million effort, more than the community is likely to take on at once, which is why setting priorities together matters.
How to Get Involved
Jennifer Naylor, who leads SHP’s Community Engagement, said the team has been out since May meeting with PTOs and holding public sessions, with the goal of reaching a broad spectrum of residents so the plan is truly the community’s. She pointed members to Build Elk Strong, the district’s engagement site, which currently hosts the survey and will be updated as the project moves forward. Beyond answering survey questions, residents can leave their contact information so the district can keep them informed, and there will be chances to take part in focus groups of five to seven people and in larger working sessions where tables of four or five weigh options on everything from academics to traffic and athletics. Jennifer asked members to share the site with their own networks.
Questions from the Club
In a lively question-and-answer session, one member asked what the district is really trying to accomplish. Jon and Jeff said it is all of the above: planning for future enrollment, operating buildings more efficiently, improving safety, and teaching in modern, future-focused spaces. Jon offered Magsig as an example of the challenge. At 102 years old, the building has steps throughout, so students who use wheelchairs are placed at Watts or Tower Heights instead, and adding elevators would require one on each side of the building. Another member asked about private donors, and the team explained that private funding tends to flow to extracurricular facilities like stadiums and pools, while the state’s support, and the master plan’s focus, is on classrooms.
Slides
These are the slides from the presentation, which include the district’s facility summary and other details in table form beyond what this article covers. You can view the slide deck of the presentation here.
Thank You
Thank you, Jon, Jeff, and Jennifer, for helping us understand the future of Centerville City Schools’ facilities and the many ways our members can take part in shaping the plan.
New Member Readings and Inductions
There were no new member readings or inductions this week.
Happy Bucks
There was no time for happy bucks this week.
Sergeants-at-Arms Fines: Jeff Busch and Mike Thonnerieux
Debe Dockins drew a fine from Mike Thonnerieux over a vacation photo she shared of a rock sculpture that looked a great deal like the Rotary logo. As a good-natured fix, the club swapped in its own CNO logo before showing the picture to the room.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Jeff Parker | Program |
| Jennifer Naylor | Program |
| Joellen Ulliman | Christy Gariety |
| Katie Kenney | Program |
| Soteria Brown | Julie Walling-Noeth |
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Sara Hemmeter | July 1, 2014 | 12 |
| Andy Harmon | July 2, 2018 | 8 |
| Mark Scarpino | July 2, 2018 | 8 |
| Jeff Umbreit | July 2, 2018 | 8 |
| Diane Arehart | July 5, 2016 | 10 |
| Thomas Wagner | July 5, 2024 | 2 |
Birthdays
| Phil Speelman | July 8 |
| Bob Glavin | July 9 |
| Chastity Richburg | July 10 |
| Olga Simon | July 11 |
Thank You Notes Received this Week
CLICK HERE to see the Thank You Notes received this week
Links to PowerPoint and Pictures
CLICK HERE to see the PowerPoint Slide Deck from this week’s meeting