Park in the West, Southwest or South Parking Lots… enter the CLC at the South entrance
Dear Rotary Club 29 members:
Several months ago your Board of Directors and Officers authorized appointment of an Ad Hoc Task Force to research alternative venues for our regular Tuesday noon meetings. Discussions with the Petroleum Club regarding problems with the audio visual system were unsatisfactory and we thought it in the best interests of the Club to explore other options. The Task Force conducted an extensive review and analysis of available locations, and used the recent membership survey as an additional tool for gauging what factors are important to you and how the current and prospective venues measure up relative to those factors. As part of the review, in December the Board accepted the invitation of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church to hold a lunch meeting in the Church’s Christian Life Center. At its January 18 meeting your Board considered the Task Force’s report and voted to move our Tuesday meetings to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Christian Life Center as soon as possible. I notified Petroleum Club management on January 22 of our decision to move effective with our first meeting in March. We will remain at the Petroleum Club through the February 27 meeting. Our first meeting at St Luke’s will be on March 6. I announced this decision at the January 23 regular meeting. Anyone who was not at the January 23 meeting can watch the video for additional details about the process we followed in making this decision.
I want to assure you that this decision was made following thoughtful consideration. The Task Force was chaired by Jane Jenkins, assisted by Board members Ashley Smith, Lisa Synar, Devery Youngblood and AV Co-Chair Brad Poarch. The process followed by the Task Force in evaluating options was thorough. The Board’s decision followed considerable debate over the span of several months. The Task Force kept the Board informed of its progress, and the Board’s oversight and input helped guide the research. The Petroleum Club was also included in this evaluation, given remaining at that location was always an option. I want to thank Jane and her Task Force for the countless hours they spent on this research.
I would personally like to ask each Club member to embrace this change, which we view as a healthy one for our Club’s future. Club 29 is about more than just where we meet, what we eat, or our weekly program, but those are all important to your experience as a Club member. Two very important factors identified in the survey were the AV system and parking. Both these needs will be much better met at St. Luke’s than the Petroleum Club. St Luke’s has terrific space for us, state of art AV – and by the way, Brad Poarch and our Media & AV Committee rated St Luke’s equipment the best of all those researched- outstanding cuisine, and plenty of free parking with no elevators. The Christian Life Center is at the south end of St Luke’s, on the ground floor, accessible from 14th street between Harvey and Robinson.
I believe our fellowship and commitment to service are strong and will continue to be so at any venue. Your Board is excited about the new meeting location and we believe you will be as well when you see what St. Luke’s has to offer. Please watch your email and our website for further information. If necessary, we will create an FAQ to respond to questions.
President Ellen
Please park in the South or SouthWest lots for easiest access to the CLC. However, Rotarians are welcome to park in any of the lots.
CLC Photos
In it’s history, the Rotary Club of Okla. City has met at the following locations:
1910 – 1913 Savoy Cafe – Oil and Gas Building
1913 -1932 Huckins Hotel
1932 -1939 Biltmore Hotel (3-15-32)
1939 – 1988 Skirvin Hotel (3-27-39- 10-1988)
1988- 1999 Sheraton/Williams/Medallion/Westin/Sheraton (10-18-88)
1999-2018 Petroleum Club 34th Floor (10-88- 2-27-2018)
2018 – St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Christian Life Center
I commend Jane and the committee who chose to move our weekly meetings to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church’s CLC. I am a member at St. Luke’s and can attest to the excelllent accomodations in the CLC meeting room. It is a large room, plenty large enough for our Rotary meeting, with excellent sound/AV resources, very comfortable chairs, nicely necorated with an excellent stage. I urge the Board to appoint Lance McDaniel, also a member of St. Luke’s, to design appropriate Rotary stage Props similar to the Tulsa Rotary Club, which also meets in a downtown large Methodist Church. I completely agree with moving away from our long-time home in the Petroleum Club, although I will miss the view. Harry Wilson