ROTARY ROUNDABOUT OPENS AT TECUMSEH AND MANNING
On Friday, June 6, a number of club members joined with others from the community to attend the Grand Opening Ceremony for the Manning Road Pump Station / WFCU Square / Rotary Wheel project at the intersection of Riverside East and Manning Road.
The new traffic roundabout with the centrepiece Rotary International wheel, opened for use last November. What greeted cars and pedestrians was a Rotary wheel sculpture in the centre of the roundabout designed, manufactured and erected by the Rotary Club of Windsor-St. Clair. The sculpture is three 6-foot stainless steel wheels painted in gold with Royal blue decals. It is made to last decades. In keeping with the Rotary Strategic Goal to Enhance Public Image and Awareness, the sculpture profiles ROTARY INTERNATIONAL rather than the Windsor-St. Clair club.
In addition to the unveiling of the Rotary Wheel, The Manning Road Pump Station was officially opened and the newly designed park was named to honour the financial support of the Windsor Family Credit Union.
In addition to this stunning sculpture, the club has paid for landscaping at the roundabout and committed to assist the Town of Tecumseh with the future development of Lakewood Park South and/or the Ganatchio (walking and biking) Trail along Riverside Drive. What has always been a busy intersection and gateway to the Town has become, perhaps, the most beautiful park in the County of Essex that includes public access to Lake St. Clair. The sculpture sets the roundabout apart from other intersections.
The installation of the Rotary sculpture at the roundabout was the culmination of two years of planning, negotiations with the Town and manufacturer.
It all started with discussions within the club on how to improve our local community and resulted in wide public consultations. Many groups, charities and municipalities submitted small and large projects for consideration. In the end, we decided to commit considerable funds to support the establishment of a residence for at-risk young men in Windsor; provide dentures for working poor by volunteer hygienists and dentists; and raising the awareness of Rotary and the selfless act of service (Service Above Self) in the community.
The club’s decision to commit funds to branding rather than community work was not taken lightly and involved considerable debate – we took a long-term view that the core values embodied in Rotary can make the world a better place. It is our hope the wheel sculpture will inspire others to serve and inform the public of the good work of Rotary both locally and globally.
