Ripon Rotary President Harrison Gibbs has never been known to let grass grow under his feet and taking on his club’s presidency is no different.

Club members attending a recent luncheon at Spring Creek Country Club heard how they are going to be a part of the new world-wide theme of “Light up Rotary” under the leadership of the former water company owner from Turlock who made Ripon his home a number of years ago.

Gibbs has chosen two main projects for the year: landscaping the weed filled island at the Highway 99 northbound entrance to the community that will include a large steel welcoming logo for motorists entering the city of 15,000. 

Harrison hopes to have work crews of eight to 10 Rotarians working at any one time to clear the triangle that separates the on ramp and off ramp and has been the focus of grass fires in past years.  Rotarian Todd Filbrun of Kurios Energy located in Manteca’s Industrial Park volunteered to create a circular steel logo some 10 to 15 feet in diameter.

The second project involves the creation of a tall free standing clock with a Rotary logo centered in its face to be erected in Ripon’s downtown at Acacia Avenue and Main Street.    Cost of the clock is estimated to be in excess of $15,000 to be made possible through fund raisers including new Bingo games.

“My biggie is the memorial clock.  Everybody who donates to the clock fund will be memorialized in one way or another with plaques on its base.  That’s my shopping list.  I hope we can make it all happen,” he said. 

Gibbs has launched the fundraising with $1,000 of his own money going into the pot.  A $100 donation from community members will see a plaque mounted on the base of the clock.  He said he has already talked with Ripon Public Works Director Ted Johnston and asked that the city help in producing  a graphic for the sign.

President Gibbs added that he has already talked with the Ripon Senior Center to have Bingo games in their facility every two weeks.  Rotary would realize half the profits and the Senior Center would be given the other half to help with its budget.

Another Rotarian, Kelly Cole, offered to chair another fundraising event that would keep other moms out of their hot kitchens for at least one summer night – a tri-tip take out dinner where profits could also go toward Rotary’s community projects.

Since moving to Ripon he has been the epitome of service to the community from painting fire hydrants yellow, restriping the city library’s parking stalls and replacing the round buttons that form the downtown parking slots to replacing the fire department’s blue reflectors in the middle of city streets that allow firemen to find the hydrants in the dark of night.