Caspar North Neighborhood Meeting
July 8, 2014

Beginning July 2, 2014, Caspar Community sponsored a series of four neighborhood meetings followed by a community meeting on July 13. John Anderson and Judy Tarbell organized and led these meetings.

Merideth and Bob Frey hosted the second meeting on July 8, 2014. It was attended by:

Merideth and Bob Frey
John Anderson
Judy and Jim Tarbell
Miriam Davis & Peter Keat
Linda Walzer
Sunshine Taylor and Glenn Rude
Oasis Hasten
Francie Nolan
Gary Grahame
Claire Amanno
Annie Lee
Ava Avione

We opened up the meeting by having everyone introduce themselves and either talk about where they came from, or why they moved here, or something on their mind.

Linda Walzer. Would like the street light on Caspar Road removed.
Bob Frey. Retired and came to Caspar. On the Caspar Community Board.
Glenn Rude. A family therapist and on the Caspar Community Board.
Francie Nolan. A homeopath; recently bought Joanna Stephen’s three acres from Caspar Cattle Co.
Need a “No Beach Access” sign before Jughandle Bridge and a “Caspar Campground Right on Pt. Cabrillo Drive” on Highway One..
Annie Lee. Caspar Inn is an issue. Is willing to head up Disaster Preparation for Caspar and needs help. On the Caspar Community Board.
John Anderson. Moved here six months ago. Issues are: (1) Capturing a source of water (the Caspar aquifer). Need to open the conversation. Buy smaller chunk of the water source property? Think through all the issues. (2) Would like a highway overpass to the duck pond and Jackson State Forest. This is a long conversation. (3) Will shoot up the light with a sling shot.
Claire Amanno. Manages the MAC Gallery and sells estate goods on Ebay. Likes the sense of community and believes the Caspar Community Center is a true center. Concerned about crossing the highway. Noted that traffic was slowed to 30 in Philo after a child was killed at that crosswalk. Bob Frey noted that had two meetings with CalTrans. Traffic lights are statistically based and require more than two deaths. Are two pedestrian signs. He believes we can’t get 35 mph like in Little River.
Gary Grahame. Likes that so little crime.Ready to help out with disaster preparation.
Miriam Davis. Walked by Francie’s house – loves that road. Small town – welcoming; people you know everywhere; chickens next door. Issues: wants street light removed and wires under grounded.
Oasis Hasten. Dances and presents universal peace and storytelling at preschools and meditation at Buddhist place. Is a massage therapist. Teaches workshops on dance, storytelling at Mendocino Community Center. Looks in on people needing help (hip replacement, illness, birth, passings). The Center is good for memorials. Even as we speak, people are discussing a health center with chiropractors, psychotherapy, homeopathy.
Ava Avione. She is the newest Casparite. Found sense of community. Something about John threw in magic lady pile. Issues: The light was installed in 1991. Called the owner of her house and he said Vel Anderson said from her grave that “the light stays.” The County says it is not their light. PG&E says that pole #18 is owned by Pamela Weston (Ava’s given name). Owner must request that light be turned off. But Ken Duff said his brother owns it and “if that light goes out, you are out.” Suggested all residents sign a letter and send to Ken who is building a house on Fern Creek. Ava, Sunshine, Miriam, Annie, Claire, Meridith will meet – how to deal with removing the light so not create more turmoil as is happening in the world.

General issues:
(1) Water. Need to know how much water is available and how much we pump. Create a baseline. Need to share the aquifer.

Bob and Meridith: 2 hand dug wells, 20’ x 24’
Sunshine and Glenn. 180’ deep. Covers three residences and big garden. Doing well now but gets slow later.
Michael Steele. Uses two wells and has 24’ well which not using.
Ava: her well, 20’ x 24’, went dry two weeks ago. Has a 2500 gallon tank. Having water delivered.
Miriam. Briefly dry in Oct. last year. Wants to know how to measure the well.
Is the level of the Caspar Pond an indication.
Solutions:
Have Caspar water delivered to people’s holding tanks, and have water purified at each house.
Set up catchments. Can get 7 gallons during the fog on a roof. In Chili, enough for a village.
Facts: the Caspar aquifer is fractured, so the upper layers fill the lower layers.

Disaster Preparation
Annie will coordinate.
Need neighborhood coordinators, who do inventory of the area.
Miriam Davis, Gary Grahame, Sally Stewart, Judy Tarbell will help.