Upper Fern Creek Neighborhood Meeting
July 2, 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.

Deborah and Eric Freeman hosted the first meeting on July 2, 2014. It was attended by:

Deborah and Eric Freeman
John Anderson
Judy and Jim Tarbell
Loren Hammer
Dalen Anderson and Paul Schulman
Merideth and Bob Frey
Pat and Mike Gray
Ulla Wagenblast
Elan Gay and John
Toni Illich

Ambulances and fire trucks are unable to locate houses on the eastern portions of Caspar Orchard Road and Fern Creek because some people on both roads use Fern Creek as their address, often with the same street number. This is because the original deeded access to eastern Fern Creek was from western Fern Creek through the Jorgensen property. This route was altered and the new access road turned out to be swampy and not passable in the winter, so the only access to eastern Fern Creek is via Caspar Orchard Road.

There were myriad accounts of delayed fire trucks and ambulances. Possibly solutions include:
1. A sign with a solar light on Fern Creek Road at the end of the blacktop (by Dalen and Paul’s house) can list the houses to the east reachable via Fern Creek Road. Some wanted just street numbers; some wanted names and numbers; some just names.
People to contact include:
Steve Orsi, Chief, Fort Bragg Fire Department;
Mendocino Coast District Hospital Ambulance;
Mendocino County Sheriffs Department;
Mary Flannery Kraut for permission to put up sign;
John ___ and John Anderson volunteered to make the sign and put it up.
2. PG&E has GPS coordinates for all houses on both Fern Creeks. Fire, ambulance and sheriff departments can coordinate with PG&E.
3. People can install solar-powered LED house numbers.
4. There is a tree stump on the curve by Johansen’s which reads Caspar Orchard Road (because Johansen’s property fronts on Caspar Orchard Road) which confuses people driving by to a Fern Creek address. Another sign could be put up which reads “to eastern Fern Creek – ends in 9/10 of a mile.”

There is general concern about fire. Two suggestions are to have a 12’ gate so fire trucks can get to the house and to have a fire hose hook up on holding tanks.

Emergency preparedness:
People should have an air horn – three blasts is a call for help. Ulla has a bell for same.
Solar panels with back-up batteries and a generator are recommended.
Keep a copy in vehicles of the exit map through Jackson State Forest if the bridges over Caspar Creek and Jughandle Creek are collapsed. There is a .pdf of this map at http://www.casparcommons.org/Gallery/NoBridgeEscapeMap.jpg
The Community Center is a Red Cross center in the event of a disaster, with solar panels, battery and generator backup, water and Red Cross provided food. People might want to store their frozen food in Community Center freezers. How many people could the Center care for, and for how long? Will there be a helipad at the Center?

General thoughts:

Let’s have a home party once a year

Don’t feed the geese. They are polluting the pond.


There’s a plan for an electric car hook up at the Center.

Marty Johnson teaches classes on canning. Canned food doesn’t need refrigeration.

Wells are low; water with water used for cooking.