Firewise Meeting June 12, 2024
LCMC Board Room
Zoom meeting was called to order at 10:07am by President Alec Pennington
Present were board members: Alec Pennington, Gregg Dahmen (zoom), Kathy Stafford, Gary Nelson, Ray Menard, Dave Peterson and Dennis Wicks
There were no Zoom community attendees.
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The minutes of the May 8, 2024 meeting were approved with a motion by Dave and a second by Ray.
Treasurer Report – Gary Nelson.
The Treasurer’s Report has been published separately but was discussed and
approved following a motion by Dave with a second from Alec.
Arts and Crafts Fair
The Arts and Crafts Fair didn’t seem to have the attendance it has enjoyed in previous years. Ray suggested there were competing events going on at the same time, a big Plant Sale event at the Indian casino was one of them. Ray also said it was not well advertised, nor were there signs out on the 119 to draw people in.
Kathy reported she had spoken with a lady from Spokane who was very interested in starting a Firewise group there. Hearing this, Alec called our effort a success despite the low attendance.
Dave expressed concern with the low attendance saying that if it wasn’t profitable for the vendors, they’ll stop showing up.
Stump Dump:
The Stump Dump report has been uploaded to the shared Google Workspace. Some of the highlights are:
- Project Hours reported – 1070.5,
- Member Project Costs – $3,305,
- Donations received – $269,
- Parties interested in volunteering – 24, and
- Trips to the Stump Dump – 112
Here too, there was less attendance than in previous years, although Alec reported a guy flew in from New York to bring his debris to the stump dump. Perhaps being held over the Memorial Day holiday weekend was a factor. Should the event be held over two weekends? Should there be a second event in the fall? As it’s an LCMC event, Ray will report these suggestions to the board. The donations received were down as well.
Discussion turned to the sign-in sheets and the need to keep them legible. Using the community member’s email addresses for a Firewise newsletter may be a future activity.
Additionally, it was noted that many people picked up mulch and firewood from the available supplies and possible future chipper days with the DNR were discussed.
Go Bags:
As a “Go Bag” intended for possible evacuations, Dennis thought a backpack style bag was more appropriate however it was determined that for something we wanted to give away they were cost prohibitive.
With a motion from Ray and a second from Dave, Gary will order 30 ($205 including printing of the logo) of the shopping bag style of bags.
Storage Shed:
Gary reported everything should be done before the grant deadline and there has been some excellent volunteer help from Rich Kallal and Larry Hitchins. The porch is still being worked on. Alec has completed all the grant’s paperwork, and it is ready to be filed and we should expect to receive reimbursement after about a week. As of this meeting, $3,086.33 has been spent but more materials will be purchased later in the day.
Kathy will send thank you notes to those who have worked on the shed.
Ray Menard:
Ray shared he has too many irons in the fire and is considering resigning from our board. He will continue as our liaison to the Fire Station but may be stepping back a bit.
One of the items we’ve put on his plate is the review of the DNR home fire wise assessment sheet along with ours and possibly combining them.
In addition, Ray scoping the fire threat level sign at the real estate office halfway up the hill on the 119 as it has been in dire need of repair for some time.
Lilliwaup Dinner:
Firewise can host one of the monthly Lilliwaup Community Dinners. For $75 and we cook the meal, we can make a presentation to the group. Alec expressed no interest in making a presentation.
General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) Radios
Dennis’ suggestion to purchase a GMRS radio for the CERT trailer the Mason County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is intending to station at the Hoodsport fire station. The county intends to go digital with GMRS radios their device of choice. However, putting one in the CERT trailer requires someone to have the required license to use it.
Ray stated he and the fire station don’t use GMRS radios but portable HAM radios instead. Why is this surprising? Ray talked about the need for a repeater up on Dow Mountain and the conversation deteriorated from there. It was decided to table the matter for the time being.
Assessments:
Ray will do the assessment currently in the queue and Alec reported there is an email request for another, and he is trying to contact the requestor to find out more information.
Address Markers:
There are three requests in the queue.
Adjournment:
The clock struck noon and Gary made a motion the meeting be adjourned; Dave seconded, and the vote passed. The meeting was adjourned without completing the agenda.
Next regular meeting scheduled for July 10th at 10am in LCMC boardroom.
Minutes compiled and respectfully submitted by Kathy Stafford and Dennis Wicks.