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[Safety NotesNovember 1, 2023]

Safety Notes
November 1, 2023

Thank you to Victoria Purvine and NEMCCA for taking notes!

Historical Society:  Progress is being made to get the septic permit signed off.  With the requirement for an Authorization Notice to be updated, the drop boxes and drain lines needed to be found.  The first line was discovered to be under the fill for the museum and there was questions on the usability of the remaining lines.  EMS was hired to camera the lines, and after a brief snag on each line due to blockage, the three remaining lines were okayed for use.  
One of the boxes was found to be a distribution box and had to be changed to a drop box, this was successfully done and documented.  Paperwork has been turned in for a Certificate of Satisfaction and the only items left remaining are proving the three septic tanks that were removed were properly decommissioned.  This may require a waiver of decommission depending on pictures, documents, records.  We are waiting on the person who removed the tanks to fill out the paperwork.

Fire District:  The Training Academy has begun with eight new recruits.  They will be training twice a week, Monday evening with all the crew, and again on Wednesday evening with the academy.  Training will be for six months and after one year they will be rated as Fire Fighter 1.  
The District is working on the bond items:  meeting with ODOT (which went well), Land Use planning, permitting, and plans.  One of the new items you will see that was approved with the bond is the new rescue vehicle that should be in district in the next six months, depending on how the automotive strike affects production.  The old oil tank in Springdale is still being worked on for removal and there is one more at the main station that will need removed once the conex boxes are moved.  
If you are interested in learning CPR or taking other life safety classes please sign up at the fire station or contact Duane Redfield for information.  The District will be offering classes at a low cost to the community, and you'll be learning on the new mannequins that will monitor efficiency and correct your technique as you learn.

Grange:  On November 3 there will be the Annual pie contest and variety show.  You still have plenty of time to make those pies!  The event will be at the Grange between 6-9.
There is a community involvement film called "Join or Die" that will be shown on Tuesday, November 7 at 6:30.

Corbett Water District:  There was a main line break this morning, the District Manager was out working on that break and would not make the meeting.
There was a meeting with Rockwood Water District and they shared their policy manual and what they charge with CWD.  The Fire Line charge was $29 for Rockwood.

Oregon Parks and Rec Department:  There will be two closures coming up, one that will impact the local area, which is Latourell Trail and trail head.  Parks is meeting with the contractor today and the work will include replacing two bridges and the steps up to the View point. The trail will be closed for about six weeks, most likely until Mid-December.  
Parks is in full Winter operations, seasonal workers are now laid off and the campgrounds will be closed as of today.  
Dabney Springs continues to be a discussion regarding what is feasible to do, and is addressing the concerns that were brought forward at the last Safety meeting.  There is no time line right now for when options may be available to the public.
Parks is continuing to work with the Community on the Women's Forum project. Thank you to all who have contributed to the project, they are still working on the design.
Vista House continues to have a water infiltration problem, one that has been in issue since it was built.  Long and short term solutions are being considered as they are trying to figure out what can be done.
Vista House hours will be going to Winter hours on November 3rd.  They will be Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon from 10-4 depending on weather conditions.
After weeks of trying to get the wind gauge up and working it does appear there has been a fix and you may expect to see readings starting next week.

Springdale Job Corp:  The Department of Labor is changing the contractor for the campus and there may be some changes in leadership, possibly day to day operations.  The current HLS contract will be extended for three months, then a new contractor will be coming in February 2024 for one year to make the necessary changes.  After that year a new five year contract will be put out for consideration.
Currently there are 80 students on campus and new students are coming in every two weeks.  The center would like to be up to full status of 130 students, but the dorms are on hold right now and DOL won't approve more spending on repairs until the new contractor takes over.  
SJC was rated at number 24 two years ago, but satisfaction and ranking has fallen to 97 at this point.  The change in contractors is intended to make the corrections to turn the center back around.

Corbett School District:  The Trunk or Treat was a super successful event and will definitely be something to continue going forward!  The number of kids attending was over 200 and there were around 25 trunks for the kids to visit.  
There has bean a slight delay on the switch gear for the electric at the Woodard campus and  there could be a small delay on closing the project, but they are still on track to open on January 8, 2024.  The only reason they wouldn't make that date is if there is a major weather event that takes PGE off the project to repair power lines.
There has been no update on the school zone signs.
CSD received a grant for $260,000 for electric vehicles and will have a truck and cargo van on campus soon. There will also be two charging stations and these will be available to the public for use when the school is not using them.  This grant was through PGE.
They have applied for another grant with PGE and another entity that would provide three EV buses and more charging stations.  
Congratulations to the Volleyball team! For the first time in ten years they have made the final 8 and will be playing the first seeded team on November 3rd in Eugene.

Multnomah County Roads:  There was discussion with CSD and Roads regarding the school zone signs, also historical signage with Reynolds, the time to process signage with ODOT, where the signs are in the process.  
The Bell Road school zone sign has been made and is waiting to be installed.  That should be going up over the next two weeks.
Staffing: good news, all apprentice positions have been filled!  There are eight new staff members being trained.
Next week you will see flaggers on Gordon Creek.  The County has a contractor doing core samples at approximately 2.5 miles where the trees came down.  The will be looking at the best way to rebuild the bank.  The work will be Mon-Thurs between the hours of 8:00 am to 3:30pm.  Expect delays.
The vegetation specialist position is out for recruitment and should be filled by the end of November.  The brush cutter was down for a couple of days but has returned to work (thanks given for all the clearing we've seen done).  Hazardous tree discussion - best to use seeclickfix for reporting so they can track the process in the system.
Potholes and sinkholes - The drop at mile post two on Larch is being investigated.  They don't know what is causing the drop, it is getting markedly worse, and will need to be dug up.  The pot holes on Woodard are being repaired, there has been 15 ton of cold patch put down on Brower in an attempt to make that road smoother, workers were out this week on Brower.  One of the gravel areas on Chamberlain has been patched, one more needs done.  The sink hole on Seidl is top priority, that will be worked on ahead of others.  
After the most recent hit of the Stark street bridge workers have put up "temporary" barriers.  Rock that was damaged has been moved to be stored in case it can go back, and preliminary talks have started on replacing the bridge.  This most likely means 8-10 years before any work begins, but at least the discussion has been opened.

Citizen's Patrol:  They spent their Halloween at the Vista House making sure all went well.  There was very little traffic this year, the high winds may have helped with the reduction.  The wind has been a challenge at the school with signs not being able to be used due to the wind using them to push the body around.  Thank you to Superintendent Derek for coming out and pitching in when they need help.
People have been great, thank you!

FireWise:  On November 11 and 12 there will be a chipper pilot program operating at the fire station in the back yard area.  This is a project funded by a grant that Firewise received which will be good for three years.  This year will be used to work out the kinks, finding out if people will be able to bring limbs down to the chipper, if there needs to be a collection of limbs, what works best for the community.  After the limbs are chipped the community can come and get the chips to use on their gardens, pathways, etc.  

ODOT:  As we have been warned now for several months, the level of services will be changing on the State roads.  This will be a Statewide issue, but in the Corbett area the roads will be:  I-84 staying at Level A, Troutdale to Larch will drop to Level D, Larch to Ainsworth Level E.  
Gates may be closed to the Interstate if the forecast is for snow and ice, but will reopen as quickly as possible.  Last year pilot cars were used to get traffic moving safely on the highway, with speeds being reduced into the 30s instead of full speed limit, this helped keep traffic flowing and cut down on accidents.
Expect the gates on the Old Scenic Highway to remain closed once I-84 is opened.  It may be a few days before crews can make it to work on the lower level roads, depending on staffing and severity of the storm.  ODOT will be doing what they can, when they can, but its going to be difficult for all, including those working.  The District has lost 25 positions and there will be only 3-4 people available to work at any time, although they will be doing rotating shifts so coverage will be seven days a week.  Things are just going to be different for a while.
With the school at Woodard opening in January there will be an impact on the potholes that remain at Nielsen.  Closing Dabney Springs has made it safer but the water that is working its way to the surface at the stop sign will have more traffic on it and will continue to be a problem.  (Discussion on ways to address this issue, budget limits are a factor).
Crews have been cleaning the gutters on the Old Scenic Highway from Vista House to Ainsworth.
Brush cutting will be done as time and resources allow.  For those who believe their property runs to the fog line, they may be surprised when the brush is cut.  
Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee will be meeting on December 7th from 10-2.  It will be a hybrid meeting, location to be determined.
Congestion mitigation for the upcoming year will look similar to this year with a flagger and the parking lot managed by the lessee.  (A brief power point presentation was given on the most recent data).
The award will be going out on the Viaduct repair.  The East bound Viaduct will be closed Fall 25-Spring 26 with the West bound closed Fall 24-Spring 25.  
https://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/project-details.aspx?project=17479
McCord Creek Bridge is scheduled to begin replacement Fall of 2025 and will have extended crossover closures onto I-84. There will be a number of days with full closure of I-84, but that will be a couple of years out.
https://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/project-details.aspx?project=21766
ODOT is submitting for a 51 million dollar grant to complete the final portion of the Historic State Highway Trail, finishing the 73 miles of trail going from Troutdale to The Dalles.  This last segment is expensive as portions will need to be tunneled under the highway, and viaducts will need to be built coming out of the tunnel.  

Forest Service:  The season has ended and the restrooms and campgrounds are being closed for the winter.  For the first time the Forest Service has hired two winter seasonal workers so you will see hosts at two of the FS sites.  You will see work being done at the Sandy River Delta, both in the parking lot with striping and along the trails.   Thank you to the Corbett Fire Department for all the help you have given this year, it is greatly appreciated.

Mt Hood Community College:  The college had their accreditation visit last week, something that is done every five to seven years, and it went very well.  The report will show they have a very good support system for students, and solid strategic planning, while offering some suggestions in the instructional area.  MHCC was noted as a College that Cares, based on interviews with students, who mentioned how welcoming and helpful the staff is, including a young student that talked about how she was ready to quit when one member of the staff stepped up and assisted her in getting her financial packet and kept her in class.  
The college is also remodeling the Pony Soldier to add 75 units of student housing at affordable costs, that is on schedule to open next Spring.
You can learn more about this development at the Gresham Chamber lunch on November 14.
https://business.greshamchamber.org/events/details/learn-at-lunch-11136?calendarMonth=2023-11-01

Oregon Historical Society Levy: this monitors how the levy money is spent and everyone was very impressed with the tour that was taken of the different societies.  They are looking for new members to join the board, contact Chair Vega-Pederson's office if you're interested.

NEMCCA: We will be hosting a public meeting with Senator Bonham, Representative Helfrich and Office of the Governor's Regional Solutions Director Amelia Porterfield on November 16 from 6:30 to 8pm at the Corbett Fire Hall.  Chair Vega-Pederson has been invited and we will update the information when her schedule is known.
The Christmas Tree Lighting will be December 2 from 5-8 with the tree turned on at 5:15.  Weather permitting there will be a bonfire, if not we'll have a BBQ for marshmallows. Games will be offered for the children, the Corbett Fire Christmas Chicken will be assisting with the games, and snacks and drinks will be provided. (Donations gladly accepted!)

[October 4, 2023Safety Meeting Notes]

October 4, 2023

Safety Meeting Notes

Thank you to Jack Garrison for taking notes!

Attendance - There were 43 people at the October NEMCCA Information and Safety meeting including both agency representative and community members.


1.  Oregon State Parks and the Oregon Department of Transportation presented an overview briefing on the status of the Dabney spring water source near the intersection of the Historic Highway and SE Nielson Rd.   The water source has currently been diverted for safety concerns and to help address complaints covering the last seven years. These  included parking on and off the right of way, vandalism of no parking and information signs, the mud pit that is formed from cars pulling on and off the road, and a number of vehicle accidents including a serious one last January due to frozen ice from the water running across the road.   These concerns were discussed with State of Oregon representatives in a NEMCCA public meeting held in June and Oregon State Parks and ODOT were directed by the State to address this issues.  As a result the water has been diverted through the culvert under the Historic Highway.  There is an ongoing effort to explore future options; however, no options are currently ready to be presented to the public, and one option may be leave it the way it is currently.

 

There were public concerns expressed over the cutoff of the clean spring water source.   There was a discussion of EPA water quality requirements including recurring testing if this source would be made available once again.  NEMCCA Chair indicated that NEMCCA plans to host another meeting with State of Oregon representatives and that might be an opportunity for the public to discuss this issue; however, at this time there is no public forum working this issue.

 

Stare Parks did offer that free potable water was available at Lewis & Clark and that water is safe to drink.

 

2.  Historical Society Museum - The septic system inspection was scheduled for today, October 4th, but was canceled because the contractor had not uncovered the inspection access for the drop boxes.  An Authorization of Use is being asked for in addition to the minor tank replacement and that is adding to the inspection requirements.

 

3.  Corbett Water District - District is hiring for the Utility Worker One position.  Two technicians left the district last month.   Issues with the PRVs and Fire Hydrants continue. The "black" fire hydrants are still being investigated, but the one at Nielsen and Old Scenic Highway can now be painted to a higher rating.  The district is looking to hire an outside contractor to assist with the hydrants and PRVs as they are short staffed.

The status of the Hurlburt water line was discussed and there is an ongoing effort to fully understand the current status and future requirements.  There was an older 4 inch line that the District is aware has leaks, but there was a new eight inch line put in several years ago that everyone along Hurlburt was to be switched over to in that area.  The District is looking to see who is on the line, who can be moved, where the lines go, and where the valve boxes and PRV vaults are located.

 

4.  Multnomah County Sheriff Office - An incident at Angel's Rest regarding a loss of life was discussed.   There was a discussion regarding cars that have been left unoccupied for long periods of time, how often they are checked on, what Parks can/is doing about checking on these vehicles,  and what  options law enforcement has if  the vehicle is on right of way or in a parking lot.

 

5.  Corbett School District - Progress on the Woodard Campus continues and completion is expected by the end of November.  The district plans to begin operations at the campus on January 8th.   The school zone status is still being worked with County Roads.

 

Pink Out in support of Breast Cancer is being highlighted at all sporting events this week.  Homecoming is planned for October 20th and Parent Training is being offered to the community on October 26th for "Screen Addiction and Social Media" from 6-7pm at the Mental Health Department at the Corbett Commons.  Sign up if you're interested .  A Trunk or Treat Halloween event is planned for the school parking lot on October 31st from 6 - 8 pm.   A brochure was passed around and for more information contact Darcie at 503-504-2386.

 

Here is a link to copy to the school's newsletter:  https://www.smore.com/9hf1j

 

6.  Oregon State Police - Staffing for patrols in our area remains at 62%.   The Governor has directed State Police to assist the City of Portland with drug task force issues.   Recruitment training classes have been accelerated with a combination of more instructors and schedule compression.  The Department is facing manpower issues due to growing number of eligible retirements and gaps in levels of experience.  Options for officer retirement and reemployment are being considered.

 

A question was asked of State Police and MCSO regarding street racing.  Representatives discussed how these groups coordinate their gatherings on social media which makes law enforcement response very difficult.   Also discussed were options to impound vehicles but that typically is a short term solution since all the owner needs to provide is a valid driver license and proof of insurance and can get their car back the next day.  Bottom line - difficult effort.

 

7.  Multnomah Community College - Fall term has started and enrollment has increased.   Two new Board members have joined the Board and a welcome was conducted for students.  A current Board focus item is community outreach.   There is an effort to increase student housing and the old Pony Solider Inn is being rehabbed and will offer 75 units for student housing.

 

MHCC has been recognized as Number 4 for best value and will begin offering a bachelor's degree in cyber security next year.   A recent survey indicated 87% of their students are employed within 6 months of graduation.  The new Dental Hygiene Center is open.   MHCC and Corbett Schools are working toward a partnership to offer the community a selection of classes at the new Woodard campus.

 

8.  Grange - On the 22nd of October from 1-4 pm the Grange will be having their annual used book sale. 

 https://www.columbiagrange267.org/new-events/2023/10/22/used-book-exchange

Drop your books off here:  211 NE 365th Ave, Corbett (on the deck under the eaves), until Saturday, October 21.  We are accepting your lightly used books- the books you know your friends want. Please no text, reference or computer how-to books. Proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Grange Scholarship and Holiday Family Fund.  Questions?  Call Malinda Carlson 971-271-4156

On October 28th Menucha Retreat is hosting a harmonica concert at 6 pm.  And on October 29th from 2-4 pm the Grange is having a community pumpkin carving event.  There was a brief discussion about the Grange Adopt a Road litter patrol effort.    The Grange is working with the Corbett School Key Club in a joint effort.  The Grange paperwork has been completed and they will borrow equipment from NEMCCA until Country Roads gets their equipment.

 

9.  Citizens Patrol - The effort to provide school support is going well and in the morning they have two volunteers working from 7:35 until 8:00 am and in the evenings three volunteers from 3:30 until 4:00 pm.   CP will be supporting the football game this week and providing patrols at Vista House on Halloween to prevent vandalism.

 

10.  Forest Service - Discussion of ongoing personnel changes and planned expansions.   Window for new position applications will be open starting on October 19th through around Thanksgiving.   These will be for seasonal job beginning in the April to May 2024 time period

 

Public use restrictions have been canceled but campgrounds are now closed for the season.   A plan is being developed for work at the Sandy River Delta beginning next Spring.   Ongoing project is under way to relocate the front gate approximately 25 yards down the road from its current position.

 

11.  Multnomah County Roads - Introduction of two new personnel and detailed their recent promotions!  Thanked NEMCCA for the Adopt a Road effort and indicated that new signs will be erected on upper Corbett Hill Road and on Chamberlain.   Brush cutting effort underway and will continue over the winter as weather and equipment allows.  Discussion of several sink / pot holes around the community and efforts to address many of these before winter, they have already used 3400 pounds of patch in potholes and is you've seen a patched hole, it was mostly like MultCo.  The County had been in talks with Gresham regarding repairing the bad area of road on Pounder.  It looks like Gresham will not be available to help so the County will be approaching that section of road with a new method to fix the area.  Please watch for signs that work is being done.

Expecting eight new hires shortly, plus in the future the hiring of a vegetation specialist.   The work order for the school sign on Bell Road is done.  Discussion of the on going Stark Street Bridge inspection -  should be completed on October 5th.

 

12.  Corbett Fire District - District has nine  new recruits and training will begin on October 25th.   On October 14th the district will hold an open house in conjunction with a morning garage sale.  Garage sale will begin at 8:30 and will overlap with the Open House (starting at noon).  Both will wrap up at 3 pm.

During the open house community members will be given an opportunity to sign up for CPR training. There will be differing levels of class from "I just want to know how to do it" to "I want to be certified" and going up to Basic Life Support.  Classes will be determined by the number of interested people.

 

13.  Oregon Department of Transportation - The next Historic Highway Advisory Committee meeting will be on December 7th, location TBD.   The data from the Summer Timed Permit Use has been compiled and will be shared at the November NEMCCA meeting.   Multnomah Falls Viaduct project bids went out in September and the project will start in 2024 with the western viaduct closure.

 

14.  NEMCCA made a request for volunteers to support the on going litter patrol effort.   Contact Dave Mysinger at: bullinthegorge@yahoo.com or Erick Johnson at: erick.johnson@multco.us

 

 

[Safety Meeting Notes]

Safety Meeting Notes
September 6, 2023

Thank you to Jack Garrison who took notes for NEMCCA this month.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070147935101



Historical Society  - Outside deck is almost complete and electrical wiring of the inside of the building is in progress.
Oregon Highway Patrol - Staffing remains at 65% but two new hires are coming on board in October.

County Emergency Management - Provided a comprehensive overview of the Camp Creek Fire which is now 16% contained and its current size remains at a little over 1900 acres.   Currently there are over 500 management staff and firefighters on scene.

There was a discussion of the Emergency Notifications Areas / Zones and the Three Notification Level.  The first and lowest level is only provided to folks who have signed up for notifications via their phones or computers.  One of the issues is the overlap of notifications across several zones.  So some folks may get more than one notification level.
There was a positive comment of the recent Camp Creek Fire public meeting at the Grange which was attended by around 150 folks and that the Great Basin Incident Team was doing pop up updates at the Country Store.

A map was passed around showing the various water districts, in addition to Portland, that rely on Bull Run Reservoir and the various Portland water wells as a source of water.   The average daily water consumption across these water districts is 85-90 million gallons per day but summer peak use can be in the range of 100 to 110 million gallons per day.   As daily use goes down because of cooler weather a majority of the water will be produced by wells vice Bull Run.

Please Note - The Corbett Water District is not part of this Bull Run systems thus not impacted by the fire.

Corbett School - School is back in sessions and thanks to Citizen's Patrol for providing both morning and afternoon traffic control.  Over the summer the school has changed the parking lot traffic pattern and that has improved the traffic flow.

Woodard campus work is in progress.  The metal building is up and the interior is being finished.   Driveways and parking lots will be repaved this week.  Construction competition is anticipated by the end of November with a projected start of school on January 8,  2024.  Woodard school zone is still an unresolved issue but in progress; however, the school zone sign on Bell Road has been installed.

There was a lengthy discussion of the MCSO tactical training that was conducted over the summer in the Corbett School facility and the benefits to the community plus as a result of the training event the campus was surveyed and some area were identified that could be changed.  During the week that training was conducted there were many questions across the community as to what was going on and a lesson learned was the need for better community notification before the fact.

Corbett Water District - The Board has recently suspended charging customers for their private fire lines (unless they have a full-sized meter on their line). They are looking at the policy to determine the best course of action moving forward.

The CWD staff has stayed in touch with the Portland Emergency Coordination Center's daily briefing on the bull run fire and is confident that we will not be seeing this fire spread to our watershed. 
Working with the Fire Department on flow testing this summer we have determined that our PRV stations are potentially limiting hydrant flow. The board has called a zoom meeting on September 7th solely for the purpose of reviewing this topic. Please see our web site for a zoom link, or contact the office for more information

MCSO - Deputy discussed ways to notify him of suspicious activity in the community and best to email him vice telephone.   There was a lengthy overview of the school shooter training that was conducted over a week period at the Corbett Schools and MCSO also conducted training at another school over the summer.

The recent incident on Corbett Hill Road was briefly described.  Person was a local and was provided medical assistance and taken to the hospital.

There was a discussion by MCSO and Emergency Management on the mass notification of the incident in East Portland a few weeks ago.  Because of a software change which was incorrect several thousand folks including most of east county was notified to shelter in place when 911 pushed the notification.   Issue has been corrected and Emergency Management apologized for the problem.  They explained how a zone around an incident is established and how those personnel living in the area are notified.

Citizens Patrol - Discussed the change in the school traffic pattern.   Announced that East County Pioneer Association was having an event this Sunday at the Fire Hall but no further data was provided.   Citizens Patrol was thanked for supporting the NEMCCA litter patrol on Corbett Hill Road.

County Roads - There will be an internal meeting next week on rural road issues and looking to come up with a multi year plan to address the many issues.   Hiring of 10 additional workers is in progress.   There was a brief discussion of the Howard Road quarry and the impact of operations on the road and responsibility.  Ongoing determination of facts.

Grange is joining the Adopt a Road litter patrol effort and there was going to be a follow up discussion on the paperwork following the meeting.  There was a discussion about the past school effort on Evans and the need to reinstate that effort.   School Super was supportive.

The Adopt a Road policy is being rewritten and there are efforts underway to update the list of organizations that previously signed up, if they are still active and future interested in the program.   The  new policy will specify how many times a year patrols must be conducted.  NEMCCA was thanked for their efforts and the new signs on Corbett Hill Road should be installed next week.
The Owner Maintenance Policy for property owner maintenance of road right of way is also being rewritten and expect some changes down the road.  No time for release for this new policy was given but likely not near term.

Forest Service - Time of use permitting is over for the year and there will be a report on the program in the future.  Summer / Seasonal hires did a great job this year and that effort is also coming to a close soon.  There has been some issues at the Sand River Delta over reports on Twitter of potential human remains in the area.   MCSO and the Forest Service confirmed that is not true.  However, there are several personal memorial sites in the Delta and expect that these will be addressed in the future.  The E-bike use and policy is being relooked and will including designated parking areas.   Forest Service is expecting some new hires and with added manpower there is planned refocus on several issues.

Oregon State Parks - Fountain of Youth, i.e. the Dabney drinking water source is still being worked to mitigate the traffic hazards on the Historic Highway and the plan is to divert the water; however, no final solution or date of competition is available.   There was a discussion on the need to complete this project before winter.

Portland Women's Forum public meeting was recently held at the Grange and there was a great deal of public input so they are back to the drawing board to revise the plan and when updated a copy will be provided to NEMCCA for distribution.

Stare Parks has begun to adjust seasonal closing times and summer hires will be gone by October.  Parks will start closing on November 1st.

Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) - There will be a report on permit use coming soon and bid process for the west viaduct reconstruction was released for bid yesterday (Sept 5th).  Construction is anticipated to begin in the Fall of 2024.

ODOT is incurring a 25 position cut due to gas tax funding reductions.  This winter they are anticipating only having one truck vice two in our area during bad weather.   Plus there will likely be more highway closures due to bad weather this winter and the lack of manpower.  New gates have been installed in various locations.

ODOT will be installing new mile post markers on the Historic Highway starting at the Troutdale Bridge in the future; however, underground utilities will likely slow the process of drilling post holes for the new signs.

[Safety Meeting Notes - May 3, 2023]

Safety Meeting Notes - May 3, 2023


 
OSP:
Patrol staffing is back to 53%
They will be filling two Sergeant positions
 
Museum:
Trinkets to Treasures Sale will be May 5 and May 6 from 9-4, and May 7 from 9-1.
There are still tickets available for the Tea fundraiser on June 11, contact Sandy Cartisser if you'd like to purchase.
 
There is a $50,000 matching grant going right now, so for every dollar you donate you can double it with this grant.  They are currently about half-way through the grant. Please consider donating.
(Discussion: Does in-kind donations of labor or materials count?
            Will contact Sandy and find out.)
 
Fire District:
The new water tender from the State is estimated at saving the District and locals $450,000 based on current updates.
 
Last year the district received $35,000 for staffing during wildfire season for patrols, manning of the station and fire protection.  We don't know if we'll be getting the funds this year, but last Friday we were notified the District has received a $30,000 grant for fire reduction. This grant will be administered by the Firewise Board.  More information on how that will be used will be coming.
 
The Breakfast for scholarships is coming up on June 10, 2023 and we'd love to see everyone there.  We are also looking for donations for the silent auction.  If you have something to donate please contact the fire hall.
 
On May 18th the fire department will be getting together with the neighboring agencies to launch the water safety programs at Dabney.
 
Corbett School District:
The Woodard campus is going forward.  The metal building is expected to be delivered in mid-June, the framed walls on building one and building two are almost ready for attaching the metal building.
 
Currently it is expected that the campus will be ready by mid-November which will give everyone a month to get the buildings ready to move in, with classes starting there after Winter break.
 
Contact was made with the Roads department and they are working on signs for Woodard and also for Bell road.  They don't see any problems with getting these done.
 
There was a recent discussion regarding the configuration of the buildings as the High school is overcrowded and having the eighth graders in the mix was too wide of a spread of ages.  The chosen option is to add two sixth grade classrooms to the Grade school and have the Middle school be seventh and eighth.  So, starting in August it will be Grade school K-6, CAPS will remain the same, Middle school 7-8 and High school 9-12.
 
Prom was held last week at Persimmons and a big thank you to Deputy Kaiser and Citizen's Patrol.  The event was well attended and went smoothly.
 
School Board elections are coming up and thank you to the Grange for holding an Open house to meet the candidates.  It was a very nice way to talk with the candidates without having a debate, definitely felt like everyone is working together for the Community instead of competing for a spot.  Get out and Vote!
 
Finalizing the budget tonight (5/3) if the Board votes to accept the proposal.  The ending fund balance was at a negative $250,000, which is not allowed, and the desire was to have a positive of $900,000 to one million, so the decision was made to cut $750,000 from the supplies budget (bringing the ending fund budget to $500,000) and then to not fill some of the vacant and open positions, saving another $400,000.  The changing of the school layout also made some of these cuts possible. The goal was to increase the EFB without impacting the classrooms.
 
Discussion:
What will the Woodard campus be when it is done?
            It will be the middle school.
It is understood the goal is to get the Woodard campus built, then to pass another bond in a few years to build a new Middle School and turn the Woodard campus into a CTE campus.
            Let's get this campus done first, then look at the future plans.
Did the school get the walking path grant they applied for?
            It did not, but they are looking for more grants and will try again.
How is it going with the mental health center?
            Three of the four social workers have been hired and one has already started.  It is expected that services will be available by the end of May.
 
Mt Hood Community College:
The Board has passed next year's budget and they are in good shape.  They don't like to raise the cost of attending and last year they didn't have to, but this year they are raising the cost $2 per credit hour.
 
They are continuing to meet with their Legislators to try and get help and support of continuing education.  There have been several who have come to the campus, which helps in getting support, but more is needed.
 
The Foundation Board held an auction and made around $200,000.  All monies will go towards scholarships once expenses have been paid.
 
The college has been redoing the dental hygiene clinic so they can continue to meet accreditation requirements- the students have been taking classes in another location but will be back in their classrooms next year.
 
There are some hybrid classes going on right now, but most of the students are back on campus.
 
Sheriff's Budget Advisory Committee:
In the budget process the departments turn in their "in target" budget items, which means they will fund the positions.  With the "out of target" items it means it would be nice to have it, but its not in the regular budget.
 
Community Resource Officers are in the "out of target" area of the budget.  There was a lot of concern regarding not having the CRO's funded (both for Corbett and Sauvie Island ) but the Chair picked those two positions up and put them in her budget.
 
Oregon State Parks:
The repair work on the wall at the Vista House is going well, John DiBona is doing the work.
 
Due to the large number of false calls to the Fire Department the faulty pull stations are off line.  Work is being done to correct the problem.
 
Women's Forum is going forward, the design contract is expected to be ready for presentation in a public forum by late summer.  There is a large group of community members that the State is in regular contact with regarding the progress.
 
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office will be able to fulfill their contract to have a dedicated Deputy available to patrol the parks.  Its been a few years since this has been possible.
 
Hiring is on-going, they are looking to fill 19 seasonal positions.  There is also a student worker program- the applicant needs to be enrolled in school (either high school or college) and be between 16-18 years of age.  Information on this will be sent to the Schools.
 
The spring at Nielsen is being addressed by Parks and ODOT.  It will take some time, but they are working on it.  The spring was not put in by the CCC, it was placed there by the Portland Auto Club when they had their club at the current Yoshida center to fill radiators.
 
Job Corps:
Springdale is on pause due to being short staffed in the health and wellness department. Once we have 3 full time RNs on staff, we can begin to bring in new students again.
 
A date hasn't been set yet for the next Community Relations Council meeting but it will be shared out once the date is released. If anyone is interested in being added to the guest list, I encourage them to send an email to Sandra at: Closser.Sandra@jobcorps.org, she would be happy to get them an invitation. The meeting is an opportunity to come to center, meet a few of the students, take a tour, and learn about the community partnerships that they are wanting to develop.
 
Demolition on the water damaged dorms will start on May 8, Aho Construction will be doing that work.
 
Grange:
There was a wonderful Meet and Greet of the School Board candidates, thank you to all who came to meet the candidates.  If you would like to know more about the candidates you can find some information at the Columbia Grange home page.
 
The plant share will be held at the Grange on Saturday, May 6th from 10-1.  Please come even if you don't have a plant to swap.
 
May 10 from 7-8:30 come to a Conversation About Forest Management for Carbon Capture & Storage.
 
On May 12th there will be a meeting with Representative Helfrich from 10 until noon, at the Grange.  If you have a question you'd like asked please bring it written down so if you don't have an opportunity to ask it you can leave it for the Representative to take with him.
 
Mother's Day, May 14th there will be a dance from 4-6 featuring the music of Caroline Oakley.
 
And mark your calendars for May 20th for a kids clothing exchange from 3-5.
 
For all events please go to : http://www.columbiagrange267.org/weekly-events
 
Corbett Water District:
There will be a public hearing regarding increases on fees with the budget hearing.  These increases will affect after hour calls, etc.
 
The District has been going over the policy manual, meeting every other week with volunteers from the community.  This has been educational for everyone and an education program will be coming to let users know their responsibilities.
 
Multnomah County Roads:
Adopt a Road program is being revamped and simplified!  NEMCCA  is adopting Corbett Hill Road and the County will be providing bags, pickers, disposable vests and signs, the same thing they will do for anyone else who would like to adopt a road.  Bags will be picked up within 24 hours as long as the pick up is between Monday and Thursday.  A list will be coming out letting everyone know which roads are still available for adoption.
 
Various ways to fix Pounder Road have been discussed, the most recent was to have the City of Gresham come out with their machinery to take up one lane of road at a time and redo the road.  The issue that has been run into is staff is not available from Gresham on Fridays and the MultCo crew is not familiar with the equipment to be able to run it.  More conversation needs to happen.
 
The County is having some of the same hiring issues as other businesses, but they have recently filled the Supervisor position and are looking to fill another seven vacancies.
 
Discussion:  Money to fix the roads comes from the gas tax, and with the switch to electric with personal and agency vehicles the revenue is falling.  What can we do?  NEMCCA did send a letter to the County Chair and Commissioners asking for six million for roads in Unincorporated Multnomah County .  We understand that the Chair sets the budget and infrastructure needs to see some investment.
 
Citizens Patrol:
They will be helping with the Plant swap at the Grange this weekend, also with the Tea on June 11th.  If the school wants them at Graduation they'll be there (school said Yes!) and will be helping with the 4th of July parade and fire works.
 
Yes, there will be fireworks again in Corbett this year!  There will be a couple changes on the parade route for safety, lead cars will be turned into the school parking lot so cars aren't heading back down the Highway against the flow of traffic.  Come to the parking lot after the parade to see the displays.
 
Darcie Arnold is interested in putting up banners honoring our Veterans along the highway, name and pictures would be shown.  These could go up with the flags.  If you are a vet, or know a local vet, please get that information to Darcie.
 
BOEC:   (Bureau of Emergency Communication)
The Director puts out a monthly newsletter updating what is going on in the Center.  Follow the link to get a full report to download and read
https://www.portland.gov/911/documents/boec-directors-report-april-2023/download
 
The center is now adequately staffed and they are holding academies with an eye on keeping ahead of retirements and people transferring to other work.  A recent academy had 400 applicants and they were able to fill all 16 slots that were being offered.  There are a total of 41 of trainees right now, vacancies are currently at 26.
 
Call volume for 911 has gone up 39% since 2018 for a variety of reasons, including the number of people who have cell phones, so there can be several people who call in on one incident.
 
If you call 911 and are put on hold, please do not hang up.  For every hang up a call back has to be made to insure the caller doesn't need assistance.  This takes time away from answering incoming calls, so it is very important you stay on the line once you've called in.
 
The Directors report also does a comparison between years of call volume, performance trends, staffing and other categories that impact our 911 system.  One comparison is 911 calls for March 2022 (42,375) and March of 2023 (44,791).  You can also look to see how quickly each call was answered, a trend which has been improving for our local center.
 
Calls are prioritized when they come in:  911, 911 transfers from another County (like those in the Gorge that bounce over to Washington and then have to be sent back) and then non-emergency.
 
(Side note:  I had to step out for a moment during this portion and missed some of the discussion. I apologize for the missed information.)
 
There is a goal to have two numbers for people to remember to call:
911- for emergencies
311- for non-emergencies and general information
When do you call which number?
If the crime is occurring or has just occurred call 911.
 
The Center is implementing technology to address non-emergency calls.  This project is now in the testing stage and they are working to help it recognize heavy accents and is addressing language barriers. (It knows 100 languages)
 
ODOT:
Adding to what BOEC was saying, one of the issues that has come up over the years is the fact I-84 does not have the same mile markers as the Historic Columbia River Highway.  The mile markers for HCRH starts at Broadway and comes down Stark, then goes down HCRH, so when someone calls in and says there is an accident at they are at mile marker (fill in the blank) the calls can actually be off by several miles. This means a delay in response time.  To address this issue ODOT is putting in metal markers alongside the Historic markers so people can report both numbers.  It was also suggested in the discussion surrounding this topic that BOEC have their dispatchers ask if the marker they are referring to is concrete or metal.  Apparently some of the more experienced dispatchers do know to question this, but it will be brought up as a reminder.
 
I-84 is making progress with getting the second pipe under the freeway by the landslide area.  Placement under the railroad tracks was scheduled for May 3.  The Old Quarry caught three mudslides this year that would have impacted the RR and the roads, so that is working well.
 
The tunnel paving project is still running into a few issues and while they were hoping to get the work done before Memorial Day it will most likely be around the 4th of July before work is complete.
 
The Old Highway had a lot of debris come down between Larch and the Vista House this year, its kept them busy removing it.  The regular drop in the road is to the point they will be repaving on May 11th from 11-2, full road closure will be in place for that work.
 
On May 29th (Tuesday) there will be flaggers in place with a 15 minute hold time while ODOT removes 45 trees between the Vista House and Latourell, this is a project they are doing with State Parks.
 
Starting Friday, May 26th, there will be a flagger at the Crosswalk at Multnomah Falls to assist with traffic. This will be in place until September 4th.
 
ODOT is an agency funded by the gas tax, and with the current changes happening to the funding source, ODOT's expenditures will exceed income in one year.  What does that mean to the public?  In the past ODOT has been doing more with less, but within the year it will be noticed that they are doing less with less. I-84 is a priority one road and needs to remain at that level, but other roads may fall to a lower level and maintenance will reflect that change.  Instead of see a couple passes with the mower, you may see one.  Or instead of one, full pass, you may see the road is only cut back for line of sight and fire safety cuts will be dropped.  ODOT has worked to keep grass and vegetation at Multnomah Falls green and healthy due to the visitation attraction of the site, but going forward they will not be watering and it will be going brown.
 
Gates to shut down the roads in case of emergencies have started going in.  You'll be seeing them at Jordan Road , Larch, Cascade Locks and other areas where staffing has been used to shut the roads.  There will be nine gates total, they will not block the entire road so emergency vehicles can get around to respond, but they will allow for more staff to be out on the roads responding to bad weather conditions.
 
Some of the issues that also need to be addressed is the bike trail maintenance.  Money was put in the budget for the projects as Capital improvements, but there was around $500,000 spent on maintenance issues and this hits the operational budgets.
 
Forest Service:
Permits have started for Dog Mountain .  These will be for weekend hiking and will go through June 19th during the heavy flowering time.  This year the permits will be by vehicle instead of by person.
Multnomah Falls permits will start May 26 and go until September 4th for the parking lot.  No timed permits in the Waterfall Corridor this year.
 
Campgrounds began opening on May 1st. (Eagle Creek and Wyeth)
Herman Creek will be open next year.
Wahkeena picnic area is not yet open but should be soon. They are looking for a camp host.
 
Forest Service has a staffing shortage this year and are looking to do an emergency hire.  They have no seasonal field rangers at this point.
There is also a shortage of volunteers, so if you or someone you know may be interested, please check out their site.
 
Under the Great American Outdoors Act there are projects underway including an upgrade to the Visitor's Center at Multnomah Falls .  A design of how the new interpretive center will look should be available by the end of the year.
 
MCSO:
There was a semi stuck on the Stark Street Bridge this morning, commuting traffic, including those for the school and the buses had to be detoured.  While it is understandable that people get upset about these interruptions, there is usually no violation occurring for which the driver, or their company, can be fined.  The company will receive a hefty tow bill (ranging from $3,000 to $20,000) and any damage done to the bridge has to be repaired.
(Discussion:  at some point, even if the damage isn't visible, or if the "hit" doesn't seem that hard, the bridge will suffer enough damage that it will require major repairs or to be shut down.  This is long term issue, not a short term one, but everyone is aware.)
 
The CRO position is looking solid right now with the Chair putting it in her budget. Thank you to the Chair and Sheriff's Budget Advisory Committee.
 
You can find a link to the Chair's budget at:
https://www.multco.us/budget/fy-2024-chairs-proposed-budget
 
A fantastic job was done by the school and Citizen's Patrol at the Prom, it was a great community effort and it went very well.  No problems to report.
 
The tree situation on Pounder is being looked at and MCSO is working with the owner to see what may be changed.  (There is a desire by the County to leave some of the fall down trees in the creek for fish and stream health, so while some May come out, not all will be removed.)  The owner of the property wants to be a good neighbor.
 
NEMMCA:
Sent a letter to the Chair and all County Commissioners asking for funding for second full time deputy in the area.  Also asked for six million in funds for road repair in Unincorporated Multnomah County .  Let them know the leftovers at the end of the budget cycle is not enough to address infrastructure.
 
A request to attend a Community Meeting in Corbett has been sent to the Governor, Congressman Blumenaur, Senator Bonham and Representative Helfrich for June 15.  We are waiting to hear back from the Governor and the Congressman.
 
Please attend the Body Cam listening session scheduled for May 18 at 6:30 at the fire hall with Chief Deputy Eriksen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     

[Safety Meeting April 5, 2023]

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Thank you Victoria Purvine for spending your time putting this information together for the community!

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Safety Meeting April 5, 2023


Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: 
We have been busy opening parks with all facilities open at this time.
We are working to get the car out of Women's Forum which is over the edge.
We in the process of repairing/replacing the fire system at Vista House to prevent false call-outs.
The Historic rock wall at Vista House will be done by the end of June and we will be removing the barriers preventing access to the circle around the building at that time.

ODOT:
Gorge Construction
Paving and resurfacing 6 miles of I-84 from Interstate 205 to 169th Avenue and from just east of 201st Avenue to Marine Drive (exit 17) is scheduled to begin mid-April, starting on the eastern half of the project first. Expect mostly nighttime work with some weekend closures near I-205.
Resurfacing inside the Toothrock Tunnel continues on eastbound I-84 by the Bonneville Dam (exit 40). Bridge work begins in mid-April. Around-the-clock single lane closures on I-84 from Sundays at 5 p.m. to Thursdays at 4 p.m. until Memorial Day. Periodic nighttime lane closures Sunday through Thursday nights between Multnomah Falls and Cascade Locks.
Historic Highway State Trail construction has an around-the-clock single lane closure on I-84 east until Memorial Day near Exit 56. 
Construction of two new culverts under I-84 and the Historic Highway continues to drain storm water off the steep slope one mile west of Multnomah Falls, the site of nearly 30 debris flows in 2021. Periodic single lane closures on I-84.
More details and sign up for updates: www.i84GorgeConstruction.org
 
Comment now on ODOT projects planned for 2024-2027
ODOT wants your comments on projects planned for 2024-2027 in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, also known as the STIP, that lays out where we will invest federal and state money in the transportation system - everything from roads and bridges to public transportation to bike paths and sidewalks.
Join us to learn more and share comments before April 28 at ODOT’s website, online open house, or an in-person open house:
Oregon City: April 3, 2023, 4:30 - 6:00pm. Clackamas County's Development Services Building – Auditorium, 150 Beavercreek Rd, Oregon City, OR 97045
Beaverton: April 8, 2023, 11:00am - 1:00pm. Beaverton Library - Meeting Room A, 12375 SW 5th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Hood River: April 25, 2023, 4:30 - 6:00pm. Hood River Ty Taylor Fire Station, 1785 Meyer Pkwy, Hood River, OR 97031




Museum:
A fundraiser will be happening from May 5-May 7 with donations being accepted on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. 
The Sunday Tea fundraiser will be on June 11, 2023 starting at 1:30 p.m. at Glenn Otto Park.  The cost per ticket is $40, you can purchase an entire table for $320 and bring all your friends!  Donation cards are also available.  If you would like tickets or an entire packet please contact Sandy Cartisser:  503-695-5153.
The heating has been installed in the building but is not yet energized. 
Yard debris cleaning has begun.
There is an anonymous donor who is offering matching funds up to $50,000. This will be continuing throughout the 2023 year, so if you'd like to donate, please consider doing it now and "double" your donation.

Fire Department:
The department has gone out on 106 calls this year to date. Some of those have been ambulance only, a fair number of them to Thousand Acres.
Good News!  The department has received a grant for approximately $350,000 from the State Fire Marshall.  These funds were made available for Type 3 fire apparatus, Water tenders or Type 6 brush rigs.  Corbett Fire sent in an application for a 2,000 gallon water tender and we will see it in about a year.  It will be white with the Corbett Fire logo and will be stationed in the new structure in Springdale. This money was in the bond and now will not need to be spent.
Bond Update: Surveys on the properties have been completed and sites for the cisterns are being acquired.  The removal of the oil tank behind the Corbett station has been completed.  The soil was found to be contaminated and had to be dug down to 14 feet to get a clear test.  Extra cost was associated with the extra work.
Tree work along the back will begin soon.  Those trees that are decaying are going to have to come down.
The permitting process has started, Springdale should be fairly smooth, Corbett will probably take longer due to the NSA.
The Scholarship breakfast will be June 10th, so come to the breakfast on Saturday and then head over to the Tea on Sunday!  Applications for the Scholarship are due on
May 1, 2023 so if you know of a local student who wants to apply, let them know.  The Association is looking to award around $10,000 this year.
Firewise is going strong, thanks to all the hard work Corbett is now a Firewise USA Community.
AMR and all medical services have been stretched lately and in June you will see some BLS (Basic Life Support) vehicles responding to calls in Multnomah County.  In the past there have been two paramedics responding to call with AMR, now you may have EMTs responding.  The fire department can request ALS (Advanced Life Support) services if needed.  This is being done in an effort to eliminate not having any ambulances available to respond to calls, or in the case of our area, having ambulances coming from across town to respond. 
AMR is looking for 50 paramedics at this time, staffing levels, like in so many other agencies, is down.
Question:  Insurance was dropped to a resident on Deverall.  What has changed with Corbett Fire to cause this? 
The ISO rating for a community is based 40% on the fire department response, 40% on the ability of the community to provide appropriate water, and 20% on the dispatch.  Corbett has not changed on their ratings, but the new State Fire hazard map has offered insurance companies an opportunity to drop people or increase rates.  Please let the Fire Department know if this has happened to you, they would like to track this information.

(The ISO (Insurance Services Office) Fire Score is a rating that determines how well the fire department can protect your community and home. Insurance companies use the score to help set home insurance rates, as a home that is less likely to be severely damaged or destroyed by fire is cheaper to insure.)

Grange:
The Legislative Committee has narrowed down the current bills in the House and Senate to nine that may affect the Corbett Community.  These are regarding fire and water issues. 
A questionnaire has gone out to those eleven people running for the Corbett School Board.  The candidates have until April 15, 2023 to respond.  These will be posted on the website.
Free Seeds- Walmart is donating seeds to the Grange and they are distributing them through the Helping Hands program, the school and to members.  A box is also being left at the Fire Hall.  Please take what you can use.

Corbett School District:
Thank you to NEMCCA and the other community groups for their letters of support for the one million dollar grant the school has applied for to put in a 3/4 mile asphalt walk path.  Since coming to the school the Superintendent is working to make the school a hub of the community, and providing a safe place for residents to exercise would be a great addition.
The middle school mold situation has passed for all the classrooms and hallways except the one room where the issue originated.  That room has been sealed off and will no longer be used.  Students have returned to the building.
All permits have been issued on the Woodard building.  They have started on the septic system and the Superintendent has called the Multnomah County Roads department and left messages twice with no response.  He will be reaching out to them again. 
Discussion:  The fact that the County never installed a school zone sign on Bell so Law Enforcement can not enforce speeding or school zone violations.  This has been an issue for ten years.  When the Superintendent is able to get in touch with the County, would he please include the request for Bell road along with the Woodard road sign.
Three mental health professionals have been hired for the new mental health center, and they will be adding one more.  Starting in May classes will begin on reducing stress and anxiety, this will be open to staff and community.



Springdale Job Corp:
Currently there are 74 students on board with the goal of having up to 87, which is all they can have on campus right now with the damage to the dorms.
Money has been approved for demolition of the eight dorm rooms, two hallways and two risers that were damaged during the water "leak".  The contract will be going out in three phases to repair the building. 
The center has been awarded money for Life/Safety items, around $131,000.  This is work that was pointed out as needing done during a recent survey of the grounds. 
Similar to other agencies, the Springdale Job Corp has 24 vacancies, including Center Director.      https://springdale.jobcorps.gov/employment
Trees have been damaging the fence so the center has been doing a  lot of work on the back fence line, clearing of trees and brush.

Corbett Water District:
Currently going through their budget cycle.  The revenue for the District is around one million and the cost of staff is 60% of that amount.  With the remaining 40% they are limited to the projects they can do, but replacing the sand in the filter ponds needs done.  In the past there hasn't been NSF approved sand, but now there is, with one supplier.  This replacement will take half the working budget each year for the next three years. 
The water district is applying for grants and would appreciate letter of support from other agencies and community groups.  The demographics are difficult to qualify for many grants, we are not poor enough for some grants, but we also have customers who are not above the poverty line or are on a fixed income. Something that has to be taken into account and balanced when doing any changes to costs.
CWD will be enforcing the backflow regulations.  All agriculture connections need to have one, and there is currently discussion on what is considered an irrigation connection rather than an agricultural connection. 
The Fire Department has to have fire hydrants tested twice a year to meet the ISO criteria.  In the past the Fire Department has been doing the testing, but it is normally the responsibility of the water district.  The district will be transitioning the testing over to the water district, but will be working with the fire department as a team since the fire department has the necessary tools.
CWD and the Fire Department will be putting an interagency agreement together regarding the testing to create a good working relationship.
The Grange is putting together tours of the water treatment plant, let Ana know if you're interesting in taking one.
Board meetings will continue to be hybrid video meetings.
Discussion: With the staffing needs taking 60% of the budget and the sand filter taking half of the remaining 20%, what do you see as priorities for the remaining work that needs done?
The Master Plan has identified some priorities: the sand replacement, a new sampling station, two more Pressure Release Valves, maintenance on all of the PRV's, rebuilding of the major PRV's which needs done every 5-7 years (five are in the budget for this year).
 

Multnomah County Roads:
Here to introduce two new members to the Safety Meeting and to answer any questions.
Discussion: New signs requested for the Woodard school zone and also for Bell road.  How do you get requests processed?  A new sign request is put in the system (use seeclickfix), it will then go to an engineer who will determine if it is warranted.  If it is, it will go into the system as needing made, the sign department will make it, and then it will be installed.  There are currently 10,000 signs in the system, if you had an older request many were dropped when the County switched to the new computer system, try requesting again.  There is no timeline for when the signs will be done, no one currently contacts a person who makes a request to let them know if the sign has been determined to be warranted or not.  Information goes in to the County, but does not come back out. 
Seeclickfix for reporting of road hazards and needed repairs is not the solution that the County appears to believe.  Information from the system may say that the work has been dispatched to a crew, leading people to believe the work is being done, when it reality nothing will be happening in a timely manner.  Work may be done by a crew and then six months later (with regards to potholes) a dump will come from the County updating work orders for work that had been done months prior, and in some cases needs done again. Seeclickfix is viewed as something that doesn't work, or something that is okay for items that can be postponed for several months, but not for work that requires immediate attention.  The system closes any reports that say vehicles are being abandoned, even though its not a case of them being abandoned by someone dumping them, but due to road conditions created by snow and ice.  Extremely hazardous conditions along lower Larch during the snow storm in early Winter were not addressed by the County and the reports to seeclickfix were immediately closed out. 
Recent attempts to get snow plowed after 4:30 on Thursday resulted in locals plowing the road themselves to be able to get in and out.  The community members were told Roads works Monday through Thursday until 4:30, if you contact MCSO regarding a hazard they can contact the person from the Roads department who has the dispatch phone, but they cannot order Roads to come out to do work, they can only recommend or close the road if its deemed too unsafe. 
Roads stated that their Union does not require them to work mandatory overtime, they work M-Th until 4:30 and all work after those hours is voluntary.  If the County Chair declares a County Emergency then they have to respond, but otherwise any person out working (snowplowing/vegetation cutting) is doing it voluntarily and if they have other plans they just say no.  The County also requires two people to respond to any call out for safety. When asked, Roads said having a local community member come and be there for a safety net is not an acceptable option.  MCSO said they can be available to assist with safety and have a Deputy respond to an incident if they are not busy in another area. It was asked if Roads has contacted the Fire Department to have someone come out and partner for safety, Roads has not done this and did not comment on it being an option. It was also pointed out that the fire department is voluntary and are always happy to help. Corbett Water said they have a plow on their truck so they can get to the treatment plant, would it be helpful to have them help with the plowing?  Fire department has also purchased a plow since they need to be able to get firefighters in to respond on calls.
There are 14 people who work the roads, four of them do some additional hours.  No one is on-call.  Discussion regarding other agencies and businesses who have rotating on-call requirements or 24 hour crews was responded to with "those are private companies". 
Roads was asked if the contact the School District regarding snow and ice on the roads to find out the local conditions since CSD has a Supervisor who drives the roads to check for bus safety since Roads is not aware of local conditions. They do not.
MCSO and Corbett Fire District #14 are here to support the Roads Department whenever they can.
The "stump dump" by Pounder and Littlepage has been looked at by the new engineer and one of the Supervisors.  The Road right of way is 40 feet and some of the stream is not in the right of way, and there is also discussion by those who monitor the streams that the stumps could be good for fish and wildlife habitat.  More work is being done and updates will come over the next few months.
The County is hiring a third Supervisor for Roads which should allow for some Supervisor time to travel the roads and monitor areas that need work. A couple of pages of notes had already been taken prior to the meeting.

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office:
The community may have noticed more patrolling in the Springdale area, there is also a desire to get the traffic speed trailer out in the community again, look for it.
There is an on-line form you can use to report abandoned vehicles in District 50, or you can call and ask to speak to a deputy.  Go to https://mcso.us/site/, pull down the forms file, go down to Abandoned vehicles.  This sends an email to records and also sends a call out to a deputy.  It also allows the system to keep track of what is called in, what action is taken, and when someone calls for a follow up it is available.  While the on-line option is always available, please know MCSO is also there to talk to you in person if you prefer, it is not being done in place of personal contact.
Discussion: Has 311 made any difference in the call volume?  There were some incorrect numbers being given out for unincorporated Multnomah County.  MCSO went through the contact information and updates were made.
Big Picture - MCSO is down to only one vacancy on the patrol side, although the correction side is still down 50+ staff.  Patrol was able to get some lateral transfers, about half of the new hires, so they able to get out on their own quickly.  New hires are out about a year before they are able to respond to calls on their own.
The department is looking at long range staffing levels, balancing expected retirements and doing some over hiring now to compensate.
Forest Service and State Parks is in the process of getting their summer deputy on board, MCSO is just waiting on the signed contracts.
Enhanced traffic safety patrols will be seen over the next couple of months, including the Corbett area.  A Sergeant is applying for some additional traffic safety grants that will be directed to the Corbett area to assist with the issues at the Vista House and the speed racers. The Sheriff was at a meeting in Corbett in February, heard those in attendance  and is working to address the concerns.
MCSO has been working for the past two years to get a mental health professional to respond to calls involving persons in crisis. In the next one to two months MCSO will be looking to hire a mental health professional who will be a "Hot response Co-responder".  This professional will be available not only for the call, but to do follow-up. The goal is to have the position on line by summer.
Discussion: Talk with the Superintendent regarding the mental health center that how the two agencies can help each other. You need to work with each other to be successful.



Forest Servicer:
Staffing issues are also affecting the Forest Service.  Only one person applied for the seasonal position, usually have three.  That person withdrew their application this week so there will be no designated seasonals. There will be one ranger at Multnomah Falls.
Timed ticket system will be starting back up at the I-84 parking lot.
Wahkeena picnic area is still needing a host if you or anyone you know is interested.

NEMCCA:
Hosted PGE at their March board meeting.  Notes on that meeting are available on their facebook page or you can request an email. 
Sheriff Nicole Morrisey-O'Donnell was at the February Board meeting with Captain Asboe. Thank you for coming out and listening to concerns, noticed some of the items in the Safety report were items brought up.
Deputy Chief Eriksen will be at the May 18th Board meeting for a listening session with the community regarding body cameras.  Meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Fire Hall.

Multnomah County would like to hear from people living and working in rural parts of the county about what type of transit would be most useful to you. Please take our survey to tell us your thoughts! The survey will close on Friday, April 28.

See attached PDF flier for more.

Summary of NEMCCA's meeting with PGE representatives on March 16, 2023 regarding the PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoffs).

 Discussion regarding PSPS areas, and POAs (Preventative Outages Areas):

In the original information that came out it was understood by those living in areas East of Knieriem that they would be losing power during a PSPS, and that those West of the road would be left with power on, there had even been a bit of teasing going on depending on which side of the line you fell.  However, as we learned in September, that due to the anticipated high wind PGE made a few adjustments.  People were without power clear to the Troutdale line, and beyond.
The goal was to expand the area regarding shut off due to the forecast model (and we'll get into that later) but there are limits imposed on how fine tuned the shut-offs can be due to the way the power lines are laid out, and the shut-off switches.  During 2022 PGE has  installed 44 new reclosers (act like shut-off switches) to narrow down the PSPS areas in their service territory,  and more are scheduled to go in this year.

 HOWEVER.... please keep in mind, and be prepared to be shut-off and be without power during any of the wind events we will be experiencing!  There are no areas that will be marked "safe" from a shut-off.  Anytime there are notifications going out that one is expected, be prepared and plan accordingly.

 

Notifications - were there too many, not enough, or just the right amount:

Depends on who you ask.  Were the numerous notifications at the beginning of the event helpful in keeping people aware, or did they create a sense of panic that could be avoided by reducing the number of alerts?  (Or do we as individuals turn off notifications from either PGE or MultCo Emergency Management Services to stop getting double notified?  Do we miss an important alert if we do?  Or do we decide at some point the power is going off and turn off all notifications to reduce the noise?  Questions that we need to answer for ourselves.)

 Were there enough notifications during the actual outages, or could there have been more?  According to the commission rules,  notifications need to be updated once every 24 hours, would we like to see that changed to once every 8 hours, or is 24 adequate?

What about notifications as the event was moved into power restoration?  Did you want more updates, fewer, was it just right?

Feedback has come in praising PGE on their communications, and others have voiced concerns similar to the above.  The fact is, you can't make everyone happy all of the time, and we need to figure out what works for us as individuals.  With time there may be more options for signing up for number of alerts that fit our needs, but right now that is a piece that continues being fine tuned.

 
Forecast Model vs Reality:
 As with all forecasts, there can be a wide difference between what is expected, and what happens.  The meteorologist for PGE used the weather stations that PGE has stationed around their ten HFRZ (High Fire Risk Zones) areas (three weather stations were added last year in the Corbett area, PGE plans for one more going in this during 2023 along the outer Gorge to pick up that data), and they issued a PSPS event in response to that data and the National Weather Service Red Flag Warnings.

 Ultimately the weather was not as severe as expected, but damage was done and 3,955 feet of damage wire cable was repaired, 21 transformers and 11 poles.  Its not possible to know how many lines touched together and didn't spark because there were shut off, or how many branches that hit the lines would have sparked if they had been left on, but with the on-going drought and the long term affects to the trees that need more than one or two rainy season to bounce back. Beetles that eat on the Douglas Fir are now wintering over, trees are dying and this is increasing the possible fuel for fires.  All these factors are being taken into account when looking at a PSPS.

 
What About Reimbursements:
This was outside the representatives area.

There are no known programs for fuel reimbursement, but claims can be filed on PGE's website: https://portlandgeneral.com/help/help-topics/claims-center


What about Wells:
PGE is aware that when power goes down, wells go down.  When wells go down, there isn't a way to fight a fire if it occurs on your property.  One of the PGE representatives has requested information from Corbett Fire regarding well locations to be used as a data point for their risk analysis which informs their wildfire mitigation capital investment decision making.  The more information PGE has on understanding community risks, the more informed decisions can be made on where to spend capital dollars.

Not sure right now what that will look like, since you can't ask for a one, three or 30 million dollar expense without data to show the cost/benefits of the work.

 
What about People with Health Issues:
 PGE has a register of those who need power due to health issues. This is a yearly registration. Additional notifications are sent to those who have medical needs prior to a PSPS, and there are a list of resources available.   

Go to https://portlandgeneral.com/outages-safety/be-prepared/powering-medical equipment  to register.

 A pilot program has been proposed this year to assist those who have medical certifications with battery packs during PSPS. If you're interested, or know someone who might be, please reach out to PGE's Medical Certificate Team at 503-612-3838.

 

How can we get the power on faster:

 Its not as easy to turn the power on as it is to turn it off, because each foot of line has to be inspected for damage.  The possibility of using drones to do inspections is limited by the current regulations that the drones have to be within line of sight and that is not a big help in our area.  The crews who turn the power back on want to do it as fast and efficiently as possible, and are always looking for ways to improve.

 The PSPS maps did not do justice to how many people were turned on as the areas did not flip to powered until the last person in the area was back on.  Effort is being done to show smaller areas as they come on the grid so people can see more accurate data.

 What about putting the power underground:

 Data needs to be provided to the cost is offset by the benefits, depending on the area to underground.  Underground has its benefits, but also has drawbacks.  Looking forward and planning for the Cascadia you would be looking at more damage to wire that is underground.  In some cases it is better to have wire on poles, and they are using more ductile iron poles in areas where that makes more sense.  It needs to be a combination of all options.

 
Personal responsibility, and can PGE do an insert coming into the Summer months:
Some people were caught short on propane since they weren't running heat during the summer and weren't thinking about propane.  Check your tank, make sure you have enough.

Generator safety is dependent on the homeowner.  Take the time to learn about your generator, have them checked by a professional if necessary, go to the website for tips.

https://portlandgeneral.com/outages-safety/be-prepared/backup-generators.

Power can go down for many reasons, and does.  Individuals need to have a plan, know what they need to do to take care of themselves.  Having power is not a guarantee.

 PGE is leading in the area for PSPS events, but expect to see other companies implementing the same measures.  It is expected that fires in the Valley will increase by 600% in the next ten years, and those fires or PSPS events may effect those no where close to them, so be prepared for an alert.

 PGE has a triangulation system now in the Corbett area that can pick up smoke within 30 feet, and our fire department (like many others) have been given access to this system.  This is a great tool for sending resources out to fight a fire, but doesn't prevent one.  Be ready for a shut-down.

 

[10 am to 3 pm]

The Columbian Garden Club is hosting its Plant Sale on Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Corbett Fire Station, 36930 E. Historic Columbia River Highway, Corbett.  Please note new open hours. Treasures from members' gardens include: perennials, shrubs, natives, and specialty items.  Proceeds from the Sale benefit Club civic landscape projects, educational programs and a horticulture scholarship. Free parking behind the Fire Station and limited on-street parking.  Please note that we will be following current Covid guidelines.  See also attached flyer.  Thanks for your support!

[10 am to 3 pm]

The Columbian Garden Club is hosting its Plant Sale on Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Corbett Fire Station, 36930 E. Historic Columbia River Highway, Corbett.  Please note new open hours. Treasures from members' gardens include: perennials, shrubs, natives, and specialty items.  Proceeds from the Sale benefit Club civic landscape projects, educational programs and a horticulture scholarship. Free parking behind the Fire Station and limited on-street parking.  Please note that we will be following current Covid guidelines.  See also attached flyer.  Thanks for your support!

It's all good - the goofball is now back home.