Roundup: We've Just Turned Two

Evac Zones, WCC Fundraiser, Rebuilding Together, and finalists for Rodata Trail sculpture

Like the parents of any toddler, Laura and I are grateful and incredulous that Sebastopol Times turned two this month. We hear from so many of you that you enjoy getting local news and feeling connected to the people and events in your home town. We’ve enjoyed the opportunity to report and write about local news and deliver it daily in a new way. With your continued support, it’s working and that makes us as happy as any two-year old can be.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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Evac Zone 1 Neighbors Meet at Fire Department for Training

Screen shot of map of Evacuation Zones (link)

For disaster response, Sebastopol is divided into four evacuation zones, which are indicated on an interactive map at City of Sebastopol. Those who live in the unincorporated areas of Sebastopol can use the County of Sonoma “Know Your Zone” website; the zones have names such as “SON-3LI” or “SON-4K1”. These zones allow possible evacuations to target specific areas of the county where there is a problem, without evacuating everyone in the county because there is a problem in one area, as has happened in a previous evacuation.

Sebastopol Ready is the umbrella name and website for efforts organized through the Sebastopol Fire Department to prepare residents for a future disaster — fire, flood or earthquake, to name a few. Its focus is “neighbors helping neighbors” and two specific programs, Meet Your Neighbors (MYN) and Sebastopol Neighborhood Communications Unit (SNCU) are intended to encourage residents to find ways to solve problems and seek solutions on a neighborhood level during an emergency, especially if normal communications systems are disrupted and when fire and police departments might be inundated with requests.

During an emergency, lots of people will call 911. A group of us met recently with Christopher Mooney of the Police Department and he wished that all residents would understand the limits of 911. There are four lines for 911 calls at the Sebastopol Police Department. Once four calls come in, the fifth caller will get a busy signal. Moreover, some of the people who call 911 do not have a real emergency but instead are looking for information such as “when will my power come back on,” which is a question for PG&E, not the Police or Fire Departments.

So, Sebastopol Ready, which is led by Skip Jirrels, has been backed by the Fire Department so that it might reduce the number of calls to 911 and improve the chances that people with real emergencies, such as life-threatening situations, can get the help they need. The MYN program, which has been running for several years, organizes neighborhoods and establishes neighborhood leaders so that the residents of a neighborhood work to help each other. The SNCU program is training people to use handheld radios (FRS and GMRS) during an emergency where landlines and cellphones might not work. Using radios, people can communicate with each other in a neighborhood and also send messages outside the neighborhood to deal with urgent issues. SNCU provides an alternative path for relaying information about a life-threatening emergency to the Police or Fire Departments if 911 is overloaded. However, the hope is that many less-urgent problems can be handled by neighbors taking appropriate action themselves.

A group of residents who live in evac Zone 1 came together on Saturday to practice how they might respond to a variety of problems, determining if the problem is urgent and if it is, writing a message that can be transmitted clearly and concisely by radio. This was the first meeting of its kind and there may be other meetings for residents who live in other zones. About sixteen people showed up at the Sebastopol Fire Department.

Thank you to the energetic Terri Tachowsky who organized the meeting and to the Fire Department for hosting it. If you’d like to learn more about Sebastopol Ready, see the website, or reach out to Skip Jirrels. The program needs more neighborhoods to become active in the MYN and SNCU programs.

Walk with Us Fundraiser for WCCS

The 2nd annual “Walk with Us” celebration, a fundraiser for West County Community Services (WCCS, will take place on May 15, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m at Russian River Vineyards. WCCS is a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting senior care, mental/behavioral health, employment, housing, and homeless services in our community.

The event will feature some of the “clients who have Walked with Us to safety and success.” There will be hors d’oeuvres and dessert served along with West County wine. You can purchase tickets for $125 online at westcountyservices.com. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Because many government contracts do not fully fund the cost of the services that WCCS provides, WCCS must seek additional financial support to fully serve clients, so donations from the community are critical.

Rebuilding Together, Sebastopol

Saturday was a work day for the Rebuilding Together, Sebastopol group. Groups of contractors, electricians, plumbers, volunteer firemen and other volunteers worked at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center, the Fircrest Mobile Home Park, and individual residences to make repairs and improvements.

Last year’s effort, the first since 2019, was covered in our story, “Rebuilding Together Comes Roaring Back.” Former mayor Patrick Slayter and Theresa Russo are the organizers and many members of the service clubs in town participate.

Reader and Fircrest Mobile Home Park resident Marilyn Madrone wrote us: “Everyone wins.”

Marilyn Madrone in her garden outside her home at Fircrest Mobile Home Park. (2023 Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Finalists Named for Sculpture at Rodota Trail

The Sebastopol Public Arts Committee (PAC) has selected three finalists for a sculpture at the south entrance to the Joe Rodota Trail. The PAC will meet on April 25th at the Sebastopol Library starting at 3:30PM to showcase the proposals and the proposals will be available for viewing at the library through May 13. The community is encouraged to submit comments using this online survey, which should be filled out after visiting the library. The PAC will make their final decision in their following meeting and recommend their choice to the City Council.  Below are the finalists.

Bruce Johnson - Koan

Diego Harris

Photo below is from a similar past project. Please visit the Sebastopol Regional Library to view a current mockup of the proposal.

Michael Per Erik Lindell

Let’s do our own flash poll and I’ll report the results next week.

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The Week of April 13-20

Our three big stories this week came from Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Next week is the Apple Blossom Parade and Festival.