The Gales Creek Neighborhood Watch will host a community meeting Wednesday, November 16 to discuss fire prevention, preparing for emergencies, and other public safety topics.
It will be the organization’s first in-person event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Neighborhood Watch Co-Coordinator Sheri Bagdonas.
The event will be held in the Fellowship Hall of the Gales Creek Church of God (9170 NW Sargent Rd) from 7 to 9 p.m.
“In the interest of sticking to our two-hour time frame, it will not be a town hall type meeting,” Bagdonas said in an email, “but rather an informational meeting and restarting of our community gatherings.”
Chad Toomey, Deputy Fire Marshal for Forest Grove Fire & Rescue is expected to conduct part of the meeting, covering fire zones, hardening rural properties against wildfire, and preparing for emergencies. Information regarding Portland General Electric will be handed out regarding the utility company’s Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which were demonstrated most recently in September during the extreme fire danger coupled with wind gusts in the area.
In the past, the Gales Creek Neighborhood Watch has hosted similar meetings, covering natural disasters, recent wildfires, and other topics of community interest.
Bagdonas said she hopes to see interest in a number of community-oriented actions grow from the meeting, including Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, HAM radio communication, telephone trees, animal rescue, and more.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
