oct 2017 links web site: editor e-mail: … · 2020. 5. 10. · oct 2017 links web site: editor...

Oct 2017 LINKS web site: www.hhmcsequim.org Editor e-mail: [email protected] Page1

Low Water – Dungeness River at Woodcock Road photo by John Orr


President’s Message – October 2017 We are now well into the fall season and fast approaching the Halloween period ---AND our Highland Hills Annual General Meeting. Halloween, originally “All Hallows Eve,” is on October 31st, and these days turns out to be mostly for kids, but for the older generations the next day, November 1st, is the more important day. The day after Halloween is “All Souls Day,” the day when the souls of the departed, who supposedly came alive to walk the world on All Hallows Eve, enter heaven. All Souls Day would be a good day for all of us to observe, contemplate and celebrate the loved ones who have gone before us and have contributed so much to our lives and to the world we all share. So, however you observe Halloween and/or All Souls Day, remember their true meaning and enjoy the memories of your departed loved ones. The big fall event for our homeowners’ association is the HHMC AGM, our Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday evening November 15th at 7p.m. at the Sunland Golf Course clubhouse. Your support of the association is important and necessary for the maximum benefit of all of our owners and members. You can show your support by attending the AGM, but whether you choose to attend or not it is very important that you cast your ballot to ratify the 2018 plan and budget for the organization and select three Trustees for the Board. You can vote at the meeting or by e-mail or postal mail---it is important for our legal standing and your economic benefit for HHMC to be a strong and vital association. Please support HHMC with your vote! We are trying something a bit different in voting this year. You will be offered two budget options on the ballot, from which you need to select one. There is a “basic” option, which has a lower 2018 assessment (dues) level and provides continued solid maintenance and function of HHMC, as you are used to. As an alternate you can vote to provide additional funding to the organization to provide services beyond the baseline level, allowing the association to add capital improvements and predictive preventative maintenance services to our roads & drainage infrastructure over time that are beyond the “as needed” upkeep and corrective maintenance activities included in the basic program. The latter option is designed to set future annual assessments at a relatively fixed and predictable level, replacing the highly variable rate that has prevailed over the years. This approach, asking the membership to choose a budget option, is a result of vigorous debate among members of the Board of Trustees where two distinct factions have developed: (1) a group feeling our responsibility is to maintain our infrastructure via upkeep/routine maintenance at minimum cost, which varies from year-to-year depending on repair needs; and (2) a group feeling that with our dues at such a low level relative to many HOA’s that we can afford to plan to do regular long-term improvements and feature add-ons in addition to our traditional maintenance work while at the same time stabilizing our annual assessment level over time, still keeping the assessment at a very reasonable level. Lack of consensus among Board members resulted in the decision to let the broad HHMC membership choose their preferred option, thus the two-budget voting option on this year’s ballot. (Note: The 2018 assessment under the “basic” option would be $361/acre--- or $450/acre under the “improvements” option. The 2017 level was $437/acre.) Your vote will count! We’d also appreciate hearing your opinions about HHMC’s maintenance philosophy. In addition to 2018 planning, the Board of Trustees at their October meeting set the record date for member voting as October 15th and reaffirmed the AGM date as November 15th. The Treasure’s

Inside: President’s Message 2 Earthquake Response 4 Mowing Report 11 Weather 14 Photos and Comments 15

Important Dates

Board Meeting November 1 December 6 AGM November 15


report was reviewed and accepted. The major September expenditure was a ~$6500 payment for the second 2017 ditch mowing. $759 was also expended to pay for final mowing costs for undeveloped lots whose owners have not yet paid their invoices. Liens result from delinquent payments. Income in September included $542 in mowing fees and $1523 in interest. Our balance sheet and available cash remain in good shape. Your Architectural Control Committee activities included handling three new tree removal requests and preliminary talks with a Ravens Ridge lot owner planning to construct a new home. The Community Environment Committee dealt with both trailer parking and trash container storage complaints in September. Residents are reminded that HHMC regulations require trailers to be housed in garages (PC&R #23), and trash containers not be visible from the common roadways (PC&R #5). The Mowing Committee confirmed final payment status of delinquent lot owner mowing and presented a final version of a revision to Board Policy 11-1, bringing it up to date with current practice and clarifying our noxious weed policy. The revised policy was approved by the Board and will be published. A second Board Policy revision (BP 9-1) was also approved by the Board. This revision added wording concerning near roadway foliage/vegetation removal requirements in, on & about the HHMC road network, confirming lot owner landscape maintenance responsibility in road easements. Other Roads & Drainage Committee reports concerned a recent contract placement for fall pavement crack sealing, repair of a pothole on Fox Hollow Road and completion of a roadside weed spraying contract. The Drainage report featured highlights of findings from the annual independent engineering inspection of the HHMC storm water drainage system. There were no critical repair findings. A few corroded pipes were noted which will require monitoring. Fixes of noted items will be easy to accomplish as part of our 2018 drainage system maintenance plan. In general it was a very satisfactory report on both the condition and function of the drainage system and will be so reported to the City of Sequim (they accept our storm water outflows and require annual independent report findings and a statement of our response). Safety Committee reported on discussions with a contractor concerning placing safety warning devices near two potentially dangerous ditch areas on Doe Run Road. Such devices would be placed to warn drivers of an upcoming hazard, particularly needed at night. Proposals are being awaited. Emergency preparedness activity/status was also summarized and reviewed by the Board. CERT training continues and a new class will get underway shortly. More volunteers are needed in our community. A local disaster drill (with Emerald Highlands) is planned for October 27th. A recent spate of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and wildfires in North America demonstrates the need for preparedness to mitigate disaster in our community. You can help with readiness. Our HHMC emergency preparedness crew has recently published much new material and a response plan for Highland Hills. See their offerings in this issue of The Highlander and on their area of the HHMC web site www.hhmcsequim.org. You will soon be receiving AGM material by e-mail or postal mail, depending on whether you have provided HHMC with signed consent forms. Please study the materials provided and please VOTE. Attending the AGM at Sunland will not only give you the opportunity to discuss the issues and vote in person, but will also give you the opportunity to meet, greet and interface with some great neighbors with whom you have vital common interests. Hope to see you at the AGM. VOTE!

Ted Johnson

http://www.hhmcsequim.org/


Bell Hill Earthquake Response Plan

The Bell Hill Community Emergency Response Team (CERT 5), with guidance from county emergency management personnel, has formulated an Earthquake Response Plan specifically for Bell Hill. The plan outlines steps to follow when an earthquake happens. The steps are divided into three levels. The first level response is a personal household response. These are steps to protect your household in the first 15 minutes, such as drop, cover and hold; access emergency response kit; assess condition of occupants and house; formulate / review a day specific household plan. The second level is a neighborhood response. A neighborhood is about 20 homes. These steps identify who needs help, cares for the injured, prioritizes neighborhood response, and directs outside help. The county offers a great program (Map your Neighborhood-MYN) which helps get your neighborhood organized. They will send a trainer/facilitator to kick off the effort. If your neighborhood has not yet completed MYN, please contact us, and we can arrange with the county. The third level is a community response. The community response is led by our Community Emergency Response Team. It covers eleven neighborhoods in Highland Hills. CERT will establish a community command post. CERT will take reports from the neighborhoods, prioritize Search and Rescue operations, and care for the injured. CERT will communicate with the Incident Command Post for County Emergency Services (EMT, Fire and Sheriff) over a direct radio channel. CERT will direct walk up volunteers to priority tasks. The current plan is included in this issue of the Highlander. This is a living document that we will continuously improve. The latest plan outline will be found on the HHMC Disaster Preparedness web page and can be found using the following link. http://www.hhmcsequim.org/Disaster.html . Please review this plan and other documents on the Disaster Preparedness web page. We recommend you print it out and include it in your personal emergency response kit. Our CERT team welcomes your comments and participation in our emergency preparedness activities. Contact CERT 5 Captain Don Baron or any team member.

http://www.hhmcsequim.org/Disaster.html


ARE YOU PREPARED

THE BELL HILL EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN NEEDS YOUR HELP

A QUICK SUMMARY The Highland Hills emergency response plan is highly dependent on local volunteers. Many levels of support are needed, from caring for displaced pets to treating the injured or helping clear the roads or joining our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Our most critical need at this time is to get residents together with their nearby neighbors to prepare emergency response plans specific to their particular neighborhoods. We need a volunteer from each neighborhood to work with CERT to set up an initial neighborhood meeting. They will plan how their neighborhood will fit in with the overall community and county plans. Please help us protect your neighborhood.

THE TELLING DETAILS

WHO WILL RESPOND TO A MAJOR DISASTER

In a major disaster, professional emergency responders are overwhelmed. Experience has shown time and again that a large majority of lives are saved by neighborhood and community volunteers. Clallam County emergency management officials have clearly stated they will be focusing their efforts on where they can provide the maximum benefit such as schools, hospitals, senior care facilities, high density neighborhoods and tsunami inundated areas. Bell Hill will depend on our own community volunteers.


SAVING THE COMMUNITY

Our volunteer Highland Hills Community Emergency Response Team (CERT 5) has been training and planning to minimize loss of life, rescue and treat the trapped and injured, and provide for our general welfare in the event of a major disaster. An outline of our earthquake response plan can be found in another article in this issue of the Highlander and on the HHMC Disaster Preparedness web page, http://www.hhmcsequim.org/Disaster.html . CERT 5 is happy with the volunteers that have joined the team, and with the training and support that the county is providing. But with the current and expected resources it could take 3-7 days for the team to conduct search and rescue operations in our community. Statistics from disasters indicate, 95 per cent of those rescued in the first half hour are likely to survive and 81 per cent of those rescued on the first day are likely to survive. This rate drops to 34 per cent on the second day and falls to only seven per cent by the fifth day.

SAVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD

CERT 5 is counting on neighborhood groups to do most of the initial work in finding and helping victims in first few hours. CERT 5 will prioritize its operations based largely on critical needs identified by neighborhood groups. Herein is the greatest weakness in our emergency response plan. Only 3 out of 11 neighborhoods in Highland Hills have begun an organized neighborhood emergency response plan. CERT 5 highly recommends the Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) plan sponsored by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Emergency Management Division. MYN will set up a 9-step Neighborhood Response Plan that immediately helps you to know what to do – both at home and in the neighborhood – to respond to injuries, protect your property from further damage, and assist people who may be alone and frightened. The process is proven, fun, and easy. It will also build neighborhood relationships and spirit. CERT 5 earnestly wants to help organize your neighborhood. The key to moving forward is finding a sponsor in each neighborhood. Fritz Langenbacher and Debbie Flint are taking the lead in recruiting


people to join in our Highland Hills emergency response preparation. Contact us, our CERT 5 captain Don Baron, or any CERT 5 member to discuss how you can help.

Our greatest need at this time is neighborhood sponsors. The neighborhood sponsor’s job is to start the process of organizing the neighborhood. A neighborhood sponsor will work with a CERT 5 sponsor and a Clallam County Emergency Management sponsor. Together they will set up an initial neighborhood meeting. They will

pick a location

set a date and time

invite neighbors

attend the meeting

The meeting attendees will develop a neighbor emergency plan and define roles for participants. The most important outcomes will be knowing:

who your neighbors are

how to contact them

how to work together in a emergency

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN HIGHLAND HILLS EMERGENCY PLANNING.

HIGHLAND HILLS EMERGENCY PREPARATION CONTACTS

Don Baron, CERT 5 Captain, HHMC Liaison to Emergency Management Organizations (360)808-2873, [email protected] Fritz Langenbacher, CERT 5 Human Resources and Publicity Co-Leader, Search and Rescue Squad Leader (858)692-2971, [email protected] Debbie Flint, CERT 5 Human Resources and Publicity Co-Leader, Support Squad Member (602)361-9454 , [email protected] Gabriel Athougies, CERT 5 Support Squad Leader (714)812-5125, [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]





BELL Hill Emergency Response Plan: Outline for Major Earthquake Scenario In the event of an earthquake, following is a Highland Hills-specific, three-level response plan (household/personal, neighborhood/MYN, community/CERT):

First Level - Initial Response - Personal Household Response When the shaking starts

Drop to a stable position, crawl to nearest pre-determined safe place (under table, desk,

etc)

Duck, cover and hold on to something, protecting head and neck

When the shaking stops

Retrieve Earthquake Emergency Supply Bag –

o Protective clothing, flashlight, 1st aid kit, radio, emergency response plan, …

Put on shoes and necessary protective clothing

Go to pre-determined outside safe location

Determine condition of all occupants

Provide required first aid

Call neighborhood block leader for required help – cell phone or FRS radio

Confirm house structural integrity before re-entering

Review emergency plan with household members

Post OK or HELP NEEDED sign for 1st responders

Secure the power, propane and water systems in your home

Establish two-bucket, personal waste system

If safe, put your fire extinguisher in front of your house

Second Level – Neighborhood Response – MYN plan

ASAP, neighborhood captain and communications leaders monitor designated FRS frequency When the initial household response plan allows movement to the second level

Report to neighborhood gathering area / MYN block leader

o note condition of homes along the way

Form teams to

o provide first aid and manage care of the injured

o manage communications and status reports

o note homes with HELP cards and those with no status posted

o check on elderly, disabled, children and pets

o check propane tanks

Review Neighborhood Emergency plan

Radio Neighborhood status to CERT

CERT members report to CERT gathering area, noting community status along the way


Third Level – Community Response – Community Emergency Response Team

ASAP – CERT members monitor designated CERT FRS frequency As soon as household and neighborhood (MYN) responses are under control, CERT members to move to the third level:

CERT members report to gathering area

Form teams to:

Provide first aid and manage care of the injured

Manage communications and status reports

Search and Rescue homes

Provide Support

Formulate/Review the day’s specific plan

Prioritize Search and Rescue and Medical care based on neighborhood and other

reports

Search and Rescue operations

Logistics

o Inventory Supplies and Equipment

o Determine best means way to travel to priority sites

o Determine best means to transport victims

Review Search and Rescue Plan

Begin Search and Rescue

Monitor Status Reports

Update Priorities as reports come in

Maintain logs

Medical Care operations

Designate Treatment Area(s)

Inventory Supplies and Equipment

Treat the Injured

Call for advanced care as needed

Prioritize needs for advanced care

Maintain Logs

Communications and Status Team

Radio Incident Command Center

o Report Critical Needs

o Report Status

o Get emergency services status report

Monitor Public Radio for Status Reports

o Road Closures

o Utilities status

o Tsunami Warnings

o Emergency Services

o Emergency Alerts


Maintain Activity Logs

Support Team

Assess transportation options

o Determine passable roads

o Manage available vehicles

Inventory Emergency Supplies

Review response plan

Transport Injured to Treatment Areas

Gather additional supplies as needed

Walk Up Volunteers

Evaluate what can be done by walk up volunteers

Assign tasks to walk up volunteers

o Check road conditions

o Get supplies

o Clear roads

o Support communications (message runners, monitor radios)

o Direct incoming emergency vehicles

o Walk the neighborhood noting problems

o Provide Elderly, Child and Pet care


Mowing Committee Final Report for 2017 Mowing Program by Fritz Langenbacher

WATCH OUT FOR POISON HEMLOCK

It has come my attention that county and state weed control agencies are increasing their attention to Poison Hemlock around Sequim. I have encountered several work parties spraying, cutting and removing poison hemlock along the Dungeness River levee near the old school house. They are very cautious working with it yet have had some numbing reactions to its poison. There was a lot of it there and it kept growing back. I have also seen it near the Railroad Bridge Park and near the intersection of Happy Valley Road and River Road.

WARNING: Handle plant parts carefully; small amounts of toxins may be absorbed by rubbing eyes or touching mouth after contact with plants.

History Poison hemlock is native to Europe; juice of poison hemlock was given to Socrates to drink, causing his death in Athens, Greece, in 329 BC. It was probably introduced into this country accidentally, and although it is a common weed in many places. Distribution

Mainly found on the east side of Clallam county with only a few sites found west of Port

Angeles; found along roadsides, riparian areas, ravines, fields, ditches and un-managed yards,

vacant lots and pastures


Prefers moist soil and sun, but can adapt to dryer soil and shadier conditions

Impact

Acutely toxic to livestock, wildlife, humans; causes death by respiratory paralysis after

ingestion

Aggressive growth crowds out desirable vegetation

Early spring growth makes it more likely to be eaten by animals when there is limited forage

available

Poisoning Symptoms

In Humans

Poisoning symptoms in humans include dilation of the pupils, trembling, dizziness,

slowing of the heartbeat and paralysis.

Death is caused by respiratory failure.

Hemlock poisoning in humans may be treated by giving the victim a tablespoon of salt

in a glass of warm water, to induce vomiting.

Treatment should be repeated until the vomit fluid is clear.

If vomiting has already occurred, do not induce further vomiting.

Activated charcoal can be given after vomiting, to absorb the poison.

Contact the nearest poison control center (1-800-732-6985) and keep the victim lying

down somewhere warm and quiet until help arrives.

In animals

Poisoning symptoms include nervous trembling, salivation, lack of coordination and

dilation of the pupils.

If hemlock poisoning is suspected, call a veterinarian.

Livestock can be saved if only small amounts have been ingested.

There are many plants that look similar to poison hemlock including fennel, chervil, anise, coltsfoot and wild carrot. The most distinctive feature of poison hemlock is that the entire plant is hairless. In contrast, the look-a-likes have hair somewhere on the plant such as the stem or leaf surfaces. For more information, visit the Clallam County Noxious Weed Control web site

http://www.clallam.net/weed/index.html http://www.clallam.net/weed/weedinfo2.asp?show=listall http://websrv7.clallam.net/weeds/files/34.pdf

Curiously, a plant sometimes confused with poison hemlock but different, western water hemlock (Cicuta douglasii) is found in Clallam County, but is not listed in the Clallam County Noxious Weeds list. It is described in one of the descriptions of Poison Hemlock. It is native to Washington. It is the most violently toxic plant that grows in North America. Only a small amount of the toxic substance in the plant is needed to produce poisoning in livestock or in humans. The toxin cicutoxin, acting directly on the central nervous system, is a violent convulsant. Clinical signs of poisoning occur when a threshold dose is reached after which grand mal seizures and death occur. I will see if I can find enough information about it to post a separate article in a later issue of the Highlander.

http://www.clallam.net/weed/index.html

http://www.clallam.net/weed/weedinfo2.asp?show=listall

http://websrv7.clallam.net/weeds/files/34.pdf


2017 Mowing Results

Mowing of all lots in the HHMC arranged 2017 Mowing Program were completed on time. Most independently cared for lots were mowed on time. Five owners not participating in the HHMC program did not promptly respond to delinquency notices for their unmowed lots. The lots were mowed by HHMC and the owners billed. There were some issues with owner contact information. HHMC is renewing its efforts to have complete up to date contact information. Please verify your contact information is correct in the residents and owners lists in HHMC members only web pages. http://www.hhmcsequim.org/members-only.html

Board Policy 11-1 Revision

HHMC Board Policy 11-1, TITLE: ANNUAL MOWING/NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL, has been updated, approved by the HHMC Board of Trustees and will be posted on the HHMC web site, http://www.hhmcsequim.org/Policies-2.html The changes are mainly

clarifying which noxious weeds HHMC controls

unifying the noxious weed control requirements for developed and undeveloped lots

There is also some clarifications and minor revisions of the Annual Mowing Program Procedure.

http://www.hhmcsequim.org/Policies-2.html


Our Monthly Weather

Waiting for the Deluge

Since Memorial Day we have had a little over an inch of rain. Take a 2nd look at the cover photo, this is a river that was overflowing its’ banks 6 months ago. It will take a miracle for the salmon and steelhead to make it upstream if we don’t get some heavy rain soon. There was snow on the mountain tops for a couple of days last week – it’s gone now. We are getting a big dose of the rain shadow blocking precipitation moving north, while the rest of the area is getting soaked. The forecast is for high pressure system causing this movement (and somewhat responsible for the California winds feeding the fires) to move out soon.

All measurements are taken at 600’. Precipitation is measured daily at 7 am.

September 0.44 1.20 0.0 0.0 86 75 45 46

Month to Date (Oct 15) 0.14 1.73 0.0 0.0 66 61 47 42

Annual Totals 11.00 12.98 10.8 0.0 89 90 23 29

Running Year Total (10/16/16 - 10/15/17) 16.87

12.5

89

23

2017 2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

Precipitation Precipitation Snowfall Snowfall High High Low Low

(In.) (In.) (In.) (In.) °F °F °F °F

January 0.95 1.74 1.1 0.0 59 57 23 29

February 2.47 1.92 9.3 0.0 59 67 31 36

March 1.86 2.51 0.4 0.0 61 70 32 36

April 2.54 0.91 0.0 0.0 67 81 36 45

May 1.83 0.75 0.0 0.0 81 75 40 46

June 0.61 1.49 0.0 0.0 86 88 47 45

July 0.03 0.53 0.0 0.0 79 71 51 51

August 0.12 0.20 0.0 0.0 89 90 51 47


Photos and Comments

A couple of neat photos from David Stahl:

A home-made raised bed garden designed and constructed by resident S.M. Roberts. Due to the length of this month’s issue, the full “how to do this” article will be included next month. Looks like a great winter project.

September 6 Moon Stellers Jays Try to Get at Peanuts

oct 2017 links web site: editor e-mail: … · 2020. 5. 10. · oct 2017 links web site: editor...

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