The Applegater

2 Fall 2016 Applegater Applegate Fire District's new Community Building in use! Ne w Je r s e y - b o r n , Da v i d Dobbs was raised in Redding and Bonny Doon, California. Upon graduation from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, he pursued a career in engineering and facilities management in the Bay Area. After 30 years of high- tech jobs, he "escaped" to Applegate with wife, Lauri, to become neighbors with longtime friends and owners of ompson Creek Organics and join their adventures in making Apple Outlaw hard cider. Dave and Lauri were followed to Oregon by their youngest daughter and grandson. Now, with a second grandson on the way, the move has been made even more rewarding. e desire to return to the simple life of land ownership and realize a lifetime dream to build their own house, attend to a farm, and enjoy a slow-paced community led David and Lauri to the Applegate Valley. To start their dream, they planted over 200 Black Twig, Roxbury Russet, and Ashmead Kernel hard-cider variety apple trees to someday contribute to the high-end cider industry. ey then offered their home to the Applegate Valley Fire District to burn for a "Burn-to-Learn" exercise, waded through building permit paperwork, and broke ground in August to build their dream home with minimal hired help. David has thoroughly enjoyed meeting residents of the Applegate Valley and hearing their stories. He is excited to be on the Applegater board and hopes to further explore what our community has to offer. David Dobbs joins the Applegater Board of Directors Lauri and David Dobbs celebrate the burning of their house as an exercise by the Applegate Valley Fire District. R e q u e s t s f o r u s i n g t h e n e w Community Building are coming in! Since the doors opened last October, this facility, conveniently located next to the district office, has seen a lot of different uses. Besides the fire district's regular use for training on Monday nights and board meetings on the third Wednesday of each month, the building is used for the fire district's auxiliary group meetings every other month. Visit the fire district website at applegatefd.com for more information on upcoming meetings at the Community Building. O t h e r a g e n c i e s h a v e found this meeting room very a c c o m m o d a ti n g . Both th e US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have hosted planning sessions. e Oregon Department of Forestry, Applegate Neighborhood Network, Boy Scouts, and US Army Corps of Engineers have hosted public meetings, each giving our community an opportunity to learn more about the current interests of these groups. The Applegate Valley Garden Club hosted a meeting to demonstrate cheese- making. A Lifeline screening event took place on July 26, providing access to affordable preventive health screenings in a comfortable community location. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Jacksonville and Central Point will be meeting for training on September 17 and 24. These are just some of the uses that were the guiding factors when this project was still in the design stage. This building has been accepted and On October 31, 2016, Carey Chaput, office manager of Applegate Valley Fire District, will retire after 15 years of service. "is has been a very rewarding career," said Carey. "Although you need to be able to work on your own, prioritize, and multitask, it satisfies the desire to be an integral part of an excellent team. ere is nothing like the camaraderie of the fire service. You are family, and, whether on an emergency scene or in a discussion about strategic planning, you know that you have each other's interest in mind as well as the community's." Carey looks forward to helping h e r re p l a c e m e n t s e t t l e i n t o a comfortable routine. She also is excited to see the next person take this position to new heights. She said that "there is always room for BY CAREY CHAPUT appreciated by many of you. If you are interested in visiting the facility, stop by the district office at 1095 Upper Applegate Road on weekdays. To reserve a time, go to applegatefd.com and click on the "Facility Use Request." Complete and submit the request form to the district office by fax at 541-899-9314 or email cchaput@applegatefd.com. Once the date and time have been approved, you will be contacted by fire district staff. (e same form may be used for reserving the meeting room at the Station 1 location at 18489 North Applegate Road near the Highway 238 intersection.) e meeting room takes up only half of the building, while the other half houses the exercise room, designed to keep our firefighters and their families fit and ready for action. is is just one of the many benefits of being on the Applegate Fire District team! ere are many opportunities for you to become involved, from firefighting to support. Please take the opportunity to stop by the District Office to meet the new fire chief. And the staff would be pleased to show you the Community Building and discuss how you can become involved. Please also remember to stay safe and aware as we make it through this fire season together. Stay hydrated. Don't use power equipment in dry vegetation. Plan ahead and be ready for evacuation, if necessary. Carey Chaput • 541-899-1050 Office Manager Applegate Valley Fire District cchaput@applegatefd.com Long-time fire district office manager to retire Carey Chaput plans to retire from the Applegate Valley Fire District at the end of October. new ideas and developments in a position that allows a person to serve the community with pride, understanding, and compassion." Carey plans to remain in the community and will work part-time as a tax preparer with Applegate Tax Service in Ruch and work in her garden. She also plans to help out at the fire district wherever her experience is most needed. She would like to thank the Applegate community for its tremendous support, adding that "it takes a community to believe in and bring new ideas to fruition. And the Applegate community has not only fully appreciated the prevention programs, but also implemented a phone-tree system that better prepares the community to survive a catastrophic event." • • • • • Humbug Perspective Paul Tipton A few things have changed in forty years, Up past the forks of Humbug, and below. Only a few of the real old-timers left Most others passed or moved to town. Lots of us 70s back-to-the-landers Have tucked away the long hair, beards and tie-dye Yet retain our sense of community connection Enriched by years of potlucks and work parties, Shared child care and camping trips together. It's an aspect of life we're happy not to have missed. ese days the early sunrise from grow lights And the roar of fans ventilating greenhouses Alters the peace and quiet so cherished here. Tall fences spread like viruses along property lines Doing little to hide what's happening behind. Cars of workers and buyers leave long dust plumes Speeding up the once quiet gravel roads. Many who wished to grow and smoke a little Way back when, never expected the onslaught at recent years have brought to the creek. One thing has stayed the same: they say Humbug still produces the best bud around. One can only hope they'll also grow to know e golden rule of neighborliness. • • • Reprinted from From the Heart of the Applegate: Essays, Poems, and Short Fiction by Applegate Writers, published by the Applegater.

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