The Garfield County Sheriff's Office and the Battlement Mesa Service Association are hosting Battlement Mesa's National Night Out on Tuesday, August 7th from 4 PM to 7 PM.

 Battlement Mesa's National Night Out offering a Free BBQ, Free Fun and a Great Learning Experience for both children and adults will be held in Battlement Plaza, 71 Sipprelle Drive, from 4 PM to 7 PM on Tuesday, August 7th. 

National Night Out strives to heighten crime prevention awareness, build support and participation in local anticrime efforts, strengthen civic pride and neighborhood spirit through police-community partnerships in order to let criminals know that local communities are organized against crime. 

In addition to participation from the Sheriff's Office and the BMSA, this year's event is coordinating with the Parachute Police Department, Grand Valley Fire Protection District, the Colorado Department of Transportation, St. Mary's Hospital, and others to showcase vehicles and equipment and to share information and exhibits about community services.    This year's displays and exhibits will include the County's All Hazards Response Team "BearCat" rescue and response vehicle, along with their Crisis Negotiation Team and their negotiation vehicle, "Green Machine," a patrol vehicle and a police cruiser, a K-9 demonstration, Grand Valley Fire trucks, and firefighting gear and their climbing wall, and a Loomis armored truck.

 

The McGruff "Crime Dog, a children's favorite, is also expected. 

The Battlement Mesa Service Association is featuring a youth educational theater tent where short presentations on prevention, safety and educational segments will be featured throughout the event. 

And, while you are at National Night Out, be sure to check out the Motorcycle, Car and Truck "show and shine" exhibit which will include a rare Mustang (one of 251 cars built of a specific Mustang model) as well as a 1990 Corvette ZR-1 (one of 7,000 ZR-1's built between 1990 and 1995).

Battlement Mesa will be one of approximately 15,000 US communities participating in the the 29th  Annual National Night Out.  

  Wildland Fire Prevention Tips 

Despite some recent rains, wildland fires are always a risk to residents of Colorado's Western Slope, including Battlement Mesa?

If you are concerned about the possibility of a wildland fire and want to reduce the probability of having your home go "up in smoke" you may want to create an effective defensible space around your home.  Fire professionals usually recommend six action steps.

Step 1. Create Defensible Space.  The size of the defensible space area is usually expressed as a distance extending outward from the sides of the house and is determined by the type of wildland vegetation growing near the house and the steepness of the surrounding terrain.

Step 2. Remove Dead Vegetation.  Dead vegetation including dead trees and shrubs, dead branches lying on the ground or still attached to living plants, dried grass, flowers and weeds, dropped leaves and needles as well as stacks of firewood should be removed from near your home.

Step 3.  Remove Continuous Dense Ground Cover.  Sometimes wildland plants can occur as an uninterrupted layer of vegetation as opposed to being patchy or widely spaced individual plants  The more continuous and dense the vegetation, the greater the wildfire threat.

Step 4.  Remove all "ladder fuels."  Within the defensible space vegetation is often present at varying heights, similar to the rungs of a ladder.  Under these conditions, flames from fuels burning at ground level, such as thick layer of pine needles, can be carried to shrubs which can ignite still higher fuels like tree branches.

Step 5. Surround your home with "Lean, Clean, and Green."  The area immediately adjacent to your house is particularly important in terms of an effective defensible space   Choose a lean amount of flammable vegetation, clean vegetation of flammable debris and plant, green healthy plants.

Step 6.  Regularly Maintain your Defensible Space.  Defensible space must be continually maintained in order to be effective.

 For additional information on Living with Wildland Fire, visit Grand Valley Fire Protection District, 124 Stone Quarry Road, Battlement Mesa and ask for the Living with Wildland Fire Homeowner Guide.

Each Battlement Mesa Village is represented by an elected Delegate that serves on the Battlement Mesa Service Association Board of Directors.  Delegates are elected to a three year term.  Since there are no term limits for Delegates, frequently Delegates serve multiple terms.

This month, we are introducing Sara McCurdy, First Eagles Point's Delegate.  Click Here for Eagles Point Information.

Some people know Sara McCurdy as the lady who lives in Eagles Point with the guy (husband, Mac McCurdy) that's always playing his bagpipes.  Although, that is true, Sara is also well known for her willingness to "give back" to First Eagles Point and the Battlement Mesa community.

 Sara was born and raised in Marion, Ohio, but she isn't the only famous person from Marion, Ohio.  Marion is the home of Warren G. Harding (29th President), four-time Socialist candidate for President, Norman Thomas and Mary Ellen Withrow (US Treasurer under the Clinton Administration).   Following her graduation from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism (with an emphasis in Public relations), Sara worked in Highland Park, Michigan as the Public Information Officer for the Model Cities and Neighborhood Development Programs (Urban Renewal).  Later she served as the Medical Conference Coordinator for Beth Israel Hospital in Denver.  Just prior to retiring (from an actual paid job), Sara spent three years in a Human Resources position with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. 

Mac and Sara McCurdy, who have five adult children and five grandchildren, moved to Battlement Mesa from Salt Lake City in 2005 and built the first house in First Eagles Point.  Sara's husband, Mac, is a retired geologist but still consults, part-time, for the coal industry.

In addition to serving on the BMSA board of directors, Sara's volunteer activities include the Battlement Mesa Metro District board of directors, the Mt. Callahan Community Foundation board, and the Battlement Mesa Ladies Golf Club board.  Sara also served as a member of the BMSA's Architectural Review Committee.

Despite her working career, raising a family and many community volunteer duties, Sara and Mac have found time to travel extensively including to South America, Japan (where one of their daughters taught English for a year), Korea, Southern Africa (where Mac worked on a coal project in Mozambique), Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Greece (to greet another daughter as she finished the 2010 Athens Marathon), Turkey, Egypt & Scotland (where Mac played his bagpipes on the shores of Loch Ness).  

Sara is in the second year of her second three year term as the First Eagles Point Delegate.

The BMSA Board meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center.  All of the BMSA meetings are open to the public.

The Battlement Mesa Movies Under the Stars has had a robust season to date, but "the end is near."  Don't miss the fourth and final movie of the 2012 season.   

The final movie in the 2012 four movie series is scheduled for August 10, 2012 when "The Wizard of Oz"  will be shown.   Our sources tells us that there is a chance that Dorothy and the Good Witch will join the attendees prior to the performance and they will greet all of the attendees prior to the movie.  And since this movie, which is sponsored by the Battlement Mesa Service Association, is the final movie of the 2012 season, odds are that additional surprises are waiting for you!

"The Wizard of Oz" begins at sundown and the nights are beginning to cool off so bring your blankets, and a comfortable chair and choose a good viewing location on the lawn at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center..and ENJOY!  Of Course, it's FREE!

Popcorn and pop will be available for purchase after 7:30 PM.