La Conner’s Emergency Management Commission has dug up a solid addition in  Tobias Schwind, who officially joined the five-member advisory panel Tuesday.

Schwind, owner of Grass Roots Lawn & Garden based in Shelter Bay, hit the ground running by agreeing to contact Joan Cromley of the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management regarding La Conner’s participation in an update of the county’s multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

“Being able-bodied and local, I thought I might be of some help to the commission,” said Schwind, a 2007 graduate of La Conner High School.

His wife, Alicia, is the creative director of the Skagit Passage theater group and an advisor to the La Conner Schools Drama Club. His mother-in-law, Kim Pedroza, serves on the La Conner School Board.

He replaces Jerry George, a charter member of the commission who stepped down to focus on leading the Town’s neighborhood mapping campaign. The effort encourages residents to take basic steps to increase emergency readiness, inspired by lessons learned from a 1990s Bay Area firestorm.

Emergency preparedness took center stage at the commission’s 45-minute meeting Tuesday. Interim chair Brianna Wilson shared updates on collaborative efforts between the Town and La Conner Schools to involve students in disaster readiness. 

Wilson said the commission is making progress toward launching teen CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training at the schools and enlisting student writers for a special emergency management section in La Conner Community News this fall.

“Getting students involved is a passion of mine,” Wilson said. “They’re the future. And these are cool opportunities.”

According to Wilson, La Conner Middle and High School Principal Christine Tripp is enthusiastic about collaborating on emergency preparedness efforts.

In other emergency management news

Commissioner Mike Carlisle said he will explore HAM radio training options this summer. Widely considered the most reliable backup communication system during disasters, HAM radio remains functional when commercial power, internet, and cell service fail.

Town Councilor and Skagit Valley Clean Energy Alliance member MaryLee Chamberlain attended and briefly addressed campus solarization grants secured by La Conner Schools. She said solar panel installation at the middle school is tentatively scheduled for this August. Grant funding will also cover costs to solarize the elementary campus and install Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) allowing school facilities to serve as community emergency shelters. 

Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.