The Caspar Community Organization has opened an office in the village of Caspar, which is intended to be headquarters for the group and a meeting place for village residents.

Pat Ackley, the full-time coordinator for the Caspar Community, turned the key in the door for the first time on January 21. The facility is located at 14984 Caspar Road, kitty-corner from the Caspar Inn. In addition to Ackley's office the facility includes a small community meeting room. There are plans to develop a third room into a resource library, which will also include a computer for Internet access.

Current activities at the office include planning for the next public meeting of the Caspar Community, which will feature a discussion of traffic problems in the area. The session is scheduled for 3:00 PM, Sunday, February 14, at the Caspar Jewish Community Center on Caspar Road.

Katherine Booth, chairperson of the traffic committee, says that a number of dangerous traffic situations have been identified by the committee, and various solutions are being discussed. These will be fully explored at the meeting so that the public can have an opportunity for comment and suggestions.

The building that houses the new Caspar facility is owned by Michael Potts, a member of the Community's steering committee, who is donating the space. Extensive remodeling is just about complete, all of which was done on a volunteer basis. Ackley reports that, "Meridian Green, Patty Madigan, Susan Keller, and Dale Ackley all worked hard to make this happen. Dale, my husband, moved here to join me in December and we slapped a hammer in his hand the next day!"

The office is up and running, centered around a computer which was donated by Mike Dell'Arra, another member of the steering committee. Ackley says a fax machine will soon be in place, but she is looking for donations of other office equipment and supplies, including a small folding conference table.

The Caspar Community Organization can be reached at P.O. Box 84, Caspar, CA 95420. It's telephone number is 964-4997, and e-mail at caspar@mcn.org. The website is at www.mcn.org/1/caspar.

written by Jerry Juhl