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Ashland Y2K plan pays off Crews start filming `CBS Sunday Morning' piece today By KELLY STEWART The year 2000 is just six months away, but Ashland has been preparing for a possible crisis for the past year and a half. The city is doing such a good job preparing and informing the community about possible Y2K challenges that "CBS Sunday Morning" took notice. CBS discovered Ashland's Y2K preparedness through Senate testimony given by Ashland resident Liza Christian. Christian, the former executive director of the Rogue Valley Y2K Task Force, spoke at a Senate hearing in May. She and three other presenters spoke at the request of Sen. Robert Bennett, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem. Some computers can't tell the difference between 1900 and 2000, prompting worries by cities, businesses and agencies that myriad computer-run systems could fail at the beginning of next year. The CBS show, hosted by Charles Osgood, asked to come to the Rogue Valley. "They saw what we were doing in the community. For a long time, they wanted to do a reasoned approach" to the year 2000 problem, Christian said. CBS crews started filming in Ashland today. Filming will end Wednesday, and CBS will return in September for a follow-up visit. CBS coverage of Ashland's Y2K preparedness will air from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on July 18. CBS will film an all-community planning session at 7 tonight, in which Ashland residents will discuss a proposed plan for September, designated "Be Aware and Prepare" month. The meeting will take place at the Senior Center, 1699 Homes Ave., Ashland. At 9 a.m. Wednesday, CBS will film a joint Jackson and Josephine counties' meeting at the county auditorium in the Jackson County Courthouse in Medford. During the meeting, Jackson County commissioners are expected to sign a proclamation making September preparedness month for the county. Family emergency preparedness plans also will be discussed. Ashland started preparing for Y2K more than a year and a half ago, said Mike Freeman, Ashland city administrator. The city will be nearly 100 percent Y2K compliant by the end of next month. All services, including utilities and 911 operation, have been tested in case of a potential disaster. "These aren't Year 2000-specific kinds of scenarios," Freeman said. "We've been preparing responsibly." Ashland also held a series of "table-tops," which tested the emergency preparedness plans in the city. Shelters, mass communication outages and electrical outages have been examined. Freeman said he isn't sure why CBS decided to single out Ashland for its program; other cities in Jackson County have made similar efforts to defuse the Y2K bug. But he said Ashland's program encourages more government communication with community members. Wayne Schumacher, a member of the Ashland Preparedness Group, developed a color-coded emergency response system for homes in the Rogue Valley. A red triangle displayed in a home window or front yard would let observers know that someone inside the house was suffering from a serious injury. Schumacher said Ashland residents communicate and work together to become aware of the Y2K problem. "People should not be just selfishly thinking of their own households," he said. "It should be a community effort." The city sent a Year 2000 information brochure with utility bills earlier in the year. Ashland also partnered with the county to publish and mail an emergency preparedness plan to city residents. Ashland also has developed a community emergency response team, which trains citizens on basic ways to prepare for potential disasters. CERT is based on a similar program in Portland. Because of increased community interest in CERT, Ashland is starting a second program at the meeting tonight. The city of Ashland has been working with utility companies and the county to make sure its preparedness is seamless. Freeman said Ashland is at the end of its Y2K preparedness process now. "The city's done a massive amount," Freeman said. "We're ready to roll." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA