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North Bend moves ARP funds to pay for pool repairs By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
When bids for work to make needed repairs at the North Bend Municipal Pool came in above the funding budgeted by the city, the city council promised to find extra funding to cover all the needed repairs. Last week, the council did just
that, moving $500,000 in American Rescue Act Plan funding from the community building to pool repairs to cover the full costs. Finance Director Jessica Terra asked the council to approve the change, saying the city would seek additional funding to make repairs at the community center. “In December, the council
adopted a plan to spend the ARPA money,” Terra said. “We have identified a number of changes. The first and most significant change is reallocating the $500,000 set aside for renovating the community center and moving that to the pool improvement fund. This would allow for all three phases of the pool improvement to be complet-
ed and address any other needed improvements that could arise.” Terra said the city would seek grant funding or other revenue sources to complete the community building rehabilitation. With the additional funding, all needed repairs to the pool can be made, with a goal of ensuring the pool is safe and operable for the next 30 years.
Work at the North Bend Pool has already begun after the council approved phases 1 and 2 and the renovation. Because those bids came in higher than expected, there was no funding left for phase 3. “I think that’s money well spent,” Councilor Bill Richardson said. Please see POOL, Page A2
Washed Ashore finds a second home in Coos Bay By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
After more than a decade of cleaning beaches and creating stunning art from what was collected in Bandon, Washed Ashore has added a second operation in Coos Bay. The nonprofit that uses art to spread the message of keeping plastic and other trash out of the ocean will always call Bandon home, but Washed Ashore will now create its sculptures at a warehouse it recently moved into in Coos Bay. During a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Coos Bay location, Executive Director Katie Dougherty said the warehouse in Coos Bay fit a big need for Washed Ashore. “We needed a place to refurbish,” she said. “The plastic breaks down, so when they come back, we need the space. It’s really the launching pad, whether it is a new build or whether it’s going to refurbished and sent on the way.” The Washed Ashore museum in Bandon holds many of the 87 sculpture created over the years, but sculptures can be seen nationwide is museums, zoos, aquariums and other locations. Since it opened 11 years ago, Washed Ashore and other Please see ASHORE, Page A12
Photo by David Rupkalvis/The World
A young guest gets a close-up look at a piece of art created by artists and volunteers with Washed Ashore. The longtime Bandon museum recently opened a facility in Coos Bay where the sculptures made of trash collected in local beaches will be formed. The museum in Bandon will continue to showcase the finished work.
Woman arrested after breaking Science Pub introduces offshore wind energy into airport, stealing van By HILARY DORSEY Country Media
Contributed photo
Law enforcement officials from North Bend, the Coos Bay Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and other agencies arrest a woman who broke into the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend and stole an airport van. The woman used the van to joy ride for close to an hour, most of it being followed by police, before wrecking the van and being taken into custody. During the ordeal, airport operations were closed down, and there was no threat to either commercial or private flights coming to or leaving the airport.
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Perspectives and complexities of responsible wind energy generation off the Oregon Coast was the topic of Oregon’s State University’s Science Pub meeting May 9. Flaxen Conway, director of OSU’s marine resource management graduate program and an Oregon Sea Grant Extension specialist, presented the issue. In her roles at OSU, she works with coastal communities, families and other groups. She works with multiple partners to provide coastal and statewide outreach and engagement. “My work focuses on collaborative learning,” Conway said. “How to build connections, how to build solutions together, how to build resilience.” Conway said this talk is just an introduction to renewable energy. All the renewable energy solutions have their positives and negatives. Renewable energy continues to evolve. CALENDAR A4 CLASSIFIEDS A3 OPINION A5
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“Energy, the ocean and offshore wind can look different depending on one’s perspective,” Conway said. “There’s lots of viewpoints.” Marine renewable energy is just one solution. We need as many potential solutions as possible, Conway added. Research shows there is no one silver bullet. “Finding lasting solutions also takes creativity, it takes imagination, it takes careful consideration, recognizing what other challenges exist,” Conway said. Wind energy began at OSU and in Oregon in the early 2000s with a lot of research. There was some outreach and engagement during this decade. “This decade was kind of viewed as the first marine renewable energy gold rush,” Conway said. “In the 2010s, we had more research and development going on. We have a lot more collaborations happening.” In the 2010s, there was also
Please see WIND, Page A2
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