A tale of two signs ... LINDA PINKHAM The Pilot
A very large presidential campaign sign was replaced with a much smaller one over the past weekend. The sign was located on private property along U.S. Highway 101 just north of the Chetco River Bridge. Proponents of the sign on social media cited private property and constitutional rights, while opponents claimed that highway regulations prohibited the sign. Oregon Department of Transportation’s spokesperson Dan Latham confirmed that there are statutes and rules that regulate signs along the highway. “U.S. Highway 101 is a scenic byway, which prohibits any new outdoor advertising signs being built,” he said. “Generally, this means anything large like a billboard. Small signs are
Photos by Linda Pinkham
A 160-square-foot political sign erected on private property along U.S. Highway 101 last week drew paintball splatters and myriad complaints. Over the weekend, it was promptly replaced with a smaller sign that met legal requirements. sometimes allowed, as long as they meet certain criteria under ORS 377.735. A temporary variance allows for a sign size of 32 square feet maximum, pro-
vided there is no compensation between the parties.” The very large sign consisted of 5 sheets of plywood, each about 32 square feet, or 4 feet by 8 feet.
“A sign consisting of five sheets would be a total of 160 square feet,” Latham said. “So the sign is probably five times the legal size.” ODOT staff reached out to the
property owner and forwarded him an application for a temporary variance. By Monday morning, Sept. 28, a new, legally compliant sign replaced the billboard.
Fair Board announces ambitious vision LINDA PINKHAM The Pilot
Photo by Linda Pinkham, The Pilot
Chris Dichter stands in front of the newly operational Pac-Nor Barreling manufacturing plant, rebuilt after a catastrophic fire last year.
Pac-Nor Barreling back in business LINDA PINKHAM The Pilot
Pac-Nor Barreling, Inc. has emerged from the ashes after a fire last Oct. 23 leveled the machine shop that manufactures precision rifle barrels. Owner Chris Dichter opted to rebuild the plant at 99299 Overlook Rd., south of Brookings instead of shuttering the business that’s been his passion for more than 35 years. It was back and forth for awhile about whether to rebuild, but because his son Casey wanted to continue the legacy, he decided to go forward. “We worked pretty much around the clock cleaning up and getting ready to rebuild,” Dichter said. “Luckily, last winter was
Photo by Jeremy C. Ruark, The Pilot
A fire leveled Pac-Nor Barreling’s manufacturing facility last Oct. 23. pretty mild. We worked right through the winter.” The new 160-foot long by 60-
foot wide replacement building is metal this time for fire safety instead of stick-framed.
“We always wanted a bigger building,” Dichter said. “We were running out of room, but the way it came about was disastrous.” Everything is under one roof now. “We always wanted a ceiling high enough we could run a forklift down the length of it with the boom raised,” he said. Around the first of June, they started wiring in the machinery and began taking orders. “We’re running approximately 20 percent of the machines we originally had. We’re still working some of the bugs out. Anytime you wire anything in, there’s little things that come up and cause problems. We’re still finding a few of those.” More Pac-Nor, Page A3
Two new cases of COVID-19 transferred to Curry County LINDA PINKHAM The Pilot
Curry Public Health administrator Sherrié R. Ward announced two new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday evening, Sept. 30. Curry County Public was notified by Oregon Health Authority (OHA) through the official records system of two new cases of COVID-19. One was transferred from Lane County and the other from Marion County.
Both cases are unrelated but are residents of Curry County. One case was verified through lab results. The other case is deemed a presumptive case even though the individual tested negative but had Covid like symptoms after being exposed to a positive case. This presumptive case was reported on the OHA dashboard last week as OHA considers presumptive cases as positive. Public Health has reached
out to the individuals and they will be at their homes self-isolating, monitoring symptoms. Investigation and contact tracing is being conducted by both Curry County Public Health and Public Health officials from both Lane and Marion Counties. Public Health will reach out to anyone suspected of exposure to COVID-19. As of Sept. 30, the total verified number of positive cases
in Curry County is currently 32 with one of those considered presumptive, 24 recovered cases, 8 active cases, zero hospitalizations and zero deaths. Oregon has reported 33,509 confirmed and presumptive cases, with 559 deaths as of 12:01 a.m., Oct. 1. Del Norte Public Health has confirmed 144 cases as of Sept. 29, with 6 active cases. The county has reported 6 new cases since Sept. 22.
Big plans are on the horizon for The Event Center on the Beach in Gold Beach, judging by the redevelopment master plan discussed at their regular Sept. 18 meeting and a number of smaller events that continue to bring in revenue. Over the year the COVID-19 crisis has led to the cancelation of a number of events and fundraising activities, including the annual Curry County Fair this summer and this year’s wildly popular Holiday Bazaar in December. In August, the venue was granted permission to bring a special “Fair Food” weekend for those who have missed their annual dietary splurge of cotton candy, deep-fried candy bars, corn dogs, sausage dogs, giant curly fries and funnel cakes. If you didn’t know you could have any sausage or hot dog made into a corn dog, you will get a second chance this weekend, Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4. It was welcome news when Becky Campbell, city council liaison to the fair board, reported that the City Council had exempted the fairgrounds from the current moratorium passed by the city while they consider food cart regulations on main street. The ink was barely dry on the exemption before Event Center manager Kaitlyn Coleman had the next food cart event planned and ready to launch this weekend. The Fall Food Truck Fest will be a repeat of the August event hosted by Southern Oregon Food and Beverage, which is the usual fair food concessionaire. The first fair food event was so successful that it spurred the idea of setting up a regular food court on the premises. Local vendors, including Black Dog Bistro, are already inquiring about locating at the site. Up next, the staff is already planning an alternative pop-up Halloween that will be a socially distanced drive-through event. Those businesses who would like to give away treats should contact the Event Center. Plans for the fair are still on for July 2021. Coleman described her youthful memories More Fair, Page A2