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SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946

www.currypilot.com

FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021

Brookings, Oregon

Commissioners reject idea to expand board Knox Keranen The Pilot

In an attempt to reduce internal struggle, Commissioner Chris Paasch is recommending expanding the Curry County Board of Commissioners from three to five members.

“We’ve had many, many days here with meetings that have a lot of tension... we could sometimes cut with a knife,” said Paasch. During a Wednesday board meeting, Paasch suggested putting together a proposal for a board expansion to be put on the

ballot in the spring 2022 election. He said he would not support two new, full-time paid positions, but recommended a structure of three full-time and two part-time members or changing the board to be all-volunteer. Paasch said the current structure is becoming too divisive.

“There’s so much contention, if you get two commissioners that have total disagreement with each other and can’t get through the personal part of it, it becomes a battle,” he said. A board expansion to five members would match up with the size of the city councils with-

Safety city continues to teach children

in the county, as Brookings and Gold Beach each have five-member city councils, while Port Orford has seven members. However, a three-member board of commissioners is the standard in neighboring Coos,

More Expand, Page A3

Offshore wind farms could be coming to Oregon Knox Keranen The Pilot

Photo by Knox Keranen/The Pilot

Retired police officer and Safety City coordinator Dan Palicki goes through one more demonstration with the children to show off what they have learned to their parents.

For 25 years, organization has run program for 5-year-olds Knox Keranen The Pilot

After 25 years, Safety City is continuing its mission of teaching kids how to stay safe. Safety City is a free, weeklong summer program for 5-year-

olds, teaching them how they can stay safe in their surroundings — wherever they might be. The kids learn from professionals in a variety of fields, and classes are held at the Kalmiopsis School in Brookings. Participating organizations include the U.S. Coast

Guard, Brookings and Harbor Fire Departments, Coos Curry Electric, Town and Country Animal Clinic, Coos Forest Protective Association and Brookings-Harbor School District. Dan Palicki is the coordinator and founder of the program

in Brookings. A retired police officer from Ohio, Palicki said he started Safety City to teach kids awareness in potentially dangerous situations. “We teach kids how to react More Safety, Page A3

Government looking at unprecedented fire season By David Rupkalvis The Pilot

As much of the nation prepares for what could be a disastrous fire season, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is urging local residents to be watchdogs in an effort to protect communities from major blazes. During a conference call with the media Saturday, Wyden said people in neighborhoods across Oregon and the western part of the nation could stop the biggest threats before they start. “Folks that are out in the community, when they see any signs like dropped matches, burns in their neighborhoods, the really important thing for people to do is not take but a minute and More Fire, Page A8

Pilot file photo

Years after the Chetco Bar Fire ravaged Curry County, the threat of a major fire is even bigger in 2021.

Commissioners vote to upgrade radio dispatch equipment Knox Keranen The Pilot

Ask and you shall receive. After the Curry County Sheriff’s Office requested an upgrade for aging radio dispatch equip-

ment at a board of commissioners meeting last month, the board unanimously voted to approve the roughly $700,000 modernization at a June 23 meeting — but not without a debate. The dispatch system is used by

multiple police and fire agencies within the county to get first responders to an emergency call for service. Among those using the system are Gold Beach and Port Orford police and fire departments, Coos Forest Protec-

tive Association and the sheriff’s office. The Brookings police and fire departments operate on their own dispatch system. During the meeting, Commis-

Can the ocean adapt to rising temperatures? Oregon Legislature wraps up session AT CURRYPILOT.COM

More Radio, Page A2

A federal agency is planning some big things for offshore wind energy on the Oregon Coast. In a June 23 presentation to the Curry County Board of Commissioners, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management outlined their process in identifying locations for some truly massive wind turbines — the largest of which are taller than the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument at more than 850 feet — not to mention the span of the whirling blades — which can be longer than a football field. Although they are typically much larger, offshore turbines essentially work the same as onshore turbines. As wind causes the blades to spin, they produce kinetic energy, which is converted to electrical energy by a generator inside the turbine. The electricity is shuttled to an offshore substation through underwater cables, and then transported to an onshore substation, where it is finally distributed to homes and businesses. Whitney Hauer, renewable energy specialist, said offshore wind turbines can produce more energy than landlocked turbines because the wind is stronger and more consistent. In shallow water, turbines are secured directly to the ocean floor, but floating foundations are used in deeper waters. Hauer said floating offshore wind technology will most likely be used on the West Coast due to steep dropoffs along the continental shelf. Offshore turbines could be built anywhere from three to 300 nautical miles offshore. In June of 2020, the state of Oregon and the BOEM committed to offshore wind energy planning. Since then, the BOEM initiated a multi-year planning process, beginning with a mass data collection phase. They are looking at a wide variety of information, including potential human and environmental impacts, natural disaster risk — such as a tsunami — and wind speeds More Wind, Page A3

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