SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946 www.currypilot.com
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022
Brookings, Oregon
Curry County hosts first Junior lifeguard training “It was an awesome week. The kids did amazing and it was a really neat experience to see them push pass some of their limits and learn new skills,” said Luke Martinez. “To our knowledge, this is the first open water junior lifeguard program of its’ kind in the state of Oregon,” he said. Martinez is the Curry County aquatic safety program coordinator. The program started in 2019 and has received a series of grants to reduce incidents of
BY BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
A group of Curry County youth recently completed the first ever Junior Lifeguard training held in Port Orford the first week in August. The five-day program focused on providing participants, from ages 9 to 17, with a variety of water safety skills. The schedule included daily exercises and physical challenges that tested their skills and endurance.
drowning and provide outreach and education about water safety to both Curry County residents and visitors. “We are trying to build a culture of water safety – and to not only use those skills individually but also to be able to teach others those skills,” Martinez said. Martinez partnered with California State Parks lifeguard Shannon Ingram and Perry Kashabe from ASCEND, a Please see TRAINING Page A2
Contributed photos
Twenty-three young lifeguards from Gold Beach, Port Orford and Bandon learned lifesaving skills during the Junior Lifeguard Program earlier this month.
After the storm: Survivor recounts Pelican Bay storm 50 years later
Gold Beach moved forward with ADU rebate program BY BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
Photo by Breeana Laughlin/The Pilot
The Pelican Bay storm survivor David Alan Shinkle, visited a memorial at the Brookings Harbor with his grandfather's name on it on Friday, Aug. 12.
Dixie Lee: Shinkle and his grandfather, Clayton Dooley, were fishing on the Dixie Lee the day of the storm.
and women, had the pleasure of spending summers with his grandparents. He remembers beachcombing, shooting guns and just doing the things that young boys do. When he was a teenager, he started fishing with his grandfather – Clayton Dooley. Dooley was captain of the “Dixie Lee,” a 35-foot diesel-powered trawler based out of Brookings. Shin-
BY BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
David Alan Shinkle vividly remembers the day he lost his grandfather. It was 50 years ago – on Aug. 16, 1972 – a day that would change the course of his life. It was the day a tragic storm took the lives of 13 fishermen in Pelican Bay. Shinkle, like many young men
kle took to commercial fishing quickly – so much so that at only 16 years old, he was planning to make a career of it. “I was going to go to a vocational school and go to a navigation course to get my captains license,” Shinkle said. But it wasn’t to be. When he and his grandfather left the Brookings boat basin early the morning of the storm,
the skies were overcast and it was lightly raining. They headed south toward the Saint George Reef Lighthouse and were salmon fishing for several hours when things took a sudden and swift turn for the worst. A tuna boat captain notified boats in the area on the citizens’ hand-radio that strong winds were coming in. Please see STORM Page A2
Music and mayhem at the harbor
Photos by Breeana Laughlin/The Pilot
One of the Iron Daragon Pirates loads a cannon at the Pirate Encampment area. Cannon Shows went off several times each day of the Pirate Festival.
Many visitors at the Pirates of the Pacific Festival adorned their own costumes while joining in the fun. The event on Aug. 12 to 14 marked the eleventh year of the Pirate Festival created by Bruce Ellis a.k.a. Captain Curry
BY BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
Pirates shot off cannons, sang songs about wenches and rum, and sold treasures to the common folk while mermaids hung out at the lagoon at the Port of Brookings Harbor last weekend.
INDEX Crossword Puzzle
Please see PIRATES Page A3
5-year-old pirate Gaelen came all the way from Hydesville, CA to join in the festivities.
The housing shortage on the Southern Oregon Coast is a concerning issue for many residents. The City of Gold Beach is addressing their housing shortage by offering a way for current home and landowners to be part of the solution. The city recently started offering a rebate program for people living in the city limits who want to convert a part of their current home – such as a basement, garage or attic – into a new dwelling. Rebates are also available to those want to who build a new housing structure – or add a tiny home onto their property. Once the conversion or new building is complete, the City of Gold Beach will a cut a check ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. “This is our initiative to get the ADU rebate program going and get some housing out there that people can afford,” said Gold Beach Associate Planner Anthony Pagano. The city’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) rebate program started earlier this year. Two residents have taken advantage of it, Pagano said. Another three applications are in the works, and the city is looking for more people to take part of the program. Jennifer McDonald, a Gold Beach resident for seven years, was one of the first community members to get the ADU rebate. Her families’ new construction unit allowed her parents to move in right next door. McDonald said her parents’ initial experience moving to Gold Beach wasn’t easy. “It was a struggle to find a rental. When they first moved to Gold Beach, they were in a very expensive vacation rental – but it was the only thing available. Then they did transition to a very small rental,” McDonald said. “So it was wonderful to have the ADU completed so they could move in here, and essentially it freed up the rental in Gold Beach for someone else.” In order to be eligible for the rebate, the homeowner must live in the city limits – from the Hunter Creek area on the South to the bridge at the North. They must also obtain a certificate of occupancy with the county, so it has to be permitted. “For example, if you were to convert a garage you would need to get a permit with the county – so everything would be done properly and up-to-code,” Pagano said. After the resident gets their certificate of occupancy, and Please see REBATE Page A10
Phone Number: 541-813-1717 • Address: 15957 Highway 101 S STE 1, Brookings, OR 97415 • Email: Circulation@CountryMedia.net A4
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