Voter
Serving North Tillamook County since 1996
Information Page 2
northcoastcitizen.com
North Coast
Citizen September 10, 2020
$1.50 Volume 26, No. 17
Neah-Kah-Nie graduates give senior gift to custodians Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
Neah-Kah-Nie High School Senior Class President Jacob Waldron and Class Representative Jett Johnston presented the gift of the class of 2020 during graduation on Aug. 14. The senior gift, given to the custodians, was a new Keurig coffee maker and janitorial carts. Every year, the graduating class has a tradition of giving a gift from their class to the school. “Their class chose to honor the custodians because when they polled their class, having been the victims of the first COVID-19 closure in history, they realized how much work the custodians were putting in to make sure the school was clean and safe and kept up,”
Principal Heidi Buckmaster said. “They just kind of felt like they wanted to make sure they felt recognized and supported by the students.” Waldron said the senior class had great consensus to recognize the janitorial department of their school. They work hard to keep the school and clean and safe learning environment to foster a great education for every student. “With our year ending early, it was difficult to really finalize on everything, however, both me and Jett worked in housekeeping together in the summer of 2019,” Waldron said. “We understood that having a good caddy or janitorial cart makes work much easier and convenient.” Buckmaster said the custodians were excited to receive their gift. John Wheeler, head
custodian, was excited not to use Folgers coffee anymore. Waldron added that the new coffee maker helps the janitors get a great start to their day as their work has only increased during these times. “They haven’t received their janitorial carts yet but they were excited and thought about the ease of use and storage of things to make their job just more organized and efficient,” Buckmaster said. “They also just felt flattered to be recognized.” The cart, from Home Depot, is larger, can carry more and is of much higher quality than the carts the custodians currently use, Waldron added. The custodians have a big impact on the students, Buckmaster added. They interact with the students at school every day and build relation-
ships. They set up the gym for assemblies, took chairs out for graduation and installed the stage. They offer continuous support for everyone in the system. “It was really neat that the kids recognize that custodians don’t always get the recognition they deserve,” Buckmaster said. Past senior gifts have included a bench that sits outside the front entrance, touchless water bottle filler, a pirate rug for the main entrance and soft toilet paper for the next school year. Buckmaster said she appreciates the fact that the senior class came through COVID-19 and ended the school year on a positive note. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia. Custodians John Wheeler and Paul Short enjoying their coffee. Photo courtesy of Heidi Buckmaster net
Election Coverage
Hans Tonjes announces candidacy for reelection for Manzanita City Council I
remain passionate about my service to our community. Manzanita has been in my heart for 50 years now, my principal residence for the last 25. I have helped grow a family and a strong business community here. Developing the first phase of Coast Cabins and more recently the mixed-use projects at 144, 457 and 507 Laneda have occupied much of the last 20 years of my life. I have strived to balance community interests among locals, second homeowners and visitors. My concern for the health and welfare of our broader community is born from nine years as a past board member and treasurer of the Rinehart Clinic. Over the years I have endeavored to become more involved in the success and financial support of several or our local nonprofit organizations. My hope is that local government can continue to be responsive to the ever-changing challenges of the current pandemic while increasing our preparedness for many of the other
Hans Tonjes potential emergencies our community may encounter. Prior to the last eight years I have
spent on the Manzanita City Council, I served on the planning commission for over four years. I am proud that during that time I was able to lead the update to our commercial parking ordinance that created an incentive for developers to actually carve larger lots into smaller properties, thereby increasing landscaping and reducing density. The winery at 3rd and Laneda and twin buildings at 507 Laneda are examples of lots that were divided to follow this incentive. For many years a top priority of the council has been the creation of a new city hall. I look forward to using my experience as a general contractor, local developer and realtor to continue this process. I invite any member of the community to come and meet with me face to face (mask to mask!) and share their thoughts about our village and hopes for its future. Please email me at Tonjes2020@gmail.com -Every best wish, Hans Tonjes
Take a virtual walk on the Oregon Coast Trail T
he Oregon Coast Trail is a border-to-border hiking route first proposed about 50 years ago and first declared hikeable in the 1980s. But it remains a work in progress. People have actually been walking some version of the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) for a very long time. How long? And how does one go about planning a thru-hike on the OCT today? Join guidebook author Bonnie Henderson and North Coast Land Conservancy (NCLC) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10,. for a virtual presentation about the OCT: its geological and human history and the quirks of hiking this
unique long-distance trail. Find the registration link at NCLCtrust.org/event/virtual-oct. Why Sept. 10? This is the evening CoastWalk Oregon 2020 participants would have met in Seaside for orientation before embarking on three days of hiking on the OCT. CoastWalk Oregon is an annual three-day event benefitting NCLC that had to be cancelled this year; organizers hope to walk the 2020 route in September 2021 instead. Meanwhile NCLC is offering this talk to registered participants and anyone else interested in learning more about the OCT.
Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue receives donation O
n May 19, 2019, 21-year-old Michelle Casey fell while taking photos at the Neahkhanie Mountain overlook. Despite the best efforts of the rope
7
29467 70001 8
rescue teams from Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue and Cannon Beach Fire, Casey did not survive her injuries. In Casey’s memory, her family organized a fundraiser to provide much needed rescue equipment and training for both fire-rescue agencies. In December 2019, both agencies received a check for $2,750. Then, earlier this month, members from both departments had the opportunity to meet Casey’s family and receive a check for $11,500. The total Family and friends of Michelle Casey with members n See DONATION, Page 3 of Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue. Courtesy photo
Labor Day fires activate incident command T
illamook County Fire Defense Board instituted a full burn ban Monday, Sept. 7, for Tillamook County due to dry conditions and expected high winds. Late afternoon to early evening, Tillamook started to experience easterly winds which also brought with it heavy smoke from fires in other parts of the state. High winds increased throughout the evening and by late night, wind speeds reached gusts of 81 mph on Mount Hebo and 52 mph at the Tillamook Airport. The wind speeds reached their peak between 10-11 p.m. Numerous trees and branches were blown over which resulted in many power lines downed. Several fires are believed to be caused by downed power lines. Tillamook County Incident Command was activated at 11 p.m. The largest fire, Pike Road Fire, started at approximately 10:50 p.m. and has grown to over 50 acres in size. Oregon Department of Forestry personnel responded to this fire along with Tillamook Fire District, Nestucca Rural Fire District, Bay City Fire, Garibaldi Fire, Sheriff’s Office and S. Fork Inmate crews and heavy equipment operators. Evacuations were instituted for residents and a shelter has been established at the County Fairgrounds. The sheriff’s office is requesting people stay clear of the area so as not to impede emergency operations.
n See FIRES, Page 3
County at 36 positive COVID-19 cases to date A
s of Friday, Sept. 4, Tillamook County has 36 positive confirmed cases. Emergency Manager Gordon McCraw announced the two new cases at a sheriff’s candidate forum Thursday, Sept. 3. “Effective today, we’re two higher on the COVID cases,” McCraw said in the meeting. “Two more people were reported today.” According to Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the county has 40 confirmed and presumptive positive cases, zero deaths and 2,685 people who have tested negative for COVID-19, as of Sept. 4. As of Aug. 29, Oregon’s cumulative positivity rate is 4.6 percent of people tested, OHA reported. This is lower than the national average of 9 percent. “A declining positive rate shows that Oregonians’ efforts to use face coverings, physically distance, and avoid gatherings is helping to slow the spread of COVID-19,” OHA’s weekly report stated on Aug. 31. As of Sep. 4, there are 27,601 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Oregon, 475 deaths and 26,268 positive tests. The number of people who have been tested in Oregon is 575,596. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net