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December 5, 2019
northcoastcitizen.com
Volume 24, No. 24
50 cats for adoption through United Paws Home for the Holidays Adopt-A-Thon Hilary Dorsey
headlightreporter@countrymedia.net
T
he United Paws of Tillamook will be hosting A Home for The Holidays Adopt-A-Thon from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Rockaway Lions Club in Rockaway Beach, who sponsors the event. Help find forever homes for kittens and cats in foster care. United Paws does an Adopt-AThon every season, but this is the first year it has been this overrun with kittens and cats, said Kelly Halvorsen, United Paws. Halvorsen said nobody likes the teenagers. “50 cats need to be adopted,” Halvorsen said. “I have eight in my own home.” “We will be running a special for teen cats – to take in pairs,” Halvorsen said. “It will be buy one, get one half off.” All cats will be spayed and neutered, vaccinated and may be microchipped. Halvorsen said expenses would be over $350 for someone to do on their own. By adopting through United Paws, people will only be paying an adoption fee, which is around $65-$100. Halvorsen said the program is very short on foster care. Adopting a cat is the best way to help, but donating is
another great alternative. United Paws needs cat food, money for medical care, and more. United Paws of Tillamook works to alleviate companion animal suffering by humanely addressing overpopulation and homelessness through low cost spay and neuter clinics, Trap-Neuter-Return, foster adoption and community education programs. “We lose $20 to $40 for every cat spayed,” Halvorsen said. United Paws has a thriving rescue/ adoption program that has placed over 200 cats in new homes for the last several years. They operate a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for pets of lower income guardians, and outdoor cats via their Trap-Neuter-Return program. These same needy animals are offered subsidized veterinary care through their Veterinary Assistance program. United Paws is also in need of volunteers and transportation. They are in the process of remodeling the
Photos: Kelly Halvorsen
building for a surgery room and are always accepting donations. Halvorsen said they once spayed 20 cats in six hours. Once the building opens up, it will be open for volunteers. Halvorsen said they hope to run two clinics a month. Another way to help is to follow United Paws on Facebook and share their posts. United Paws also provides an education/outreach program through which they seek to help especially younger generations develop more empathy toward animals.
Manzanita officials discuss next steps in city hall project C
Cody Mann
headlightnews@countrymedia.net
ity officials discussed stepping back from the new city hall project during a special workshop meeting of the Manzanita City Council in early November. The meeting followed the news that the bond measure to fund the $6.5 million project was voted down by the community. “I remain committed to the goal,” Councilor Hans Tonjes said. “The need we have to get staff into safer facilities and be prepared for some growth – but clearly, there’s a reboot.” Mayor Mike Scott suggested resuming talks on the project after the first of the year. Councilor Steve Nuttall, reflecting on the wide margin of the vote, said the council needs to take some time exploring why so many were against the bond measure. He said the coming year should be spent trying to better understand the desires
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of the community, noting a series of other projects requiring attention. “There are wounds that need to be healed, and there are friendships that have been damaged,” Nuttall said. Nuttall also said the council and the community have been hamstrung by the low tax rate in Manzanita – one of the state’s lowest – that provides very little revenue to fund city operations or growth, making revenue streams from grants, new taxes or bonds essentially the only method to fund large projects. Councilor Thomas Aschenbrener echoed the commitment to safer workspace for city staff. He said it’s been well documented that the current facility is not safe. He agreed with taking a pause until January and trying to get a better read on what the people want in a new city hall and emergency services hub. Nuttall said immediate action is still needed regarding front desk security issues and the lack of adequate restrooms at city hall. He said the money for
those upgrades should be found as quickly as possible. However, Tonjes said a previous attempt to find contractors willing to do the smaller projects had fallen flat. City Manager Cynthia Alamillo confirmed a lack of contractors and later rising costs had halted previous project attempts. “We still have those plans and I think it’s important for council to revisit that improvement,” Alamillo said. The vote on Bond Measure 29-159 was just 31.5-percent in favor, 131 ‘yes’ to 284 ‘no’ with nearly 78-percent turnout, according to updated unofficial election results. The $6.5 million bond measure was unanimously approved by the council with support from the mayor, but public opposition led to a lengthy debate about cost-cutting options and a series of public hearings. The proposed bond’s funding mechanism was a 50-cent tax increase per $1,000 of assessed property value. The project includes construction of a city emergency hub, police office, administrative and workspaces, multi-purpose
room and a kitchenette with storage spaces. The funds were expected to pay for demolition and construction. The new facility was expected to be built at 11,776 square feet and designed to meet long-term needs for multiple purposes. The site selected for the project was the Underhill property, featuring a former school building that sits out of the tsunami inundation zone, unlike the current city hall. Much of the public debate centered around remodeling or tearing down the buildings at the site. City officials issued a statement following the defeat of the bond measure that said compromise with the community would be sought in order to solve the issue of needing a new facility to house city operations. City officials released an additional statement on Wednesday, Dec. 11, announcing no immediate plans to demolish the old school building at Underhill Plaza. “We want to thank everyone again for voting,” Scott said in the statement.
“We were saddened by the results of the election, but the community has spoken clearly on the issue for now.” “The voters made it clear that they would like to see additional options and would like to see more public meetings,” Scott said. “We will listen, compromise and find common ground to eventually build a great facility for the City of Manzanita.” The statement cited an engineering report that said the “elementary school is in poor condition and appears to have suffered from many years of deferred maintenance and neglect.” The same report said the Quonset hut is in fair condition for a building of its age, and in far better shape than the elementary school. In March 2019, after hearing the second engineering assessment, the Manzanita City Council made the decision not to consider options for the new city hall project that included use of the old school, but to further explore the potential uses of
the Quonset hut. A second engineering report said it might be more expensive to remodel than to build new, according to city officials. That statement from city officials said the council has not had further conversations about both buildings since then but will start public discussions next year. The current Underhill Plaza tenants, North Coast Watchman Services and Howell’s Floor Covering, were originally given a year notice to relocate but have since been given extra time. “City council is now taking a break from this topic through the holiday season and will take up the new City facilities project again at the first of next year,” the statement said. “In the meantime, the City will work on addressing the critical immediate needs of the City offices until a permanent solution is identified.” “As we look forward in evaluating the new City facilities project, we welcome your thoughts and ideas in developing community solutions,” the statement said.
Rockaway Beach ordinance sets tax to fund fire chief Cody Mann
headlightnews@countrymedia.net
Rockaway Beach held a public hearing in November to introduce and discuss an ordinance that would create a tax to fund emergency services, particularly fire services. Rockaway Beach City Council voted in December 2018 to hire a full-time, paid fire chief. The new tax would be used for that expense. A revenue line for the tax was included in the budget, but the cost was not determined at the time. During the public hearing that was held Nov. 13 at the regular city council meeting, it was announced the tax would be set at $5 per single-family home within city limits. Those who live outside of city limits but inside the local fire district already pay a fire service tax. There is reportedly more than $400 million in property to protect for the Rockaway Beach area. City officials said there was discussion around whether the tax should be a separate bill or included on utility billing, but the potential benefits of separate billing were
outweighed by the reported $6,000 in postage costs to go that way. The tax is more likely to appear on water bills as a “fire service fee.” “It may be a reality check for some people here tonight,” said Luke Sheperd, the Rockaway Beach public works director who is temporarily serving as city manager. “But it’s really no secret that for a long time now – and despite the best efforts of the fantastic volunteers we have – we’ve been trying to keep up with the times.” Sheperd said the requirements and standards imposed on the Rockaway Beach Volunteer Fire Department have dramatically increased over the years and the old model is no longer sustainable. A report that was compiled on Rockaway Beach’s fire department was summed up by Sheperd in one conclusive line: “the analysis revealed that fire department is not capable of meeting national or state recognized standards for emergency response.” “For a department whose sole function is emergency response that’s a big problem, and quick
action needs to be taken here to fix that,” Sheperd said. “Fortunately, in the same report they laid out a plan on how to get the department where it needs to be within a year … that’s really what this ordinance is about; it’s bringing the revenue now we need to hire a fire chief that can quickly get the emergency response from our fire department where it needs to be.” The hearing was opened for public comment. Around 10 people spoke to the council, most supporting the need to fund the fire chief position, though some asked about additional study into other revenue sources. There were also calls for limiting the tax against future increases and some expressed concern about setting a precedent for creating more new taxes. David Elkins, emergency manager for Rockaway Beach and a former fire chief, confirmed the cost and hours required to keep up with standards and requirements are significant, worthy of a fulltime position. He added that fire department capabilities affect home insurance costs for residents, also
noting more costly water bill rates in some communities with regard to the proposed funding mechanism for the fire chief. “The city is operating on a shoestring, that’s why we don’t have all of the resources that we need,” Elkins said. “The town is growing … we have to have the services to support that.” City Councilor Kristine Hayes motioned for the council to dismiss the ordinance’s first reading at the meeting, voicing concerns that the public had not been given a chance to read it and form an opinion. She said she only received the document a day before the reading was scheduled. Hayes said she supports hiring a fire chief but wants more discussion and public notices first. Hayes’ motion was not seconded and failed. City Councilor Terry Walhood motioned for the council to accept the ordinance for a first reading. She said a fire chief is needed immediately, adding that she has been researching ideas such as a
n See Chief, Page 5