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North Coast

Citizen Serving North Tillamook County since 1996

December 2, 2021

northcoastcitizen.com

Hoffman Center announces Dec. shows H

offman Center for the Arts Gallery announced its December show featuring the works of three accomplished artists: Ceramics platters, bowls and vessels by Michael Scrivens, paintings by Karen Small titled “For Love of Nature” water colors by Jude Welter titled

Jude Welter “Ocean In Motion” Mike Scrivens: “Perhaps I’m a frustrated painter because even my newest work insists on hanging on the wall. Wheel throwing is limiting in terms of size, which is why I’m applying the same glazes and techniques of glaze application to tiles.” Karen Small: “These paintings began by looking for what called to me. It was the edge where the water meets the land. It changes.” Jude Welter: “I felt that capturing the moving water of the sea was the main objective, and it was a joyous process to watch paint ebb and flow to hopefully capture a feeling of the Pacific Ocean.”

To read each artists’ full statement and view a portfolio of their individual work, visit https://hoffmanarts.org/events/ gallery-show-december-2021-2/ Situated on the main street in Manzanita just a few blocks west of Highway 101, the Hoffman Center Art Gallery is located across the street from the North Tillamook Library at 594 Laneda Avenue. Due to the continuing COVID situation, there will be no artists’ reception in December.

Michael Scrivens

regonians are no longer required to mask up outdoors, effective immediately, according to Oregon Health Authority (OHA). On Tuesday, Nov. 23, OHA Director Patrick Allen, Health Officer and State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger, and Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill briefed the media on the latest COVID-19 protocols, including a lifting of Oregon’s formerly-issued outdoor mask mandate. On Aug. 11, Gov. Kate Brown expanded the mask mandate to include outdoor settings, effective Aug. 13, following a dramatic rise in COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations. “This rule was implemented back in August at the peak of the most recent surge,” OHA

Karen Small, Turmoil. Photo provided

Director Patrick Allen said. “This (new) decision, which takes effect immediately, reflects the overall progress we’ve seen on the COVID-19 threat in Oregon.” Allen attributes the changes to what OHA sees as promising developments in terms of the number of COVID cases, hospitalizations, and vaccination rates. “Over the past six weeks, we’ve continued to see a slow but steady decline in hospitalizations and daily cases. Our seven-day moving average of new cases as of yesterday was 822. On September 1, in the teeth of this current surge, that average was 2285,” he said. “That’s a 64% decrease.” Allen also said ICU bed counts and the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are trending downward, prompting OHA to ease up on restrictions. Allen said a lower daily case count, less hospitalizations, and

high vaccination rates are all signs Oregon is moving in the right direction, but he stipulates OHA does not have any plans to remove the indoor mask mandate, keeping in mind the rapid transmission of the Delta variant. “Although the COVID-19 landscape has markedly improved, we are not yet at a point where we can consider relaxing the guidelines on wearing masks in indoor public settings,” he said. “The Delta variant remains a significant threat to all of us and especially to the one in five Oregonians who are vulnerable to the disease.” Allen said lifting the indoor mask mandate and transitioning from a pandemic mode to an enddemic mode depends on several factors including the trajectory of cases, the Delta variant, and less hospitalizations. “We’re going to need to be at a place where we have much less

transmission of disease, much less hospitalization. We’re still sitting at over 90% of hospital beds full, same thing with ICU beds. A large portion of those ICU beds occupied by largely unvaccinated people. We need to get out of this phase and get to something that looks a lot more like the flu.” Allen said a bad flu season kills 600 Oregon in a year, while COVID-19 claimed over 5000 as of Nov. 22. Allen continues to recommend mask wearing for the unvaccinated, elderly and the immune-compromised, people are high risk of contracting the disease and people living with someone in one of those categories. Allen also issued a recommendation for school districts to transition from lengthy quarantines to a test-to-stay option for students exposed to COVID-19.

County begins process of updating land use ordinance Hilary Dorsey

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Staff Writer

illamook County Board of Commissioners initiated Wednesday, Nov. 24, the amendment process for the updates to the Tillamook County Land Use Ordinance. This is the green light for community development to start the public review process on the amendments. Sarah Absher, director of community development, said there has been a work plan in place for the past couple of years that has included updates to the ordinance, as well as other items that address Tillamook County’s housing crisis. One of the updates is amending

the rural residential two-acre zone to allow for an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) on a property. “There are some benchmarks and some development standards that will be tethered to properties to determine eligibility for an ADU,” Absher said. “Those will be reflected in the ordinance amendment for the rural residential two acre zone.” Another amendment would be bringing back a proposal for an ADU ordinance that would apply to unincorporated communities of the county, Absher added. Oceanside is in talk of potentially incorporating. The first step is to hold two hearings in January and February. “They have a series of propos-

als they would like to go before you for consideration and adoption,” Absher said. Absher and Commissioner Erin Skaar have been taking a closer look at county Ordinance 85. “It is the county ordinance that is for short-term rental operator license fees,” Absher said. “This ordinance was adopted at the end of 2020. We had an opportunity to now put the ordinance to test.” Absher said there are a few things that require additional attention and potential amendment. “I’d like to reopen the fee determination portion of Ordinance 85 and propose an alternative method and bring that back to you by the end of this year,” Absher said.

Absher and Skaar met with the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association and talked with them about other possible ways to figure the fee. Absher said there are a lot of important ticket items in terms of updates. “You will not see all of those things at once but they will be trickling through from the end of this year probably through the spring of 2022,” Absher said of the various amendments. The commissioners approved the text amendment request. Absher will begin scheduling and prioritizing those tasks. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net

Oregon preparing to spend infrastructure windfall

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ith the bipartisan infrastructure package now signed into law, Oregon is preparing to spend the extra funding coming its way. Last week, the Oregon Department of Transportation discussed the new funding and what it is expected to be spent on. Travis Brouwer, assistant director for revenue, finance and compliance, said the money will

Booster shots available for adults T

Oregon sheds outdoor mask mandate O

Volume 27, No. 24

Hilary Dorsey

Hoffman Gallery December Show Open Friday through Sunday, December 3-26, from 1-4 p.m. (Closed for Christmas) Free and open to the public, Hoffman Center for the Arts. Face masks required for entry.

Zoe Gottlieb Country Media

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make a big difference in the state, especially in the more crowded metro areas. “It’s truly historic in size and scope,” Brouwer said. “That’s for all types of infrastructure, everything from wastewater and water to broadband and transportation and other areas of infrastructure as well.” Brouwer said not all the money in the package is new money, but

he said there will be a lot of new funding as well as $100 billion set aside in a discretionary fund that will be doled out via grants. “We are all going to be getting our grant writing pens out and spending a lot of time trying to bring additional money back to Oregon,” Brouwer said. “This is one of known unknowns. With that

n See Oregon, Page 3

Staff Writer

illamook County Health Department reported during a community update call with the county Tuesday, Nov. 23, four COVID-19 cases over the weekend from Nov. 19 through Nov. 21 and 25 cases for the 7-day case count from Nov. 14 through Nov. 20. “Our 14-day case count was 68,” Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Ed Colson said. “That’s from Nov. 7 through Nov. 20.” During the month of November from Nov. 1 through Nov. 23, 137 new COVID-19 cases were tracked in Tillamook County. The county is now at 45 COVID-19 deaths. Three new COVID-related deaths were reported this week. Of the total deaths, 36 individuals were unvaccinated, eight were fully vaccinated and one had no vaccine record. “We have one confirmed outbreak, 12 pending investigation, for a total of 13 under monitoring,” Colson said. Oregon Health Authority confirmed an outbreak as of Wednesday, Nov. 24, at Tillamook County Creamery Association with 22 cases. COVID-19 testing remains available at the health center’s acute care clinic, located at 2111 8th St. in Tillamook. The clinic is open 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and appointments are required. Call 503-842-3900 to schedule an appointment. Rinehart Clinic and Adventist Health also have testing available. “When it comes to COVID-19, booster shots are available now,” Colson said. “Now that they’ve been approved, boosters are available for all adults 18 and older six months after their completion of the Pfizer of Moderna series and two months after the completion of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson.” Pfizer for youth ages 5-11 are approved and available in Tillamook County. Parental consent is required for anyone 14 years of age and younger. Vaccines are available at the health center’s walk-in clinic, regular health care offices and local pharmacies. The health center’s walk-in clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds Convention Center. The outdoor mask mandate has ended, although the health department strongly encourages people to wear masks when outdoors in crowded areas and for people who are immune-compromised and people not yet vaccinated. Masks are still required in all indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net

Challenge filed to Legislative redistricting plan

The redistricting plan adopted by the Legislature is now under challenge, as to the entire plan, before the Oregon Supreme Court. Common Sense for Oregon, a nonpartisan, non-profit group, is supporting the filing of a Petition for Review in the Oregon Supreme Court by plaintiffs Patrick Sheehan and Samantha Hazel. The parties are being represented by the Salem law firm, Kevin L. Mannix, P.C. The petition points out that the Legislature refused to allow any oral testimony in regard to any redistricting plan except the plans proposed by the legislative Democrats and legislative Republicans. This made the redistricting process a partisan battle because alternative plans submitted by nonpartisan groups were not given full consideration. The petitioners also challenge the Legislature’s method of reapportionment, which started with existing district lines and then

n See PLAN, Page 3


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