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Rockaway Council approves kite festival and arts fair wayside permits

Rockaway Beach’s City Council approved applications for the chamber of commerce to use the wayside for its annual kite festival, arts fair, Independence Day fireworks sale and several farmers markets on April 12.

They also approved funding for the annual offseason tourism grant managed by the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association and were updated on design work on the new walking and biking path coming to the city.

The tourism grant program uses funds from the city’s transient lodging tax and last year awarded $35,000 to local businesses and organizations to help promote offseason tourism.

Jon-Paul Bowles, who is leading the design phase on the new path between Washington and Beach Streets, gave the council an update on his work. Bowles said that so far, he has gathered feedback from some community members, who said that making sure the new path served businesses was their top priority.

The next step is gathering more public input at community meetings, with the first scheduled for April 26 at 6 p.m. and at least one more to come in May. Bowles said that residents can also submit feedback via an online form on the project’s website. Bowles is currently using a preliminary design from 2017 as a jumping off point for discussions for the project.

The new path will eventually be part of the Salmonberry Trail that will connect Banks to Tillamook via the Salmonberry Pass, using the rail line that fell into disuse after flooding in 2007.

Bowles said that Rockaway Beach is the first community involved in the project to be building such an extended section of the path, presenting both opportunities and challenges. The path will be built adjacent to the stillin-operation rails of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, which has expressed support for the project.

Funding for the Rockaway Beach section of the project is coming from an Oregon Department of Transportation pathways grant of $1.7 million, with $750,000 dedicated to the design phase.

The permit for the chamber of commerce to use the wayside for their annual kite and arts festivals were unanimously approved, as well as those for farmers markets on

n See Rockaway, Page 3

Manzanita Council approves STR enforcement officer, new police sergeant

Manzanita’s City Council approved the hiring of a new short-term rental code enforcement officer and police sergeant at their meeting on April 5.

They also updated the city’s ordinances regulating camping on city property and greenlit a $20,000 grant to promote offseason tourism.

The new short-term rental code enforcement officer will be charged with enforcing quality of life regulations on short-term rental properties in the city, such as noise and parking restrictions. The officer will also be tasked with performing outreach to property owners and community members during the offseason to help streamline compliance and safety. The officer will wear an official city uniform and make between $55,000 and $66,000 annually.

Police Chief Erik Harth said that the new officer will work primarily during the day. Harth hopes the public will feel more comfortable contacting the department with smaller complaints knowing there is a staffer dedicated to responding to them. He said that the department would still have resources available at night to respond to complaints.

Tillamook beekeepers abuzz with busy spring

look inside the hive.”

The

on April 29 and 30, and the apiary and garden

is expected to open at the Port of Tillamook Bay in May.

“It just kind of evolved into a neat idea,” Beekeeper Association President Brad York said about the new learning center, “instead of just talking about it you can

The new $11,000 learning center will sit on half an acre that was donated by the port and was made possible thanks in part to a donation from the Tillamook People’s Utility District. York said that the group plans to give students and other interested community members a hands-on experience with bees and to help educate them on the plants that help sustain them in Tillamook.

The beekeepers’ association started in the 1970s or 1980s as an informal group of hobbyists across the county. Six years ago, they formally incorporated and quickly started attracting new members. At the time, York said that the membership was around half a dozen, but

that today there are 168 members in the club caring for 1,000 colonies of bees in the region.

That growth has allowed the club to greatly expand its offerings. It currently has monthly meetings at the port and offers quarterly classes to the public to learn about beekeeping.

“Keeping bees is a very challenging task,” York said. “Used to be you could stick a hive of bees in your backyard and just extract honey a couple of times a year and not worry about it but not anymore.”

York said that maintaining hives has become a complicated task, thanks largely to the Varroa destructor mite, which lays waste to colonies. The mite necessitates quarterly

chemical treatments to ensure hive survival and frustrates many newcomers to the hobby, according to York.

In addition to educational support on dealing with the mite and other challenges, the club has purchased a commercial grade honey extraction machine, now located at its Honey House at the Port of Tillamook Bay. Club members can use the machine for a small fee and sell the resulting honey to offset the cost of maintaining their hives.

The club also started raising its own queens last year, removing the need for overnight shipping of new queens from distant suppliers.

Harth also spoke in favor of adding a new sergeant position to the police force, saying that he needed to begin training a successor for when he retires. He said that he believed an internal candidate might compoete for the position, speaking highly of the two officers on his force, both of whom have been with the city for more than a decade. The new sergeant will make between $80,000 and $97,000.

The city will begin the recruitment process for both positions soon and they will start work in July, after the new fiscal year begins. Both salaries are accounted for in the city’s upcoming budget.

The council also unanimously approved a 6% cost of living adjustment for city employees.

Updates to the city’s public camping ordinances were necessitated by a series of new state laws dictating cities’ regulatory capabilities.

n See Manzanita, Page 3

Citizen reader Dennis Reynolds captured this photo of a Great Blue Heron on Netarts Bay

Tides of Change marks sexual assault survivor awareness month

Corrections to Nehalem Bay Health District Bond article

To the editor: Thanks to the Headlight Herald (and North Coast Citizen) for highlighting the importance of the May 16 election, particularly the bond measure proposed by the Nehalem Bay Health District. That proposal will improve local health and senior care with new and renovated facilities. The bond measure supports construction of an expanded Health Center and Pharmacy, facilitating the development of local specialty health care services, for example dental, cardiology and pediatric services, not now available in our community. The measure will also fund renovation and modernization of the region’s only skilled nursing facility and begin the development of badly needed workforce housing focused on health care and other essential workers.

I do want, however, to correct the record regarding a few points in the recent article.

Art by Tides of Change employees and clients being displayed at the Bay City Arts Center.

Will Chappell Editor

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month across Tillamook County and Tides of Change is putting on events to increase awareness and decrease stigmatization for survivors.

The headlining event for the month is a survivors’ storytelling event that will be held at Tillamook Bay Community College on April 22, featuring poems and stories from survivors of sexual assault.

“I think if we can really amplify survivors’ experience and also show the resiliency that survivors have, I think it’s really important for people to

know,” said Tides of Change Executive Director Valerie Bundy.

The event will also serve as a commemoration of 40 years offering services to victims of domestic and gender-based violence in Tillamook County for Tides of Change.

Bundy said that in her experience sexual assault occurs in Tillamook County as often as anywhere in the nation, where on average one in three women and one in four men have experienced sexual assault.

But she said that establishing an accurate picture of that situation in Tillamook is difficult due to the lack of any nurses trained to examine sexual assaults in the county

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announcements are placed on the North Coast

for the last two years. This lack means that victims of sexual assault must travel to a different county for a physical exam, making the process more difficult and deterring reporting.

Fortunately, last October, Tides of Change was awarded a $500,000 grant to reestablish a sexual assault nurse examiner program in Tillamook County. They will be taking the lead on recruiting nurses, offering to pay for training and then keeping them on call to respond when cases come in.

“We’re going to be doing some big recruitment here in the next couple of months,” Bundy said.

In the meantime, victims are still able to have exams done out of county before the rest of their case proceeds in Tillamook and Tides of Change advocates help survivors navigate that process.

In addition to the April 22 event that will feature nine submissions from Tides of Change clients, the organiza-

tion is hosting an ongoing art show at the Bay City Arts Center, featuring works by clients. April 26 is also denim day, when residents are encouraged to wear denim to show their support for survivors of sexual assault.

Bundy is excited for the storytelling event and says that she hopes that it and all the month’s other events will help to reduce the self-blame and stigma associated with discussing sexual assault.

Beyond helping survivors feel more connection, Bundy wants the month to serve as an opportunity for the entire community to gain awareness of the resources available and what they can do to help address sexual assault.

“It’s not just awareness but also making sure people know what we offer and how they can support survivors and help support Tides of Change in supporting survivors,” Bundy said.

The survivors’ storytelling event will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on April 22.

First, the election is on May 16, not May 13 as the article indicated.

The existing Nehalem Bay Health Center and Pharmacy is in Wheeler, not Manzanita. Wheeler will also be, should the bond be approved, the location of the new Health Center and Pharmacy. The proposed location is on High-

way 101 and Hospital Road in downtown Wheeler.

The existing Health Center (the former Rinehart Clinic) does not have eight “physicians,” but rather eight health care providers, including a physician, nurse practitioner, acupuncturist, naturopath and behavioral health professionals. All these folks are employed by the local non-profit organization that operates the Health Center.

The annual average tax rate supporting the bond is estimated to be $0.37 per $1,000 of taxable assessed property value. For illustration, a property with an assessed value of $300,000, and an annual average tax rate of $0.37 per $1,000 of assessed value, may experience an increased tax of $170.00 averaged over the full life of the bond, or approximately $0.46 per day. Thank you for the opportunity to make these clarifications.

Information regarding the Health District bond measure is available at the District’s website: www.nehalembayhd. org Information about the local grassroots committee supporting the bond measure can be found at: www.nehalemhealthcare.com

Marc C. Johnson, President Nehalem Bay Health District Wheeler, Oregon

Commissioners okay emergency container program at airport

Chappell Editor

Tillamook’s Board of County Commissioners signed a memorandum of understanding that will see Conex storage containers holding emergency supplies placed at the Port of Tillamook Bay at their April 12 meeting.

The containers will be supplied by the Oregon Department of Human Services and both the Port of Tillamook Bay and Near Space Corporation are partnering with the county to facilitate the project.

Two 40-foot containers will be stationed immediately adjacent to Near Space’s buildings at the port and contain mass care shelter kits and supplies to be distributed to residents.

Tillamook’s Director of Emergency Management Randy Thorpe said that the containers will contain the supplies to set up a tent city, including showers, kitchen and sleeping facilities. The purpose of the temporary

2023 Headlight Herald Home & Garden Show at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds

Classes, Speakers and Demonstrations

Held in the Learning Center - Booth 17

SATURDAY, APRIL 29

11 a.m. Dr. Dewey Caron, 45 minutes

CLASS: Are bees going extinct? There is concern about the heavy annual losses of honey bees and disappearance of once common bumble bees. What is really happening? What can we do to ensure adequate pollination of our fruits, nuts and flowers?

1 p.m. CLASS: So you want to keep honey bees: How does one start a honey bee colony? Where should it be put? The Basis of starting and keeping colonies of honey bees successfully.

3 p.m. Dr. Dewey Caron, 45 minutes

CLASS: A look at pollination and pollinators. The fascinating world of pollinators. A look at the variety and diversity you might find in your yard/on the farm.

SUNDAY, APRIL 30

11 a.m. Heart of Cart-M’s John Goertzen, 1 hour

Cleaning Garden Tools Demo

12 p.m. Heart of Cart-M’s Jessi Just, 45 minutes

Upcycled Craft Activity

1 p.m. Hope Stanton, OSU Tillamook County Master Gardener, 45 minutes

CLASS: A look at pollination and pollinators: The fascinating world of pollinators. A look at the variety and diversity you might find in your yard/on the farm.

facility will be to evaluate survivors to decide who needs medical attention and disburse supplies to those able to shelter in place.

Thorpe said that the containers are the first of their kind to be deployed in the state and that the cooperation of the port and Near Space had made that possible.

The containers will be part of the process of turning Tillamook Airport into a distribution point for the entire Oregon coast in the wake of natural disasters. Thorpe said that, given its location, the airport was expected to survive most emergent events, even a maximum Cascadia subduction event, leading to its selection by ODHS for the role.

Thorpe said the agency plans to deliver and distribute supplies via the airport and that Near Space will offer drones to facilitate supply distribution as well.

Commissioners also gave final approval for a contract with Gallup to conduct an employee engagement and workplace survey for the county. The survey will have 12 questions and be administered annually for the next three years to judge the county’s progress.

County commissioners said that the survey was part of a process that they hoped would help the county government to become the employer of choice in the county. They said that by employing Gallup they would be able to judge the responses against those of other government agencies to better assess their performance as an employer. Administering the survey and tabulating results will take about nine weeks to complete, according to Human Resources Director Jodi Wilson.

Will

In conjunction with its formal incorporation six years ago, the association also began hosting the annual Bee Days Celebration.

The celebration takes place in conjunction with the Headlight Herald’s Home and Garden Show and includes the display of a live hive encased in glass. The Bee Days event also helps to raise funds for the club through the raffle of a custom beehive. This year’s hive has a dairy theme and the drawing will occur on April 30.

In past years, funds raised have gone towards planting trees across the county to increase bees’ food supply, with $3,000 donated to plant

85 trees last year. “There’s not enough forage for the honeybee right now, especially in Tillamook,” York said, noting that a flower-

ing tree provided the same amount of pollen as an acre of flowers.

This year, the club will

be using the money raised at Bee Days to complete landscaping work at the new garden.

Kiwanis Club of Tillamook celebrates centennial, prepares for KT Days Scholarship Drive

ganized by the North County Recreation District, to help Food Roots erect new hoop houses at East Elementary to improve their outdoor classroom and to support the work of Juntos Afuera, a program which helps Latinx students at Nestucca High School pursue outdoor activities.

ships to graduating seniors preparing for post-secondary education.

No camping will be allowed on city property between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. and during overnight hours it will only be allowed in certain locations, like the parking lot across the street from the police department and an area near the public works facility.

The new offseason tourism grant was approved as part of a contract renewal for staffing services with the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association (TCVA) for Manzanita’s visitors center.

TCVA manages the contract for the center’s staffer and will administer the new $20,000 grant that will be available to businesses and charitable organizations to promote events between September 15 and May 15.

nity’s top priority. Community members said that they wanted to see more signage directing visitors to parking as well as interpretative signs to share community values.

Devlin said that TCVA has experience implementing wayfinding programs, having recently completed one in Rockaway Beach, and the program will be paid for by county transient lodging tax dollars. She said that there will be a public meeting to gather further feedback about the signs before designs are created and signs are made. She noted that the signs would be specifically designed to withstand the coastal environment for a minimum of 20 years.

The Kiwanis Club of Tillamook is marking its centennial this year by continuing to support kids and charities supporting them across the county.

They also made four larger grants last fall designed to mark the centennial with projects that will last into the future.

“We wanted to give grants that impacted children not just one year but over the years,” said pastTillamook Kiwanis President Chris Weber.

One of those grants is being used to start a bikes for kids program, with partnership from the YMCA, Adventist Health, the Northwest Region Education Special District and Tillamook Health Department. The program will be kicking off at the end of this month at the fairgrounds, with the aim of helping kids learn to ride.

Kiwanians also awarded grants to pay for equipment for a new softball league or-

The Kiwanis Club of Tillamook was chartered on March 9, 1923, to offer help to Astorians after a fire burned down a major portion of their city. The club’s primary focus is on serving the children of Tillamook County, which they do in a variety of ways.

In the fall, Kiwanians award annual community giving grants to local charities to support their services for children. Since the 1970s, the club has donated to Healthy Families, Tillamook YMCA, Tides of Change and other organizations across the county that serve youth.

Springtime sees the club shift its focus to scholar-

Club members raise money for those scholarships with the annual Kiwanis Tillamook Days Scholarship Drive, which will be taking place at the fairgrounds in conjunction with the Headlight Herald’s Home and Garden Show on April 29 and 30.

Most funds are raised through the sale of advertising slots on KTIL over the course of the weekend. Annually, more than 100 businesses show their support with ad buys that help the club raise more than $20,000.

Kiwanians also host a raffle at the Home and Garden show that will feature 18 items from local businesses this year, with raffle entrants allowed to select the prizes for which they wish to be considered.

After the fundraising efforts are complete, the club considers applications from seniors graduating from any

of the county’s three high schools, as well as home schooled students. The club requires that students have a minimum GPA of 2.75 and have a plan for their postsecondary education.

“We emphasize community service, obviously,” Weber said of the review committee for the scholarship, saying that around 10 students were selected to receive $2,000 to $3,000 each year. Those scholarship dollars are awarded to students during their second year of post-secondary education to make sure progress is being sustained.

“We prefer to give it as a second-year scholarship so we know those students are going after the goal that they want to go after,” Weber said.

The Kiwanis Club of Tillamook has been awarding these scholarships for 60 years and will surpass $500,000 in donations to more than 500 students this year.

Nan Devlin, TCVA’s Executive Director, said that in addition to the new grant and visitors center staffing services, her organization is also working to develop a destination management plan for Manzanita.

The council unanimously approved a permit for the farmer’s market, which will return for its 15th year. Kendra Hall, who helps run the market, said that the market accepted supplemental nutrition assistance program vouchers and by working with the Double Up Food Bucks Program had been able to deliver more than $8,000 of food to residents facing food insecurity.

They have gathered community feedback for the destination management plan and identified adding more signage to assist with wayfinding as the commu-

when their use was banned in Rockaway Beach. Mayor Charles McNeilly clarified that firework detonation was allowed between July 1-5 but banned the rest of the year.

Councilor Kristine Hayes, who is also the head of the chamber of commerce said that she did not understand the controversy about a legal fundraising event.

The council also unanimously endorsed the upcoming bond request from the Nehalem Bay Health District to finance a new pharmacy and clinic in Wheeler and upgrade its existing facilities. numerous days throughout the summer. The kite festival will be held from September 14-17 and the arts fair will be held from August 3-6.

The Independence Day fireworks sale stirred controversy on the council however, with Councilor Penny Cheek questioning why fireworks were being sold

The permit application was approved by a three to two vote, with Cheek and Councilor Tom Martine voting against.

Members of the club working on the new apiary and garden learning center.

Photo courtesy Tillamook Beekepers Association.

Proposed changes to FEMA flood insurance plan draw anger at Tillamook meeting

Will Chappell Editor

Representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency updated residents of Tillamook on proposed changes to the national flood insurance plan that would greatly restrict development in the 100-year flood plain.

Several dozen community members, including county government representatives, workers from the dairy, logging and fishing industries, and concerned property owners took the FEMA representatives to task over the economic impacts of the proposed change.

John Graves, who manages the national flood insurance plan for FEMA in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska, started the meeting by giving the hundred-person-plus crowd

an overview of the changes and the history behind them. The national flood insurance program was started in 1968 to provide subsidized insurance for homeowners against flooding. That support is conditioned on localities adopting FEMAapproved ordinances to reduce the risk of flooding through building standards and development restrictions.

The currently proposed updates to the program were precipitated by a 2009 lawsuit by the Audubon Society, which claimed that the flood insurance program was causing harm to coho salmon in Oregon. The suit claimed that the program operated in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act that says government agencies shall not harm endangered species. FEMA commissioned the

Celebration of Life Terry Watts

Our family invites you to celebrate the life of this kind, generous, fun-loving man. Terry loved his family, friends and the community he lived in for 64 years. At Terry’s request this is to be a true celebration of his life with love and laughter. Bring your favorite “Terry” story and memories to share.

The Celebration will take place on Saturday April 29th, noon-3 PM at Neah-Kah-Nie High School, lower gym (NEW LOCATION)

24705 US Hwy 101, Rockaway, Oregon

Food and drinks will be served. Terry requested no flowers but rather a donation to one of the local animal shelters, i.e. (Tillamook Animal Shelter, United Paws, Tillamook K9 Rescue or Animal Haven by the Sea Rescue) or to an animal shelter in your city or town.

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National Marine Fisheries Service to investigate the claim and in 2016, the fisheries service released a report saying that the flood insurance plan was causing a take of coho and other salmonids that would lead to their eventual extinction.

Since that biological opinion was rendered, FEMA has been working on changes to the program that would bring it into compliance with federal laws on endangered species.

The biological opinion called for the program to update the ordinances for building in flood plains to achieve zero net loss in three areas of floodplain functionality that help preserve fish habitat: flood storage, water quality and riparian vegetation.

Under the new rules, any projects proposed in the 100year floodplain would have to include mitigation efforts that would lead to no loss in any of the three fish habitat functions to receive building permits. The new regulations would allow normal agricultural, forestry and fishing activities in the floodplain but would make placing fill, adding water impervious surfaces or removing vegetation more difficult to permit and costly.

Since FEMA is a federal agency and not allowed to make land use laws, it will be relying on the localities it partners with in the flood insurance program to implement the new standards.

Graves said that after listening to feedback from their partner communities, FEMA had decided to offer four different options for communities to satisfy the new requirements. Localities can use a FEMA model ordinance, develop an ordinance using a FEMA checklist, develop a community compliance plan for FEMA approval or create a habitat conservation plan for review by federal agencies.

Former Congressman Peter DeFazio delayed progress on the updates for three years, but with his retirement and lack of further congressional delay last year, the development process is now moving forward into its scoping phase.

The Tillamook meeting was the first of five meetings to gather public feedback with three planned in-person meetings around the state and two more to be conducted virtually before the end of April. The proposed

April 28th at 7:00,

Tillamook United Methodist Church, 383 12th St., Tillamook

April 30th at 3:00, Seaside United Methodist Church, 241 Holladay Dr., Seaside

May 5th at 7:00, Cannon Beach Community Church, 132 E. Washington St., Cannon Beach

May 7th at 3:00, Nehalem Bay

United Methodist Church, 36050 10th St., Nehalem

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updates would affect all but five counties in Oregon.

Even before the public comment section of the meeting, the disgust with the proposed changes was palpable in the room, with audience members interjecting to question assertions in Graves’s presentation. One man asked, “what about the extinction of businesses,” while Graves discussed the biological opinion’s dire predictions of salmonid extinction, and others expressed derision for the notion that these changes were not land use regulations being issued by FEMA.

After Graves completed his presentation, two other colleagues gave more specifics on the plan’s technical components and opened the meeting to public comment.

Tillamook County Commissioner David Yamamoto kicked off the public comment. Yamamoto said that he had been following the progress of the biological opinion and flood insurance plan updates for six or seven years, concerned all along at the implications for Tillamook County.

He said that the plan was turning FEMA into an environmental policy implementation agency, a responsibility that it was shunting onto counties and cities by making them enforce new restrictions on property owners. These restrictions will amount to property takings under the fifth amendment, according to Yamamoto, requiring the governments enforcing them to compensate property owners for lost value or face a litany of litigation seeking the same.

Yamamoto said that he had asked FEMA officials if they would help pay for these costs and they had told him they would not.

Yamamoto said that this left the county in a tenuous position, as noncompliance would mean not only exclusion from the national flood insurance plan but all of FEMA’s services.

After laying out the urgency of the situation for the county, Yamamoto took issue with the more fundamental conclusions reached by the biological opinion about the future of salmonids. He said that Tillamook County has led the way on preserving habitat for coho salmon and other salmonids over the past thirty years. He pointed to numerous bridge updates, riparian zone rehabilitation projects, flood gate

removals and other projects undertaken by the county and property owners through and said that credit was never given for those projects.

Yamamoto wondered why a take of wild coho salmon was allowed in Tillamook County if the preservation situation is as dire as the new measures suggest.

Yamamoto said that he had been meeting monthly with officials from FEMA for the past year and a half but that he hadn’t seen any of his concerns addressed in updates to the proposal.

Several dozen community members then proceeded to harshly criticize the plan and the impacts that it would have on Tillamook’s economy. Concerns about the impact on the dairy industry were foremost in comments with around three quarters of the dairy farms in Tillamook County lying in flood plains. While the new provisions would not impact existing structures, they would seriously complicate repairs or additions.

During his presentation, Graves had noted that improvements and repairs within the footprint of existing buildings would not be subject to the new standards.

However, Damian Laviolette, a business owner who has been in contact with FEMA, said that that exception would not apply in the case of “substantial” changes to the structure, which are defined as costing more than 50% of the building’s assessed value. Laviolette pointed out that this would make replacing buildings damaged in fires, floods or other natural disasters cost prohibitive, as well as effectively stopping new growth.

Another group seriously concerned about the new regulations was representatives from ports. Mike Saindon, the Port of Garibaldi’s general manager, and his counterpart from the Port of Toledo both voiced concerns about impacts on their ability to dredge at their facilities.

Graves confirmed that dredging was considered a development activity and that the ports would need to comply with the new ordinances to perform dredging operations. Both port managers said that this would endanger their business, as dredging was essential to continued operations and already expensive to the point where the additional regulations would make it

financially impracticable.

The restrictions on dredging also alarmed the dairy farmers at the meeting, who said that dredging the irrigation trenches on their properties was a normal and necessary part of their work. Beyond these specific complaints about the proposed modifications to the flood insurance program, commenters expressed deep unhappiness about the general conceit. Like Yamamoto, numerous commenters said that they felt that Tillamook County residents have been strong stewards of the environment and were offended that the changes seemed to completely ignore that.

There was also a sense of distrust of federal government agencies dictating land use regulations to local governments, which several commenters said they felt was part of a long-running trend.

No commenters spoke in favor of the proposed changes and the FEMA representatives did their best to answer questions about the proposal’s impacts while making note of the myriad complaints being lodged.

Public comment continued for well over an hour, pushing past the meeting’s two-hour scheduled timeframe, before finally starting to slow down.

At that point, Commissioner Mary Faith Bell addressed the crowd and reiterated Yamamoto’s comments from earlier in the meeting about the serious impacts the changes would have on the county and its economy. Bell said that without financial support from the federal government to make property owners whole, there was a “real scenario” where the county could face bankruptcy from litigation.

Public comments on the plan will be accepted until May 5, and FEMA will be hosting in-person events in Pendleton and Eugene and two virtual townhalls on April 18 and April 20 at 4 p.m.

The comment period will be followed by the development of the draft environmental impact statement, which is expected to be completed and published by December 2023. That draft will be open for additional public comment in early 2024, and updates will be made prior to the publication of a final draft in December 2024 before community implementation in 2025.

Tillamook County Board of Property Tax Appeals seeking new member

The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners is accepting applications for two vacancies on the Board of Property Tax Appeals for the 2023-2024 term. A background in real estate, finance, or an interest in the tax assessment process.

BOPTA is responsible for hearing taxpayer appeals for

reduction of the real market or assessed value of property and consists of three non-office holding residents of the County. Board members meet for a mandatory one-day training session prior to the board convening in February 2024. The board hears property tax appeals between February and April 15, 2024. The term of office ends June 30, 2024.

The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners appoints all members of the Board of Property Tax Appeals.

The appointments are to a pool of non-office holding County resident members,

which represent the Board of County Commissioners and act as Chair for any Board Appeals, and one pool of non-office holding residents of the County who are not employees of the county or of any taxing district within the county. Members receive a per diem allowance of $60.00 plus mileage for training days and meeting days.

Interested applicants may contact Christy Biggs, Chief Deputy Clerk at 503-842-3402 or cbiggs@co.tillamook.or.us for more information about the committee. Applications are available in the Commissioner’s office located on the

second floor of the Tillamook County Courthouse or call 503-842-3431. Membership application forms are also available on the county website on the Board of Commissioners page https:// www.co.tillamook.or.us/bocc/ page/committees. Applications should be e-mailed to Isabel Gilda in the Commissioners’ office at igilda@co.tillamook. or.us by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, 2023. For more information on how to submit an electronic application, please call Isabel Gilda at 503-842-3431

Heart of Cartm demonstrations featured at Home and Garden Show

Join Hear of Cartm in the Tillamook Headlight Herald Home and Garden Show’s learning center from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Sunday April 30 for demonstrations of garden tool repair and reuse.

Clean and sharpen garden tools to make daunting spring gardening a bit easier and more enjoyable. Join Repair Cafe expert fixer, John Goertzen for the demonstration from 11 a.m. to noon.

Looking for inspiration and to create something unique and wonder for your home and garden? From 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Heart of Cartm Executive Director Jessi Just will lead an upcyled craft activity. She will give a presentation at noon on their repair and reuse work as part of a mission to lead the community to zero waste.

Heart of Cartm is a nonprofit organization hosting the annual Trash Bash Art Festival and operating a creative reuse store in downtown Wheeler. Trash Bash Art Festival buttons will be available at the home and garden show.

Bonamici hosts rural broadband event

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici hosted an event to discuss the United States Department of Agriculture’s Reconnect Program, which is helping to expand rural access to broadband internet.

The event at Atfalati Ridge Elementary School in North Plains on April 5, welcomed USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres-Small, Senator Ron Wyden and various representatives from north coast organizations involved in and impacted by rural internet challenges.

USDA’s reconnect program is investing $2 billion of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to expand rural access to broadband internet across the country. As of the end of last year, Oregon had received $75 million from the program, helping to connect almost 5,000 rural residents.

Bonamici opened the meeting by welcoming those assembled and thanking the school’s principal for hosting the group.

Bonamici said that internet was infrastructure in the 21st century and particularly emphasized the importance of broadband in education. She said that she was proud of the funding that the last congress had dedicated to advancing rural broadband access.

“We talked about infrastructure for a long time before we got it done,” Bonamici said.

Wyden spoke next, noting the importance of the internet

in the future of medical care, especially for rural Americans.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do with respect to telemedicine,” Wyden said.

Torres-Small thanked Bonamici for the invite and said that in addition to facilitating education and telemedicine, broadband access in rural communities would allow for continued economic development. She said that enhancing rural broadband connectivity was key to allowing future generations to stay in those communities.

Bonamici then opened the meeting up to a discussion by the concerned stakeholders in the room.

A student from a local high school shared about his struggles with data limits constricting his educational pursuits during the pandemic. Then the principal of the newly constructed elementary school hosting the event discussed the importance of having broadband at the school and in the growing neighborhood it serves.

Tillamook County Commissioner David Yamamoto reiterated the importance of broadband connectivity in both education and economic development for rural communities. He talked about Nestucca School District, where all the students have Chromebooks but less than 40% had internet access at home suitable for educational pursuits during the pandemic.

Yamamoto discussed Tillamook’s longstanding efforts to facilitate broadband access,

in the form of Tillamook Light Wave, which has worked to expand access for more than two decades. He noted that the county had been successful in applying for grants from a wide variety of organizations, including the Tillamook County Creamery Association and Business Oregon. Yamamoto asked the federal representatives if there would be a way to streamline the grant application process for the funds. He said that the annual or biannual grant periods led to resources being spent on applications that could be better spent elsewhere. He also suggested that funds be directed through regional organizations, which could then oversee disbursement to counties and cities, saving further resources.

Other participants in the discussion echoed Yamamoto’s requests and asked that focus be given to ensuring that internet service be affordable once made available.

Torres-Small said that the USDA already has programs that provide vouchers to lowincome residents to keep the cost of high-speed internet to $30 a month.

Including the $2 billion being directed through the USDA, a total of $65 billion was allocated in the infrastructure bill to increase internet access across the country. $42.45 billion of that will be dispersed through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program overseen by the Department of Commerce.