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Garden club adopts Nehalem Post Office for beautification

Native plants are beautiful and needed by pollinators to thrive. Nehalem Bay Garden Club (NBGC) is dedicated to supporting garden learning and enhancing the connection between plants and our ecosystem.

NBGC “adopted” beautification and re-landscaping the front of the Post Office in Nehalem as a service club project. Over the past several months, NBGC has been working tirelessly starting with removal of old overgrown shrubs and some very “healthy” blackberries and weeds. Thanks to a generous donation by Jiffy Construction, the heavy lifting was done by mechanical removal and garden club members did the finer work with shovels and sweat equity. Once the beds were cleaned up, the real gardening fun was ready to begin.

March 25th, under a cloak of snow clouds and a cold frosty morning, several intrepid gardeners bundled up and began the rebuilding process. The design focused on Native Plants that attract pollinators. Snowberries, Huckleberries, Oregon Grape, Coast Daisies, Lupine, Sea Thrift, Manzanita, Yarrow and Sword Ferns were added to the existing plantings of Rhododendrons, Azalea, and Roses. Many of the plants were purchased from Hope Stanton’s Aldervale Native Plants a local nursery specializing in native plants: https://aldervale.net/

Project Manager and Club Secretary, Kelley Roy was thrilled with the outcome “The Club members really pulled together to get this project done. It will be fun to watch as the plants grow and flower through the seasons

and attract the precious pollinators of our area.”

Nehalem Bay Garden Club funds projects and non-profit related groups from the profits made at the annual Plant Sale. Each year, the club holds a sale on Mothers Day weekend. Mark your calendar for this year’s sale Saturday and Sunday, May 13th and 14th.

Nehalem Bay Garden Club has been in operation as a public service group for 76 years The club meets the 4th Tuesday of the month. All community members are welcome to join. Contact Constance Shimek Club President for more information at 503-368-4678, constance@nehalemtel.net

ODF reaches settlement in coho case

years.

Manzanita Council briefed on financing options for city hall

Manzanita’s City Council heard a presentation about different financing options available for the proposed new city hall project at a meeting on March 27.

City Manager Leila Aman discussed the different options available to the council to fund the project, before fielding questions.

Aman started the presentation with a review of the estimated budget of the project. The total cost of the project is estimated at $5.8 million, with $3.6 million of that going towards hard costs, $1.3 million to soft costs and the rest dedicated to a $755,000 contingency.

Along running lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Forestry for the incidental take of coho Salmon in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests has been settled, with the department agreeing to increase buffers around streams in the forests and complete a road inventory.

The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Cascadia Wildlands and the Native Fish Society, said that logging on steep slopes and road building activities had been harming coho salmon in the forests for years.

“For too long the timber industry has treated our state forests like cash cows, without enough protection for fish or water quality,” said Amy Atwood, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The protections provided by the agreement aren’t everything we want, but they’ll go a long way toward recovering coho salmon on Oregon’s North Coast.”

The settlement is part of the ongoing and contentious development of a habitat conservation plan (HCP) that is currently being undertaken by ODF.

The settlement’s requirements are included in the draft of the plan submitted to federal regulators for review and the settlement would be superseded by that document upon its passage.

However, the HCP’s future remains murky after the January release of new harvest projections for a transitional implementation plan set to start in July came in well below current levels. Stakeholders with an eco-

nomic interest in the forest believed that those figures would closely mirror those of the new HCP and have begun lobbying the board of forestry to reject the HCP and restart the process.

The new settlement complicates that by immediately implementing several measures from the proposed HCP while simultaneously

underscoring the legal jeopardy ODF faces without the document. HCPs allow entities like ODF to craft federally approved plans to protect endangered species under their purview, without which they are open to lawsuits like the one just settled.

“This is an example of the kind of litigation that is a risk as long as we don’t have an

HCP,” ODF’s State Forests Division Chief Mike Wilson said.

The letter of intent to sue for the case was originally sent in 2014, although filing was delayed until 2018 as the plaintiffs gathered expert witnesses. The suit went through pretrial motions in 2019, before the covid pandemic delayed progress for several

“We’re pleased to have the litigation resolved,” Wilson said. “It certainly takes up staff time and resources so we’re happy to have it out of our way so we can continue on with our business.”

The suit focused on ten specific timber sales across the state forests that had occurred in the 2010s. The suit alleged the operations had led to debris flows or landslides that impacted coho habitat following harvesting.

Atwood said that the sites had been identified as potential slide risk areas by ODF before their sales, saying the slides had been “foreseeable and foreseen.”

To win the case, lawyers for the conservation groups would have had to prove that the debris flows and slides were caused by harvest operations and caused the death of coho, in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Lawyers for ODF had argued that landslides were a natural occurrence on the coastal range’s steep slopes, with or without timber harvesting activities.

Even after the settlement was reached, Wilson pushed back against the idea that ODF had been harming coho. “We do not agree with the allegations that plaintiffs made that our management

Before discussing finance options, Aman gave the councilors a quick review of other big-ticket projects that the city needs to complete over the next ten years. By far the biggest project is a $15 million reservoir and holding tank replacement, with all the other water and road projects totaling an estimated price tag of $10.5 million over the next decade.

Aman said that the reservoir and tank project was likely to receive grant funding to pay for the bulk of its cost. She said that the city was in a good position to pay for the rest of the infrastructure projects over the next ten years.

Aman then delved into options for paying for the new city hall project. She said that the city was unlikely to receive grants for the project because of its high median income. That leaves the council with two main options for financing the project, debt or a levy.

Aman said that she will be recommending that city raise $3.5 million of the project’s cost through one of these two methods. The remainder of the funding for the project will come from the sale of the Old City Hall, the general fund, building fund and transient lodging tax dollars. The city has already spent $280,000 on the project.

Manzanita’s general fund, which sees the bulk of its revenue come from transient lodging taxes paid by visitors, could support the debt service required to build the city hall,

A series of landslides at the Star White Timber Sale and others like it resulted in the lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and others. The suit claimed that forestry activities had contributed to slides like these and debris flows throughout the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, harming coho salmon. Citizen photo by Will Chappell.

Traditional Napolitana pizza comes to Garibaldi

Inside a pizza oven, a classic Margherita crisps upon a cooking surface made of compressed ash from Mount Vesuvius. It’s an Italian staple.

But, you’re not in Italy, you’re in Garibaldi.

Bill Thomas and Theresa Seifer opened Crab Rock Pizza on Biak Avenue in November, serving up Napolitana-style pizza.

Their presence is a wel-

I support Johnson for NBHD

This May, voters living in the Nehalem Bay Health District (NBHD) have the opportunity to re-elect Marc Johnson to the District’s board, which he currently chairs. I urge voters to retain his strategic, visionary leadership as the District seeks to improve and expand local health care options.

come addition to the community. On opening night, there was standing room only in the dining room, an hour-long wait and nothing but empty plates in front of patrons. “We both knew we wanted to live on the coast and we both fell in love with Garibaldi,” Theresa said. “We wanted to open a business together. We saw that there was no pizza, so we decided to do pizza.”

The couple acquired their building at the Port of

Garibaldi in 2020 and spent nearly two years getting the space permitted and renovated to their specifications.

“We were told we are the poster children of perseverance,” Bill said, laughing.

“What was supposed to take two months, took over a year.”

While they waited for approval to open, the couple perfected their craft. In their home kitchen, they began experimenting with dough and sauce recipes.

“Theresa is a creative genius,” Bill said. “She has an amazing knack in the kitchen.”

As a licensed RN, Theresa works to keep the food on their menu free of artificial stabilizers and preservatives.

“It’s traditional, real food. Everything is done by-hand and in-house,” she said.

“There’s no food coloring in anything that we make. That is our commitment. If it’s on the plate, it’s either the highest quality or we make it.”

Each pizza pie starts with dough that is fermented at least three days. This gives the dough flavor and structure, while also easing digestion and lowering the glycemic impact; no more brick gut feeling.

“I’m bringing my nursing background and my love for nutrition and food to

the restaurant,” Theresa said. “Food is supposed to nourish us. We want to bring that to our community at Crab Rock and nourish our people.”

Napolitana-style pizza is known for its “cornicione:” thin, puffy, crunchy and chewy crust. When placed in the oven, the dough develops “leopard spots” and becomes charred. Toppings are minimal and best enjoyed fresh.

Popular menu items at Crab Rock include their all-meat pizza the “Surfman 514” and the “Riptide” combo pizza.

“All the names of our pizzas are from the area and tied into the community,” Bill said.

Crab Rock’s pizzas are 14 inches and serve 2-3 people.

In addition to the regular items, seasonal seafood-topped pizzas rotate on the menu. The popular Dungeness crab pizza will soon be replaced by a clam pizza, with fresh clams harvested from Tillamook Bay by a scuba diver.

“We [also] work with Fishpeople Seafood; they crack the crab right in front of us,” Bill said. “The local fisherman comes in at midnight and we get [product] first thing in the morning.”

And pizza is just the start. House-made gelato tops

Crab Rock Pizza serves traditional Napolitana-style pizza.

off the menu. Sweet cream, hazelnut, and chocolate are just a few flavors on offer and several sorbetto (dairyfree) flavors can also be found on the menu.

“Gelato is smoother with more intense flavor than ice cream,” Theresa said.

“That’s because it’s kept at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream. Try the hazelnut; see how true and strong the flavor is.”

Beer, wine, cider, soda, espresso, and lattes are also available for purchase.

“If you love pizza, we’re

definitely the place to land,” Theresa said. “If you appreciate real, traditionally made food, we’re the place to go. If you appreciate a good view, we’re the place to be.”

Crab Rock Pizza is located at 604 Biak Avenue, Garibaldi. For updates on spring and summer operational hours, visit Crabrockpizza.com or follow Crab Rock Pizza on Facebook. To-go charges apply.

Crab Rock Pizza is a member of the North Coast Food Trail.

As board chair of the Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy (formerly the Rinehart Clinic), I have had the good fortune to see Marc’s work up close. He has skillfully brought together an array of community partners and stakeholders on a plan that will build a new primary care health center for our area, substantially upgrade our existing nursing care center, and pave the way for the development of affordable housing for health care workers.

Welcoming

Throughout this process, Marc has found ways to maximize opportunities and overcome obstacles. He has worked with Democratic lawmakers in DC and Republican lawmakers in Salem to promote the project and secure funding. He’s one of those guys who seems to have all the answers, but who is smart enough to keep asking good questions and reaching out to others for their input. Please re-elect Marc Johnson to the board of the

Susan Layeux, MD, Urgent Care

Nehalem Bay Health District.

Jerry Spegman Manzanita

More support for Marc Johnson

There are some election choices that are clear from the start, and that’s the case with the re-election of Marc Johnson to the board of the Nehalem Bay Health District. There’s no particular need for me to review Marc’s well-

known qualifications. They speak for themselves: Board President of the Health District, President of the North Tillamook Library Board, active worker for all sorts of essential organizations, including EVCNB. It was Marc who, in partnership with Senators Wyden and Merkley, secured $3 million in federal funding to build a new healthcare facility, renovate the skilled nursing facility, and plan for workforce housing.

Marc Johnson has been at the center of all this. And

it makes sense to keep him at this center while these visionary goals are being realized. I know Marc to be clear-sighted, collegial, persistent, courageous, and utterly committed to bringing the best possible healthcare to all people in the Nehalem Bay community. No more needs to be said. We will re-elect Marc Johnson. It’s just common sense.

Liz Cole Nehalem

Happenings at NCRD, save the date

Join Mark Beach, Liz Cole and filmmaker Carl Vandervoort for the documentary”Homestead - the Life and Times of Mary Gerritse.”

This s a 58-minute documentary about the Oregon coast’s first female mail carrier. Actor Liz Cole brings to life Mary’s experiences as a homesteader, as written in Mary’s personal journal. From her arrival in the Nehalem Valley at age 12 to her

Providing immediate access to quality healthcare services

Compassion, listening and education are the words that Dr. Layeux uses to describe her care philosophy as a family medicine doctor, backed by decades of experience where she most recently provided care at a rural healthcare clinic in Idaho. Now a full-time resident of Manzanita, she provides walkin urgent care services — no appointment necessary — for all ages as well as sports physicals for children, adolescents and teens. Dr. Layeux feels privileged to live and serve the community she calls home with her husband, Chris, and their Goldendoodle. Their three sons are attending college, two from home and one married and living in Montana.

Dr. Layeux’s hope is to inspire others, especially children, to become healthcare providers through her passion for medicine and partnership philosophy of care. While not at her practice, she enjoys traveling, music, gardening and reading.

Now providing urgent care at:

Adventist Health

Medical Office – Manzanita

10445 Neahkahnie Creek Road, Manzanita

AdventistHealth.org/SLayeux

challenges packing the mail by horseback over Neahkahnie Mountain to north county post offices, Carrying Mail for the North Coast.png

Mary Gerritse’s stories, along with numerous archival images and documents, give a dramatic sense of life on one of Oregon’s last frontiers. Historian Mark Beach and Liz Cole developed this program for live performance

in 2018 and collaborated with filmmaker Carl Vandervoort to bring it to the screen. After a two year delay, this screening is the Audience Premiere. $10 at the door supports Nehalem Valley Historical Society education programs. For more information, contact info@nehalemvalleyhistory.org

Mask requirements in healthcare settings lifted

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is reminding communities that workers, patients and visitors in healthcare settings statewide will not be required to wear masks. This action started, April 3.

Healthcare settings include, but are not limited to, hospitals, mobile clinics, ambulances, outpatient facilities, dental offices, urgent care centers, long term care facilities, counseling offices, school-based health centers and complementary and alternative medicine

locations.

Some health care settings may decide to continue requiring masks even after the statewide requirement is lifted.

Anyone who wants to continue to wear a mask can do so, including in public places and in workplaces. Wearing a mask remains an effective way to reduce transmission of respiratory viruses. OHA continues encouraging people to wear a mask in any setting – including health care settings – if they are sick,

have health conditions that put them at high risk for severe illness from a respiratory virus exposure (or lives with someone at high risk), or any time wearing a mask makes them feel more comfortable.

The order, which has been in effect since August 2021, was rescinded on Monday, April 3. To learn more, find additional information on OHA’s masking page: https://www.oregon. gov/oha/covid19/Pages/ Masks.aspx

Bill Thoms and Theresa Seifer opened Crab Rock Pizza in Garibaldi this past November.

according to Aman. A levy would require voter approval in a November election and be assessed to property tax

owners. Aman said that the loan process would be significantly quicker than the voter-approved levy option, taking around six months to put together a financing package. With that option, Aman said the project would be completed in early 2025, with the levy process adding three to

already included in the HCP proposal.

six months to that timetable.

The debt option would place the bulk of the cost of the project on tourists by servicing the debt with transient lodging tax dollars, whereas a levy would place the burden on Manzanita property owners.

The next decision facing the council is whether to

proceed to phase two of the projects, which would cost around $430,000. Phase two would take the project through the end of the design phase and the council will decide whether to proceed at their meeting on May 3. Aman said she has funds set aside to pay for phase two in next year’s budget.

If the council decides to proceed with the second phase, it will then begin more detailed discussions about the funding possibilities. The deadline for putting a levy on the November ballot is in August, so a decision would need to be made by then.

Regardless the council’s decision on proceeding with

the project, both the school building and World War II Quonset hut that stand on the site must be demolished because of asbestos concerns. The demolition will cost around $250,000.

Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia.net.

activities are resulting in the take of coho salmon,” Wilson said.

Wilson said that the agency had decided to settle because the litigation was diverting staff time from important forest management activities. He also noted that the conditions required by the settlement were

The settlement, which was announced in a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity on March 23, was reached after a meeting between ODF and the plaintiffs with a judge on March 17.

The settlement will increase no-cut buffers around streams to 120 feet from as little as 25 feet and increase the number of non-fish bearing and seasonal streams that receive protections.

Atwood said that these seasonal streams flow into fish bearing habitat, carrying sediment and debris from landslides and debris flows into them.

Wilson said that the 25-foot minimum buffer was misleading and in practice ODF had a 100-foot inter-riparian buffer zone in which commercial logging is prohibited. He also said that the number of new streams protected would be minimal.

In addition to the increased riparian protections, the

settlement requires ODF to complete an inventory of forest roads in the next five years, along with a cost estimate to repair them. Atwood said that although there are more than four miles of road per square mile of forest, ODF does not have a complete inventory of them and that they contribute heavily to landslides and the sedimentation of streams.

Wilson said that the department had already planned to complete such an inventory as part of the new HCP. He

also pointed to roads that had existed in the forests prior to ODF’s management as problematic and said that the agency has been working to remediate issues with them.

“We inherited a forest that has a number of legacy roads and we’ve been trying to address those issues over the years,” Wilson said.

In the settlement, the plaintiffs reserved the right to pursue their legal costs, although Wilson said that expense would be covered by

DAS Risk Management should they do so.

The settlement has a fiveyear timeframe for ODF to implement the agreed upon changes, although if a new HCP passes including the same restrictions sooner, it will expire. But if the proposed HCP fails is not implemented and the conditions not met, the settlement allows the plaintiffs to refile their case.

Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia.net.

Commissioners approve grant for Bay City workforce housing

Tillamook County Commissioners awarded a $66,000 grant for predevelopment work at a site in Bay City on which a developer plans to build market rate housing at their March 29 meeting.

They also proclaimed April “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” in Tillamook and received an annual report on the Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization.

The Columbia Pacific CCO was founded ten years ago by state mandate to administer the Oregon Health Plan in the northwest of the state and promote community health in the region.

The organization’s executive director, Mimi Haley, told commissioners that after a three-year pause during the pandemic, the Oregon Health Authority is reviewing eligibility of those on the Oregon Health Plan.

She said that the process will take most of the year, having begun with those most likely to be reapproved and moving on to those with

lower likelihoods. Haley also said that the CCO is working to help people who lose their coverage find new insurance.

Columbia Pacific CCO will also conduct a community needs assessment starting in May, sending interviewers around the region to gather 1,200-1,300 responses about residents’ insurance and healthcare.

The interviewers will be asking community members for stories before extracting patterns and themes from them to enter into a data set.

Haley then discussed the work that her group is doing outside of insurance administration to bolster community health.

Columbia Pacific CCO has already awarded over $3.5 million in housing grants to help address the housing and homelessness crisis. The Willet Apartments in Tillamook received a $500,000 grant, the Bayside Gardens Development received $300,000 and, most recently, Helping Hands was given $360,000 to develop transitional housing above their Tillamook location.

Haley proceeded to a

discussion of the group’s future undertakings, which will be expanding to offer direct housing support to residents, help with climate related health risk factors and food support. These programs will begin in 2024, with housing supports like rental or utility assistance becoming available in January, climate supports like vouchers for air conditioners or generators available in July and food support, like fruit and vegetable prescriptions and nutrition and cooking education starting in January 2025.

Four staffers from Tides of Change in Tillamook came to the meeting in support of the “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” proclamation, with Beth Hope addressing commissioners. Tides of Change supports survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Tillamook County. As part of their mission, they promote public awareness of the prevalence of such violence, particularly in April and October, which is “Domestic Abuse Awareness Month” in the county.

This year marks Tides

of Change’s 40th anniversary in Tillamook, and the month’s biggest event is a True Survivor Storytelling event at the Fairgrounds on April 22. There is also an art exhibition at the Bay City Arts Center that will open on April 7, and April 26 is Denim Day. The workforce housing grant in Bay City was awarded to local developer Tyler Brogden to help pay for predevelopment costs at the site. Brogden was at the meeting and said that he needed to undertake geotechnical and soil studies and do preparatory work at the site before breaking ground on the project.

Brogden plans to build 29 two-bedroom units

spread across duplexes and fourplexes, with those units being affordable to residents making either 80% or 120% of the area’s median income, depending on the unit.

Commissioner Erin Skaar noted that Bay City’s government had already made the project possible by building a new sewer lift station which opened a new section of town, including Brogden’s property, to development. Fiorelli noted that the developer could return during the construction phase to request more county grant money. The money for the grant program comes from a short-term rental license fee.

Commissioners also approved a lease agreement

for three vehicles for the sheriff’s department with US Bancorp. The two new Ford Explorers and one new Ford Escape will cost $115,725, with $18,773 going to debt service and the county making five annual payments, starting in April 2024.

Commissioners further approved District Attorney Aubrey Olson’s request to update her office’s discovery fees. The base discovery fee was raised to $15 per case and a $20 per link fee was added for the provision of links to a website hosting evidence.

Please send any comments to headlightreporter@ countrymedia.net.

Tillamook County Criminal Convictions

On January 31, Jessica Ann Gilland, 40, pled no contest and was convicted of criminal trespass in the first degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed between July 15, 2021, and August 28, 2021. Gilland was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

On February 10, Gunther Horst Jacobi, 80, pled guilty to two counts of driving under the influence of intoxicants, class A misdemeanors, committed on or about September 1 and September 4, 2022. Jacobi’s driver’s license was suspended for three years and he was sentenced to three years on bench probation and ordered to pay $453.63 in restitution to the Port of Garibaldi.

On February 22, Draven Louis Hughes, 19, pled guilty to one count of harassment, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about January 6, 2023. Hughes was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

On February 27, Daniel Walter Moore, 43, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a restricted weapon, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about December 6, 2022. Moore was sentenced to 20 days in jail and 18

months’ probation.

On February 28, Brian James Hawkins, 42, pled no contest and was found guilty of assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence, a class C felony, committed on or about July 6, 2022. Hawkins also pled no contest on two counts of harassment, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about October 11, 2022. Hawkins was sentenced to 36 months supervised probation.

On February 28, Justin Victor Wood, 26, pled guilty to one count of recklessly endangering another person, a class A misdemeanor, and one count of reckless driving, also a class A misdemeanor, both committed on or about July 29, 2021. He was sentenced to time served in jail and his driver’s license was suspended for 90 days.

On March 1, Jeffrey Steven Heidenreich, 28, pled no contest and was convicted on one count of escape in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about February 17, 2023. Heidenreich was sentenced to 20 days in jail.

On March 6, Donald Vanwormer, 53, pled guilty to a count of recklessly en-

dangering another person, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about March 8, 2022. Vanwormer was sentenced to two days in jail, two years on probation, a 90-day driver’s license suspension and ordered to pay a $100 fine.

On March 7, John Lewis Briley was found in violation of his probation for second degree theft and was sentenced to 10 days in jail.

On March 9, Quentin Thomas Darby, 25, pled no contest on one count of carrying a concealed weapon, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about August 28, 2022. Darby was sentenced to ten days in jail. Darby also pled no contest to one count of escape in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about February 2, 2023, and was sentenced to two further days incarceration.

On March 13, Cody Bennett Brostrom, 31, pled no contest to two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about November 26, 2022. Brostrom was sentenced to 18 months’ bench probation.

On March 13, Bran-

don Scott Barrett, 51, was convicted on one count of reckless driving, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about January 7, 2023. Barrett was sentenced to two days in jail and three years on bench probation.

On March 16, Benjamin Neil Miller, 52, pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about July 16, 2022. Miller was sentenced to two days in jail, two years on probation and a one-year suspension of his driver’s license.

On March 16, Nathan Michael Abbott, 23, was convicted by a jury of one count of rape in the third degree, a class C felony, and two counts of sodomy in the third degree, a class C felony, all committed on or about March 1, 2020. On March 23, Abbott was sentenced to 30 days in jail on each count, to run consecutively, and three years on probation and was ordered to pay $600 in fines.

On March 17, John Lewis Briley was found in violation of his probation for a failure to report. Briley’s probation was revoked and he was sentenced to six months’ incarceration

Commissioners approve 5% solid waste disposal fee increase county wide

Tillamook’s Board of County Commissioners approved solid waste disposal rate updates and the dates for Oregon Department of Forestry’s yard waste disposal program were announced at their meeting on March 22.

Commissioners also approved an out of state travel request for Library Director Don Allgeier to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago in June.

This move drew skepti-

cism from two members of the public who commented opposing the trip at the meeting.

April Bailey and Tiffany Jacob both took exception to several of the activities that will be offered at the conference. They said that sessions supporting diversity and inclusion, and LGBTQIA acceptance did not match with Tillamook County’s values, with Bailey characterizing the conference as “religious training” for the religion of “wokeism.”Allgeier said that the conference was an important opportunity to network

Bilingual Certified Peer Support/Recovery Mentor (English/Spanish)

F.T. 40-Hours/week Position

Tillamook Family Counseling Center is currently looking to add a bilingual peer specialist to our Prime+ program. The mission of the Prime+ program is to prevent acute life-threatening outcomes of substance use which include reducing overdose morbidity and mortality by providing harm reduction centered overdose prevention education and facilitating access to Naloxone. We also strive to reduce injection-related infections by providing harm reduction centered infection prevention education and facilitating access to safer use supplies. The Prime+ program supports linkage to care, diagnosis and treatment of substance use related conditions and substance us related infections.

This position includes training that leads to state certification according to OAR 410-180-0305 (12) and (13). As a certified Peer Specialist, you will be a living example and role model of recovery life. As a peer you will be a provider of the life wisdom gained through your own lived experience of recovery as well as a change agent for hope.

Benefits:

Dental Vision and Medical-prescription coverage. HSA and FSA plans. 9 paid holidays a year, paid sick leave and vacation time. Vacation starts out at 8 hours a month with increases over time. Generous retirement program: non-contributory 403(b), we put in 9% of your salary and you are vested after 6 months.

To see our complete job description and to apply go to http://tfcc.bamboohr.com/jobs. Be sure to submit an online application and upload your resume. Any questions, please visit us online at http://tfcc.org or contact us at jobs@tfcc.org

Job Recruitment Services

We

for his original conviction on one count of theft in the second degree and one count of assault in the second degree.

On March 20, Summer Hopen Brown, 22, was convicted of an attempt to commit identity theft, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about July 23, 2022. Brown was sentenced to two years’ bench probation and ordered to pay $604 in attorney fees and a $100 fine to the court.

On March 20, Jackie Lea Idzal, 37, pled no contest and was convicted on one count of criminal trespass in the second degree, a class C misdemeanor, committed on about October 14, 2022. Idzal was sentenced to five days in jail.

On March 23, Daniel Robert Essary, 36, pled guilty to one count of assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence, a class C felony, committed on or about February 22, 2023. Essary also pled guilty to one count of attempt to commit strangulation, a class A misdemeanor committed on or about the same date. Essary was sentenced to 30 days in jail for the attempted strangulation and three years of probation for the assault.

On March 24, Ashley Ranae Smith, 37, was convicted of criminal mischief in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about October 27, 2021. Smith was sentenced to two years on bench probation.

On March 24, Chet Tidwell, 24, pled guilty to one count of burglary in the first degree, a class A felony, committed on or about December 26, 2022. Tidwell was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years on probation.

On March 24, Bradley Michael Jacobson, 32, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a restricted weapon, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about February 12, 2022, and to a count of escape in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about the same date. Jacobson was sentenced to 20 days in jail on each count to be served concurrently.

On March 29, Abbigale Michelle Hedley, 37, pled guilty on one count of harassment, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about March 17, 2022. Hedley was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Oregon ocean salmon fisheries affected by California’s low forecast returns

with vendors and other librarians, with whom he works throughout the year.

Commissioner Erin Skaar echoed his assessment and invited the commenters to avoid material that they found objectionable in the library.Rates for the disposal of solid waste, yard debris and recycling were increased by the amount recommended by staff. Solid Waste Program Director David McCall said that his department based the raises in rates on the annual rate of inflation, increasing rates to account for 80% of that figure. The rate adjust-

ment that the commissioners approved will see rates grow by 5%.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s yard waste disposal voucher program will run from March 30 to October 31. The program is in its tenth year and allows residents to pick up vouchers at fire stations across the county or ODF’s Tillamook Office for free yard waste disposal at county transfer stations.

Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia.net.

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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With severely low forecasted returns of California Chinook salmon (Sacramento and Klamath River), both California and Oregon ocean Chinook commercial and recreational fisheries are impacted.

Coho are a bright spot again for Oregon, and the state is expecting another good run and fishing seasons like last year.

Last week, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) cancelled the spring 2023 commercial ocean troll salmon fishery (Cape Falcon to the California border) and the spring recreational ocean salmon fishery (March 15-May 15 from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain).

This decision was made in consultation with the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), and the states of Oregon and California.

ODFW’s ocean salmon project leader Eric Schindler says with California salmon forecasts so low, impacts to those critical Chinook stocks need to be kept low.

“Chinook headed for California are caught along with local Chinook and coho in Oregon’s ocean fisheries south of Cape Falcon. So, any fishery where these Chinook are likely to be caught must be restricted – that’s why Oregon and California agreed with NMFS and cancelled all early ocean salmon seasons south of Cape Falcon at least through May 15,” Schindler said.

The PFMC currently is developing summer salmon seasons to be decided by

April 7. Those decisions will be sent to the U.S. Department of Commerce for final approval by May 15.

PFMC is considering several alternatives for summer and fall salmon seasons. Generally, these would allow coho fishing from mid-June through September but restrict chinook fishing south of Cape Falcon until at least Sept. 1. By then, the majority of chinook headed to California are no longer offshore of Oregon’s coast. In September, there is still potential to harvest Oregon chinook salmon.

A different mix of salmon stocks are offshore north of Cape Falcon, so season alternatives are different. Options being considered would allow recreational chinook and coho retention in the ocean beginning midJune through September.

PFMC’s alternatives are available online and more information is in the PFMC’s news release. The PFMC is looking for feedback from anglers and commercial fishermen which have their own season. Going through the PFMC e-portal is the best way to comment; use the link for Salmon Agenda Item E.2 (tentative adoption of the 2023 management measures for analysis) scheduled for the Council floor on Sunday, April 2.

PFMC is hosting an in-person public meeting March 20, 7-9 p.m. in North Bend. ODFW staff will attend and be available to answer questions.

Will Chappell Reporter

Join Our Team

coast.

The Native Plant Nursery (NPN) Coordinator will work closely with TEP staff, partners, youth crews, and volunteers who share a common goal of growing coastally-adapted, genetically-appropriate native plants for the Northwest Oregon Restoration Partnership (NORP).  $37,200 - $53,000 per year, based on a 40-hr week work schedule, DOE. Benefits.

For complete job description go to tbnep.org. To apply, please submit by email: resume, statement of qualifications and interest, and three professional references.

Health Dist. seeking $10.5 million bond

The Nehalem Bay Health District is asking for voter support for a $10.25 million bond for a new healthcare facility in Wheeler and upgrades to other district facilities in the May 13 election.

The proposed projects would have a total cost of $15.5 million and allow the district to expand its services for north county residents and bring the district’s senior care facility up to date.

“We’ve got to make the case that it’s going to be a good investment for the community long term and meet some community needs,” said Board of Directors Chair Marc Johnson. A $12.2 million health center and pharmacy facility in Wheeler would be the biggest part of the proposed project to be funded by the bond. The district purchased a 1.3-acre property adjacent to Highway 101 in Wheeler in 2021 as a potential site for the facility.

The new facility would be double the size of the district’s current health center in Man-

zanita, which was built when the district was established in the early 1980s. The expanded footprint would reduce wait times for current doctors and allow the district to offer specialty services like pediatric and geriatric medicine and dentistry.

Bond funds would also allow the district to update its senior care facility, which was built at the same time as the health center and offers the only 24-hour skilled nursing staff and rehabilitative services in Tillamook County.

The proposed project budget would dedicate $2.3 million to a top-to-bottom renovation of the facility, bringing it up to current care standards for both patients and staff.

Johnson said that both facilities would be critical as Tillamook County’s population continues to age and require more medical care.

“Trying to think ahead and stay out in front of that need for growing services for seniors is a big part of why this proposal has come together,” Johnson said. The final element of the new project would be the

demolition of the Old Wheeler Hospital, which was built in the 1950s. The demolition would cost $1 million and would pave the way to develop workforce housing on the site in the future, with help from an outside developer.

Johnson said that providing housing for employees was critical if the district expands services. He also noted that the board is committed to continuing to provide a home for the North County Food Bank, which is currently operating out of the hospital.

The proposed bond has a 26-year term and would lead to an additional $3.70 in annual property taxes per $10,000 of assessed value. The total amount of the bond could vary depending on interest rates and how much additional funding the project is able to secure.

The project has already received considerable federal financial support, the biggest portion of which is $3 million in funding appropriated late last year in the OMNIBUS bill. Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden both supported the funding allocation. “It was very gratifying to receive that support,” Johnson said.

Another $500,000 federal grant has already been awarded for the contract and district staff are working to find other funding sources for the remainder of the project’s budget.

Wheeler’s City Council offered its unanimous support to a resolution endorsing the bond measure at its March meeting.

Nehalem Bay’s Health District is the smallest in the state and employs between 75 and 80 staff, including 8 physicians. It serves residents from just north of Rockaway Beach to the Clatsop and Washington County lines.

The proposed bond is the first the district has pursued since the early 1980s when one was assessed to pay for the construction of the district’s current facilities. It operates with an annual budget of $215,000 for support staff and overhead expenses, which comes from various sources.

Tillamook County Solid Waste

April is here – the month of Earth Day – and opportunities abound!

We are hosting a Master Recycler Class, all condensed into three days in April. Participants will learn A LOT about what goes on behind the scenes in recycling and waste management, how the system works, and what YOU can do to make things better. The first day of the class is April 8th, and starts at 9:00 am in Heart of Cartm’s workshop space (395 Wheeler Blvd, Wheeler). The two further dates for the class will be April 14th and 21st. The class is free –in exchange for 30 hours of community service this year. (And we have

plenty of opportunities during the year!) Join the ranks of over 50 others who have graduated from the Master Recycler course in Tillamook County – starting this Saturday!

The ODF Yard Debris Voucher program is back – with extended dates. Our local branch of the Department of Forestry procured additional funding for this popular program, now starting April 1st and lasting through October 31st (in recognition of the extended fire seasons we have been experiencing).

On April 22nd we will be having a Drugs & Sharps Takeback event at the Health Clinic (801 Pacific Ave) 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. This event is

part of the national DEA effort to make sure unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs are disposed of properly. We augment those efforts with the opportunity for residents to drop off used sharps (syringes) in hard red plastic sharps containers at no cost.

We’ll close out the month cosponsoring the Home & Garden Show, at the Fairgrounds, April 29th 9 am – 4 pm and April 30th 11 am –3 pm.

We’ll see you multiple times during April – rain or shine!

David McCall Solid Waste Program Manager

Will Chappell Reporter