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north coast Volume 19, No. 4
February 20, 2014
northcoastcitizen.com
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23 apply for the NCRD general manager position And, while the board replaces one of its members, another board member resigns By Dave Fisher The Citizen
The first of the year, normally noted for being a bit slower in these parts, has been a busy time for the North County Recreation District Board of Directors and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. At its regular monthly meeting Feb. 13, the board filled two key positions and learned that it will be filling another before the month is out. After interviewing four applicants for the vacancy on the board with the resignation of Kevin Greenwood, who recently accepted a position as port director for the Port of Newport, the board selected Jennifer Holm. Holm, who moved to the area in 1997, is a member of the Rinehart Clinic board and was also board president for New Discoveries Preschool. In filling a position on its Capital Improvements
Jennifer Holm was selected to fill vacancy on NCRD’s board of directors. Committee, the board selected Wally Burton, who was among the four individuals who applied and interviewed for the vacancy on the board. On the heels of filling the vacancy left by Greenwood, board members learned of the resignation of another of its members; Julie Chick, who cited personal reasons, according to general manager Peter Nunn, for her decision. A special meeting of the board will be held Tuesday, Feb. 18, in which the board is expected to fill the position. Chick was elected in May 2011, along with Greenwood, and championed the idea of replacing the aged existing NCRD
pool with a new one. At week’s end, the application-filing period for the position of general manager closed, with 23 applying for Peter Nunn’s job. Nunn, who will remain on board until a new general manager is selected, indicated his intent to retire following the passage of NCRD’s five-year local option tax levy last November. The next step in the selection process is for the Screening Committee to review the 23 applications and come up with a short list of six to interview. Interviews will take place Mar. 7 and 12, three on each date. At a meeting on Mar. 13, the board is expected to approve a draft contract for the new general manager and whittle the list of candidates to two or three, who will be interviewed by board members Mar. 21. “The plan is to make an offer to the person selected by Mar. 28,” Nunn told the Citizen. In other business, the employee retirement plan process is moving ahead and will be a consideration in the next fiscal year budget. Currently, the
board is looking at a two percent fixed contribution with an employee match of at least three percent. The plan, which will be offered to NCRD’s 12 full-time staff members, would take effect July 1, 2014, be reviewed on an annual basis as a budget consideration and come from existing funds. “This will bring us in line with other publicfunded entities in the area,” said Nunn, noting that since its inception, NCRD has not had a retirement plan for its employees. Meanwhile, look for Phase I of the auditorium renovation to be completed by this summer. With funding in hand, the final contract is in the process of being negotiated for electrical work, including new stage lighting and ceiling. Phase II of the project entails the installation of new seats and floor treatments. The Friends of NCRD continues to solicit $100 sponsor seats for the auditorium. Of the 200 new seats, 72 have been sold so far. Contributions can be made to Friends of NCRD and mailed to P.O. Box 207, Nehalem, OR, 97131.
OPRD to restrict areas of Nehalem Bay SP for snowy plovers A portion of Nehalem Bay State Park will be reserved for snowy plovers should they come By Joe Wrabek For the Citizen
The snowy plover is a small, short-billed seabird that lays its eggs in dry
sand on the beach. This March, public access will be restricted in portions of
See PLOVER, page 9
Surprise February snowfall blankets Manzanita area By Dave Fisher The Citizen
Employees of Ocean Inn in Manzanita made good use of the snow in their parking lot, while (at right) NBFR District cadet Levi Hill poses with the snowman that made an appearance at the district’s central fire station between Manzanita and Nehalem. Courtesy photos
NORTH COUNTY NEWS ONLINE
What to do when four to eight inches of snow falls unexpectedly? Build a snowman, that’s what! Though forecasters predicted the possibility of snow showers on the north Oregon coast, the timing of the storm and amount of snow that fell Thursday, Feb. 6, took area residents by surprise. The first flakes, blown about by a stiff breeze, arrived about 10 a.m. Neah-Kah-Nie School District students were already in their classrooms and those who commute to their place of work got there when roads were clear and dry. By noon, it was evident that this was a “once in a blue moon” snow event on the Oregon coast. Upwards of eight inches or more fell in outlying areas,
while in Manzanita the snowcovered beach made for a great photo opportunity. However, if you were one of many motorists stranded on Neahkahnie Mountain at Oswald West State Park, the snow was more of a headache, prompting the Emergency Volunteer Corps to open warming shelters for those people caught up in the storm with no other place to go. Those who didn’t have to worry so much about kids in school and the commute, found time to enjoy the winter wonderland. In the parking lot of Ocean Inn in Manzanita a giant snowman appeared while, at the Nehalem Bay Fire and Rescue District fire station, cadets and volunteers constructed a snowman wielding a sign with an important message to those on the road: “Drive safely.”
It all began with a single idea
Commentary by Dave Fisher, Editor
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You may recall in the fall of 2011 the Occupy Wall Street movement. Among other things it raised the social consciousness of Americans coast-to-coast, and brought attention to the disparity of wealth between the haves and the have-nots. A few weeks after the Wall Street “kick-off,” the movement would make its way to Manzanita and further south to Tillamook. Locally, a hardy band gathered in front of the Hoffman Center several Saturdays in a row, waved signs and banners and shouted to passer-bys, anyone who would lend
The Matt Kramer Memorial Bench overlooking Short Sand Beach in Oswald West State Park played host to a most interesting meeting between Micah White, co-creator of the Occupy Wall Street event, and the editor of the North Coast Citizen earlier this month. Photo by Dave Fisher an ear. In an affirmation of solidarity, people would honk their horns and wave. An occasional
naysayer might show their disapproval with a hand gesture and look of disgust.
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Nehalem is a long way from Wall Street, but it is where Wall Street Occupy co-creator Micah White and his wife and collaborator, Chiara Ricciardone, have lived the past year. The two, until now, have kept a pretty low profile, but that’s about to change with the launch of White’s latest venture, Boutique Advocacy Consultancy. In March, he will conduct what he hopes is the first many workshops and seminars about activism and social change theory to be staged here. Like many before them who have visited this part of the north Oregon coast, White and his wife of seven years, fell in love with
See OCCUPY, page 4