Salute to Veterans
Tillamook County Wellness
Inside
Headlight Herald
Page 9
Headlight Herald 2020
Citizen North Coast
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020
VOL. 133, NO. 45 • $1.50
TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM
County reports 64 confirmed COVID-19 cases, as of Friday T
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
illamook County Leadership discussed COVID-19 updates during a community meeting Friday, Oct. 30. As of Oct. 30, Tillamook County Community Health Centers reports five new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. This brings the county to 64 positive cases since the pandemic began. Administrator Marlene Putman said there is a
range in the ages of the individuals. The health center does not provide zip codes of the individuals who have COVID-19 as to not identify them in the community. There are zero new presumptive cases this week, the health center reported. There are 11 presumptive cases total, which bring the county to a total of 75 cases. One Tillamook County resident is currently hospitalized in the Portland area. According to Oregon Health
Authority, there have been 3,665 negative tests completed for Tillamook County and a total of 3,729 tests completed. There are 18 cases currently under monitoring and zero COVID-19 related deaths. “Outdoor public spaces, when a typical distancing of 6 feet cannot be maintained, people should also be wearing masks,” Putman said. “People with a disability or medical condition may request accommodation if they cannot wear a mask.”
Putman said the flu vaccine is still available in various areas of the community, including the health center’s flu clinic at 2111 8th St. Hours for November are 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1-4:30 p.m. Tuesday – Thursday. “Come get your flu shot if you haven’t had one,” Putman said. Adventist Health Tillamook President Eric Swanson said the hospital’s personal protective equipment is in good supply. There is adequate bed capacity for adult ICU beds and adult non-
In-person learning
ORIGINAL A typical class with desks spaced six feet apart at Tillamook Adventist School. Courtesy photo
Tillamook Adventist School follows state guidance of on-site learning School leaders report no COVID-19 cases
F
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
or the 2020-2021 school year, private schools are required under the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance to develop an Operational Blueprint for Reentry that is tailored to the community it serves. Tillamook Adventist School, a local private school in Tillamook, opened for on-site learning Aug. 24. Prior to opening, the school engaged the community by having a school board discussion, contacting the Tillamook Health Department and emailing parents about the plan to reopen. The school has implemented measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the school setting. They have also designated Teresa Shultz of the school to establish, implement and enforce physical distancing requirements. The school is required to notify the public health authority of any confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff. Tillamook Adventist School is a Seventh-day Adventist school that teaches Pre-K through eighth grade. The school is part of the worldwide Seventhday Adventist school network. There are 74 students in K-12 and 89 when counting Pre-K. Principal Matt Hunter, who also teaches 6-8th grades at the school, said the school had to jump through all of the hoops, such as square footage and social distancing. The classrooms are all capped at a certain number of students depending on the square footage of the room, as they are social distancing 35 square feet per individual. “Kids are seated with at
least 6 feet between them and their neighbors,” Hunter said. “For example, in my class, we sit at tables and so they sit on the ends of each table and they have a Plexiglas shield down the middle of the table that creates an extra barrier.” In the K-1st grade classrooms, dividers made out of PVC pipe are set up in between desks. Each classroom is also its own cohort. The largest class has 20 students. “I completely emptied my classroom,” Hunter said. Everything besides tables and chairs for the students to sit has been removed and the tables are spread out 6 feet apart. Students and staff have their face covered during the day. “We have the kids bring water bottles from home,” Hunter said. “We’ve had to turn off our drinking fountain because that’s a great sharer of germs.” Hunter said the students have been good at mask wearing. If they are taking a drink and forget to put their masks back on, the teachers remind them and they quickly put them back on. “The kids are willing to do it because
this is how we get to stay in school,” Hunter said. The school has canceled their afterschool activities and Christmas program, Hunter added. They used to host a back to school night for parents to come see where their kids learn. School staff is disinfecting multiple times a day. Hunter said it had cost the school quite a bit to open in the fall. They were able to do it in part because they gained almost 20 students this year. Hunter said each classroom and entrance has a hand sanitizing station. Every classroom has its own entrance from outside, meaning the students are not entering the school and walking to their classrooms. The school has one spot available in the second/third grade classroom, Hunter added. Those interested in enrollment can contact Teresa Shultz at the school at 503-842-6533. The school can send out a packet with the paperwork or you can set up a time to pick up the packet. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net
Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net
EXCLUSIVE
Edge Cable to ORIGINAL conduct surveys in November for Jupiter Cable Project E
EXCLUSIVE
ICU beds. “We do have a new screening process in the plaza lobby where we have a thermal imaging scanner,” Swanson said. “We can easily check temperatures as you walk in to make sure that anybody with COVID-like symptoms are able to be captured right away and get them in a room.”
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
dge Cable Holdings USA, LLC, a subsidiary of Facebook, informed the public on Oct. 27 of surveys that will be administered during the month of November to support the installation of a subsurface steel bore pipe from a residential lot in Tierra Del Mar to a point offshore. The bore pipe is part of the Jupiter Cable System. Edge Cable has contracted with SubCom, LLC to conduct the work. “An electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) survey will be undertaken in a 335-foot by 65-foot survey area located on the beach adjacent to Lot 3200,” Edge Cable announced in the update. “ERT is a non-invasive survey method that generated a subsurface electrical current and measures the electric potential differences between a series of dispersed electrodes.” A subsurface bore sampling survey will also be performed to collect data on the subsurface soil strength. A soil core will be extracted using a utility truck with geotechnical sample equipment mounted at the rear of the vehicle. Facebook said they estimate that all the beach survey work will take place over approximately five days, with work only occurring between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. “The purpose of the surveys is to identify the sub-bottom profile below the survey area,” Facebook said in an email to the Headlight Herald. “The results of the surveys will give Edge and SubCom a better understanding of the underlying geology. More specifically, the surveys will help to identify unfavorable sediment layers for HDD drilling operations (e.g., rock, boulders, and/or interchanging soils) and allow the project’s HDD engineers to adjust the proposed drill plan, if necessary.” Edge Cable said public access around the survey zone would be maintained throughout the surveys. During work hours, the survey area will be signposted, notifying the public of the work. The area will be roped off to limit access. A flagger will be onsite to ensure the public avoids the roped-off area. As of now, Edge Cable does not have specific dates for the survey work in November, but said that work would not take place the week of Thanksgiving. They will notify the public when they have determined the exact dates. The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) also notified Facebook in a letter on Oct. 16 of issues in their independent hazard analysis, prepared by ERM, that require correction, clarification or additional evaluation and information. DSL asked the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to review the hazard analysis. DEQ seeks additional information regarding the drilling mud and asks for the confidence level that the mud has hardened and how long it would have taken for the material to harden. DOGAMI has identified geologic hazards not addressed in the hazard analysis. Facebook is required to address the issues or indicate how they will be addressed by Nov. 2. Send comments to: headlightreporter@ countrymedia.net