Cheesemaker Football advances to Quarterfinals, Prep Sports Page 8-9
Headlight Herald
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2022
TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM
VOL. 134, NO. 45 • $1.50
Swiss Society celebrates in style T
Staff
he Tillamook Swiss Society celebrated the centennial of its founding with a day of festivities at the Tillamook County Fairground on Saturday. The festival included music, singing, dancing, food, drink and other celebrations and displays of Swiss culture. Festivities kicked off with a Lederhosen 5k run in the morning, with Lederhosen being optional. Throughout the day Schwingen and Steinstossen tournaments took place, with the former being a form of Swiss wrestling, and the latter analogous to the shotput. There was also a display of items from Swiss history in Tillamook and the Tillamook County Quilt Guild hosted their Tidal Treasures Quilt Show and put on a raffle. Events culminated in the evening with music and dancing in the roller rink. First, the society put on a Little Swiss competition for kids to show their Swiss pride by wearing traditional outfits. Then, the Northwest Dance Academy taught the crowd several traditional dances that they could use later in the night. After that, the Swiss society played traditional Alphorns, inducted several dozen new members and tapped the festival keg. Finally, it was time for the Polkatones to take over entertainment duties. The group was formed in Tillamook 51 years ago and still boasts two original members. The band’s accordion, trumpet and tuba music enlivened the crowd of festivalgoers, many in traditional Swiss attire, and they danced into the night celebrating a century of the Swiss Society in Tillamook.
Garibaldi council hears Hwy 101 project update After the festival keg tap, there had to be a beer chugging contest. See more photos on page 3. Headlight photo by Will Chappell About the Swiss Society It is not covered in a lot of history books, but the Swiss were in America long before the United States was even an idea. More than 200 years, in fact. But, as with many other immigrant groups, it was the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the pace of immigration started to pick up. Nearly a quarter million Swiss are estimated to have arrived in the U.S. between 1860 and the 1910s. Among those pioneers were some who made their way to the Pacific Northwest—Oregon, to be
exact—and settled in Tillamook County. Proud of the heritage they brought to their new country, those settlers eventually founded the Tillamook Swiss Society in 1922. A century later, the community is about to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary. “The Swiss pioneers brought their expertise in dairy farming to this Oregon coastal environment, with the promise of building a new life for their families and creating a community,” said Julie Hurliman, a 4th generation Tillamook Swiss
and the Community and Industry Programs Manager for Tillamook Coast Visitors Association. “With their hard work, collaboration and resilience, they laid the foundation for the area’s cheese making business—now a nationally known brand. I’m thrilled to be able to celebrate the cultural bonds of our community.” The Tillamook Swiss Society has been celebrating with traditional dances, music and food every year since it was founded; but this year is, of course, was one of special significance.
Developers eye workforce housing in Bay City T
Will Chappell Headlight Reporter
wo developers have purchased a property in downtown Bay City and hope to build workforce housing on the lot, pending city zoning approval and tax abatement passage. Nate Palmer and Scott Imholt hope to build six duplexes on the lot on A street between 4th and 5th Streets, adjacent to the Landing Restaurant and Lounge. “We need housing, everybody says it and talks about it,” Imholt said. “Here’s an opportunity to do it.” The proposed development would add twelve units of affordable housing to the market in Bay City. Each unity would be 800 square feet, featuring two beds and one and half bathrooms. Split across two levels and with an attached garage, the duplexes would have the appearance of a traditional single family home. The development would also feature a common backyard area for
residents. “Our philosophy was to create a feeling, even though they’re going to be rentals, of home ownership for people,” Palmer said. The pair is optimistic that they will be able to bring their plan to fruition, but needs assistance from the Bay City government. They are seeking conditional use approval and a variance to allow for their development’s density at this month’s planning commission meeting on November 16, before seeking final approval from the city council. They are also waiting on the council to pass tax abatement to make the project economically feasible. City officials are in the process of doing that, following the model set by a 2017 Oregon law, which was already passed in Tillamook. Until they do, it is not possible for Palmer and Imholt to offer affordable housing. “All we’re doing by having that tax abatement is we’re able to lower rents for the people that live
Two developers bought the a vacant lot in Bay City behind the Landing Restaurant and Bar with hopes to build workforce housing. Photo by Will Chappell there,” Imholt said. If the city grants the variance and conditional use for the property, and passes the tax abatement, the duo will operate the property as affordable housing for at least a decade.
Affordable rent on two bedroom apartments in Tillamook County is determined by the state and is currently around $1,750. Properties with affordable rent are open to people making between 80% and 120% of the median area income.
Shepard staying as Rockaway Beach City Manager after withdrawing resignation A
Will Chappell Headlight Reporter
fter submitting his resignation letter in the last week of October, Rockaway Beach City Manager Luke Shepard withdrew that resignation at the request of
the city council on November 1. When he submitted the letter on Tuesday, October 25, Shepard indicated that he had accepted an offer from another agency and was leaving Rockaway Beach on good terms. Then on Monday, October 31, the Rockaway Beach City Council announced a special meeting on Tuesday, November 1, to conduct a performance review for Shepard in executive session. After conducting that review, the council returned to open session and announced that Shepard’s per-
formance had “met and exceeded expectations” in the past year. They then formally asked Shepard to withdraw his resignation letter, which the city had not formally accepted, and he did. Councilor Kristine Hayes abstained from both the review and withdrawal request motions as she was attending virtually. The executive session had been conducted in a private conference room and she had not been conferenced in on Zoom. Hayes asked for the record to note that she had been excluded from the executive session.
“I had a lot more support than I realized and Rockaway is where I want to be,” Shepard said after the meeting when asked about why he had changed his mind. He declined to elaborate further. “I am thrilled that he is not leaving the city, he’s been a breath of fresh air and he’s been a stabilizing factor for the city,” Rockaway Beach Mayor Sue Wilson said after the meeting. Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia. net.
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Will Chappell Headlight Reporter
aribaldi’s City Council met in a special session on November 2nd to deal with lingering matters and hear a presentation from an Oregon Department of Transportation representative about progress on the Highway 101 Project. The city council needed the special meeting to approve the supplemental budget for the city and designate check signers for urban renewal grants. Both of those actions required specific public notice to satisfy meeting laws, leading to the special session. Both measures passed quickly and unanimously. The supplemental budget will allow the city to continue operating in light of increased expenses after the departure of Juliet Hyams as city manager in July. The check signing approval allows grant money to be disbursed downtown businesses that have already completed qualifying improvements. The council also heard an update from Ken Shonkwiler from ODOT about progress on improvements to Highway 101 through Garibaldi. Shonkwiler told the council that the project has completed the design acceptance phase and ODOT hopes to break ground in early 2024. The project is expected to take two years and will lead to major traffic disruptions in Garibaldi. The project will have a total budget of over $12.5 million. Most of that money will be coming from ODOT funding, with Garibaldi only contributing $157,000 to the entire project. Shonkwiler will be hosting a meeting on November 18, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Old Mill Event Center to offer further information to business and property owners who will be impacted by the project. Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia.net.
Oregon Mayors ask for money to deal with homelessness A
Will Chappell Headlight Reporter
task force formed by the Oregon Mayor’s Association to address the homelessness crisis in the state has asked the state legislature to allocate more than $120 million in direct, annual funding for cities to address the issue. In a briefing on Monday, mayors from the task force explained that the money would be put to use most effectively by localities that to have
n See MAYORS, Page A2