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Re:current, local shop for vintage finds Page 3

Tillamook County Wellness Page 8

Headlight Herald

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020

TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM

VOL. 133, NO. 28 • $1.00

Bay City terminates recorder at public hearing EXCLUSIVE

ORIGINAL

The entrance to Bay City. Photo by Hilary Dorsey

B

Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer

ay City Council dismissed city employee Dave Peterson from his role as city recorder and treasurer in a public meeting Thursday, July 16. Council President Kathy Baker said the performance review

was filled out and documented by prior City Manager Chance Steffey. Steffey had requested a meeting with Peterson prior to his departure from the city. “Dave did not want to meet with him, or anyone else at the time, so it was passed for council to review the performance review and have discussion,” Baker said. “Based on the performance review, and the sum-

mary, the performance rating is a 2.2 so we are continuing the discussion and will give Peterson an opportunity to rebut.” Peterson read his statement into the record. For 30 years, Peterson has worked in county and financial-related jobs. “I’ve never been the subject of a disciplinary action or investigation,” Peterson said. “My record speaks for itself.”

He is a world traveler and has held many jobs. He is an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He is proud to be a CPA and takes his ethics and profession seriously. Peterson began his position in Bay City on Feb. 18. When working on the budget, he had several concerns regarding the budget structure. Peterson said time is needed to understand deadlines, workloads and demands of the job. The demands of the job intensified due to COVID-19. “I managed to prepare a budget while meeting the demands of the job,” Peterson said. This included monthly payroll for volunteer firefighters, a semi-monthly payroll for city employees, and more. “Steffey never addressed any concerns with me he may have had with the proposed budget,” Peterson said. “Instead, he left me out of the loop.” Peterson said McCall had heard the bills were not being paid. Peterson had not heard from any vendors about not getting paid. After his statement, McCall said the purpose of the meeting was for Peterson to provide information about why he did not do the requirements of the job. He has not addressed why the bills have not been paid. There is a probationary period of six months after hiring. The

employee has no right to fight termination of employment. “We went above and beyond to provide you the opportunity to explain why you could not perform the duties assigned to you, which you were contracted with,” McCall said. Baker said nobody is more disappointed than her that Peterson was not able to perform his duties as he stated and presented himself when the job interview process was being held, which she sat on. “I am profoundly disappointed in the fact that he presented himself in such a different light and his capabilities in learning new tasks and accomplishing great strides in his profession,” Baker said. Baker said when it came to the city, there was insubordination and disrespectful behavior from Peterson. Peterson said he does not waive his right to confidentiality on his performance review and would not address any items in the review. Peterson said he had been hoping for a tight-knit community but received a political situation instead. Peterson did not have a witness to speak on his behalf. The council agreed unanimously to terminate his employment. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net

Night skies Tony Merritt captured this photo of the Nowise Comet seen from the Oceanside beach. Comet NEOWISE is a retrograde comet with a nearparabolic orbit discovered on March 27, 2020, by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission of the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope. By July 2020, it was bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. It is one of the brightest comets in the northern hemisphere since Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997 and was widely observed as being clearly visible with the naked eye. It has been considered by Seiichi Yoshida and Farmer’s Almanac as a possible great comet, and NASA noted that it could become known as a great comet.[7] However, this distinction is usually reserved for comets that are easily observable with the naked eye, even with low to moderate light pollution.

(Inset) Fifteen-year-old Zeyon Hurliman took this picture of the NEOWISE Comet Tuesday, July 14.

School districts explore options for upcoming school year S

Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer

chool districts in Tillamook County prepare for the upcoming school year, relying on ever-changing guidance. Ready Schools, Safe Learners, developed under the direction of Gov.

INDEX Classified Ads........................9-14 Crossword Puzzle..................... 10 Fenceposts..............................5-7 Letters......................................4-5 Obituaries................................... 6 Opinions............................... A4-7 Wellness..................................... 8

Kate Brown, and in collaboration with Oregon Health Authority, provides a framework for schools for the 2020-2021 school year that ensures the health and safety of students, staff and families. The guidance allows schools to implement three instructional models: onsite, distance learning or a hybrid of the two. “Everything is ever-changing,” Tillamook School District Superintendent Curt Shelley said. As of now, there is currently an option for students K-grade 6 in the Tillamook School District to return to school every day Monday through Friday. For middle and high schools, students would be on an AB schedule, meaning the students would be split into two groups. The two groups would go to school on different days. One week, a group would attend school two days a week, and the next week would attend

three days a week. The junior and high school do not have the capacity for all students to attend school at the same time, Shelley said. For the AB schedule, class sizes are cut in half. For the first three hours of the school day, one group will be in the same classroom for homeroom, math, language arts and then swap. Students would be seeing their homeroom teacher every day but in a different capacity. “This is a moving target at this time,” Shelley said. The virus will have an impact on what happens with the upcoming school year, Shelley added. The number one goal of the school district is safety; to keep students safe both at school and at home. The school district is also interviewing candidates for a virtual instruction coordinator. This would provide an online option

for families who are not comfortable with their kids coming back to school in the fall. For grades K-8, there will be cold lunches served in the classroom. The district is still planning out the details for lunch for grades 9-12. Shelley said the district will also keep kids in cohorts on the school buses. The buses will deliver to the same addresses each time and students will be in assigned seats so those students could be contact traced if need be. Shelley appreciates the parents’ willingness with being flexible and educating their kids. He hopes the community will give grace to the school district. School district staff worked hard to provide access to students and offer opportunities during distance learning. Neah-Kah-Nie School District Superintendent Paul Erlebach said

since Oregon is forecasted to have exponential growth in infections in the near future, whatever reentry plan the school district must be in coordination with Tillamook County Health Department and will be a flexible model, presumably a hybrid model including onsite learning and comprehensive distance learning. “The priorities for the school district are to create a safe environment for students and staff, address the social emotional needs of students, and meet students’ academic goals,” Erlebach said. Neah-Kah-Nie School District, and Neah-Kah-Nie High School, Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School, Nehalem Elementary, Garibaldi Grade School, and Neah-Kah-Nie Preschool, will develop reentry plans for 2020-2021, following

n See SCHOOL, Page 2


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