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Tillamook Co
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Aug. 9-12, 20
2023 TILLAMOOK COUNTY FAIR PULL-OUT PROGRAM INSIDE
MOONLIGHT MADNESS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS PAGE A2
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2023
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VOL. 135, NO. 31 • $1.50
Bonamici visits Port of Garibaldi
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Port of Garibaldi Manager Mike Saindon inspect the failing seawall upon which much of the port is built.
WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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ongresswoman Suzanne Bonamici visited the port of Garibaldi on July 24, meeting with Port Manager Mike Saindon, two port commissioners and port tenants. Saindon and Commissioners Val Folkema and Bob Browning shared information about the port’s operations and hurdles to its continued development with Bonamici and gave her a brief tour of the port’s facilities. The meeting and tour marked Bonamici’s first visit to the Port of Garibaldi after Tillamook County was added to the congresswoman’s district in the most recent redistricting cycle. Bonamici, who cochairs the Oceans
Caucus, said that she had been happy to have Tillamook County added to her district and looked forward to working with the port. Saindon began the visit by briefing Bonamici in the port’s office. He said that the most important concern for the port is the completion of rehabilitation work on the south jetty at the entrance to Tillamook Bay. Saindon said that the unique water flow patterns in the Pacific Ocean off the northwestern coast led to a need for jetties at harbor entrances that was not present elsewhere in the United States. Tillamook Bay’s north jetty was constructed in 1914, while the south jetty’s construction was delayed by a lack of local matching funding
until 1969, with completion coming in 1979. It is important for the jetties to be of the same length, Saindon said, to create a self-scouring effect in the channel created between the two and prevent sediment from building up at the entrance. Currently, the south jetty is failing and the last 300 feet are underwater, reducing the effect and increasing the hazard of navigating the channel. Congress appropriated $62 million for work on the south jetty in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2022 to match repairs completed on the north jetty in 2010. However, bureaucratic issues at the Army Corps of Engineers have delayed the project’s expected start date from this summer to 2024.
The navigational issues currently being created by the jetty’s disrepair are leading fishermen hailing from other ports with full boats not to enter Tillamook Bay, opting instead to transport their catch to Astoria or Newport, according to Saindon. He said that this was costing the port potential revenue and even made access challenging for the local fleet at times. Bonamici said that she appreciated the importance of the issue and the information that Saindon shared with her and that she would help in whatever way she could. Saindon then detailed other infrastructure needs at the port, saying that he had a list of between $25 and $30 million in needed work. Most pressing among these is repairing the port’s
aging seawall foundation, which has forced half of the port’s commercial facilities to close due to noncompliance with seismic codes. Saindon said that the port would also like to build an additional seawall at the entrance to the Miami River to direct sediment away from the port and into the channel to the ocean. Securing grant funding for these projects is challenging for the Port of Garibaldi, which competes with larger, fully commercial ports, according to Saindon. Saindon said that while other ports might have larger volumes, the family-wage jobs that the Port of Garibaldi provides are critical to the community. He also noted that Garibaldi’s fleet had a younger average age than most.
Bonamici said that she understood the port’s importance and the need to focus on all types of infrastructure development and that she and her staff would work to support the port on those projects. Saindon then took Bonamici on a tour of the port’s facilities, with the first stop coming at Oregon Seaweed’s grow tanks. There, Oregon Seaweed President and COO Jason Busch showed the congresswoman the red seaweed that his company produces at the port. Oregon Seaweed began operations in Bandon seven years ago, recently expanding to Garibaldi, and according to Busch, they are the largest land-based SEE BONAMICI PAGE A3
Cell coverage coming to Highway 6 WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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ork is progressing on bringing cellular service to Highway 6 between Banks and Tillamook, with Astound Broadband laying the fiber optic cable that will bring data while Verizon designs its plan for towers to serve the corridor. Astound plans to finish laying the cable in the first quarter of next year, while an official from Verizon said that it would be two to three years before their service is up and running. “I’m just really excited that we’re able to move forward and start this process,” said
Alex Max Leupp from Verizon. “As long as it’s going to take, it will be worth it.” The cable that will facilitate cell coverage is being installed by Astound, which is serving as the terrestrial fiber backhaul provider for the transpacific cable originating in Asia. Amazon World Services is the largest customer for Astound but will still use less than 10% of the new cable’s capacity. The transpacific cable landed on the beach in Pacific City last year, joining at least four other transpacific cables, two of which are operated by Astound. Astound’s previous two cables, like the forthcoming one, stretch from the transpacific landing sites to Portland, with one traversing the Salmonberry Pass and another taking a southern route through Grand Ronde before turning north through Albany. According to Mat-
thew Updenkelder from Astound, the company is working with other companies and governments in addition to Verizon to maximize the cable’s impact along its route. Past cables have been designed and installed without consideration for the needs of local communities past and through which it is passing, but that is not the case with the cable currently being laid. “This is much more a collaborative effort versus kind of engineering and designing in a box and then going out and building and not telling anybody,” Updenkelder said. “AWS in particular has done a very good job of engaging the community and engaging other folks and allowing us to reach out to other folks about access to the backhaul cable.” Astound has been in contact with the state of Oregon, Tillamook People’s Utility District, Tillamook Lightwave and the Oregon Department of
Transportation and is working to increase internet access for underserved communities along the route. Tillamook Lightwave will own a percentage of the cable’s fibers in exchange for granting the right of ways for its route. Work on laying the backhaul cable began last year in south county, progressing north along Highway 101. This summer, multiple crews have been working on various sections of cable at different locations on Highway 6, with Updenkelder estimating that work was complete through milepost eight or nine with other portions in progress elsewhere. Astound is working with Verizon to determine the location of the strategic tie points for their towers, which must be installed as the cable is laid. Updenkelder said that the cable will be operational by quarter one of 2024 and that connecting Verizon’s towers
at the predetermined tie points will not disrupt service for other users. Once the cable is laid and data is available, the focus will shift to Verizon tackling the logistical challenges of siting, building and powering cell towers in the imposing coastal range forest. The project has been funded internally and Verizon is currently working on designing its coverage strategy for the corridor. Leupp said that a decision on the number and location of towers has not been reached, but that a mix of macro towers and small cells would be needed to address the challenging topography. In the past, officials from Tillamook County have estimated that covering the 39-mile, unserved stretch of road would take six or seven towers. Leupp said the project represents the company’s commitment to adding service for high traffic and high crash
areas and addressing digital equity issues. “We look at the digital divide and digital equity issues as: This is not a rural problem, it’s not an urban problem, it’s an American problem. We have to deal with this wherever it is,” Leupp said. Verizon plans to offer 5G service for its customers on the route and the macro towers are capable of supporting colocation of services for other carriers. Service will function for emergency calls, regardless carrier, finally allowing drivers to contact emergency services on the sometimes-treacherous road. Astound is also working with the Oregon Department of Transportation on plans to add a trip check camera at the summit of Highway 6, to allow drivers to check conditions in real time.