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Headlight Herald Fall 2020
Citizen North Coast
A Special Publication of
Headlight Herald
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020
VOL. 133, NO. 35 • $1.50
TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM
LUBA upholds Facebook’s cable installation project T
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
he Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) upheld on Thursday, Aug. 20, Tillamook County’s approval of the installation of Edge Cable Holdings, a subsidiary of Facebook, Jupiter Cable System in Tierra Del Mar. Oregon Coast Alliance, composed of community members of Tierra Del Mar, had appealed the board of county commissioners decision approving a conditional use permit and similar use determination for the installation of an under-
ground fiber optic cable system and landing site on residential property. “The community of Tierra Del Mar regrets the Land Use Board of Appeals affirmation of the county’s Jan. 15, 2020 decision,” said Tierra Del Mar citizen Lynnae Ruttledge. “Recognizing that LUBA could only make their decision based on the record, the decision reflects how the project was presented before construction. Now, seven months later and counting, the reality is far different.” LUBA had listened to oral arguments focused on the land
use decision on June 16. Preconstruction began Jan. 29 and HDD drilling activity began March 9. All construction activities stopped on April 30 and will begin again Jan. 1, 2021 during the allowed construction period specified in the conditions of approval. The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) announced on Aug. 13 that they have notified Edge Cable of actions required to comply with the terms of their communications cable easement agreement, after being notified on April 28 of a snapped drill pipe. Approximately 1,100 feet of drill pipe, a drill tip, two tools
for drill steering and tracking, and approximately 6,500 gallons of drilling fluid were left in the ocean. Edge Cable notified DSL of the abandoned equipment on June 17. Edge Cable, within 30 days from Aug. 13, must reach an agreement with the state regarding damages to be paid; propose amendments to the easement agreement to address any current risks and liabilities that may arise from the abandoned equipment; and ensure the removal-fill permit for the project in compliance with local, state and federal laws. “The state is now grappling
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with the reality of Facebook’s drilling failure in April, the abandonment of drilling equipment that is under the seabed and a portion that is under our ocean shore, having to serve a notice of default, having to negotiate an agreement of damages, having to require and then review the results of an independent hazard analysis and having to respond to the concerns of legislators and community members,” Ruttledge said. The residents of Tierra Del Mar are considering their options for an appeal to the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Virus transmission rate will keep classrooms closed Max Kirkendall newsguardeditor@countrymedia.net
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Near the summit on Hwy 6 headed into Tillamook, motorists are cautioned that there is limited beach parking. Photo by Katherine Mace
County leaders discuss tourism, influx of visitors T
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
he Tillamook County Board of Commissioners discussed tourism in Tillamook County during a board meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Tillamook County Sheriff Jim Horton said the county is inundated with visitors. Community partners have discussed several strategies. “Over the last several weeks, we have increased our enforcement efforts, particularly in South County,” Horton said. Tillamook State Forest has had very heavy use, as well as Sandlake Recreation Area, Pacific City and Oceanside. The sheriff’s office has pulled
INDEX Classified Ads......................10-16 Crossword Puzzle..................... 14 Letters......................................4-5 Obituaries................................6-7 Opinions............................... A4-5
detectives to work back on patrol on the weekends. Horton said on a fully staffed day, there are three deputies working in the county and we need to find a way to increase services for the county. “I’m concerned to the point that if there’s a major incident in the county, given the number of people who are here, we would be unable to respond effectively to a major incident,” Horton said. COVID-19 has changed how people recreate. These issues are centered on day use. There are concerns about sanitation and water quality. Oregon Department of Forestry is in the process of counting cars in some of their parking lots. Community partners have agreed there are problems. “We’re working with ODOT to get additional reader boards in strategic locations, putting out information about limited parking and limited services,” Horton said. “We’re doing everything we can, but what it boils down to is we need to increase our public safety presence within the community.” Horton expects a continued busy season. Oregon State Police have been in Portland due to the social unrest. “The primary mission of the Oregon State Police is traffic enforcement on the state highways,” Horton said. Every call for service is channeled to the sheriff’s office right now, increasing the workload. “We have great partnerships with all the municipalities,” Horton said. “We
share resources, we collaborate, they come out of their area to assist us and we respond to their areas to assist them.” Horton said the Tillamook Police Department is down two officers. It is a constant battle trying to keep the departments at full staff. Horton estimates there were 100,000 people in the county last weekend. “What we’re seeing this year is record numbers of visitors in Tillamook County,” Commissioner David Yamamoto said. “I just don’t feel it’s going to get that much better next summer.” Pacific City has always been an issue in Tillamook County, with parking and an overwhelming number of visitors. There was recently an issue in Oceanside as well. People were stopped on the street leading up to the parking area, waiting for a spot to open up. Yamamoto said he would like to start talking to OPRD and other agencies about the county taking over their parking areas. In Pacific City, they hope to hire two additional deputies, by using $10 parking fees. “We need to start this conversation with OPRD and the forest service just to see what kind of agreements we can make,” Yamamoto said. “It’s evident that they – OPRD, Department of Forestry, US Forest Service – they need additional security in all of their areas.” Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net
even months ago, on January 21, Oregon established the Incident Management Team to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) infections in Oregon. Five week’s later the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported Oregon had it’s first case. Since then, Oregon has had over 24,000 cases and over 400 COVID-19 related deaths. Fortunately, new OHA modeling shows that cases in Oregon are leveling off, but not at the rate needed for Oregon to reopen schools for in-person education, Governor Kate Brown announced last week. Gov. Brown held a press conference August 21 with OHA Director Pat Allen and Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state epidemiologist and state health officer, to discuss Oregon’s efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Today, after six months, some say my orders are too restrictive, that the virus isn’t dangerous or even that it’s a hoax,” Gov. Brown said. “Others say I haven’t done enough, that we should shut down the entire economy immediately and start from scratch, regardless of the cost to people’s livelihoods. The truth is, those commenting on the far ends of this debate, well… They are missing the point. This has always been a balancing act.” Gov. Brown said she and her staff worked hard to follow medical data when making decisions about restrictions and so far, they have been successful in flattening the curve, as Oregon has one of the lowest mortality rates in the entire country. However, Gov. Brown said their efforts have not been enough to open schools anytime soon. “Our infection rate is still too high to get all of our kids safely back into our classrooms in most of our schools this fall,” Gov. Brown said. “To keep students, teachers and staff safe in our schools across the state, we need to see a much more rapid decline in case numbers, and we need to see it quickly.” The State is considering two paths to slow the spread to levels where they can safely reopen in-person education. The first option is to call on local communities to step up efforts to greater enforce existing guidelines, such as face covering use, physical distancing, sanitation, contact tracing and compliance with isolation/ quarantine. The second option would be to create further business restrictions, as well as creating travel restrictions for people entering Oregon or returning from trips outside the state. “I believe, and the data indicates, that either one of these strategies will work,” Gov. Brown said. “Either one will drive down the spread of the virus quickly. Either one gives us a fighting chance to open in person instruction in education throughout much of the state later this fall. But one path has a far greater cost than the other.” Gov. Brown stated that closing business can control the virus, but also comes at a great cost as Oregonians would lose jobs, income and create economic costs that may have physical and mental health con-
n See VIRUS, 2