MOOKS
MOTHER’S DAY RAFFLE
OUTLAST Y.C.
WIN $350 IN PRIZES FOR MOM, PAGE A3
TILLAMOOK WINS IN EXTRA INNINGS, PAGE A11
Headlight Herald
TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM • MAY 2, 2012
Bi-Mart backs out BY ERIN DIETRICH edietrich@countrymedia.net TILLAMOOK – A proposed Bi-Mart development won’t be coming to Tillamook. City Manager Paul Wyntergreen announced on May 1 that the developer pulled back on its purchase contract. The store was planned as the anchor in a shopping complex to be built east of town, between Third Street and Highway 6. “Bi-mart itself is faced with sluggish retail sales, and had some investment problems down in the Brookings area,” Wyntergreen said. “They are not looking at a new building at this time.” Two other major retailers who have submitted proposals to locate in Tillamook still plan to move forward, he said, but not at the Third Street location. Goodwill has developed its own proposal for a location on Hwy. 101 north, next to the Ashley Inn. That proposal will be heard by the Planning Commission May 17. Grocery Outlet is still interested in developing a location Tillamook, Wyntergreen said, but does not have a site at this time.
LONGEST RUNNING BUSINESS IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY • SINCE 1888
Skydiver falls to his death Chute fails to open after jump from ‘paramotor’ near Tillamook Airport
IMAGE COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
Matt Gold during a previous jump.
BY ERIN DIETRICH edietrich@countrymedia.net The Tillamook County Search and Rescue Team combed the grounds near the Tillamook Airport Monday afternoon, searching for clues after an experienced skydiver was killed April 28 at the Tillamook Airport. Matt A. Gold, 34, from Salt Lake City, Utah, was killed immediately when his parachute didn’t deploy in time for him to safely land.
Tillamook County Sheriff Andy Long said it is believed that Gold and pilot Justin Boer of Warren, were flying in a lightweight powered paraglider aircraft known as a paramotor. The pair took off from the Tillamook Airport. They were flying at a height of between 1,500 and 1,700 feet at the time Gold jumped from the craft. At about 5 p.m. Saturday, the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office,
DANGEROUS CURVES
INDEX Classified Ads .........................B5 Crossword Puzzle....................B2 Dining Guide ...........................B3 Fenceposts ..............................B3 Letters .....................................A4 Obituaries................................A6 Opinions..................................A4 Sports....................................A11 Tides .....................................A13
ODOT’s Oregon Coast Bike Route Map says this stretch of Hwy. 101 south of Wheeler has a shoulder width “three feet or greater.”
Cycling along Hwy. 101 not as easy as the brochures say
WEATHER APRIL 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 MAY 1
HIGH 56 55 53 53 56 55 53 51
STATS LOW 50 48 44 43 47 48 44 44
RAINFALL .01 .83 .32 .32 .00 .51 .24 --
BY ANTHONY RIMEL arimel@countrymedia.net he coming of nicer weather on the Oregon coast means an increasing number of bicyclists will be hitting the road – many of them in high traffic areas on Highway 101. The death of a bicyclist on Highway 101 north of Garibaldi less than a year ago attests that Highway 101 can be deadly dangerous for bicyclists. John Ramer, a cyclist who lives in Garibaldi, said the stretches of Highway 101 in Tillamook County are not safe. “As a cyclist, it’s not very safe,” he said. “The shoulders are, for the most part, absolutely horrid on your bicycle tires… having to stop and change a flat on the side of the highway is about as hazardous as you can get.” Ramer said he often will ride with guided groups this time of year along Highway 101. “Most every guide that I’ve talked with that goes with these paid groups, they say Tillamook County is one of the worst in the state, as far as the entire route goes.” The narrowness of the shoulders, combined with the debris on the shoulder, sometimes force cyclists to ride in traffic.
T
PRECIPITATION 2.23 PAST WEEK: MONTH TO DATE: 7.42 APRIL NORMALS HIGH: 58 LOW: 40 TOTAL PRECIPITATION: 7.07 WEATHER COURTESY OF WEATHER UNDERGROUND
1908 2nd St. 503-842-7535 www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Vol. 124, No. 17 75 cents
(Above) John Ramer is an avid cyclist who says the roads in Tillamook County can be dangerous. (Left) the Oregon Coast Bike Route Map lists much of Hwy. 101 as having wide shoulders in Tillamook County.
See CURVES, Page A8
Tillamook Fire Dept. and Tillamook County Ambulance responded to the accident. At this time, it remains unknown if the chute failed to open due to operator error or equipment failure, according to the Sheriff's Office. Gold was in the area to participate in the annual Oceanside Open FlyIn, an annual gathering of paragliders that convenes in Oceanside.
See SKYDIVER, Page A9
Rails, trails & money BY ERIN DIETRICH edietrich@countrymedia.net A sense of excitement continues to build after a group of local and state representatives met to discuss the next steps in converting a portion of Tillamook’s abandoned rail line into a cycling and pedestrian trail. The proposed route would travel 82 miles across the Coast Range, connecting Banks to Tillamook along the railroad right-of-way. An initial steering committee made up of representatives from the Port of Tillamook Bay, Tillamook County Commission, Cycle Oregon, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Office met at the Tillamook Forest Center on April 23. During the meeting, a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding was passed out to the 16 people present. The MOU commits $200,000 in funding for the project, broken down to $50,000 each from the Board of Forestry and Parks Commission and $100,000 from Cycle Oregon, for a feasibility study and other plans for further advancement of the project. The MOU also commits the Port, which owns the right-of-way to the rail line in Tillamook County, to provide technical information, but no financial commitment, to the project. “The Port does not want to operate and maintain a trail, but we’d love to lease the land to someone who will,” said Port Manager Michele Bradley. “We don’t have the funds to do that.” During the April 23 meeting, attendees also reviewed what Commissioner Mark Labhart described as a “fly by,” going over the entire route on Google Earth, a virtual map of composed of satellite images and aerial photography.
See RAILS, Page A8
Playground open house BY ERIN DIETRICH edietrich@countrymedia.net TILLAMOOK – Although the new playground equipment has been in place since January, city officials waited for warmer weather to hold grand opening events at Goodspeed Park. Children gathered in the park April 28 to help Mayor Suzanne Weber cut a ribbon stretched across the brightly painted monkey bars. After the ceremony, the children lined up for free ice cream. A tree was also planted nearby to mark the occasion. The new equipment was installed at Goodspeed Park on Third Street after a three-year absence.
Weber said the new playground equipment adds to the livability of the community. “It gives our kids someplace to go, enjoy themselves, be free to be child,” she said. “And for parents, it’s a place for their kids to go, knowing they’ll be safe and entertained.” The city and the urban renewal agency paid about $22,000 toward the cost of the equipment. The remaining $4,000 needed was provided by a generous donor, Bob Riggert. City Manager Paul Wyntergreen said public demand prompted the city to install the new equipment after the park’s old playground equipment was removed because it was dangerously deteriorated.
ERIN DIETRICH/HEADLIGHT HERALD
Tillamook City Counselor Doug Henson passes out ice cream in Goodspeed Park April 28 to Kaitlyn Gitchell (center), 9, Ashlyn Gitchell, 8, and Malachi Thorne, 9, all of Tillamook.
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