|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEPOE BAY — A $2.9 million grant to repair three dilapidated public docks isn’t nearly enough to do the job, city officials learned this week as a planned October construction date dissolved.
Moreover, a key government agency has declined to sign-off on the project, citing environmental concerns. Those roadblocks were revealed Tuesday, Sept. 20, at a joint meeting of harbor commissioners and city councilors who struggled to figure a way around the obstacles.
The boat docks have become so dangerous that Mayor Kathy Short once declared she couldn’t sleep at night over worries that someone might be hurt. So the harbor community rejoiced last year when Depoe Bay received $2.9 million to rebuild them with funds from the federal American Rescue Act. State Rep. Dave Gomberg and State Senator Dick Anderson were key figures in directing the money to Depoe Bay.
Councilor Jerome Grant sparked a round of handwringing when he suggested scaling back the scope of work to repair just one or two of the docks pitted by corrosion and decades of wear.
“I hope it works out and we end up constructing the whole thing, but realistically, it’s not there,” Grant asserted. “We’re a million short.”
A federal agency, the National Marine Fisheries Service, has also declined to approve the project over concerns about the up-sized dock design. To mitigate the effects of on marine life, the city would have to shrink the project by 3,750 sf or remove a nearby check dam that slows accumulation of silt in the harbor. In 2021, a dredging company removed 2,000 cubic yards of silt behind the dam.
“Three porous docks are replacing three non-porous docks that have been there for 50 years and that should be enough, but NMFS doesn’t like it that way,” fumed Harbor Commissioner Jack O’Brien.
Some officials remained hopeful a solution can be found. There was agreement to contact the state’s Congressional leaders to eliminate the impasse with the federal agency. Councilor Fran Recht asserted the city could trade the environmental requirements by working on regional wetlands or paying for dike removal along the Siletz River. Harbor commissioner Liz Martin claimed the USDA was awash in money and could close the funding gap with another grant.
“We know we have challenges but we’re not ready to build just one or two,” countered Liz Martin of the harbor commission. “If we have more positive input, more will happen. “I’m not letting go until we get more funding.”
Instead of starting construction next month, the group will meet again Oct. 4 to sort out the predicament.
DEPOE BAY — A miniscule profit for selling thousands of dollars of fuel to boaters caught the eye of a city councilor during a routine motion to approve the monthly finances Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Councilor Claudia Crum, who earlier supported high-tech meters to track unexplained activity at the municipal fuel dock, questioned how the city paid $121,000 for gas and diesel, then brought in just $122,000 in sales receipts. “The actual profit is only $1,200?” she wondered at the slim net and reasons given. “So we can find out at the next meeting?”
“We’re looking into all that,” said Mayor Short, seeking to calm Crum’s concerns. “We’re watching expenses very carefully, following the budget to the letter here. We’re not in any financial straits.”
Fuel prices are a sore point between boat operators and City Hall, which closed a $300,000 shortfall in the harbor’s current $1 million annual budget with transfers from the urban renewal and overnight room-tax funds. Even with the highest marine fuel prices at the coast, a 2020 study of harbor fuel prices found the city barely broke even on “hard” costs and personnel.
“The public push-back was immense, mostly from the charter boat owners to whom most of the fuel is sold…” wrote Grant of the city’s $1.34-per-gal. mark-up.
The report concluded the city should turn the operation over to a private operator, such as Carson Oil, or to the charter fleet to be operated as a “co-op.”
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This article has been updated with comment from Councilor Sydney Kasner who reached out to us.
At the upcoming Lincoln City City Council meeting a proposal from the planning department to reduce the number of planning commissioners from seven to five will be discussed and possibly voted on.
According to the posted agenda for Sept. 26:
Background: Planning staff has requested that the number of Planning Commissioners be reduced to five in order to facilitate having a quorum for the conduct of city business. There appears to be no requirement in state law to maintain seven members. The change would go into effect in January 2023.
City council has had no shortage of applicants for planning commission vacancies yet seemed, at times, reluctant to fill them. There are currently no vacancies on the commission. Calls to council members, city manager and mayor for insight into the issue were not immediately answered, with the exception of Councilors Riley Hoagland and Sydney Kasner.
“I’m really waiting for staff to present their thoughts as to what is wrong with having seven commissioners.” Hoagland said.
“This information is new to me as well,” Kasner said. “although it sounds like the change has been recommended to make it easier to obtain a quorum.”
Planning director Anne Marie Skinner stated:
“We’ve had to cancel some meetings because we couldn’t raise a quorum and I thought it would make things much simpler.”
At this point there has been no public discussion or input from the planning commissioners on the matter.
According to the city’s website:
The Lincoln City Planning Commission is a seven-member citizen advisory body appointed by the City Council. Planning Commissioners are registered voters and generally live inside the city limits; however, up to two members may live outside the city limits but inside the urban growth boundary. No more than two members may have the same occupation. Commissioners serve for 4-year terms.
If the ordinance change passes it will go into effect January of 2023.
In the early morning mist on the Siletz river dozens of small fishing boats glide quietly past each other. The boat’s passengers seek the prize of all fishermen; salmon. And they are finding them. Trolling slowly, dangling shiny flashers and succulent shrimp or deceptive lures, the anglers hope to strike silver and bring home not only dinner but bragging rights.
Summer steelhead fishing has slowed down with the low water conditions but there are still fish holding throughout the system, especially in the upper river sections of the gorge. Summer steelhead will be around to be caught throughout September and October. The peak for summer steelhead is typically June-August.
Fall Chinook fishing has picked up on the Siletz estuary and there are some nice fish being caught every day. Fishing will continue to improve through September as more fish move into the system on each tide.
Wild coho retention is allowed on the Siletz River from Sept. 15 – Oct. 15. The daily bag limit is one adult wild coho per day and one for the season. This is another “one and done” season for wild coho. Meaning you can only keep one adult wild Coho from the Siletz River for the entire 2022 season.
Cutthroat trout are also abundant and available throughout the Siletz basin, check the regulations for open areas and bag limits. Trout fishing in streams closes on Oct. 31.
Many boats are landing limits while some also indulge in crab fishing by placing their pots nearer the bay and returning to retrieve their crustation booty later in the day.
For more information about fishing in Oregon go to:
https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report
All eligible candidates for this year’s election have filled out their required forms and gathered needed signatures to appear on the November 2022 ballot for Lincoln City’s upcoming mayoral and city council races.
Open positions include mayor, one seat in Ward 1, one seat in Ward 2 and one seat in Ward 3.
Vying for mayor will be incumbent Susan Wahlke and Ward 2 councilor Riley Hoagland.
Ward 1 shows Mitch Parsons once again running unopposed.
Ward 2 will have Incumbent Sydney Kasner running against Carolyn Nguyen.
Ward 3 pits Incumbent Rick Mark against Mellissa Sumner.
County commissioner position one offers Carter McEntee facing Casey L Miller.
Also up for voter’s consideration is ballot measure 21-213, a request from the Devils Lake Water Improvement District for five years of funding for its continuing fight against invasive weeds in Devils lake.
City of Lincoln City’s sponsored ballot measure 21-215 seeks to amend the City Charter To Increase Lodging Tax From 9.5% To 12%.
Election day is November 8, 2022.
A new Domino’s Pizza location will soon serve Lincoln City’s pizza-eating population with an expansion of the longstanding national franchise.
Franchise owners are expanding into Lincoln City after running successful locations in Astoria, Warrenton and Newport.
“We are very excited to be coming to Lincoln city,” Newport Domino’s General Manager Deirdra Stuart said in a telephone interview. “Getting to be involved in the community is going to be wonderful.”
The new Domino’s is under construction at 3691 NE Highway 101 in what was once Coast Property & Investment and is directly across the highway from Nyla’s Cup of Jo. Workers said they were making great progress and have had no major setbacks.
With the opening recently of O’Reilly Auto parts and Domino’s new offering, it appears corporate confidence in Lincoln City is on the rise, however, staffing issues still persist for business owners and Domino’s will likely face the same problems.
“Staffing is an issue but we do our best,” Stuart said. “We have a ton of room for promotions and our franchisee one hundred percent takes care of employees.”
Stuart said they are working on staffing in Lincoln City right now and also spoke of the “company’s flexible upward mobility.”
“I started out as a driver and now I manage my own store,” she said. “There are other stories too, like in Portland where someone who started out as a customer service rep now owns two stores — and she’s not even 30-years-old.”
Domino’s Pizza has been around since 1960 and is led by CEO Russell Weiner. As of 2018, Domino’s had 15,000 stores across the globe with 5,649 in the United States, 1,500 in India and 1,249 in the United Kingdom. The company has stores in over 83 countries.
A grand opening date has not been set as construction continues, but Stuart said it would definitely be open by end of the year and she alluded to an earlier opening if things went right.
The 2022 Get Ready Lincoln County emergency preparedness event was a wealth of information for those seeking how to prepare and plan for disaster.
A “big turnout” showed up at North Lincoln Fire & Rescue’s St. Claire Station in Taft, where goodie bags were handed out and event goers loaded up on handy survival items, first aid kits, candy, stickers, lanyards and other “swag,” while asking questions and checking out the latest emergency preparedness plans, gear and personnel. The raffle and scavenger hunt added a community vibe to the event.
Lincoln County Emergency Management head Jenny Demaris spoke about different kinds of disasters and how the county is prepared to handle them. She touched on how agencies are working seamlessly together to disseminate information and make sure the “whole community” is informed on what to do and what to have on hand in the event of a wind storm, wildfire, Cascadia Subduction Zone event or other disaster.
Demaris has led Emergency management for 11 years and has seen programs and events grow and evolve over the years. Those who work closely with Demaris speak highly of her and attest to her capabilities as the emergency manager.
Multiple CERT volunteers staffed learning kiosks as well as businesses and organizations who have a big impact on what happens during a crisis, such as Pacific Power, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Department of Forestry, City of Lincoln City and Lincoln County School District.
LCSD’s Sue Graves was there showing off the districts safety drills, disaster caches and how kids would be kept safe if the worst happened. Graves was instrumental in putting together a manual laying out how to set up shelters, restrooms, and how to dole out food and water from the caches. She also was proud to announce all LCSD schools have a disaster cache now and they are adding supplies to them all the time.
People attending the event were able to see Oregon House Rep. David Gomberg making the rounds and were treated to fresh-cooked hamburgers compliments of the main sponsor, Northwest Natural Gas.
Lincoln Alerts is the text, email and call system in place to deliver emergency notifications and community information. A computer was set up where people who had not already signed up could do so and begin receiving alerts.
The Confederated Tribe of Siletz Indians, Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, Oregon State University, Lincoln County Animal Shelter, Lincoln County Public Health, Newport Emergency Management and others all had booths up for the public to engage with.
An interesting booth was comprised of volunteer HAM radio operators who make up Lincoln County’s Auxiliary Communications. The group can send emails over radio, which will be highly valuable if other telecommunications infrastructure is not available due to a disaster.
OSU showed their free online training programs and have a plethora of information concerning wildfires.
The event was a great way to meet people in the know about all things preparedness and could help keep loved ones alive should the unthinkable happen.
A man was taken out to sea by a riptide near Chinook Winds Casino Resort around 1:45 p.m. Saturday after being thrown from his kayak in the breakers.
The victim was in the ocean with a kayak when waves knocked him out of the craft. He was not wearing a life vest.
The man was spotted drifting a few hundred yards out to sea by North Lincoln Fire & Rescue personnel. Rescuers relayed his position to a waiting water rescue unit that deployed a jetski that brought the man safely back to shore.
People familiar with the man said he would be okay and that he was a “strong person.” He was transported by ambulance to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital.
A Coast Guard helicopter coming from North Bend was cancelled.
Lincoln City Police also responded.
Don Williams contributed to this report.
Lincoln City Parks and Recreation will receive $750K from Oregon Parks and Recreation to continue development of a new 6.71 acre park in Taft.
The funding will allow the first community park to be built in south Lincoln City’s historic Taft District where the old Taft Elementary School once stood. Features of the new park will include turfed and surfaced multi-sport fields and courts, a large covered outdoor special event area, picnic shelters, restrooms, playground and an accessible walking path around the park.
“We are so excited,” Lincoln City Parks and Recreation Director Jeanne Sprague said. “Thank you to OPRD for understanding the value and need of a new community park in Lincoln City. This new park will offer health, wellness and many other benefits to our residents, visitors, and local economy. This OPRD funding is getting us to our goal of park construction.”
The needed new funding for the park by Oregon Parks and Recreation compliments the existing $1 million in State of Oregon funding State Rep. David Gomberg helped secure with House Bill 5202.
“I’m convinced the new Community Park in LC will become a staple of this community, providing much-needed recreational space, opportunities for our kids, and new business opportunities for the Central Coast,” Gomberg said. “This is a visionary use of the space and we’ll see the results for decades to come.”
“The voices in our community have asked to have this park built, we’re listening and we’re moving towards the goal line,” Sprague said. “The building of this community park in Taft is needed, public sports fields, sports courts and special event areas are needed, all of which will support our local economy.”
Lincoln City bought the land from Lincoln County School District for $422K in December 2020, having been in talks since 2008. Lincoln City Urban Renewal Agency built a 61-space parking lot in anticipation of the new park.
Phased steps in preparation of the final design will see Lincoln City parks and Rec working with Public Works to complete land surveys and the final demolition of the decommissioned Taft school maintenance shop. Landscape designs are slated to start this winter and the public will have a chance to have a say in park amenities.
Construction is planned to begin late 2023/early 2024.
These park funds come from a voter approved, State lottery funded grant program administrated by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Typically, the program awards over $5 million annually to qualified projects, and has awarded over $60 million in grant funding since the program began in 1999. This year, OPRD allocated $25.2 million in grant funds for 24 proposals from cities, counties and parks districts from across Oregon. Lincoln City’s project ranked 13th of the 47 applications.