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Man dies in Coos Bay home fire The World

On January 24, at roughly 5:55p p.m. North Coos 911 Center began receiving calls for a structure fire at 610 Shorepines Place. The first fire engine from the Coos Bay Fire Department arrived shortly after

being dispatched to find a doublewide manufactured home with significant fire involvement. Neighbors stated that they believed that the occupant may still be in the house. Immediate efforts were made to extinguish the fire

and search the residence for any victims. As additional resources arrived, their personnel were assigned to supporting the search and extinguishment efforts. Unfortunately, after the fire was brought under control, the lone occupant of the

residence, 84-year-old David Bryan, was found deceased underneath fire debris. After this discovery, efforts were shifted to investigation. Representatives from Coos Bay Fire Department made the mandatory notifications to the Oregon State Fire

Marshal’s Office and then collaborated with Coos Bay Police Department and the County Medical Examiner’s Office for the on-scene investigation. The overall incident investigation is ongoing, but the cause of the fire is believed

to be accidental and related to the failure of an appliance. The structure is considered a complete loss and was estimated to have a $75,000 value. Additionally, Coos Bay Fire Department was assisted on scene by Bay Cities Ambulance and Pacific Power.

North Bend to end law enforcement IGA with airport

By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World

The North Bend City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to end an intergovernmental agreement with the Coos County Airport District that guarantees North Bend police will respond to all calls within 15 minutes. The vote came after a lengthy discussion about the airport and the role North Bend emergency services should and must play in it. The council decision gives the airport district 90 days to find another law enforcement agency that will respond in 15 minutes of that time to negotiate a deal with North Bend. The airport in North Bend opened in 1932 as a military airport and was transferred to the city of North Bend in 1947. From 1947 to 2003, the city of North Bend owned and managed the airport. Throughout that time, the airport consistently lost money, which led to the formation of the Coos County Airport District in 2002. In 2003, North Bend transferred ownership of the airport and 15 acres around it to the district. Included in the 15 acres was the North Bend Senior Center, Airport Heights Park and the North Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant. The city purchased the wastewater plant back, and the senior center operates on a 15-year lease with the district. The airport district has its own property taxes, and receives around $1.4 million a year in tax revenue. As a government agency, it pays no taxes to North Bend or any other agency.

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The Coos County Airport District will have to find a new law enforcement agency to guarantee 15-minute service after the city of North Bend opted to end an IGA that has been in force since 2013. When the airport district took over, an IGA was created where North Bend would provide police and security services for every flight, and the district paid back just over half of the city’s expenses for doing so. At the time, North Bend was receiving $426,000 every five years. North Bend also provided fire protection when needed and was paid for the service. In late 2012, the airport district canceled the IGA with North Bend, but within six weeks of the IGA being canceled, then City Administrator Terrence O’Connor signed a new IGA guaranteeing police

response within 15 minutes. That IGA was not reviewed or approved by the city council. Since 2013, the two governmental agencies have worked under that IGA, where North Bend has guaranteed a 15-minute response to all emergency calls, and the airport district has not paid for services. Last year, a split between the two agencies showed up, highlighted by a training exercise where a false emergency was called in. City Administrator David Milliron told the council things heated up in 2022 when Police Chief Gary McCullough told the airport district he could not guarantee a 15-minute

response. Due to low staffing, all calls, including airport calls, had to be on the basis of the emergency. In June 2022, Milliron said he learned the airport district was reaching out to other law enforcement agencies, including the Coos Bay police and Oregon State Police, about guaranteeing a 15-minute response. “There were several attempts to meet with the airport district,” Milliron said. “For conflicting reasons, we didn’t have that meeting.” In July 2022, Milliron sent a letter to the airport district, voicing several concerns. Those included the emergency training where

neither dispatch nor the responding officers knew the call was not real. “We chose as a city and a governing body not to air things publicly,” Milliron said. “We hoped to work things out. We knew the senior center and the park were important to this governing body.” In August 2022, Milliron said the city was shocked when Airport District Executive Director Theresa Cook released a report implying if North Bend ended the IGA, the airport would be forced to close. Cook based her report on a TSA rule that requires a law enforcement Please see AIRPORT Page A2

North Bend to host homeless town halls Council looking for help in drafting camping ordinance By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World

With a state deadline approaching, the North Bend City Council is asking the community help it draft a camping ordinance that will provide the time, manner and place the homeless can camp in the city. North Bend attempted to create a camping ordinance previously, but every draft led to an outcry from nearby residents, so the city stopped the effort while hoping for more guidance from the state. With state law mandating city’s either have an ordinance in place by June or allow camping anywhere in the city, the council is planning to host at least two public town halls to get feedback from the community. City Administrator David Milliron told the council what it can do it limited, and part of the town hall process will be to educate city residents on what role local government can play in the homelessness

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A homeless camp is seen near Coos Bay. Homelessness, camping and how to find answers will be discussed at two town halls in North Bend. crisis. “We have to get the public to understand you as a council cannot change homelessness in North Bend, let alone in front of your house,” Milliron said. “This is state law and federal law. So we want to be able to have town halls, we want

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to be able to educate the public. We know there will be a lot of venting there, but at the end of the day, the goal is to educate, educate, educate, and get folks engaged in a solution.” During the council work session when the town halls were Police Blotter

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discussed, Mayor Jessica Engelke read a letter into the record, where a resident asked the council to focus on ending homelessness at every meeting until the problem is solved. “This here makes it sound like the seven of you can solve homelessness in North Bend,” Milliron A5

said. “That’s just not the case. What we can do in line with federal law and state law, and that’s out time, manner and place. So, we have to come up with an ordinance that is supported by the majority of the Please see HOMELESS Page A2

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