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Housing authority purchases old Bangor School

Dispute between neighbors spills into public By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

Photo by David Rupkalvis/The World

The Old Bangor School in North Bend could be redeveloped into low-income housing after the North Bend Housing Authority purchased the school and the property around it.

By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

The old Bangor School in North Bend could soon be low-income housing after the North Bend Housing Authority purchased the property that incudes the school and the sports fields on Broadway Avenue. The housing authority closed on the property recently, with county

records now showing the land is owned by the housing authority. Marka Turner, the executive director of the North Bend Housing Authority, said the land was purchased with the intent of “exploring housing options.” Exact details are not available at the time, but information shared with the city of North Bend showed the housing authority was working with DCM Communities

LLC out of Portland to develop the land. Up to 175 low-income residences could be built on the property, with much of it rentcapped. DCM Communities has a long history of building low-income housing in the state, often using state or federal tax credits to build housing. Turner said the North Bend Housing Authority board has not

detailed its plans for the property, but plans to release further information as the plans progress. The Bangor School was used by the North Bend School District, until it closed in 2004. It served more than 400 students, most in kindergarten through fourth grade. The land around it has been used by Coos County Youth Sports for years, but the school building itself has been vacant.

Pickleball players donate to Bandon students By BREEANA LAUGHLIN The World

Pickleball is taking the nation by storm – and the sport is alive and thriving in Bandon. USA Pickleball association calls it “fun, social and friendly.” The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but it can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. Bandon pickleball club members have been playing the game together since the club’s inception in 2017. They recently decided to gift pickleball equipment to youth in the community. Pickleball members rallied their resources together to buy and get donations for brand new pickleballs, nets and paddles for students at Harbor Lights Middle School. “The school is really grateful for the generosity of the pickleball club and giving that gift to the

kids,” said Evan Godsiff, Harbor Lights physical education teacher. “The kids are a lot more energized when there is new stuff. Naturally, right? The old equipment was heavy wooden paddles, so this a lot easier for the kids to use. It’s really cool,” Godsiff said. Both Godsiff and Bandon pickleball club co-chair Debbie Mueller said they think the accessibility of the sport is part of what makes it so popular. “It’s a fun thing to do,” Mueller said. “For me personally I started about two and a half years ago. I heard people talk about it and that you don’t have to be super athletic to play,” she said. “Then I watched somebody play and I thought, ‘I could do that.’” The smaller playing court makes it easier to cover the ground and you can use strategy to try and win the game, she said. Harbor Lights Middle School physical education teacher Godsiff

said he enjoys playing pickleball and finds his students doing the same. “Tennis is hard to learn because the ball just goes flying, but with pickle ball everyone can learn and kids have a lot more success at it,” said Godsiff. “Also we are seeing a lot of these community clubs popping up so students have the opportunity to jump in and enjoy pickleball outside of school if they want to, and some kids play it with their families,” he said. “That’s another reason I teach it because I want them to have a lifetime activity if they are into it. “ Community pickleball club member Mueller said the equipment donation was, in part, a way to say thank you to the Bandon School District for their support and cooperation with the local community club. Bandon picklePlease see PICKLEBALL Page A2

Please see DISPUTE Page A2

Correction Photo by Sandy Vilahu

Debbie Mueller, co-chair of Bandon Pickleball, hands off donated equipment to Evan Godsiff, Harbor Lights Middle School physical education teacher.

Ice skating rink arrives in North Bend By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

As the weather chills in the coming months, a new form of entertainment can be had in North Bend. Months after the North Bend City Council voted unanimously to purchase an ice-skating rink, the rink finally arrived, ending a long journey from Spain that included several hold ups due to nationwide shipping delays. The rink arrived at the North Bend Fire Department on an 18-wheeler, and the firefighters had to unload the haul of 18 pallets. The rink will be stored briefly at the fire department while the city prepares a permanent storage place to hold it. The city used transient lodging taxes to pay for the ice skating rink, making the purchase without dipping into the city general fund, where most property taxes go. The transient lodging tax is accrued

when people stay at short-term rentals such at hotels, RV parks and some vacation rentals in the community. By law, the money must be spent in an effort to increase tourism and cannot be spent on general city expenses. North Bend is proposing finding a downtown location to open the skating rink, with it opening after Thanksgiving every year and staying open through Valentine’s Day. When the council agreed to the purchase, councilors said the ice rink downtown would bring tourism to the downtown area during a time where visitors are traditionally low. The rink itself has a 15-year lifespan, and should be able to open this winter. “It’s going to be neat,” Mayor Jessice Engelke said. “That’s going to be something we can enjoy for years to come. Of course, it was all paid for with transient occupancy taxes.”

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Photos by David Rupkalvis/The World

After a months-long journey from Spain to North Bend, an ice skating rink the city purchased arrived last week at the North Bend Fire Department. Firefighters helped other city employees unload the 18 pallets that held the rink, which will be opened from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day in downtown North Bend.

A dispute between neighbors poured into the public when it was revealed a member of the North Bend City Council was trespassed from her neighbor’s property. At the request of a councilor, Police Chief Gary McCullough explained the incident that led to Councilor Susannah Noordhoff being formally trespassed from her neighbor’s property. During the council comments portion of the meeting, Councilor Larry Garboden said he heard about and incident and asked McCullough if it was true. “I heard a rumor that the North Bend PD responded to an incident on 8th Avenue where a city council member inserted themselves in a private manner over a tree,” Garboden said. “I’d like to know if there’s any truth to the rumor and hear from the police chief if there’s any details he can provide. The behavior of a single councilor, whether acting as a councilor or acting as an individual, has repercussions on us. If the rumors are false, we need to know the answer to answer any questions when they arise to set the record straight.” McCullough came forward and said a woman came to the North Bend Police Department on Tuesday morning to explain an incident that happened the day before. The woman initially met with Capt. Cal Mitts, who asked Sgt. Ryan Doyle to take a report. “Yesterday, an altercation occurred in the 1500 block of Mead Avenue involving one of our council members and herself over a dispute over a walnut tree,” McCullough said. “The individual who was in the lobby, her parents own the residence at 1553 Meade, and they both passed and she has become the executor of that estate. There’s a huge walnut tree in, the back yard that she wanted to get cleaned up. She called a tree trimming arborist to come out and they were there evaluating the tree, at which point, Councilor Noordhoff, who lives two doors down, came up and made contact with the two individuals there. “Some sort of altercation ensued. At some point, Councilor Noordhoff

Assistant Fire Chief Brian Waddington uses a forklift to help unload the ice skating rink that arrived in North Bend last week.

In the Friday, September 30, paper, a story titled “Coos County facing lawsuit over ballot scanners” appeared on Page A4. The story as it was published was never meant to print, and I apologize for that error. The story was word for word a press release sent to The World from Diane Rich and Pamela Lewis regarding a lawsuit they have filed against Coos County. When I received the information via email, I copied it and placed it in a document with the intent of doing further investigation for a possible story in the paper. The article that ran was not investigated and none of the claims have been verified by The World or any of our employees. When we were paginating the pages for the September 30 issue, we had a press/printing challenge from a fatality which without notice immediately forced earlier page deadlines and the unvetted story was inadvertently picked up early from the working files. I apologize to Coos County, the county clerk and the commissioners named in the published story. I am working to investigate the claims for a fair and thorough article I hope to publish soon. Journalistic standards require reporters and editors to thoroughly look at both sides of an issue before publishing stories. In this case, we failed to do that, and I apologize to anyone who was confused or offended. David Rupkalvis Editor The World

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