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Thursday, May 30, 2024 | Vol. 31, Issue 10
NCRD moves into second phase of pool project WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor
The North Coast Recreation District’s board of directors recently approved moving the district’s new pool project into its second phase, which will see both pools constructed as work is completed on the building housing them. The decision to move into the next phase was made after $2 million was raised over the last year in support of the project and the district now needs just $1.5 million for equipment to complete the $15 million project. Two large donations helped to complete the funding package for the second phase of the project, which North Coast Recreation District (NCRD) Executive Director Barbara McCann said should be complete by the end of this year, along with the building. Adventist Health contributed of $500,000 towards the project, specifically earmarked for the new facility’s therapy pool. The therapy pool will be accessible for any patients needing physical therapy and NCRD staff are working with Adventist and Nehalem Bay Health District personnel to develop a program to best utilize it. Another gift of $1 million was also recently pledged, although the details of that donation have not yet been made public. The Pool Company will be undertaking the pool
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Fournier wins commissioner race, Skaar leads WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor
The exterior of the new pool building immediately down the hill from the rest of the North Coast Recreation District’s facilities.
construction and connecting the pools to alreadyinstalled pipes that will be connected to equipment in the project’s third phase. Initially, NCRD had planned to build the project in one phase, but cost escalations caused by inflation pushed the project’s budget from a projected $10 million to $15 million, outstripping the $12 million raised by the district. This led to the decision to split the project into three phases to avoid further budget growth. Not all the news is good for the project, however, as NCRD has been working through a violation of wastewater permitting procedures with the Oregon See NCRD, Page A3
The interior of the new pool building where construction will soon begin on two pools, with the therapy pool slated to be in the foreground of this picture towards the building’s lobby.
Paul Fournier prevailed in the May 21 primary election for position two on the Tillamook County Board of County Commissioners, while incumbent Erin Skaar leads with votes left to count in the race for position one. State Representative Cyrus Javadi also fended off a challenger in the Republican primary, KaSandra Larson won election as Tillamook County Assessor and a levy ask by the Tillamook Fire District failed. As of 5 p.m. on May 23, the Tillamook County clerk had received 7,860 ballots and accepted 7,783, meaning that 36.6% of eligible voters had successfully voted. Ballots postmarked by election day and received by 5 p.m. on May 28, will be counted, and voters whose ballots were not accepted have until June 11 to correct challenged or missing signatures on ballot envelopes. Fournier, a longtime deputy with the Tillamook Sheriff’s Office, won a resounding victory in the race for position two, garnering 4,914 of 6,919 votes counted, amounting to 71.0%. Fournier defeated Darcy Jones in the race and will take over for Commissioner Doug Olson, who has been serving in a temporary capacity after the early retirement of Commissioner David Yamamoto at the end of 2023. See ELECTION, Page A5
Volunteer wait staff pose for a group photo after the conclusion of dinner.
Brown welcomes attendees to the banquet.
Tillamook County Search and Rescue hosts annual banquet WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor
More than 200 people came out to the Tillamook County Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 18, raising more than $36,000 to support Tillamook County Search and Rescue. Attendees were treated to a tri-tip dinner courtesy of Mike Bentley and the team at Pacific Restaurant before a live auction. “It always humbles me to see the support our office has from this amazing community,” said Tillamook Sheriff Josh Brown. “The amount of money we raised is directly a result of the generosity of the local businesses, residents and other community members, and it is greatly appreciated.”
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The annual gathering is the main fundraising opportunity for the search and rescue team, which is coordinated by and assists the sheriff’s office respond to a wide variety of situations across the county. The evening kicked off with an opportunity for the guests to mingle and sample hors d’oeuvres and bid on silent auction items that had been donated by a variety of businesses. Tillamook County Sheriff Josh Brown then welcomed the guests before dinner service started. A group of volunteer wait staff then served dinner, which consisted of tri-tip prepared by Mike Bentley, salad and sides prepared by Pacific Restaurant and cupcakes for dessert from Ona’s Patisserie in North Plains. After dinner concluded, Brown returned to the stage and handed out a Sheriff’s Award for Civilian Commendation to Neila Bautista, owner of the Pacific Restaurant, in recognition of her volunteer efforts. He then awarded the Dean
The crowd peruses silent auction items while enjoying light refreshments before dinner begins.
Burdick Memorial Award for 2023 to Tillamook Search and Rescue volunteer Karen Schrader. Brown then emceed a
game of heads-or-tails, with attendees guessing the outcome of a coin flip and removing festive beads when they guessed wrong
and the last person standing receiving a prize. Finally, Brown handed the mic over for the live auction, which featured a
wide range of prizes up for grabs from homemade desserts to premium alcohol, lumber to firearms and recliners to a hunting trip.