North Coast
Citizen Serving North Tillamook County since 1996
Thursday, June 12, 2025 | Vol. 32, Issue 12
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TLT increase heads to recount WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor
Manzanita’s new city hall on Manzanita Avenue will open in early August.
Move in begins at Manzanita city hall WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor
Following substantial completion in mid-May, Manzanita’s police department has begun to move into its new home at Underhill Plaza and will be followed soon by the rest of city staff, as they prepare to open the new city hall in early August. Finishing touches are still underway as low-voltage electrical equipment, like internet infrastructure is installed, and staff will spend July settling in
and familiarizing themselves with the new facility, a decision City Manager Leila Aman said was made to manage moving costs. “When people are like, ‘why are you closed for five weeks?’ It’s like, well, because we are small, we don’t have a whole army of people who are here doing this stuff, it was just more cost-effective for us to do this,” Aman said. Work began on construction of the new city hall and police station last April after city council decided to finance
the $4.6 million construction project with a loan from Business Oregon that will be repaid over the next decade at the end of 2023. Crews first demolished the school and Quonset hut that had been on the site last spring, before moving onto construction, pouring the buildings’ slabs in the summer and completing framing in the fall. The new facility will consist of two buildings, with the police department housed separately from the rest of city staff and the public areas of the site in their own building, which is
designed to withstand a maximum Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and tsunami and serve as the city’s emergency operations center. The project was substantially completed in the middle of May, when Cove Built LLC, the local contractors who led the project, handing over the keys to the new facility and completed a final punch list of work. Manzanita Police began their move into the new facility on June 9, and Aman said See MANZANITA, Page A3
Tsunami 101 roadshow stops in Tillamook County WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor
Oregon’s Department of Emergency Management hosted the first of a series of Tsunami 101 presentations at the Pine Grove Community
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House in Manzanita on June 4, drawing a full house. At the presentation, which was repeated later in the day in Tillamook, experts from Oregon’s Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Oregon Department of Emergency Management discussed the tsunami situation in Oregon and how residents can be prepared and will be alerted if one occurs. Laura Gabel, a geologist with DOGAMI based in Newport, kicked off the presentations by discussing the science behind tsunamis. Gabel said that tsunamis are generated in areas called subduction zones where tectonic plates are pushing against each other and that the entire Pacific Basin is ringed by these zones, each of which can generate tsunamis. Oregon’s local subduction zone is known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone. It extends from northern California to Vancouver Island and runs roughly parallel to the Oregon’s entire coastline
between 60 and 70 miles offshore. The zone exists where the Juan de Fuca plate is slowly slipping underneath the North American Plate, pulling the North American Plate downwards at a rate of around one and a half inches a year. The pressure created by this subduction builds up in a stuck or locked zone and will eventually be released when the North American Plate springs back up, causing an earthquake and tsunami. Gabel explained that while Oregon could be affected by tsunamis generated elsewhere around the Pacific, these distant tsunamis would take hours to arrive and would be much less impactful and easier to prepare for than a local tsunami generated by the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The good news is that the Cascadia Zone is by far the least active in the ring of fire, Gabel said, leading scientists to discover it relatively See TSUNAMI 101, Page A3
Laura Gabel of DOGAMI addresses a packed house at a Tsunami 101 presentation hosted by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management at the Pine Grove Community House on June 4.
Barring a shift in ballots with missing or unverified signatures, the vote on a measure raising Tillamook County’s transient lodging tax will head to a hand recount before election results are certified on June 16. Updated results from Tillamook County Clerk Christy Nyseth’s office released on May 29, showed that in the week following election day, ballots received by mail had narrowed the margin between yes and no votes on the measure to just 11, below the threshold of 17 votes that would trigger a recount. Measure 29-183 seeks to increase Tillamook County’s transient lodging tax (TLT) rate from 10% to 14% and was advanced by county commissioners in response to a budget crunch in the county government. A concerted campaign was mounted against the proposed measure by members of the lodging industry, who argued that the increase would negatively impact their already-tight bottom lines. After the first round of vote results were released on May 20, election night, the measure had received 21 more no votes that yes, with more than 7,000 votes counted. By May 22, with more than 9,000 votes counted, the margin had fallen to 20. Oregon statute requires that a recount be conducted in an election on a ballot measure if the margin between yes and no votes is less than one fifth of one percent of the total votes cast for and against the measure. With 8,981 votes tallied as of May 29, the threshold for a mandatory recount was 17.9 votes, and 4,496 no votes had been cast, with 4,485 yes. See TLT, Page A5
Famers’ markets return STAFF REPORT
Across Tillamook County farmers market season is in full swing, with markets in Neskowin, Pacific City, Rockaway Beach and Manzanita underway, and Tillamook’s returning this week. Rockaway Beach’s Thursday markets returned on June 5 and will run through September 25 at the Ocean’s Edge Wayside in downtown. The market is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. each week and features live music in addition to fresh produce, baked goods and handmade gifts. Manzanita’s market has been up and running since May 16, taking place Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Taking place at Underhill Plaza at 635 Manzanita Avenue, the market accepts SNAP benefits and even offers matching funds to card users, with a limited time offer of $40 extra to spend when a SNAP user spends $20. The Tillamook Farmers’ Market is set for its inaugural edition of the 2025 season on Saturday, June 14. The market takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekly in front of the county courthouse on Laurel Avenue. It also offers a SNAP match program and features live music, kids’ activities and a kids’ bucks program that gives youngsters $2 to spend at the market. The Pacific City Famers’ Market kicked off June 7 and will run weekly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pacific City Library, located at 6200 Camp Street. Neskowin’s market launched on May 17 and takes place on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Proposals for All Meadow at 48875 Highway 101 South. The market participates in SNAP’s double up food bucks programs and offers a matching program of its own for SNAP recipients.
A2 North Coast Citizen | June 12, 2025
A roughhewn section of the new trail is marked by a red flag and awaiting further clearance and construction efforts.
The faint outline of the trail can be seen near the Drift Creek Trailhead.
Wilson River Trail continues to grow WILL CHAPPELL CITIZEN EDITOR
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Already the longest trail in Oregon’s State Forests at 26 miles, the Wilson River Trail continues to expand thanks to volunteer efforts, with a new 6.1-mile section to the Drift Creek Trailhead currently under construction. Once completed, that will leave four to six more miles of trail to connect to the Storey Burn trailhead and the Oregon Department of Forestry’s complex of trails in Washington County. Joe Offer, ODF’s Recreation, Education and Interpretation Program Manager, said that will only serve to enhance what is already the department’s best trail. “We obviously have other great trails here, but this one just for kind of the overall length, as far as seeing all the different habitats the forest has, seeing different management scenarios too as far as timber sales, to see some of the new, some of the old, see different forest, all that kind of stuff,” Offer said. “I just think there’s so much that happens on this trail, you can’t beat it.” The Wilson River Trail started to take shape in the late 1990s as ODF took a more active approach to managing recreation opportunities on state forest lands and began to stitch together segments of existing trail to form the Wilson River Trail. “People have been out here recreating for forever,” Offer said, “but as far as the department was concerned, there was enough recreation, enough public use, it made sense to really get on top of that and start managing it instead of letting it manage itself.” In the years since, the trail has grown to 26 miles, stretching from Koenig Creek Campground in the
west to Idiot Creek Loop Road in the east. Open to all non-motorized traffic, the trail passes the Tillamook Forest Center, as well as all the busiest campgrounds in the Tillamook State Forest except Gales Creek. Construction and maintenance of the trail is overseen by volunteers from four trail keeping organizations: Trailkeepers of Oregon, Oregon Equestrian Trail, Westside Trail Federation, a mountain biking focused group, and the Northwest Trail alliance. In addition to these groups, in recent years the trail has also found a new champion in the State Forests Trust of Oregon, formerly the Tillamook Heritage Trust, a nonprofit supporting ODF’s work in all state forests. Erin Skaar, a member of the trust’s board, said that in the late 1990s, as the department prioritized recreation opportunities on state forest lands, the trust was founded to support those efforts by raising funds for recreation and education projects. “Our work now as the trust is to really work hand-in-hand with REI (recreation, education and interpretation) to say where are you going next, what do you need,” Skaar said. “And then, it’s our job to basically raise the money to help fund these things.” The trust’s first major project was the Tillamook Forest Center, which opened in 2020, before a three-year closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. With that project completed, Skaar said that the trust started seeking out new projects, landing on the Wilson River Trail. ““This was our first foray out of and away from the forest center, really to say, what do we do next,” Skaar said. “And this just made
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so much sense. It was laid out, it was started, and it had energy. People are excited about this.” So far, the trust has awarded a grant to help fund the newest section’s construction and Skaar said that the group is also working to boost awareness of the trail and opportunities to volunteer in its construction and maintenance. “It’s just a super fun opportunity for people and so I hope that as this gets going and publicized that in Tillamook people will actually come out from our own community and have the experience,” Skaar said. Both Skaar and Offer stressed the variety of hiking opportunities available on the trail, saying that sections near the forest center and at Kings Mountain were generally busier, while those at Idiot Creek and Diamond Mill were less frequented. For those looking to get involved in volunteering on the trail, Offer said to reach out to Trailkeepers of Oregon, which hosts frequent work parties on the trail, with a calendar of opportunities available online. Work began on the inprogress section of trail in 2019 and 2020, with work crews from the Northwest Youth Corps roughing in the trail route, before the Covid pandemic paused work for several years. Given the volunteer nature of the trail’s construction, Offer said he couldn’t predict when the new section of trail would be complete. Offer said that more information about the trail and its specific sections was available at ODF district offices in Tillamook and Forest Grove, as well as online, though he cautioned that the website was in the midst of an upgrade.
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North Coast Citizen | June 12, 2025
The building’s council chamber features locally sourced and milled wood.
Manzanita City Hall
From Page A1
that she plans for the rest of staff to begin moving on June 17. Aman said that she expects it will take until mid-July for the move to be complete, at which point staff will familiarize
Tsunami 101 Roadshow
From Page A1
recently, with its existence first theorized in the 1980s. Initially, researchers believed the zone might be dormant but thanks to research by paleo seismologists in the 1990s, it was discovered that the zone is still active. Those same paleo seismologists were eventually able to create a record of tsunamis caused by the subduction zone dating back 10,000 years. In that period, the zone has experienced 19 full-margin ruptures resulting in magnitude 9.0 or greater quakes, and 22 partial ruptures causing less powerful quakes. Research showed quakes have been separated by 100 to 1,100 years and that in the last 3,000 years, the average time between them has been 510-540 years. The last full margin earthquake and tsunami occurred on January 26, 1700, with
CITIZEN EDITOR
Tillamook County Library Director Don Allgeier appeared before the board of county commissioners on June 4, to detail the library’s summer reading program for summer 2025, which began on June 9. At the meeting, commissioners also accepted a $100,000 grant to help with infrastructure improvements necessary to enable the Tillamook Bay Commons development and awarded a contract for $45,900 to upgrade lights at the fairground’s tennis courts. Tillamook County Library kicked off its summer reading program Monday with a theme of “Level Up,” and a focus on expanding residents’ awareness of the library’s offerings. Allgeier said that the program made a point of incorporating puzzles, games and prizes, as well as two craft activities, to keep kids and families engaged throughout the summer to help prevent learning loss between school years. Allgeier said that the library was also aiming to ease access to the program by streamlining the sign-up process and including both English- and Spanishlanguage materials. Residents wishing to participate can still visit any Tillamook County Library location to pick up a game board, which includes a variety of different activities designed to highlight the library’s diverse offerings. Prizes will be awarded for completing individual tasks on the gameboard and those who complete all activities will be entered in a drawing for grand prizes. There are three gameboards available this year, with versions of the program for younger and older children using the same game board, and teenagers and adults each with
Globe lights from the school building that used to stand on the site hang in the city hall’s atrium while repurposed wood from the Quonset hut that served as its gymnasium is used as an accent wall in a staff conference room.
themselves with the new facility in advance of its public opening. That does mean that the city’s walk-up window for administrative services will be closed after June 19 until the new city hall opens to the public on August 4, with hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Staff will still be available thoughout the closure by phone and the
drop box for payments will be left on Dorcas Avenue. Plans for a building dedication and public grand opening are still being finalized, but the ceremony will take place on August 2, sometime around midday. Aman crackled with enthusiasm about the new project, voicing particular pride in the team’s ability to come in under budget while still delivering an
aesthetically appealing building for the community. Aman is still working to calculate the final costs of the project but said that she expected the city to recoup around half of the $325,000 set aside as the owner’s contingency after construction costs came in under $800 per square foot. Even with economical construction, the city hall building still includes
design flourishes that give it a sense of place, including local wood throughout the interior and lights from the schoolhouse that used to sit on the site repurposed in the city hall’s atrium. Aman attributed both the strong financial performance and aesthetic appeal of the project to the choice of a local contractor in Cove Built LLC to lead the project, saying that Jason Stegner,
Cove Bulit’s owner, and the rest of the team had been a joy to work with and thrown themselves fully into the work. “So, there’s really just a lot of thought that went into all the little bits and pieces,” Aman said, “and I think that’s one of the things about having a local team is that they really took a lot of pride in this and they really care about it.”
the tsunami hitting Oregon beaches around 9 p.m., according to Gabel, who said that the information had been determined by looking at tsunami records in Japan, where the waves had been recorded with no related earthquake. Given the 325 years that have elapsed since the last rupture, Gabel said that the latest projections estimate that there is a 16-22% chance of a full-margin rupture in the next 50 years and a 37-43% chance of a partial-margin rupture in southern Oregon or northern California. Grabel then discussed the experience of going through an earthquake and tsunami, explaining that the ground would shake for up to five minutes in a full-margin rupture, causing damage to infrastructure, ground liquefication during the shaking and landslides. If the shaking in a quake lasts longer than 30 seconds, Grabel said that it is safe to assume that a tsunami has been generated, and that residents in Manzanita would have about 20 minutes from the beginning
of a quake to the arrival of a wave, with residents on the south coast having less time, due to their closer proximity to the fault. Grabel said that the initial wave could be as high as 50 to 60 feet at the beach in a worstcase scenario and inundate areas up to 100 feet above sea level, depending on an area’s topography. Grabel said that a quake could generate multiple waves, which would arrive at the shore at 30-to-60-minute intervals, and that impacts could last for 12-24 hours, making it important for residents to check for an all clear with authorities. Adam Schaaf from the NWS then spoke about his organization’s alert efforts in the event of a tsunami, which are coordinated with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska. The center, which monitors quakes around the pacific, works with the United States Geological Survey to evaluate those quakes and determine the risk of tsunamis to warn impacted areas.
Schaaf said that in the event of local quakes, the NWS would immediately put out a warning before analysis is complete but that for distant quakes, analysis would precede communication. Analyzing data preliminarily takes around five minutes, according to Schaaf, after which the warning center and NWS decide whether to issue a tsunami watch, advisory or warning. Watches are reserved for distant quakes, while advisories and warnings are used for local events, depending on the situation. NWS’s primary means of communication are through weather radios, but in the event of a tsunami, the warning center will send alerts to
every phone in impacted counties on the coast. After the initial evaluation and warnings, the center will monitor data transmitted by a network of deep ocean assessment and reporting of tsunamis buoys, which measure wave action, and update warnings or advisories as needed. Once the potential for further wave activity has subsided, the warning center will send an all clear, at which point warnings will be canceled, though Schaaf cautioned that did not mean that danger was over, as dangerous currents would still be present in local waters. Following Schaaf’s presentation, Althea Rizzo, Local Geological Hazards Program
Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Emergency Management discussed the importance of emergency preparation in the face of disasters. Rizzo discussed the need for go bags containing food, water, medicine and other supplies, which she said residents should have in their homes and cars. Rizzo said that these bags should contain supplies for three days, with people stocked up for two weeks at home. Rizzo also said that residents should look into seismically retrofitting their houses, which she said was surprisingly affordable and could help a structure survive an earthquake.
Summer reading gets under way WILL CHAPPELL
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their own board. Residents who wish to participate can stop by any library branch this week to sign up and collect a board. Unlike in past years, the end of summer reading will not be accompanied by a two day “prize-a-palooza,” with prizes instead being handed out throughout the month of August, after the competition ends on August 2. There will also be an event hosted at the Tillamook Coliseum Theater on a to-be-determined date in August to celebrate the program, with all participants invited. Additionally, the library is partnering with Meals for Seniors and Grub Club to offer free lunches for kids, available at the Tillamook Main Branch Library from Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to noon, at the Bookmobile at Glenhaven Apartments on Wednesdays from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and Champion Apartments on Fridays at the same time, as well as at the Garibaldi Branch Library on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon. At the same meeting, com-
missioners voted to accept a $100,000 grant from Business Oregon that will be used to help develop infrastructure at the Third Street site that is slated for the development of a 36-unit workforce housing development. The development, to be known as Tillamook Bay Commons, is being undertaken by the newly renamed Oregon Coast Housing Group, which is in the process of becoming a nonprofit. Commissioners also voted to approve a $45,900 contract with EC electric to upgrade lighting at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds’ tennis courts. The project will commence after the Tillamook County Fair in August, see 32 lights installed and is scheduled for completion by the end of September. Originally, the project was set to be supported by a tourism grant, but commissioners decided that since the fairgrounds is owned by the county, it would be more appropriate for them to directly pay for the project, though it will still be supported by transient lodging tax dollars.
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A4 North Coast Citizen | June 12, 2025
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Serving North Tillamook County since 1996
Deadline: FRIDAYS at Noon for Advertising, News, Letters, Classifieds, Legals/Public Notices, Obituaries Chief Executive/Operations: Joe Warren Editor: Will Chappell, email headlighteditor@countrymedia.net Advertising: Katherine Mace, email headlightads@countrymedia.net Office Manager: Patty Archambault, email classifieds@orcoastnews.com Classifieds & Legals/Public Notices: Due by Noon on Fridays the week of publication, send Classifieds to classifieds@orcoastnews.com, send Legals/Public notices to legals@orcoastnews.com, or call 503-842-7535 for more information. Graphic Design: Steph Baumgart Office Phone: 503-842-7535 Website: northcoastcitizen.com
The North Coast Citizen (15503909) is published biweekly by Country Media, Inc. 1906 Second Street, P.O. Box 444, Tillamook, OR 97141 SUBSCRIPTION RATES $60.00 annually in-county; $72.00 annually out-of-county. $50.00 for online only. Periodicals Postage paid at Tillamook, OR. POSTMASTER Send address changes to P.O. Box 444, Tillamook, OR 97141 Member Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association (ONPA) © 2025 by the North Coast Citizen. All rights reserved. LETTER POLICY The Citizen welcomes letters that express readers’ opinions on current topics. Letters may be submitted by email only, no longer than 300 words, and must be signed and include the writer’s full name, address (including city) and telephone number for verification of the writer’s identity. We will print the writer’s name and town of residence only. Letters without the requisite identifying information will not be published. Letters are published in the order received and may be edited for length, grammar, spelling, punctuation or clarity. We do not publish group emails, open letters, form letters, third-party letters, letters attacking private individuals or businesses, or letters containing advertising. Deadline for letters is noon Fridays. The date of publication will depend on space. Obituaries The North Coast Citizen has several options for submitting obituaries. • Basic Obituary: Includes the person’s name, age, town of residency, and information about any funeral services. No cost. • Custom Obituary: You choose the length and wording of the announcement. The cost is $100 for the first 200 words, $75 for each additional 200 words. Includes a small photo at no additional cost. • Premium Obituary: Often used by families who wish to include multiple photos with a longer announcement, or who wish to run a thank-you. Cost varies based on the length of the announcement. All obituary announcements are placed on the North Coast Citizen website at no cost.
North Coast Citizen | June 12, 2025
COURTESY PHOTO FROM THE ODF
A helicopter maneuvers over the area preparing to drop water during the wildfire training.
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COURTESY PHOTO FROM THE ODF
The wildfire fire crew assembles for a briefing conducted at the training near Springfield.
Preparing on the ground and in the air for Oregon’s wildfires JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
Preparing crews for the summer and fall Oregon wildfire season has been ongoing for the past several weeks. The rugged training has been on the ground and in the air. The Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) South Cascade District conducted an introduction to aerial firefighting for ground firefighters with a training component in the field on Weyerhaeuser’s property near Springfield, May 29. “This training gives our boots on the ground the opportunity to meet the pilots, become familiar with working with aircraft, see what the capabilities are, and get practical experience in airto-ground communications,” ODF Public Affairs Officer Jessica Neujahr said/ “The biggest benefit of this training is getting ground trainees a chance to work one-on-one
with aircraft outside of an actual fire. In addition to meeting the pilots and training with live aircraft outside of a fire, firefighters will have a chance for feedback and questions from pilots during an after-action review.” THE TRAINING Two Type 3 helicopters from Weyerhaeuser were to be used for the training with approximately 20 ground trainees. The aircraft practiced bucket drops with the ground firefighters practicing communication with the pilots. At the end of the training, pilots participated with the ground firefighters in the after-action review of the events. The training is designed to demonstrate the coordination and cooperation between the ODF and it is cooperating agencies, and to get the firefighters familiar with their resources through the opportunity to practice a non-emergency response to be better prepared, according to ODF Wildland
Fire Supervisor Isaak Post. Post said battling wildfires can be physically and mentally draining and overall, very challenging. “There are many long days, the elements, like heat, and terrain is often very steep, and with the stress, it magnitudes the situation you are in,” Post said. “That cumulative buildup of long hours, high stress, high responsibility, and being exposed to the wildfire environment is probably what contributes to the physical and mental fatigue.” The ODF is using new technologies to help protect communities during this summer and fall wildfire season. “We rely heavily on our detection cameras,” Post said, adding that the cameras are positioned at high elevated sites, such as mountain tops in the timbered areas. “They give us the ability to detect smokes (beginning wildfires) and that gets us into an area quickly after detections, so that we can take quick action
on the smokes.” The ODF also uses lightning detection systems to pinpoint the exact location of a lightning-caused wildfire. “That detection helps us find the fires and gain access quickly and efficiently after the storms,’ he said. Post is hopeful that May 29 training helps the firefighters build a sense of confidence as they prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. “The aviation water bucket drops in real-time at this training is very valuable and it also gives us the opportunity to better coordinate work with our pilots,” Post said.
WILDFIRE FORECAST
Neujahr said the agency expects a “pretty active” wildfire season likely beginning in July. “It will likely be pretty hot. Pretty dry,” she said. “And with that we really need to stress fire prevention with the public and make sure every-
body is aware, not conducting fire hazards, and that they are checking their local fire restrictions.”
BE READY
Post is urging people who live in Oregon’s rural areas, to be prepared for the wildfire season. “Have a plan in the event of an emergency,” Post said. “Know where you are going to go and what you are going to take at a moment’s notice. Pay attention to the rules and regulations during the regulated closures. Watch the weather. According to the Oregon Emergency Management Wildfire Response and Recovery website, residents and visitors should visit their county emergency management website. Follow local emergency services on social media. Have a batterypowered AM/FM emergency radio. Create community by talking to your neighbors about emergency plans.
Exchange contact information and ask for help if you need it or offer help if you can provide it during an emergency. The state site echo’s Post’s have an emergency plan recommendation. “Identify evacuation routes from home, work or school. Establish a Family Communication Plan that designates an out-of-area contact, a family meeting place outside of the hazard area, and how you’ll contact each other if you are separated during an emergency,” the site urges. “Discuss the plan with your household, loved ones, friends and neighbors. Plan for pets and large animals such as horses and other livestock. Practice the elements of the plan so you’ll be ready when disaster strikes.” For more preparedness information and to find out what fire regulations may be in effect in your area, contact your local fire department or fire district.
Tillamook County criminal convictions STAFF REPORT
Photo Credit: Deb Tinnin
Former Manzanita Citizen of the Year honorees (l-r) Bill Peek, Paula Peek, Lee Hiltenbrand, Leila Salmon, and Dave Dillon presented Karen Reddick Yurka (c) with the traditional hanging flower basket.
Yurka Named Manzanita Citizen of the Year Karen Reddick Yurka has been named Manzanita’s Citizen of the Year for 2025. Announcing the honor at the June 4 city council meeting, Mayor Kathryn Stock said Yurka had brought strong organizational skills over the years to many difficult tasks supporting the community. A Manzanita resident for nearly 30 years, Yurka volunteered at CART’M Recycling for over 20 years, including four on its board of directors. She also spent
five years as Executive Director. Her leadership was cited for helping guide the organization through its takeover by Tillamook County in 2019. Yurka has also served on the Manzanita Planning Commission for over 17 years, including the last nine as Chair. She has been lauded for keeping that organization focused on its technically complex work dealing with controversial applications and strong community opinions.
Yurka, said Mayor Stock, “is a leader in every sense of the word and truly worthy of this recognition.” “I love this town,” said Yurka, responding to the announcement. “I’ve always loved this town, since I first visited on vacation in the ‘70s.” Manzanita’s Citizen of the Year is selected annually by a committee of previous honorees and serves as Grand Marshal of the annual Fourth of July parade.
TLT
gether can still be verified in-person by their caster until June 10. Nyseth told the Headlight Herald that there are 110 ballots with challenged signatures or unsigned envelopes. Nyseth said that if that deadline passes and the margin is still below the threshold, her office will conduct an automatic re-
count prior to the certification date of June 16. Results held in all other races across the county in the updated election results, including support for a bond for the Tillamook School District and an operating levy for the Neah-Kah-Nie School district.
Increase on Track From Page A1
All ballots with verified signatures have now been tabulated, but those with challenged signatures or lacking signatures alto-
On March 27, Angelina de la Cruz Garcia Harvey, 23, pled no contest to one count of assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about March 11. Garcia Harvey was sentenced to ten days in jail and 18 months’ supervised probation. On March 27, Charmain Gayle Polizzi, 55, pled guilty to two counts of driving under the influence of intoxicants, class A misdemeanors, committed on or about October 16, 2024, and March 7. Polizzi was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years’ probation, her driver’s license was suspended for three years and she was assessed $2,255 in fines and fees. On March 31, Jamie Povach Hermes Jr., 43, pled no contest to one count of failure to appear in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about November 16, 2023. Hermes was sentenced to time served in jail. On April 1, Richard Adam Alred Jenck admitted to being in contempt of court and was sentenced to five days in jail. On April 3, Nicholas Lawrence Gefre, 36, pled no contest to one count of criminal trespass in the first degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about February 13. Gefre was sentenced to 25 days in jail and ordered to pay $5.99 in restitution to Safeway. On April 7, Eric Michael Kreps, 51, pled no contest to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about February 21. Kreps was sentenced to two years’ probation; his driver’s license was suspended for one year and he was ordered to pay $2,255 in fees and fines. On April 8, Frederick Charles Vermilyea, 45, pled no contest to one count of
theft in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about March 24. Vermilyea was sentenced to 14 days in jail. On April 7, Tyler James Crabtree, 27, pled no contest to one count of harassment and one count of disorderly conduct in the second degree, both class B misdemeanors committed on or about December 10, 2024. Crabtree was sentenced to three years’ probation. On April 10, Dezeree Renee Richardson, 21, pled no contest to one count of child neglect in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about November 16, 2023. Richardson was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 18 months’ probation. On April 11, Sukhdeep Singh, 25, pled no contest to one count of criminal driving with a suspended or revoked license, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about January 21. Singh was sentenced to two days in jail. On April 11, Jamie Donaldson, 39, pled no contest to one count of attempt to commit the class B felony of assault in the second degree, a class C felony, committed on or about January 28. On April 16, Donaldson was sentenced to time served in jail and three years’ probation. On April 14, Bruce Wade Looney, 57, pled guilty to one count of disorderly conduct in the second degree, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about September 20, 2024. Looney was sentenced to 20 days in jail. On April 14, Martin Howell Utley, 75, pled guilty to one count of failure to report as a sex offender, a class A violation, committed on or about October 18, 2023. Utley was assessed a $440 fine and ordered to pay $153 in attorney fees. On April 17, Ona Kay Robertson, 26, pled guilty to one count of forgery in the first degree, a class C felony, committed on or about February 23. Robertson was sen-
tenced to 30 months in prison and three years’ post-prison supervision and ordered to pay $1,650 in restitution to First Security Bank. On April 17, Steven Randall Polley, 63, pled no contest to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about September 1, 2024. Polley was sentenced to three years’ probation and his driver’s license was suspended for one year. On April 21, Eric Charles Nash, 50, pled no contest to one count of disorderly conduct in the second degree, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about March 16. Nash was sentenced to 18 months’ probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine. On April 21, Austin James Huserik, 33, pled no contest to one count of violation of wildlife law with culpable mental state, taking, angling, hunting or trapping in violation of wildlife law or rule, unlawful taking of wildlife-decoy, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about November 23, 2024. Huserik was sentenced to three years’ probation, his hunting license was suspended for three years and he was ordered to pay $133 in attorney fees. On April 21, Brandon Lee Prater, 38, pled no contest to one count of recklessly endangering another person, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about November 16, 2024. Prater was sentenced to one year on probation and ordered to pay a $100 fine. On April 21, Austin Daniel Camarillo, 24, pled guilty to one count of violation of wildlife law with culpable mental state, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about September 27, 2024. Camarillo was sentenced to three years’ probation, his hunting license was suspended for three years and he was ordered to pay $2,100 in fines.
A6 North Coast Citizen | June 12, 2025
PHOTO BY JOHN GUNTHER
Neah-Kah-Nie’s Liam Gibson atop the awards podium after winning the 800 meters.
PHOTO BY JOHN GUNTHER
Neah-Kah-Nie’s Gus Kirby, who finished fourth in the 1,500 and in this photo is leading the race.
Pirates compete at state track meet SHAWN LEHR FOR THE CITIZEN
The Neah-Kah-Nie Pirates Track and Field team capped off a great season at the 3A state championships at Hayward Field in Eugene on May 29 and 30. The boys’ team placed sixth overall, scoring 33 points from 5 state qualifiers. The distance squad led the way, with Sophomore Gus Kirby placing 4th in the 1500m and 3000m, running 4:01.55 and 8:46.67, both personal records, and both
breaking the previous school records set by Mark Welsh 24 years ago. Junior Liam Gibson knocked six seconds off his 800 time throughout the season and capped off his year by winning the 800m and becoming the first Neah-Kah-Nie male athlete to win a state championship in 37 years, clocking a time of 1:56.94. Freshman Dylan Sigman re-broke his own Freshman record in the 800, running a 1:58.11 and placing fifth. “Gus and Liam dedicated
themselves to their craft this year- their recovery, their nutrition, their training.” Head Coach James Billstine explained. “When Dylan came out for Track, he cleaned up his diet a little, and Gus and Liam really showed him the ropes for training, all the little details that add up. They are all competitive, but they would do absolutely anything for each other. There is no selfishness or jealousy in that group.” Gus and Liam’s crosscountry teammate Senior Jacob McIlvenna placed 6th
in the 100m dash, where he ran a personal record of 11.21 in prelims. “Jacob’s 100 came out of nowhere about halfway through the season. Cross kids aren’t supposed to be that fast, but we do sprint work year-round, and while he had always been a solid 400 runner, it was awesome to see this for him his senior year,” Billstine said. Finishing off a great four-year throwing career, Zane Krumenaker placed third in Discus, throwing 145’ 5”, a 7-foot personal record, and the number 4
throw all time at NeahKah-Nie. “Zane was a three-year state qualifier in shot put, and a two-year qualifier in discus. Shot didn’t go great for him on day one, but he overcame that in disc on day 2 and everything clicked at the right time,” Billstine said. Sophomore Tia Mautner also qualified for state in discus, throwing 78’6”. The girls’ 4x100m relay team team of Cleo Fraginal, Sara Vega, Acacia Christensen and Payton White qualified for state in the 4x100,
running 51.68 and placing 11th. White also competed in the 100 hurdles, placing 6th in finals while running a personal best in prelims of 16.17. “Sara was pretty sick all week, she overcame a lot to stick it out and run as well as she did. Acacia is a firstyear 4x100 runner and did great, she is strong,” Billistine said. “Cleo and Payton have qualified for state in the 4x100 every year they have been in high school, there will be a big hole to fill with them graduating.”
Salmonberry Trail Intergovernmental Agency prepares for sunset WILL CHAPPELL CITIZEN EDITOR
After agreeing to sunset their agency and roll it into the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in March, members of the Salmonberry Trail Intergovernmental Agency preliminarily approved a memorandum of understanding for that move on May 27.
That document will now be reviewed by the governing bodies of the various entities, edited as necessary and approved, while a charter for the committee, an agreement with the Salmonberry Trail Foundation and trail segment operating agreement are being developed. The discussions come as the agency’s founding
agreement is set to expire at the end of September and the group looks for the best structure to help bring construction of the envisioned 82-mile trail to fruition. The Salmonberry Trail Intergovernmental Agency (STIA) was founded in 2015 consisting of representatives from various stakeholders involved in the trail, including Tillamook and Wash-
ington Counties, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) and the Port of Tillamook Bay. STIA was created primarily to serve as a lease holder with the Port of Tillamook Bay, the owner of the rail line that fell into disuse after a 2007 storm, and its founding documents set up a ten-year timeframe for its existence. Last fall, members of the agency began discussions on how to move forward once the agreement forming the agency expires at the end of September 2025. They agreed that transferring the lease to OPRD and forming a committee at the department to handle the trail’s governance while funding a staff position at the department would be the best path forward, and tasked Mike Cafferata, an ODF staffer temporarily assigned to the project, with fleshing out details of such a move. In March, Cafferata proposed that the lease for the railway be transferred to OPRD and that the members of STIA plus the Salmon-
berry Trail Foundation form an advisory committee at the department to govern the trail. In this formulation, the counties and ODF would serve as sponsors, performing the initial review of proposed segments in their bounds before partnering with cities or other entities proposing segments to present proposals to OPRD for final approval. Cafferata said that the counties and ODF would need to cosign agreements between OPRD and trail builders for segment leases and that OPRD would contribute experience and expertise. Each member of the committee will contribute funds to help pay for an OPRD staffer’s time spent in support of the trail. At the May meeting, Cafferata presented the draft memorandum of understanding based on the March discussions. The memorandum included an introduction explaining the document’s purpose and agreements to formalize the various entities roles on the sponsor committee. Cafferata said that the memorandum incorporated
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the current planning and visioning documents that had been developed for the trail, to speed the process up. In the memorandum, Tillamook County assumes responsibility for leading development of the coastal section between the city of Tillamook and the unincorporated community of Mohler, with ODF taking the lead on the canyons and rivers section and Washington County assuming responsibility on its side of the trail. Leadership responsibilities will include developing maintenance plans for sections and providing discretionary funds to different projects. The Salmonberry Trail Foundation would take the lead on promoting publicprivate partnerships in support of the trail, while the Port of Tillamook Bay would be ex-officio members, offering input on questions relating to the rail lease. In addition to delineating these roles, the memorandum also included liability and indemnification sections borrowed from another trail, which are currently under review by the Oregon Department of Justice. Cafferata asked that the member agencies review the document and submit any desired changes by June 6, at which point he will update the document and send an updated version to the member agencies for approval. Once the document is approved, STIA will send a letter to Oregon’s Surface Transportation Board, requesting that the railbanking agreement currently managed by STIA be transferred to OPRD. Approval of that request will allow STIA to work with the Port of Tillamook Bay to transfer the lease from STIA to OPRD, finalizing the move and allowing STIA to officially sunset. The STIA board voted to extend STIA’s founding agreement through the end of 2026, in case the approval processes last beyond September. While the committee members work on reviewing and approving the memorandum, Cafferata said that he would continue working on several other documents that will be needed to facilitate the changeover. These will include a charter for the sponsorship committee, an agreement with STF to facilitate their activities on the rails and a standard trail segment operating agreement for the groups that build the trail.