TILLAMOOK COUNTY
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Headlight Herald
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 | Vol. 136, Issue 22
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Fournier wins commissioner race, Skaar leads WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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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.
aul 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. Skaar, the one term incumbent in position one, appeared on track to hold off two challengers in the
See BANQUET, Page A9
See ELECTION, Page A9
upgrades, including the addition of a Sauna. Roam America will also be adding a low-level ropes course, mostly consisting of nets and not requiring a harness, and firepit near the clubhouse, and is hoping to have those projects complete by July 4. The next stage of the project will see 70 RV sites improved, transitioning from parking spots on the grass to gravel parking pads with paved patios and full hookups. The addition of the new sites will bring the total available at the campground to just under 200, with
another 31 tent camping sites also available. The event center on the property will continue to be available for community use during events like the annual Garibaldi Crab Races. McGee said that Roam America’s goal with the upgrades is to increase the average length of stays from its current 2.1 days to 2.8. “We’re just trying to modernize what’s already there but stay true to form,” McGee said, “add a lot of cool things that we think our guests will really like, add to their experience.”
The crowd peruses silent auction items while enjoying light refreshments before dinner begins.
Brown welcomes attendees to the banquet.
Tillamook County Search and Rescue hosts annual banquet WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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ore 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 tritip 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.” 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
Roam America updating Old Mill
Renderings of the new entryway and dining room planned for Roam America Old Mill’s clubhouse. WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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oam America, a campground operator building a portfolio across the American west, is working to upgrade the facilities at the Old Mill RV Park and Event Center, which is being rebranded as Roam America Old Mill. The upgrade will see the campground’s clubhouse and bathhouse facilities upgraded, the addition of a low-level net ropes course and firepit, and the upgrade of 70 RV sites.
“The vision of Roam America was to try to bring really nice camping and campsites and modern amenities to the masses,” said Roam America’s Vice President of Operations Scott Mcgee. “Really unpretentious camping with a focus on clean amenities, modern facilities, tech focused on making the guest experience the best it can be from booking through pre-arrival to post-departure.” Roam America acquired the campground in late 2020 and took over operations last summer but have been focusing on construction
IN THIS ISSUE News A2-4 Opinion A5-6 Obituaries A7 Sports A10 Classifieds B1-12 Graduation 2024 C 1-12
of a facility in Page, Arizona, which recently opened, before beginning work in Garibaldi. McGee said that the focus of renovations on existing structure will be on preserving the character of the buildings, while repairing any issues and adding modern touches. “We want to add to but not take away from the originality of the place,” McGee said. Primary focus will be on updating the campground’s bath house facilities and improving the clubhouse facility at the east end of the site, with both interior and exterior
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