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Headlight Herald
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 | Vol. 137, Issue 27
$2.00
www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Tillamook County celebrates July 4th T
illamook County celebrated the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with parades, wiener dog races and fireworks on July 4. Rockaway Beach’s celebrations kicked off the day, with the city’s annual Fourth of July Parade taking place at 11 a.m. before the 18th annual Firecracker Wiener Nationals kicked off at 1 p.m. The parade featured entries from a wide assortment of local businesses from Flamingo Jim’s to Pronto Pup and was preceded by a flyover from the United States Airforce. Manzanita’s parade rolled down Laneda Avenue at one and saw a wide array of local groups, including the Manzanita Police Department, neighborhood associations and Tillamook Peoples’ Utility District participate. The day was capped off at dusk with Rockaway Beach’s annual fireworks show.
Matt Ellis
Will Chappell/Headlight Herald
Laneda Avenue was packed with spectators for the Annual July 4th Parade in Manzanita. See more area July 4th photos on page A3.
FAIR COUNTDOWN
Ellis resigns from school district top position
Less than a month until the Tillamook County Fair T WILL CHAPPELL
I
Headlight Editor
n just under a month, the Tillamook County Fairgrounds will transform into a hive of activity from August 6-9 for the Tillamook County Fair. Attendees from across the county and region will be treated to a plethora of displays, pari-mutuel horse racing, a standout concert lineup and, of course, Pig n’ Ford races as the fair celebrates 100 years of Pig n’ Ford as its theme. The fair will kick off at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 6, and have hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day through Saturday, August 9. During the day, fairgoers can wander the fair’s exhibit halls, where a host of local businesses and organizations, including the Headlight Herald, will have decorated booths. There will also be displays featuring local agricultural
Exhibit halls are a big draw at the fair and a place for the community to showcase their hard work.
products from area granges, 4H and FFA animal competitions, and live entertainment on the fair’s central
courtyard stage. For those looking for a thrill, Rainier Amusements will be offer-
ing carnival style rides (tickets must be purchased in addition to fair entry) and every day will see pari-mutuel horse racing in the grandstand arena throughout the afternoon. After the horse races end, the Model T Pig n’ Ford Association will take over the arena with their centennial competition. Get there early to find a good seat so you don’t miss a second of the action. Following the Pig n’ Ford races, the arena will play host to the fair’s annual concert series, with Chase Matthew performing on Wednesday, Fleetwood Mac cover band Taken by the Sky playing on Wednesday and Waylon Wyatt taking the stage on Friday. Closing out the week of fair fun will be Saturday night’s annual demolition derby. Check the Headlight Herald in the coming weeks for more stories about the fair and be sure to visit tillamookfair.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
COLPAC hosts Mass Timber 101 WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
As part of an ongoing effort to increase awareness and use of mass timber products, the ColumbiaPacific Development District hosted a webinar for northwest Oregon
leaders on June 18. In the meeting, Jonathan Heppner, a principal at Lever Architecture, which has been a pioneer in the use of mass timber products over the past decade, described the history, production process and uses for mass timber. The meeting began with Lydia Ivanovic, Columbia-Pacific Development District (COLPAC) programs manager, welcoming attendees and discussing the purpose of the meeting. Ivanovic explained that COLPAC had received grants from Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development to help expand the use of manufactured wood products throughout their coverage area in northwest Oregon. This process began with a group of COLPAC employees learning about the products last winter and will continue with work on amending codes and permitting processes, while the purpose of the June event was to educate local partners. Heppner then began his presentation, saying that there was a busy mass timber business in Oregon that had been growing over the past
decade, with his firm working on more than 15 projects using mass timber in that time frame. Mass timber can refer to any number of products that are produced by using an adhesive to join small pieces of wood together to create large, structural pieces that can be used in construction, according to Heppner. Heppner said that wood was a good product to build with because it had a strength to weight ratio comparable to steel, can flex significantly and, in the case of mass timber products, is as fire resistant as concrete. Heppner said that cross laminated timber, the first mass timber product, was originally developed in the 1920s, but with a large supply of old growth timber available, did not have an economic use case until much later. Beyond its advantageous physical characteristics, mass timber is also easier to construct with, according to Heppner, as it is prefabricated in production facilities allowing easy assembly on construction sites. Mass timber products can also be fabricated from smaller diameter trees or by-
products from the milling process that would otherwise go to waste, making it attractive to forest product companies. Most mass timber products in Oregon are made from Douglas fir, Heppner said, but pine and spruce are also being incorporated at scale and any wood product can be used. However, the relatively recent shift towards the products means that there is currently a shortage of production facilities, making the products comparatively expensive, Heppner said. Owing to this, mass timber products are cost effective in larger buildings—those over three stories—while traditional wood framing makes more economic sense for smaller projects. Heppner said that as the industry continues to grow, he envisions products that can be used to build smaller buildings like IKEA furniture in very little time and at a lower cost. Heppner said that mass timber could be used for buildings up to 18 stories tall, though was mostly See COLPAC, Page A2
WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
illamook School District Superintendent Matt Ellis resigned from his position on June 29, with the district’s board of directors announcing the move in a press release on June 30. Ellis’s resignation followed an announcement on June 18, that the board had extended a previously unannounced administrative leave and named Jennifer Guarcello acting superintendent, a position which she will continue to fill. Ellis arrived in Tillamook in 2023, beginning a three-year contract on July 1, taking over after the previous superintendent, Curt Shelley, abruptly resigned in 2022, while the subject of a board investigation, and received a full year’s salary as severance. Previously, Ellis had worked in Washington State, most recently as superintendent at the Prosser School District following stints at Royal High School and LindRitzville Cooperative Schools. When he was hired, Ellis’s contract included base salaries of $175,000, $180,250 and $187,460 for its three-year term, as well as an additional annual retention bonus of 10%. The reasons for Ellis’s administrative leave and resignation were not made public, and Ellis did not respond to a request for comment from the Headlight Herald. At their monthly board meeting on July 1, Kris Lachenmeier, the district’s board chair, addressed the resignation in her board comments, stressing that the comments were not an official statement from the district or board. Lachenmeier said that the district had received a short letter late on the night of June 29 from Ellis, informing them that he would be resigning effective July 1, and offering no more explanation. Lachenmeier said that while she understood the public’s desire for more information, it was a key role of board members to respect privacy and labor laws, even if it limited transparency. “Transparency is important to me as a school board member,” Lachenmeier said, “but not if it violates employment law, board ethics or exposes the district to potential litigation. We were elected to exercise sound judgment and act in the best interests of the community. We will continue to do that this year as we move forward with new leadership.”
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