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Headlight Herald
Tuesday, September 2, 2025 | Vol. 137, Issue 35
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Adventist surgery project underway Track use debate C heats up WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
rews from Skanska USA Building are hard at work on a 4,500 square-foot addition to Adventist Health Tillamook that will house four new operating rooms when complete next March. The new space is part of a twophase revamping of the hospital’s surgical facilities, and its completion will be followed by an extensive renovation of the existing surgery suite, expected to be complete by the end of September 2026. Work on the $18 million project officially broke ground last fall and the addition is now weeks away from being dried in, with work on a roof taking place in the last week of August. Coordinating work to allow operations to continue in the hospital as two existing areas are renovated to tie into the new construction has been a complicated procedure, with workers making sure to keep utilities connected even as they removed unnecessary overhead piping and wiring. That logistical dance will continue when the new building construction wraps, allowing surgical procedures to shift to the new rooms while the old operating rooms, built in 1995, have a foundation issue repaired and are renovated to serve new functions. Surgeries have been ongoing throughout the project, with surgery prep taking place on the second floor.
WILL CHAPPELL
A
The building’s exterior with work underway on the roof.
Human remains identified as missing woman Maria Del Carmen Quintana T
Tillamook COUNTY Sheriff’s OFFICE
he Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that human remains discovered earlier this year have been positively identified as those of 59-year-old Maria Del Carmen Quintana, who was reported missing in 2018. Maria was last seen on November 30, 2018, in the Nehalem/Highway 53 area of Tillamook County. Following her disappearance, her family, alongside members of the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) Team, conducted extensive searches and exhausted all available efforts in trying to locate her. On May 28, 2025, partial remains were discovered in a heavily
wooded area not far from Maria’s home. TCSO Detectives immediately conducted a cursory search of the site, and search dogs were later deployed to assist. No additional remains or evidence were recovered. After careful examination, the remains were confirmed to be those of Maria Del Carmen Quintana. “Our hearts are with Maria’s family as they receive this difficult news,” said Sheriff Joshua Brown. “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of our SAR volunteers, deputies, and community members who never stopped searching. While this may not bring the answers we had hoped for, we hope it provides some measure of closure.” The Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to Maria’s family and friends.
Courtesy photo
Tillamook County Sheriff’s office confirmed, human remains discovered earlier this year have been positively identified as those of 59-year-old Maria Del Carmen Quintana, who was reported missing in 2018.
Nestucca School board appoints acting super F
ollowing the resignation of Misty Wharton as Nestucca Valley School District superintendent on August 18, the district’s board of directors unanimously appointed Ken Richwine as acting superintendent on August 26. Richwine has more than 30 years of experience with the district, previously serving as the Nestucca High School principal before becoming district administrator in 2024, coordinating mentorship, instructional coaching
and professional development for staff. His compensation package is still being negotiated. At the meeting where Richwine was appointed, Board President Greg Woods read a statement on behalf of the board regarding Wharton’s departure. The statement said that the board had not requested Wharton’s resignation, that the split was amicable and that Wharton will receive a year of salary and benefits from the district.
Headlight Editor
request by the City of Rockaway Beach to allow the city to take over the section of tracks north of its wayside, currently used by the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, to construct a portion of the Salmonberry Trail at last month’s Port of Tillamook Bay meeting has ignited a passionate discussion in north county. Proponents of the trail and representatives from the city argue that the cost of building the trail alongside the railroad is prohibitive in the northern section of Rockaway Beach and that the trail’s benefits for Rockaway Beach and neighboring Wheeler would outweigh those provided by the railroad, while questioning the railroad’s future, given its financial situation. Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCRS) General Manager Trevor Park said that the railroad is on track to repay debts incurred by previous management and be in a strong financial situation by next year, and argued that the railroad’s continued success and growth, as well as its future plans are reliant on continued use of the tracks. “What’s going to happen to OCSR if 20% of our income vanishes overnight,” Park wondered referencing the revenue generated by trips on the section of rail. “It’s a death blow. There’s no question that it is a death blow.” The discussion arose at July’s meeting of the Port of Tillamook Bay board of commissioners, when Rockaway Beach City Manager Luke Shepard appeared to give an update on the trail based on a preliminary trail design. During the design work, Shepard said that it had become apparent to the project team that the planned rails-andtrails configuration, with the trail adjoining the operational rail track, was not going to be feasible north of the OCSR depot at the city’s wayside. Shepard said that the cost of constructing the mile of trail between 19th and Beech Streets would be $4.6 million, a figure that would not be competitive when applying for further funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation’s community paths program, which funded the design work. The high construction cost was due to environmental concerns driving up permitting costs, a crowded area around the tracks making colocation challenging and the need to build a new bridge over Crescent Creek. Shepard argued that the difficulties of building in north Rockaway Beach were common across many segments of the trail and said that it was time to move the Salmonberry Trail to a rails-to-trails model between the Rockaway wayside and Banks, to allow easier development, and requested the board institute the change when OCSR’s lease expires at the end of 2026. The suggestion immediately set off alarm bells for Parks and OCSR Board President Paul Daniels, who both spoke against the proposal at the meeting, and subsequently sat
Courtesy photo
Ken Richwine
See DEBATE, Page A2
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