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TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2024 |

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Derelict vessel removed from Empire BY BREE LAUGHLIN The World

Authorities removed a deteriorating 139-foot-long ship moored unlawfully on stateowned lands near the Empire Boat Ramp in Coos Bay during the first week in August. The Oregon Dept. of State Lands coordinated the effort to tow the rusting 86-year-old El Conquistador out of the area, with the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Coast Guard. A private contractor pumped out old fuel, oil and contaminated water before towing the El Conquistador for about 2 hours to Billeter Marine, where it will be further treated, and finally, towed to Reedsport for dismantling. The process to seize and remove the rotting vessel was a lengthy one. “It will be a huge relief when it’s gone,” said Coos County Sheriff’s Office Marine Deputy Robert Baker, one day prior to its removal. Baker said the sheriff’s office had been receiving complaints about the ship and the activity coming to and from it for years. He was involved in an inspection of the ship in coordination with state and regulatory agencies.

“They deemed that it was in poor shape, and something needed to happen. Since then, I have come out and posted a pre-seizure notice,” Baker said. The vessel was seized by the Oregon Dept. of State Lands on July 25. Two males who were reportedly inhabiting the vessel were cooperative with the seizure, according to Baker. Dept. of State Lands The Oregon Dept. of State Lands has been monitoring the El Conquistador long before it was illegally moored near the Empire Boat Ramp in 2021. “The El Conquistador has been on the Department of State Lands radar for about 20 years – since it arrived at the port, the owners began falling behind on payments and it was auctioned off,” said Dorothy Diehl, The Department of State Lands Waterways Stewardship Project Manager. “There’s been a lot of curiosity and a lot of concern over those years,” Diehl said. According to records, the El Conquistador first arrived in Coos Bay in 2002 from Crescent City, CA under a Panamanian flag, and owners Phillip Nickel and his wife Lee Keevil defaulted on moorage fees.

Two years later, Reinard Pollman took ownership of the El Conquistador with a bid of $60,000 in a U.S. Marshal’s Service auction. In 2021, the vessel was moved to a location near

the Empire Boat Ramp. The Department of State Lands issued a notice of trespass and subsequent civil penalties. Funding Resources “The Department of State

Lands had done what it could over those several years to enforce state land rules, but without the funding behind it to actually move forward with

Coquille Police Chief retires For the World

Coquille’s Police Chief, Scott Sanders, a 24-year law enforcement veteran and a 20-year military veteran, retired after over eight years leading the department. In 1980 at age 18, Chief Sanders joined the US Army as an Artilleryman and was stationed at Fort Ord, California where he met his wife, Terese. From there, he deployed twice to the Korean Demilitarized Zone. After his enlistment with the Army, he joined the US Coast Guard as an Aviation Flight Mechanic and served another 17 years, both on the east and west coasts. During his service with the Coast Guard, Chief Sanders deployed numerous times to many different countries, as far north as the Bearing Sea, and south of the equator, doing search and rescue, drug enforcement, illegal alien interdiction, and fishery Please see POLICE Page 3

Please see VESSEL Page 3

Ballot initiative to increase North Bend wastewater utility rates BY BECKY GIGER News Editor

Salmon derby to help raise money for S.T.E.P

STEP stands for salmon, trout enhancement program and is the Fall Chinook Salmon and Rainbow Trout Hatchery program. The hatchery is located on Hwy 101 between Gardiner and the Smith River Bridge, north of Reedsport. The program supports numerous activities including collecting brood stock spawning, hatching salmon and rainbow trout eggs, raising fry, fin clipping, keeping precise records, hatchery maintenance and habitat restoration. The salmon derby will offer cash prizes including $500 for the largest salmon of the derby, $150 for the largest salmon each day and $100 for the smallest legal salmon of the derby. All cash prizes will be awarded during the closing ceremonies at 1:30 pm, Monday, September 2nd at the BY BECKY GIGER Blue Box Fish Company, WinNews Editor chester Bay. Participants do not need to be present to win. The 31st Annual Gardiner, Derby tickets can be purchased Reedsport, Winchester Bay for $20 individual or $50 boat Salmon Derby will be held Labor (three or more anglers) at many Day weekend beginning August locations including Ace Hardware 31st through September 2nd. The (Reedsport), Snowy River Mercanevent raises money for the Gardiner Reedsport Winchester Bay Please see DERBY Page 3 STEP Program.

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The North Bend city council met in special session on Tuesday, July 30th to discuss an upcoming ballot initiative. Mayor Jessica Engelke emphasized why this ballot is important, “The revenue from property taxes does not cover the expenses needed to maintain our infrastructure.” The focus of the meeting was on the wastewater deficit and a needed rate increase for the North Bend resident's wastewater monthly bill. Currently residents are paying $36.66 monthly, one of the lowest in the state. This is not enough explained Public Works Director Ralph Dunham in a presentation to the council, to cover the costs of the aging system, yearly maintenance and capital improvements. In perspective next door neighbor Coos Bay residents are paying $85.57 a month, Coquille $72.12 and Bandon sits at $49.40 for their monthly utility costs. The priority of the proposal was to determine additional long-term funding for the city and to present options to increase fees to sustain the aging infrastructure. Ralph Dunham went through the numbers in his presentation, beginning with explaining how old the system is and the need for updating. “Our biggest issue is our collection system. Our collection system design life is 50 years and 70 is about true average life.” Dunham went on to explain why this is a Please see BALLOT Page 2

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