Pacific City
SUN
County to begin design work to replace failing culvert for Reneke Creek................. 2 Pacific City Joint Water-Sanitary Authority identifies, repairs major water leak...............4
Science Pub looks at ‘Trees, Water & Family’
2
Short-term rental recommendations march towards June completion...............8 FREE – TAKE ONE
Vol. 16, No. 414 • February 24, 2023
Nestucca Fire eyeing operating bond renewal
Buckets of
Snow
By TIM HIRSCH of the Sun
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Pacific City residents and visitors were met with 7-plus inches of snow the morning of Feb. 23
estucca Rural Fire Protection District, which passed an operations levy back in 2019, has started the initial process Photo by Tim Hirsch of reviewing that levy, which NESTUCCA RURAL pays the salary FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT Chief of three fullJames Oeder has time emergency begun the process personnel. of renewing the disSpeaking trict’s operating levy. at the Feb. 18 Pacific City-Woods Citizen Advisory Committee meeting at the Kiawanda Community Center, Nestucca Fire Chief James Oeder explained the process and what the district is planning for. “We’re working on what (the operating levy is) going to look like,” he told the CAC membership. “Our goal will be (to have it on the ballot) in November so that when July 2024 (the expiration date of current levy) comes in, the levy will renew.” Another goal, said Oeder, is to keep it at the same rate that voters approved in 2019, a $4.007 million levy. It was approved by a vote of 668-611. “That’s going to maintain services for what we have, which is a three-person crew, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” he said. “Our minimum is two so we can allow one person off. On top of that, that includes the three staff members that we have, and one of us is on duty all the time.” Once the dollars are fine-tuned, Oeder said the district plans to present at a series of local meetings in its effort to educate the public ahead of the November election. For more information about the Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District, visit nrfpd.com.
PCJWSA in planning stages for Rueppell Avenue water line replacement By TIM HIRSCH of the Sun
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acific City Joint Water-Sanitary Authority has reached the 90 percent design level in its plans to replace the water line along Rueppell Avenue. The project, which will replace an aging, 2-inch main that serves more than 40 existing homes on Rueppell, is being designed by Parametrix and is slated for construction this summer. The majority of the four- to five-month project is expected to be completed during July and August.
The current 1,656 linear feet of pipe will be replaced with 6-inch C900 piping. PCJWSA Manager John Wesely said that central to the need of the long-planned upgrade is the fact that the current water main requires frequent repairs and doesn’t offer sufficient flow for fire suppression. “It’s one of the highest maintenance pipelines in town,” Wesely told the Sun. “(When) water leaks happen, a disproportionate amount of them are on Rueppell. It’s an indication the pipeline is old and in need of replacement.” It addition to installing a new, higher
capacity water main, plans include adding two new fire hydrants. As well, there are plans to “stub out” water services for all undeveloped lots on the street. PCJWSA is planning on hosting a town hall-style meeting in the next month or two to allow interested property owners to ask questions or express their concerns. With the design of the project 90 percent complete, permitting is scheduled to begin March 16, and Wesely expects it go out for bid within the next four to six weeks. He told the Board of Directors on Feb. 14 that Parametrix is anticipating a project cost
between $850,000 and $1.1 million. “I can say that engineer’s cost estimates are usually a little inflated because they’d rather overestimate than underestimate,” he explained. “There’s a lot of volatility in the market right now. Therefore, they’ve included a lot of contingency. I’m optimistic that when the bids actually come in, they’ll come in on the low side of the estimate, not the high side.” For more information about Pacific City Joint Water-Sanitary Authority and its upcoming meetings and projects, visit pcjwsa.com.
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