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Community begins work on Salmonberry Trail in Wheeler

WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor

Community members gathered at Wheeler’s waterfront park on July 12, for a celebration of the Salmonberry Trail project, culminating in a groundbreaking for a .6-mile stretch of trail in the city.

Board of Forestry briefed on state forester recruitment

WILL CHAPPELL

In the wake of senate bill 1051, members of the board of forestry were updated on Governor Tina Kotek’s plan for the recruitment of a new state forester, a responsibility reassigned from the board by the bill, on July 17.

Several board members were dubious about the importance of their positions given the change with Kotek natural policy resource advisors Geoff Huntington and Chandra Ferrari reassuring the board that they would still have a role to play.

“The board still, in my opinion has a very important role,” Ferrari said. “I still think you’re a very important interface point with the forester and with this agency and in terms of providing some clarity around how well the department is functioning in achieving the outcomes we’re all still going to collectively share for the department and for forest management in Oregon.”

Senate bill 1051 reallocated the responsibility for the hiring and firing of Oregon’s state forester from the board of forestry to the governor, in the middle of the process to find a replacement for Cal Mukumoto, who resigned from the post in January.

“This trail represents a new era for us,” Donohue said, “more tourism, more recreation, more connection, more vitality. It honors our past while creating a new normal, a more vibrant, walkable, welcoming future.”

The event featured guided walks, history talks, live music, events for kids and more, and Wheeler Mayor Denise Donohue told the crowd that the planned trail will be transformative for the city.

As envisioned, the Salmonberry Trail will be an 82-mile trail connecting Banks in Washington County with Tillamook County, via the disused Port of Tillamook Bay railroad line between the two cities, which fell into disuse after major damage in a 2007 storm. Work is already under way on a section of trail in Washington County between Manning and Stub Stewart State Park, but the

Wheeler project is the first to begin on the coast and is set to be the first completed. Construction of Wheeler’s trail will begin with the .6-mile segment from the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad Station in downtown to Bott’s Marsh, just north of the city. The trail will run ad-

Kotek’s representatives were at the board meeting to detail the process the governor’s office will be using for the recruitment. Huntington said that Ferrari would be taking the lead on the recruitment and that their office was using the same framework they had in the recruitment of executives at six other natural resource agencies during Kotek’s tenure.

Huntington told the board that a

See WHEELER, Page A3 See FORESTER,

Nehalem Council raises water rates

WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor

Nehalem’s city council raised water rates by 8% at their July 14 meeting, to keep up with increases in the utility’s budget. Council also heard an update on the Thompson Springs project being led by local nonprofit Sammy’s Place, which plans to bring ten units offering home ownership opportunities, with a portion

dedicated to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), to the city.

The water rate increase came as the city heads into a new fiscal year and to close a gap between revenues and expenses caused when the council declined to increase rates in 2023. That put rates 4-5% behind expenses and a 5% increase last year was insufficient to make up for it.

City Manager Lori Longfellow told councilors that the water revenues were the city’s financial lifeblood and that it was important they not fall further behind on updating them. Councilors agreed with Wandell and approved the increase. The base rate for .75” pipes will now be $65.85.

Members of the team working on the Thompson Springs project presented at the meeting, with Kevin Shluka who sits on the Thompson Springs Housing Advisory Committee and Shane Boland from construction company Owen Gabbert LLC speaking.

Work on the project began in earnest in 2019, when Tillamook County donated the three-acre property on Thompson Lane in

Nehalem to Sammy’s Place after it went into foreclosure. At that point, there were hazardous material concerns on the property, but Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality and the United States Environmental Protection Agency donated staff time to remediate those issues, and it is now largely ready for development.

The plan for the project is to build six one-bed and four two-bed homes and a community building featuring a communal kitchen, generator and emergency supplies on the property. Five of the homes would be for people with IDD, while the others would be open to anybody to create an integrated community.

Residents will purchase the individual units while the common land remains under the ownership of a land trust. Two of the units will be affordable to residents making 120% of the area’s median income or less, while the rest will be even more affordable, though final prices will depend on fundraising efforts, as IDD individuals will also be eligible to participate in a

WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor

A century ago, Tillamook residents awaited their late-September county fair with great anticipation, as a new domed exhibit building was under construction at a cost of $27,000, part of a $1 million bond approved in 1921 to move the fair to its current home.

Another momentous change was also afoot, as for the first time, racers brought their Ford Model Ts to the fairground and hauled pigs through a two-lap race, giving birth to the Pig-n-Ford races, which are celebrating their 100-year anniversary at this year’s fair from August from August 6-9.

The idea for the event was spawned when Joe Bell found a loose pig on his property one day in the early 1920s. Bell gathered the squealing swine, crank started his Ford Model T and returned the pig to its owner, and in recounting the incident to his friends around Tillamook, the idea for a competition was born.

In its early days, the races were open to all comers, with participation varying year to year, but in the early 1950s, the Model T Pig n’ Fords Association was formed, establishing ten franchises that would participate in the event each year. More than seventy years later, those same ten franchises still exist, with many owned by descendants of the original owners from the 1950s.

Parry Hurliman, a franchise owner who has been a member of the association for 52 years since he joined as a driver at the age of 16, recently sat down with the Headlight Herald to reminisce on his time with the association.

Three of Hurliman’s uncles

1950s

Garibaldi Days promises weekend of family fun

STAFF REPORT

Returning for its 65th year from July 25-27, Garibaldi Days features a schedule filled with fun activities for all ages centered around the Port of Garibaldi.

The main attraction will be Saturday’s parade, which, thanks to an ahead-ofschedule work completion by contractors overhauling Highway 101, will proceed on its normal course from the port down Seventh Street right on 101 to Third and back to the port via American Way at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

On Friday, festivities will get under way in the port’s event tent and along Jerry Creasy Way as more than 60 vendors set up from noon to 8 p.m. In the evening, both Kelley’s Place and the Ghost Hole Public House will have

live music. Lumberman’s Park will feature a kid’s zone with bounce houses and Claudia the Chinook, an oversized, walk-in Chinook salmon classroom from the Nehalem Bay Watershed Councils, from noon to 4 p.m., a performance from the Tillamook School of Dance from 4-6 p.m. and a dance party from 6-8 p.m.

Saturday will again feature the kid’s zone at Lumberman’s Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and vendors on Jerry Creasy Way and in the port’s event tent from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The annual Water Ball Challenge between the fire department and coast guard will take place at 3 p.m.

Any Day Now will kick off Saturday’s musical acts at the event tent at 11:30 a.m., before a four pack of bands rock

the night away from starting at 5 p.m. Ladies of the 80s will kick things off at 5 p.m.,

followed by Van Halen tribute band Jump at 6:15, Joan Jett/ Pat Benatar tribute Jett-aTarr at 7:30 p.m. and AC/ DC Tribute band Back Into Black capping off the night at

Dialysis clinic reopens in Tillamook

WILL CHAPPELL

CITIZEN EDITOR

After months of review, a final inspection was completed at the Tillamook Kidney Center on June 27, and Dialysis Clinic, Inc. received final paperwork allowing the center to begin operations on July 9. Patients are now being transitioned to care at the center, ending a year-and-a-half ordeal that saw them forced into multi-hour roundtrips three times weekly for their life sustaining treatment. Tillamook dialysis patients were first thrown into uncertainty in January 2024 when the then-operator of Tillamook’s dialysis clinic, U.S. Renal Care (USRC), announced its intention to close the unit, citing low patient numbers making the clinic economically unsustainable. Following the announcement, Tillamook Adventist Health President Eric

Swanson swung into action, seeking a new partner to operate the center and spare patients commutes to Lincoln City, Astoria or Forest Grove for treatment. On a tip from a consultant, Swanson reached out to Dialysis Clinic, Inc. (DCI), a Nashville-based nonprofit that runs dialysis centers across the country, whose leaders immediately expressed an interest in helping to reopen the center.

In September, DCI staff reached out to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to inquire about the possibility of transferring USRC’s license for the center to the new center but were informed that USRC had returned its license to OHA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), making a transfer impossible and triggering a new review for the proposed center. That review process generally takes six months to a year, an OHA official told the

Headlight Herald in March, and includes reviews of the physical environment by the OHA’s Facilities Planning and Safety Program and fire and life safety elements and mechanicals by the Oregon Fire Marshal’s Office. The fire marshal office’s inspection was completed in late February and the physical environment review in March. Following those inspections, the center needed a review of its operations by CMS, which pays for many dialysis patients’ care. The center began serving one patient with private insurance in June to demonstrate operations and OHA contractors completed two inspections on behalf of CMS, with the second, a fire and life safety check, occurring on June 27. With those inspections complete, DCI’s Tillamook Kidney Center received its certification of operation on July 9.

Sharon Marti, DCI’s

9:15 p.m. There will also be a beer garden open during the evening performances from 5-9:30 p.m.

Sunday will see the Garibaldi Days Car Show take over Biak Avenue between Fifth and Seventh Streets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with live music from

since the previous operators closed it in January 2024.

Senior Operations Director, said that center staff are now working to transition patients from other centers to Tillamook for treatments, prioritizing care based on medical need and in a way to ensure the staff can acclimate to patient needs.

Marti said that the center was treating three patients as of July 11, with 17 on the waitlist to be dialyzed there.

Currently, the center is licensed to operate five treatment stations, according to Marti, meaning that it will likely be necessary to add

treatment shifts on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in addition to the current Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. Marti said that DCI is in the planning process for two additional treatment stations, which it hopes to have operational by December.

Seismic valve installed at Bay City reservoir

WILL CHAPPELL

CITIZEN EDITOR

State Senator Suzanne Weber joined Bay City

Mayor Lianne Welch, City

Manager David McCall and Public Works Director Roy

Markee to inspect a recently installed seismic isolation valve at the city’s Pennsylvania Avenue reservoir on July 7. The valve was funded with $225,000 in the 2023 capital construction bill,

Colter Leroy Young born July 12, 2025.

Colter’s proud parents are Kalli Swanson Young and Bob (Robert) Young of McMinnville. Grandparents are Steve and Brandi Young, Bloggett and Rich and Lara Swanson of Nehalem. Great grandmothers are Pat Young, Tillamook and Betty Owens, Nehalem and Great-Great grandmother Janice Urrey, Tillamook.

made available through a Oregon Water Resources Department grant, and will automatically shut off when an attached sensor registers an earthquake to prevent the reservoir’s contents from emptying through broken pipes. In addition to the seismic

monitor, the system features solar-charged batteries that power the monitor as well as the valve, storing enough energy to open and close it three times. In the event of an earthquake, Markee said that public works staff will check the system for leaks before turning the water back on.

The valve is intended to prevent the 500,000-gallon reservoir from emptying through broken lines throughout the system in the aftermath of an earthquake.

A pump was also installed as part of the upgrade so that residents can access the reservoir’s potable water even if the rest of the system is damaged.

Another seismic valve is currently being installed at the city’s reservoir on Juno Hill in Tillamook at the same time as its capacity is doubled from 500,000 to one million gallons.

Courtney Bangs launches campaign for Oregon Senate District 16

Clatsop County Commissioner Vice-Chair and 25-year educator Courtney Bangs officially launched her campaign for Oregon Senate District 16 over the weekend with Senator Suzanne Weber at the Warrenton 4th of July Parade. Commissioner Bangs will seek the Republican nomination in the May 2026 primary.

“I have experienced and understood the challenges facing rural Northwest Oregon families as a local mom and educator, as well as from my time serving on the Clatsop County Commission,” said Bangs. “We don’t have access

to enough affordable housing or childcare, our roads and telecom infrastructure are inadequate for our needs, and we rarely see investments come from the Portland politicians, despite paying more and more in taxes and fees every year. Every legislative session we stand at risk that the Legislature will increase taxes and shut down more of our natural resource jobs. I am running for the state senate to stand in the breach and protect our communities.”

Bangs was first elected to the Clatsop County Commission in 2020, defeating an incumbent Democrat and helping flip the commission to a common sense conservative majority. As Commissioner, she has been a champion for working forests, infrastructure improvements, and fiscal responsibility.

Senator Suzanne Weber,

WILL CHAPPELL CITIZEN EDITOR

who currently holds the Senate District 16 seat, has given Bangs her full endorsement:

“Courtney Bangs is exactly the kind of leader we need in the Oregon Senate. Her experience as a county commissioner, her dedication to our rural communities, and her proven track record of common-sense governance make her the clear and only choice for Senate District 16 in the Republican primary and November election of next year. No one is a fiercer advocate for the people she works to protect than Commissioner Bangs. I cannot wait to see how she shakes things up in Salem.”

Bangs brings a wealth of experience to her Senate campaign. She is an Academic Director and Teacher at Encore Academy in Warrenton, with over 25 years of experience in

education. She is a mother of three and her husband, Derek, works for the Oregon Department of Forestry. Bangs has deep roots in the community, having lived in the area for 17 years.

“My priority has always been to listen to the people I represent and to be their voice,” Bangs added. “In the Senate, I will build on the steadfast and bold leadership of Senator Weber, who has been a champion for our rural way of life in Northwest Oregon. Like her, I will always fight to protect parental rights in education, support our natural resource industries, and push back against government overreach.”

Senate District 16 includes Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook counties, as well as parts of western Multnomah and Washington counties and a sliver of Yamhill County.

for a grant from the clean water state revolving fund, which should provide the remainder of the needed funds for the purchase, which is expected to be complete by October 2026. In addition to accepting the grant, council also approved a $10,355 payment to Stimson Lumber to pay for the company to mechanically brush the 10.9 miles of road in the

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Forester Recruitment

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recruitment firm had been retained and that the job listing would be posted sometime on the day of the meeting and remain active through the end of August.

At that point, applications will be reviewed by staff from the governor’s natural resource office, Board of Forestry Chair Jim Kelly and two board members, who will subjectively rank the candidates’ qualifications based on the recruitment criteria. Huntington said that in past recruitments, six to eight candidates have typically advanced.

Candidates will then move into three rounds of interviews.

The first will feature two stakeholder panels, comprised of members of different groups interested in forests, with Huntington mentioning the possibility of forest industry and conservation groups. The groups will offer feedback on the candidates, and the field may be narrowed.

Candidates will then interview with a panel consisting of two board of forestry members, staff from the department of forestry and executive-level employees from other state agencies. Huntington said that the goal was to winnow the field of candidates to three or four following this round of interviews.

The final round of interviews will take place with the governor’s executive team and Kelly, who will recommend two or three finalists for a decisive interview with Kotek.

Huntington said that the goal is to conduct the interview panels throughout September, allowing Kotek to do her interviews in the first week of October and reach a decision by Octo -

ber 17, a month ahead of the November 17 legislative days when Kotek will seek senate approval for the nomination.

Following several procedural questions about the recruitment, Kelly opened a discussion about the board’s role under the new law, and it quickly became clear that board members, especially Brenda McComb, were concerned about the change.

McComb started the discussion by pointedly asking Huntington and Ferrari what the board’s role would be now that they did not manage the state forester.

“Since we now have responsibility without authority to appoint the state forester nor to oversee or hold accountable the state forester, I would like to hear from Chandra and Jeff what they see as our role from this point on,” McComb wondered.

Ferrari said that the board would still play an important role in helping the governor evaluate the forester’s performance and that she was committed to creating mechanisms to promote communication with the board.

McComb pressed on the issue, saying that without the authority to oversee the forester, any attempts to resolve policy or management disagreements between the board and forester would be mediated by the governor’s office and that given recent events, she did not have much faith in receiving their support.

“We then have to trust that your office will listen to what we have to say,” McComb said, “and right now after the passage of the senate bill, I have very little reason to trust your office.”

McComb then again asked what authority the board would wield without oversight of the agency’s director.

OBITUARY

tours, presentations on area history and more. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Donohue welcomed the crowd, while Rockaway Beach Mayor Charles McNeilly, State

Huntington chimed in that the board was now in the same position as the water resources commission and that they would continue to participate in policy setting for the department. Huntington argued that the board would still have lots of influence and said that the authority to hire and fire did not matter to the governor’s office.

McComb shot back that Huntington was describing a situation where the board would have responsibility without authority.

Huntington pushed back, arguing that the governor had always had ultimate discretion over the department and its human resources, with 1051 simply formalizing that authority. “The ultimate authority for the enterprise sits with the governor, working in partnership with our boards and commissions whether they have hiring and firing authority or they don’t,” Huntington said.

Kelly asked how the board could rely on the governor’s office to remain engaged after the recruitment policy ended when they had many other responsibilities. Ferrari said that she wanted to collaborate to establish best practices and expectations to create continuity in the board’s communications with the governor’s office.

Board Member Liz Agpaoa said that she was concerned the change would put state foresters in jeopardy of being fired for situations outside of their control, such as wildfires or inadequate funding mechanisms for the department, robbing the department of stability.

Huntington said that Kotek stood up for her agency heads, specifically pointing to the Oregon Department of Transportation, which has perennial budget struggles, as an example of Kotek not

Lawrence (Larry) Sheldon Kiser April 17, 1932 ~ May 30, 2025

2025. Larry is survived by his wife of 68 years, Debbie Kiser; children Julie (Dave), Jeff (Lynn), David (Gina), and Laura (Garth); grandchildren David, Corey, Kristen, Amy (Chris), Brittany, Alan (Julianna),

successful marketing and sales career in the railroad industry. He had a driving passion to serve others through church, community groups, and civic organizations.

The Celebration of Life service to honor Larry’s amazing 93 years will be held on August 2, 2025 at 2pm at Nehalem United Methodist Church at 36050 10th St., Nehalem, OR. Larry will be greatly missed by all and will hold a special place in many hearts! May his memory be a blessing, and may we carry forth his legacy of love and compassion in all that we do.

Senator Suzanne Weber and Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell also spoke. All were enthusiastic about the beginning of work on the trail on the coast, highlighting its positive potential impacts for local recreation, health and tour-

turning on an embattled director. Huntington said that he also felt there was a better understanding of the challenges posed by climate change and budget constraints now than at any time in the past.

Hungtington argued the change would reduce the political pressures on future state foresters as long as they were transparent about issues facing the department.

“Our office believes that having the governor be responsible for the state forester being hired and fired and responsible for the duration of that tenure is part of settling things out,” Huntington said. McComb said she thought it was “incredibly naïve” to believe

ism opportunities.

“It’s going to be game changing for mental and physical health. It’s going to be game changing for economic success,” Weber said. “We’re going to be bringing people here from all over the world and they’re going to see what you have here, all

that transparency would keep an angry public from turning on an agency head and that she doubted the governor’s resolve in such a situation.

From there, the discussion began to wind down, but a commonality among several board members began to emerge when Kelly asked a question on behalf of Ben Deumling, who wondered how the board would be able to create meaningful performance measure for the state’s forests if they lacked authority over the state forester and why he should remain invested in the board given that.

Ferrari responded that the performance measures, like the board’s feedback, would play an important

the wonderful things in your environment.”

The trail segment has received a $62,000 grant from the Tillamook Coast Visitor’s Association to support the cost of construction. Work is scheduled to begin in late August and finish by the end of November.

role in the governor’s evaluation of the agency. However, that answer did not seem to assuage concerns, with McComb saying that the change had eroded her interest in investing time and energy in the board, and both Kelly and Board Member Joe Justice agreeing. Kelly ended the meeting with an impromptu pep talk for himself, Justice and McComb, encouraging them to join him in remaining engaged.

“I guess we just need to—the three of us—put our big boy or our big girl pants on and do the work,” Kelly said, “because it’s going to be really important as all this transition happens that we’re not checking out early.”

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Healthcare education building at TBCC ‘starting to finish’

WILL CHAPPELL

CITIZEN EDITOR

Interior and exterior

finishes are being installed at Tillamook Bay Community College’s new healthcare education building, keeping the project on track for a fall completion and January 2026 opening to students.

When complete, the building and associated plaza will transform the college’s campus, encouraging students, staff and community members to circulate among the buildings and enjoy the outdoor space, according to Tillamook Bay Community College (TBCC) President Paul Jarrell.

“I think it’s important to understand that our goal is to really create that kind of campus feel and really encourage students and staff to move from building to

building so that we’re not so isolated,” Jarrell said during a recent tour of the new building.

Work on the new 28,000-square-foot building began last June and its $23.8-million budget is being supported primarily by a voter-approved bond. Jason Lawrence, TBCC’s Director of Facilities and Safety, said that the project has remained on schedule and there are still contingency funds remaining in the budget, even after complicated wastewater management systems were found to be necessary early in the project.

As of early July, groundwork had begun on a sitting wall and planter in the plaza between the healthcare education building and the college’s main building. When complete, the plaza will feature varied plantings, grassy

and paved areas, and be next to a new solar-powered kiosk abutting the college’s roundabout that will serve as a bus stop.

Installation of exterior siding panels was also underway in early July. Once complete in mid to late July, the tiles will be painted the same color as the college’s main building, as will the college’s center for industrial technology and a wellhouse for the Pleasant View utility district that sits on campus, to create a cohesive appearance across the college’s facilities. Lawrence also said that the new building’s roof was near completion.

On the building’s interior, drywall installation has begun and with framing complete, the layout has come into focus. Natural light will feature prominently throughout, with two-story

glass facades on the north and south end of the building’s main entry corridor, large skylights above the main hallway and atrium, and three sets of enormous, two-story windows in the building’s 400-person event center.

Flexibility is another touchstone for the building, with the event center divisible into five different configurations and other meeting rooms and classrooms throughout the building serving multiple potential purposes. Jarrell said that while the nursing and EMT labs on the first floor will be dedicated to students in those programs, he expects to see other courses offered by TBCC meet in the building’s second story classrooms.

The facilities for students in healthcare education are

located on the ground floor and will include three full hospital bed setups plus two smart mannequins in dedicated rooms for nursing students, an ambulance simulator and two retired ambulances donated by Adventist Health that can be pulled into the EMT lab via a garage door, and an x-ray lab that will offer recertification courses for radiology technicians.

Beyond the student facing facilities, the second floor features a new office suite for TBCC leadership, as well as a remote-meeting-ready conference room. Jarrell said that the plan is for student-facing administrators to remain in the current building’s office suite, while he and other more facultyfocused administrators, like those in human resources and accounting, will move to

the new building. The project will also see the college’s traffic flow revamped, with the main entrance moved to Brookfield Avenue and a new parking lot on the building’s south side increasing capacity from just under 100 spots to just under 200. New sidewalks were also added along Brookfield Avenue and Marold Loop Road to increase safety for students who access campus by foot. Lawrence said that as of early July “we’re kind of just on that turn of starting to finish” the project and that he expects the substantial completion deadline of early October to be met. That will allow move in to begin in late October or early November, allowing the building to welcome students beginning in January 2026.

Commissioners approve contracts, county counsel recruitment

Tillamook’s board of county commissioners approved a $1.379-million contract for wastewater upgrades at the county fairgrounds and a $48,880 contract for an upgrade to the entrance at Barview Jetty Campground at their July 9 meeting. Additionally, commissioners approved the recruitment of a new county counsel, additional funds for an ongoing wage rate study and $1.7 million in annual funding to the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association.

With Commissioner Erin Skaar unavailable for the

meeting, Commissioners Mary Faith Bell and Paul Fournier formed a quorum for the lengthy agenda. The $1.379-million contract was entered into with Earthworks of Cloverdale, for a major project that will alleviate flooding in the fairground’s parking lots. The project is scheduled to begin following the fair and for completion by October 2026, but if weather cooperates by staying dry, it could be finished this year. SAI Design and Build will be leading the project to revamp the entrance to the Barview Jetty campground, with the addition of a secondary, smaller fee station to help with campground registrations

expected to cut down on congestion at the park’s entrance that sometimes backs up to Highway 101.

The search for a new county counsel comes as William Sargent, who has long served in the role, prepares to retire. Currently, Sargent works part-time onsite, while Joel Stevens handles the rest of the duties remotely in a full-time capacity. With the transition, Stevens will move to a part-time role supporting the new hire.

Tillamook County Chief Administrative Officer Rachel Hagerty said that the transition plan had been developed with input from a small group of county department leaders. Hagerty

said that the move would cost the county an additional $20,000 annually, but that she hoped some of that increase would be offset by a decrease in contracted legal services with by hiring a new counsel who specializes in one of the areas of high cost for the county, like employment law.

Hagerty also said that the intention was to hire an attorney to fill the position but that she and the group had discussed the possibility of contracting with a law firm to meet the need if no qualified candidates applied. Hagerty said that this was a backup option and that if the county needed to pursuit it, they would require onsite availability at

Tillamook Fair musical lineup set

least some of the time. Bell and Fournier approved an additional $46,330 on top of the initial $82,000 spent for a compensation and pay equity study being conducted by Trupp HR.

Hagerty said that the job descriptions portion of the study had been completed and that during that process the number of unique jobs identified and described had come in at 211, up from 129, contributing to the increased cost. Other factors pushing the total up were collective bargaining negotiations necessitating certain parts of the assessment be sped up and a compensation survey for elected officials that still needs to be completed. Bell and Fournier both said that the compensation study work was critical to ensuring fair compensation for county employees and noted that the county had not done a similar study before. Bell said that the study would provide a baseline for the county going forward and allow for methodical updates to stay current on wages.

Homebuyer Assistance Program. The project is still in the design phase and Boland said that the project team is now evaluating necessary infrastructure improvements around the site to facilitate it, including widening Thompson Road and improving water service with the installation of a new loop.

Bell and Fournier also approved the installation of two new RV dump stations at Webb Campground in Pacific City and the Tillamook Coast Visitor Association’s annual $1.7-million contract for destination management services.

Fundraising for the project has been successful thus far, with more than $3 million raised, including a $1.8 million grant from Oregon Housing and Community Services, $1.2 million from the Fairview Trust and $840,000 from the KUNI foundation. Boland said that the project had an estimated construction price of $5.5 million and that his firm was still working to determine the cost of the