Bird speech Friends of the Curry Campus to host speech on Birds of the South Coast.
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946 www.currypilot.com
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2024
Brookings, Oregon
Opioid funding used to support law enforcement BY DAVID RUPKALVIS The Pilot
The Curry County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s juvenile department will soon be seeing improvements thanks to funding received as part of a nationwide opioid settlement. County Treasurer David Barnes told county commissioners that Curry County has received around $345,000 in opioid settlement payments and expects to receive just over $100,000 more in the next few years. The money is restricted and can only be spent on specific law enforcement activities. A local workgroup in Curry County discussed the funding and decided the funding should be split with 75% going to the sheriff’s office and 25% to the juvenile department. Lt. Jeremy Krohn, the jail commander, told commissioners the sheriff’s office had specific requests they hoped the county
would support. “Opioid settlement funds are very specific about how they can be used. One thing it cannot be used for is to fix the funding problem the county is facing,” Krohn said. “Just remember when we’re asking about this money, it can’t go into the general fund. The first thing the sheriff’s office is asking for is $30,000 to help fund medication treatment for the jail.” Krohn said the jail has some medication to help with substance abuse with inmates come in, but there are better medications available. The extra funding would help the department purchase the new medication. “The second ask that we have for this will be for the purchase of a mail scanner,” Krohn said. “This will scan mail and packages as it comes in. This will do it without opening the mail and will make it a lot safer for everyone.” Please see OPIOID, Page 8
Contributed photo
The juvenile department in Curry County recently received this dog to help ease tension at the office and while transporting juvenile offenders.
Business continues for Brookings City Council BY NATE SCHWARTZ The Pilot
Brookings City Council held a meeting January 22 to address multiple agenda items. These included the appointment of a council liaison, a presentation on plans for a local medical center and a motion to bolster the area’s electrical capabilities. This was also the first acting meeting of temporary City Manager Kelby McCrae. Appointment to Wastewater Negotiations The first order of business was the appointment of a second council liaison to negotiations over a contract with the Harbor Sanitary District. Brookings’ wastewater processing also serves the surrounding area, including processing sewage for Harbor. Despite the contract calling for two liaisons from Brookings City Council, previously only one has served. A major source of revenue for the city of Brookings is the wastewater plant and the contracting possibilities it provides. Councilman Andy Martin is the current serving member and hoped to nominate Councilman Clayton Malmberg for the position due to the technical nature of the committee. Martin cited outstanding items with the contract include sections on debt servicing and issues with an interceptor pipe in Brookings. Malmberg did oppose his appointment to the position. Despite just joining the council a little over a month ago, Malmberg is already serving on the Airport Committee, the Traffic Study Committee and the Committee for the Southwest
Photos courtesy of Kathleen Pearson
Members of the Harbor Fire Department pray with representatives of the La Antigua Guatemala department while donating an engine. Below, Donna Tulley takes a photo with representatives of the La Antigua Guatemala Fire Department.
Harbor Fire District donates engine to Antigua Guatemala BY NATE SCHWARTZ The Pilot
The Harbor Fire Department welcomed international guests this week to donate a 1987 Western States Fire Engine to a fire department in Guatemala. The visiting firefighters got a glimpse of life here on the Oregon Coast before making the long drive south to the city of La Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala in the engine. This unique opportunity arose after certain OSHA and NFPA mandates disallowed the use of the vehicle. The engine has an
Please see COUNCIL, Page 4
INDEX
open cab which is a safety standard that must be abided despite the fact that the truck had passed all safety inspection and was in ‘like-new’ condition with only ~30,000 miles on the odometer. This engine was replaced in service by a Type 3 engine more suited to wildland firefighting and had remained out of service for about two years. “It was like a brand-new engine, except for the fact that OSHA and NFPA standards state that it was outdated to use. They don’t have as strict of regulaPlease see ENGINE, Page 2
Phone Number: 541-813-1717 • Address: 519 Chetco Avenue, Unit 7, Brookings, OR 97415 • Email: Circulation@CountryMedia.net
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