INSIDE: NCRD Summer Fitness and Fun Guide
north coast
Serving North Tillamook County Since 1996 N O RT H C OA S TC I T I Z E N . C O M
JUNE 14, 2012
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TRANSIENT LODGING TAX SET TO GO UP IN OCTOBER Of the two percent increase, 70 percent will help fund tourism promotion By Dave Fisher The Citizen
Hans Tonjes, right, was sworn in as a member of the Manzanita City Council by City Manager Jerry Taylor at a special meeting held June 1. Tonjes replaces Ray Scales, who resigned his position because of health issues. Tonjes, who is a member of the Manzanita Planning Commission, was the only applicant who stepped forward during the 30-day application period. Colleen Everroad, a former city employee, was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Tonjes on the planning commission. Photo by Dave Dillon
Manzanita’s transient lodging tax will increase from 7 to 9 percent effective October 1, 2012, as a result of the Manzanita City Council approving the second reading of an ordinance changing the existing tax rate. The council’s approval of the measure at its meeting June 5, came on the heels of a public meeting held the previous Saturday at Manzanita City Hall to encourage comment on the proposed increase. “This was a good opportunity for discussion and people didn’t take advantage of it,” said Councilor Leila Salmon, noting the sparse turnout of less than 20 people at the special meeting despite it being well publicized. Council member Linda Kozlowski shared Salmon’s disappointment and noted that “change is going to happen,” and that the rate increase will allow the city to better manage it. “This will help support our infrastructure, create a visitors’ center and build restrooms closer to the
See TAX, page 6
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Eleven-year run ends for NKN Superintendent Jay Kosik By Dave Fisher The Citizen
It was, Jay Kosik admitted, a somewhat bittersweet feeling he was experiencing, as the superintendent for the Neah-Kah-Nie School District sat in the audience prior to handing out diplomas to graduating seniors of Neah-Kah-Nie High School at this year’s commencement exercise. The June 1 ceremony marked the eleventh time in eleven years Kosik had played a role in the annual right of passage and it was his last. Kosik’s last day as superintendent is June 30, and that very same day a moving truck leaves Manzanita with his and wife’s belongings headed to Dickey Prairie just outside of Molalla where the Kosiks will begin the next chapter of their lives. For Jay, the upcoming move will be like going home again. It was while he was the director of human resources for the Molalla River School District he learned of the Neah-Kah-Nie position. He had also served as a middle school principal for the district. Though he grew up in small community in Washington, the move to the Oregon coast the summer of 2001 was, in his words, “a brand new experience for us,” and that experience had its rewards. “I’ll miss my people, making the friends we did and developing relationships. For me this has been the best professional journey of my entire career.” His wife, Sandy, herself an educator early on, shares her husband’s sentiment.
Neah-Kah-Nie Superintendent Jay Kosik and his wife, Sandy, look forward to spending more time with their children and grandchildren as they get ready to move to the Willamette Valley. Photo by Dave Fisher “I’ll miss the people here, my neighbors and those patients that I have come to know over the years. It is what I liked best about living here. I had never lived in a small town before,” she said. Subscribing to the notion that education is a continuing lifelong process, Jay and Sandy continued their formal education well into adulthood. At age 48, Sandy, who grew up in Eugene and is a “Duck,” decided she wanted to practice medicine, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Encouraged by Jay, the former health
See KOSIK, page 4
Neah-Kah-Nie seniors say farewell at commencement exercise The Class of 2012 bid NeahKah-Nie High School adieu at its graduation ceremony held Friday evening, June 1. This year’s class, 45 members strong, was led by valedictorians Alexis Anderson and Kellie
Woodward, and salutatorian Shelby Porter, who challenged fellow graduates to make the most of educational opportunities and to embrace the future in their speeches. The 60th graduation exercise
of Neah-Kah-Nie High marked the last commencement exercise for NKN School District Superintendent Jay Kosik, who, after eleven years with the district in that capacity, is retiring at the end of June.
Above: Graduation at Neah-Kah-Nie High on June 1 was an evening filled with hugs and well wishes for graduating seniors. Below: NKN Principal Heidi Buckmaster, along with Superintendent Jay Kosik and NKN Board Chair Pat Ryan get ready to enjoy the evening’s festivities.
The Neah-Kah-Nie High School Class of 2012 poses one last time for the camera before the commencement ceremony.
Above: Graduating seniors had fun decorating their caps once again, a tradition that has taken hold at Neah-Kah-Nie High. Photos by Dave Fisher
Manzanita Farmers’ Market kicks off new season e much-anticipated event attracts upward of 500 visitors every Friday evening
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Fresh local foods from north Tillamook County’s small acreage farms is the main attraction at the Manzanita Farmers’ Market.
Open Friday evenings, June 15 through Sept. 21, the Manzanita Farmers' Market revs up the local scene and begins the weekend in Tillamook County's northernmost town. When the drum sounds at 5 p.m. at the parking lot on the corner of 5th and Laneda Ave., the festivities begin and continue until 8 p.m. The market shoots a healthy dose of money into the local economy, says Laura Swanson, market director. Last year, each of the 35 market vendors reported on average earning $4,000 through the season-or $120,000 total. Manzanita’s market has a lively vibe. Pedestrians trailing along downtown’s strip are enchanted by local music, tasty food, children’s activities and of course, fresh local foods from north Tillamook County’s abundant small acreage farms. Manzanita’s market also boasts a near “zero-waste” benchmark. Last year, the market only generated one garbage can's worth of non-recyclable garbage. This year, with the addition of reusable plates and silverware for ready-to-eat vendors to use, the market directors hope to
See MARKET, page 6