Volume 17, No. 19
September 20, 2012
northcoastcitizen.com • 75¢
Vacation rental justice Inside
Manzanita’s Sunset Vacation Rentals seeks, and gets, a $1,700 judgment from Judge Judy, literally By Dave Fisher
Work continues on the new bridge at Roy Creek that, when finished, will allow the tributary of the Nehalem River to once again run free and unimpeded, much to the delight of native fish species.
The Citizen
FALL/WINTER FITNESS GUIDE Fall/Winter North Coast Recreation District Fun and Fitness Guide. Special Section Inside
Schools
When a luxurious oceanfront vacation rental was trashed by vacationers, Amy Dunlap, director of operations for Sunset Vacation Rentals in Manzanita, which is responsible for the rental, was incensed. “It’s the largest house we offer and they trashed it,” said Dunlap of the six-bedroom, seven-bath home that was rented the last weekend of April earlier this spring for two nights and three days at a cost of $3,983.44 to a group of ten men from Canada. Repeated calls to the weekend tenants seeking payment for damages went unheeded, as did threats to sue. What to do? Dunlap turned to Judge Judy. Judge Judith Sheindlin is the presiding judge on Judge Judy, the popular syndicated television program now in its 16th season, which, at times, has been rated the #1 show in daytime. Retired from the bench in 1996, according to information found on the show’s website, Sheindlin brought her “trademark wit
Judge Judy didn’t mince words when she ruled in favor of Sunset Vacation Rentals. Photo by Dave Fisher and wisdom to the series that takes viewers inside a television courtroom where justice is dispensed at lightning speed.” “I submitted my case online on a Thursday or Friday and received a call the following Monday from the show’s producers saying they wanted to pursue it,” said Dunlap. Initially, Dunlap wasn’t sure about appearing on the show, but the more she thought about it, why not? “I thought it would be great publicity for Sunset Rentals and our area,” said Dunlap, who would liken Amy Dunlap, director of services for Sunset Vacation Rentals, was surprised to hear from the show’s producers so quickly See JUDGE JUDY, page 8 after posting her case online. Photo by Dave Dillon
NKN STUDENTS PAY BACK DEBT
New bridge at Roy Creek nearly complete By Dave Fisher The Citizen
The quest to improve fish passage at Roy Creek underneath Foss Road and the railroad tracks that run alongside is nearing an end with the anticipated completion of a new bridge at the site in October. The project has been on the agenda of the Lower Nehalem Watershed Council (LNWC) for nearly a decade, said Nehalem Mayor and LNWC board member Shirley Kalkhoven. As early as 2003, the organization received a technical assistance grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) to come up with an initial plan to help fish as they migrated upstream in the fall to spawn.
See BRIDGE, page 5
The Mudd Nicks wrap up a busy week. Page 5
Index
Above: Find your the high water sign near you. Over 60 high water signs will be placed at the point that DOGAMI has indicated is high water line for the Sept. 22 evacuation drill in north Tillamook County.
Classifieds.................. 7 Events calendar.......... 8 NBFR District Log....... 6 Public Safety Log........ 3 Golightly Gourmet..... 10 Obituaries................... 8
Left: Linda Kozlowski, president of the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bays chats with Tyree Wilde, of the National Weather Service, who spoke to a group of 75 people gathered at Pine Grove Community Center last Saturday about NOAA’s warning systems and how they communicate with local public safety officials. Photo by Dave Fisher
Don Irvin, director of the Nehalem Bay Chamber of Commerce and after a year on the job, says he looks forward to retiring full-time by the end of the year. Photo by Dave Fisher
Tsunami drill, risks highlight Chamber community meeting discussion at the By Dave Fisher The Citizen
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Looking forward to this Saturday’s (Sept. 22) tsunami evacuation drill that will be staged in communities from Rockaway Beach, north to Manzanita, Nehalem and Wheeler, the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay hosted a community meeting Sept. 15 to hear from the experts on tsunami warning systems in place and risks posed by such an event off the Oregon coast. On hand at Pine Grove Community House were meteorologist Tyree Wilde, from the National Weather Service in Portland, and Patrick Corcoran, Coastal Hazard Specialist for Oregon State University. Wilde, in his presentation talked about NOAA’s distant tsunami buoys and other warning systems, and how they communicate with local public safety officials. “Tillamook county has some great warning systems
already in place,” Wilde commented, “including Nixel (e.g. reverse 911), fire and police, and neighborhood groups (Map Your Neighborhood).” Redundancy, said Wilde, is important in decimating information during an emergency. Wilde likened the emergency notification process as a “three-legged
stool,” beginning with the detection phase and issuing a warning, followed by getting the information to the public and, the third leg, eliciting a response. Corcoran, just back from Japan where he saw first hand the devastation of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami and the resourcefulness of the Japanese people
in rebuilding their lives. Said Corcoran, who strongly supports the EVC strategy of planning, preparing and practicing, “your warning for a local event will be the earthquake.” The geologic conditions off the Oregon coast, he noted, are very similar to those where the
See DRILL, page 8
Sept. 22 Tsunami Drill set for north Tillamook County A Tsunami Evacuation Drill for north Tillamook County will be held Saturday, Sept. 22 at 9:30 a.m. The Nehalem Bay Fire and Rescue District, the cities of Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler and Rockaway Beach, and the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay are sponsoring the drill. North Tillamook County residents and visitors will be notified of the drill by Reverse 911, Nixle, Civil Air Patrol, and firefighter/police announcements. WITHIN THE INUNDATION ZONE Persons within the local tsunami inundation zone, are asked to walk – NOT DRIVE -- to the nearest assembly site with their 72-hour kit, and note the time it takes to get there. Pets on
leash or in carriers are welcome. OUTSIDE THE INUNDATION ZONE Persons outside the inundation zone should not evacuate, except to check in at a designated Map Your Neighborhood gathering site. The drill is expected to take one hour, and will end when the Incident Commander announces the “all clear.” Assembly sites will be notified by ham radio, and Civil Air Patrol will announce it from the air. Earthquake and tsunami preparedness information and a map including the inundation zone and assembly sites are included with this edition of the North Coast Citizen. Share this information with family and guests. For more information, visit evcnb.org on the Internet.
crossroads? By Dave Fisher The Citizen
Membership is down as are revenues, and, after a year on the job, the director of the Nehalem Bay Area Chamber of Commerce has given notice he plans to retire by year’s end. Not a rosy picture, by any means. Don Irvin, who took the helm at the chamber in 2011 for Deanna Hendricks, who retired after 10-plus years, said he’d give it a year, but as he turns 62, he looks forward to traveling and not being tied down. “It’s been over a year, we’ve met budget, lost some members, gained some others,” said Irvin. “I’ve made do with what we have and kept things pretty much the same as Deanna left it. I try to keep it as simple as possible...and stay out of the politics.” Irvin got a taste of politics going into the summer season when he attended a Manzanita City Council meeting to make a presentation and persuade
See CHAMBER, page 5