Pacific City
SUN
Hybrid education model declared a success in its first two weeks................ 4
Royster leaves a legacy of service for the community
Lucky Beach Boutique moves to larger space....................................................5
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Vol. 15, No. 366 • April 9, 2021 • FREE!
Back in Session
More than 90 percent of Nestucca Valley School District students are now participating in the school’s hybrid educational model County considering assuming ownership of NVCA Community Park By TIM HIRSCH of the Sun Nestucca Valley Community Alliance and Tillamook County Commissioners are investigating the possibility of the county assuming ownership of its currently in development community park, skate park and parking facilities. The park is currently being used as an overflow parking lot for Cape Kiwanda during peak season (by donation) and the first phase of the skate park is expected to be completed by Memorial Day weekend. As well, playground facilities are in the works. “When you look at what we’re doing in Pacific City with all of the updates and additional parking areas and hopefully the addition of the (6.32-acre) Faye Jensen property, it really does kind of make sense for the county to take possession of this,” Yamamoto told members of the Pacific
City/Woods Parking Advisory Committee at that group’s March 31 meeting. “We would have to have our own insurance on it, which we would have anyway. NVCA says that they are able and willing to complete the playground area. At least the first couple of phases of the skate park would be done. And then they would want to complete the playground area, which I feel is a good idea. I think (it’s) something that we should look into to see if it makes sense for the county to own and operate.” NVCA board directors and officers present at the meeting also offered their support. “I think it’s a fantastic idea,” said NVCA director Marty Wisehart. “All the ground work has been done. Once the playground’s in, it might be basically turnkey. It’s now in a position where the county’s best positioned to take management of it.” And NVCA President Lisa Macy-Baker
Future of beach parking in hands of State Parks Commission...............................7
concurred. “We would love to partner with the county, and we would like to remain a ‘friends of the park’ organization,” she said. “We are looking to complete phase one of the skate park and have that up and running, hopefully, when we open the park for parking and that’s typically at the end of May.” She said that as a “friends” 501c3, NVCA would continue to partner with the Cape Kiwanda Longboard Classic to raise money for future skate park phases. She says the organization could also continue to write grants for the playground as well. “We are just about turnkey and (county ownership is) an exciting opportunity for us,” Macy-Baker added. “As a small volunteer board, it’s challenging to manage that big of a park, but (continuing) to write grants and raise money is something that would remain in our wheelhouse, and we would love to do.”
Tillamook County moved to high risk category for COVID-19 transmission risk In the most recent COVID-19 transmission risk assessment, Tillamook County was moved from the Moderate Risk to High Risk Category. With the rising number of cases, the county actually qualified for the Extreme Risk Category, but, because a newly established statewide trigger has not been met, was only moved to the High Risk Category. Governor Kate Brown announced the updates to the county risk levels on April 9. Under the state’s public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19, the framework uses four different risk levels for counties based on COVID-19 spread — Extreme Risk, High Risk, Moderate Risk, and Lower Risk — and assigns health and safety measures for each level. Effective April 9 through April 22, there will be 14 counties in the High Risk level — including Tillamook County, six at Moderate Risk, and 16 at Lower Risk. As case counts and hospitalizations increase and counties qualify for higher risk levels, restrictions on businesses and activities will resume. “We are at a critical moment in this pandemic as we face more contagious variants of COVID-19 taking hold in our communities,” said Governor Brown. “Now more than ever it’s imperative that we all continue wearing masks, maintain physical distance, stay home when sick, and get the vaccine when it’s available to you.” NEW STATEWIDE METRIC ADDED Officials say that COVID-19 hospitalizations are a key indicator of severe illness in Oregon communities. They say that. as vaccine distribution increases, case counts and percent positivity will not be adequate indicators on their own for measuring the threat COVID-19 poses to public health. As a result, during the week of April 5-9, Oregon is adding a statewide hospitalization metric for moving to Extreme Risk. Beginning that week, for counties to move to (or remain in) Extreme Risk, they must meet the county metrics for case rates and percent positivity, plus a new statewide metric: COVID-19 positive patients occupying 300 hospital beds or more, and a 15 percent increase in the seven-day average over the past week. Counties that meet the criteria for Extreme Risk when the statewide trigger isn’t reached will be assigned to High Risk. For the April 9-22 period, there are three counties that qualify for Extreme Risk based on their county metrics, but are assigned High Risk because the statewide trigger has not been met: Josephine, Klamath, and Tillamook. COUNTIES ENTER 2-WEEK CAUTION PERIOD The two-week caution period applies to counties facing backward movement. Counties that reduced their COVID-19 spread enough to move down in risk level in the previous two-week period, but see their numbers go back up in the next two-week period, are given a twoweek caution period to re-focus efforts to drive back down creeping case numbers and give local businesses additional certainty on their plans for operating. During the April 9-22 timeframe, the caution period applies to five counties: • Baker County qualifies for Extreme Risk but is given a two-week caution period at Lower Risk because it moved down from Moderate Risk in the last movement period. • Columbia County qualifies for Extreme Risk but is given a two-week caution period at Moderate Risk because it moved down from High Risk in the last movement period. • Lane County qualifies for Moderate Risk but is given a two-week caution period at Lower Risk because it moved down from Moderate Risk in the last movement period. • Polk County qualifies for High Risk but is given a twoweek caution period at Moderate Risk because it moved down from High Risk in the last movement period. • Yamhill County qualifies for Moderate Risk but is given a two-week caution period at Lower Risk because it moved down from Moderate Risk in the last movement period. The Oregon Health Authority will examine and publish county data weekly. County risk levels will be reassigned every two weeks. The first week’s data will provide a “warning week” to prepare counties for potential risk level changes. The next assignment of risk levels will be announced April 20 and take effect April 23. Updates to Warning Week data and county risk levels will be posted to coronavirus.oregon.gov.
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