Pacific City
SUN
Public opinion sought on vehicular access to county beaches
TalkBack: Readers share their election viewpoints.........................................5
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Photo by Tim Hirsch
TIERRA DEL MAR beach will be open to vehicles through Nov. 3.
County Commissioners temporarily extend vehicle access at Tierra Del Mar By TIM HIRSCH for the Sun
Visit Tillamook Coast funds new emergency management signage in South Tillamook County Ballots for November election to be mailed Oct. 14 Independent Working Families). And in the region’s Oregon House of Representative race, retired educator Max Sherman (Republican) will challenge incumbent David Gomberg, who was first elected to the 10th District in 2012. More locally, voters will decide on the county’s next sheriff in a contest between current Tillamook County Emergency Management Director Gordon McCraw and longtime Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Josh Brown. And for the Tillamook PUD Board of Directors, Subdivision 1, which includes Pacific City, Neskowin, Beaver, Cloverdale, Hebo, and
Yard debris program extended through Oct. 31................................................. 12
Vol. 14, No. 353 • October 9, 2020 • FREE!
Signs That Save
Ballots will be mailed on Oct. 14 for the November general election and will need to be mailed by Oct. 29 or dropped in a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Drop boxes will be unlocked starting Oct. 14. In South Tillamook County, voters will help decide the winners of a number or local and regional races. The Oregon State Senator, 5th District race features a contest between Lincoln City Mayor Dick Anderson (Republican), Lakeside City Councilor Shauleen Higgins (Pacific Green), and Coos County Commissioner Melissa Cribbins (Democrat,
Book lovers return to South Tillamook County Library.............................2
Pleasant Valley, realtor and Cloverdale Water District Board Member Maile Samek is challenging incumbent Doug Olson, who is nearing completion of his third term on the TPUD Board of Directors. For more information on the sheriff race, see the Sun’s Q and A in this issue, page 6. For details on other races, watch for the Sun’s expanded election coverage in the Oct. 23 issue. South Tillamook County drop box locations are Kiawanda Community Center, 34600 Cape Kiwanda Dr., Pacific City, and downtown Cloverdale, 34370 Highway 101 South.
we’re hiring! VIEW OPEN POSITIONS AT BEACHJOBSCALLING.COM
Tillamook County Commissioners voted on Sept. 30 to extend the reopening of the Tierra Del Mar beach access to vehicles through Nov. 3 to correspond with its current local state of emergency order. The previous order allowing vehicular access, which the board signed on Aug. 26, had been set to expire on Oct. 1. In discussion leading up to the vote, all three commissioners voiced support for a temporary extension of vehicle access. In his opening remarks, Commissioner David Yamamoto said that one of the reasons commissioners opened that access in August was to help alleviate some of the parking pressure in Pacific City. “I think to a small extent it has had that effect,” he said. That said, he noted that residents in Tierra Del Mar had enjoyed the closure and the lessening of safety concerns between vehicles and beach goers. While recognizing that concern, he said that he would like to see the access remain open to vehicles through Nov. 3. “That would give us time to get us through October, which, depending on the weather, can be again a high traffic time,” he added. “And then we can close it if we wanted to. That would put us into the time frame where we’ve gotten a lot of public input on the possibility of closing beach traffic in South County (see related story, page 10).” And both Commissioners Mary Faith Bell and Bill Baertlein voiced their support — if a little reluctantly — as well. “I’m supportive of that option,” Bell said. “When we opened the beach at Tierra Del Mar to vehicle access, the reason was to alleviate the parking problem and the safety issue that had resulted from people parking willy-nilly, bumper-to-bumper all over the place on Sandlake Road and also in the neighborhood of Tierra Del Mar; parking in people’s driveways and in their yards and all over the place. This temporary order to allow beach parking has impacted that problem, and, to that end, I would say there’s less parking on Sandlake Road, there’s less parking in the community, and so it worked for that.” “Initially, I just wanted to let it expire and not have parking on the beach (after) Oct. 1,” Baertlein said. “As we heard from folks in Tierra Del Mar, there’s a lot of concern about public safety on the beach and issues going on with garbage and (other) areas. I’m going to compromise with this one, and I’m going to go along with the Nov. 3 (date) mainly because I want to hear the total community input from the whole county on beach parking.”
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