Category: General Interest

Submitted By: dwieb1@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

This recent article from Australia’s ABC News site offers perspective on the abortion issue in America and how it may be just a means to accomplish another goal.

www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-16/why-america-is-so-divided-on-abortion-and-the-men-who-planned-it/101188994

Submitted By: ben.killen.rosenberg@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Session Success

At last Wednesday’s Listening Session kick off at the Pine Grove, I was impressed, once again, by our tireless City Manager, Leila Aman, and our dedicated City Staff, who came out to facilitate the session. I thank each of them for their service to our community. The format was simple yet effective and staff was there to answer all manner of questions from the community.

Folks wrote down their concerns, solutions, and ideas for the different topics presented on big white paper and used blue sticky dots to agree with comments written by others. The blizzard of blue dots next to so many of the comments show how we share the same values and agree about more than you’d think.

Before I left, I read all the comments again in case I missed something. As I read, I could see how so many of our challenges are tangled together. It’s like that big bag of yarn I got at the Hope Chest years ago thinking I’d untangle and use it, but instead I keep shoving to the back of the closet. That yarn isn’t going to untangle itself. Neither will our challenges.

It took decades to create the problems we’re living with now and it’s not going to be quick to find solutions but City Manager Aman is setting the stage for the conversation to begin with these first steps.

Plus, it was fun, too. Who doesn’t like stickers, markers and big white paper? Who doesn’t like seeing old friends and meeting new ones?

I met some people I didn’t know but knew of. I had conversations with people I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise who offered different perspectives about some things I feel deeply about. That’s where community starts–not just with our besties who agree with us about everything, but with those who don’t.

If you aren’t able to go to the next session, you have until the 23rd to do the on-line survey available on the City’s homepage.

The next live session is Wednesday July 20, from 1-4 at the Pine Grove. Blue dots are provided!

loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Submitted By: daslunas@icloud.com – Click to email about this post

ITS THE PROCESS
For the third time, Manzanita’s planning commission denied a permit to the Manzanita Loft hybrid-Hotel development.
Coming up this month, are two hearings in which I hope the council listens carefully to the results from the Planning Commission, the city’s key advisory group on land use planning. The commission cited very significant safety issues in both the neighborhood and the adjoining golf course. Surely the Planning Commission’s frank concerns and recommendations would tug at the moral fiber of anyone — council members included.
When news of the proposed development first emerged, one citizen wrote to the City Council with questions and neighborhood concerns. She received one response which stated something like … the law allowed this development because it was zoned for limited commercial use. No reference was made to the Comprehensive Plan. The recipient felt it was a standard form letter that spoke to none of her questions or concerns. She felt nobody was listening.
In the case of the Manzanita Loft hybrid-Hotel, citizens were fortunate to bring together talented expertise and personal funds so land use planners and experts could be hired to present a factual and well-organized campaign. Today, this group calls itself the Concerned Citizens of Manzanita (CCOM).
Looking at all residents of Manzanita, my concern is for a process to weigh both sides. Not all neighborhoods are as motivated and organized as the CCOM. But, we do need to build a process that works for our neighborhoods using the CCOM as a model.
Our past experience has been on decisions related to land use development, if ‘the project meets code’, the City Council generally approves it. This project DOES NOT meet code — as cited in numerous documents submitted to the Planning Commission by the CCOM and reflected in the Planning Commissions’ decision.
This project has deep and wide community concerns — concerns that date back several years. It would be unfortunate to again, brush these aside and give this project an approval. July 19th @ 1:00 is the date for the City Concil hearing where testimony will be welcome.
We need to enter a new era, one where the city’s revenue isn’t placed above the preservation of our neighborhoods, where our administrative process is proactive.
Deb Simmons Candidate for Mayor daslunas@icloud.com

Submitted By: gingerlee58@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

I had a wonderful experience with Pickles Transport. They went out of their way to two different long-distance locations to help me move some very large heavy objects. They must have driven at least 7 hours to complete this job of mine. Couldn’t have done it without them. Big SHOUT OUT to the owners Robert and Frannie. Sweet, kind and capable people. Very reasonable price too.
Ginger Matyas
www.gingerpetsitter.com

Submitted By: ben.killen.rosenberg@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Motel Appeal To Council

I’ve got no beef with a motel in town. They bring in more money for the city than the couch change we make from STR’s. But in towns like Cannon Beach that make 5 million a year in motel revenue compared to our sad little STR million, they have a zone for hotels so they don’t impact neighborhoods. In fact, they have a definition of what a hotel is in their Ordinances. Not so much here. Until recently, when it came to doing the work of the city like updating Plans and Ordinances, Manzanita put the PRO in procrastination.

So now, here we are.

The denial of the proposed Manzanita Lofts by our courageous Planning Commission was all about the location, location, location of the motel and the sloppy two and a half-page application that addressed none of the concerns of folks who live here. I mean, two and a half pages about a 34 unit keyless staff-less hotel that looks from the plans more like 34 STR’s adjoining the golf course right in signature hole 5’s line of fire.

Take a looksee at the plans. It’s messed up.

The Planning Commission denied the proposal and the developer appealed the decision. On Friday, July 15 at 11am, council will decide whether to have an “on the record” or “denovo” public hearing. It will be a short meeting but it will let us know what we can bring up in public comments at the hearing.

It will go to the City Council for a public hearing on July 19 from 1-5pm.

The Council can uphold the Planning Commission’s decision to deny the proposal and send the developer back to the drawing board. A denial doesn’t mean that nothing will happen on the land. But it does mean that the developer will have to do his homework and check his math. He can come back later with a thoughtful proposal addressing traffic, safety concerns about flying golf balls, event parking, a wetland delineation report completed during the wet season, the whole staff-less 34 unit deal. Maybe he’d even have some conversations with the golf course and the neighbors?

If the Council overturns the decision and approves the proposal, the Concerned Citizens of Manzanita will appeal the decision to the Land Use Board of Appeals. So far they’ve raised a few thousand dollars. If it is appealed to LUBA, a land use lawyer is lined up to represent.

Nobody wants this to happen but here we are.

To join the email list contact: support@concernedcitizensofmanzanita.org

If you’d like to contribute make out checks to:
Concerned Citizens of Manzanita
PO Box 1176
Manzanita, OR 97130

loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Submitted By: Wheelertattletales@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

I’m wondering why I have to pay taxes on a building I’m not allowed to see a play in?
That’s right, NCRD is having plays and still asking for a shot card. Why?
Is there a way for me to get a reprieve on paying taxes on a building, if I can’t even play there?
Where/when will it end

Submitted By: cbbcalm@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Please do not simply walk by..if you see a dog inside a car in the full sun … this is what you can do :Walk into the near by businesses and ask the manager / owner to reach out to their customers,,.( sometimes they don’t want to get involve ) so it’s ok for you to shout < there is dog in car full sun !! ) ( you'll educate !)
2) call non emergency number 503 815 19 11, and do call them again if situation is resolved .
3 DO leave notes on the window shield saying < Dog inside hot car > this let’s car owner know that their carelessness is being noticed .
This situation has happened twice in Manzanita so far. it took a second person ‘ intervention for finally convince a busy manager to reach out to their customers… 5 mis later car had moved .
Be a voice for the animals …
corinna & family .

Submitted By: ben.killen.rosenberg@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

The Sessions

I read the flyer about the upcoming town hall listening sessions. Starting this week our city begins the long anticipated update to our Comprehensive Plan by hosting these sessions to gather our communities concerns, ideas, hopes and dreams! There will be both in-person and on-line ways to be involved and I’m sure everyone with a bee in his or her bonnet will take part! I sure am!

One of the best things about Manzanita is that we are a passionate group of folks with many different experiences, perspectives and ideas. I believe that’s one of our super powers. We may have differing visions and values and lord knows, we don’t always agree but who says you have to agree with everyone to get along and make something good happen? At the end of the day, I bet we all share a love for this place and a desire to be here.

When I read the description of what to expect, I felt optimism and hope rise in me like in that movie, The Red Balloon. The sessions are designed to be, “a first step in moving toward finding solutions to the issues that we are facing as a community so that we as a community can work together to take proactive measures to be who we want to become.”

These sessions are a step in the right direction and the beginning of a journey. I’m packing for a long and productive trip. We can’t expect this to be quick and easy. Creating community never is. We’ve had us some division. We’ve had us some conflicts but that doesn’t have to define our future. None of us is going to get everything we want in this process. That’s just life, right?

I read the questions created to help us frame our thoughts about the different areas of concern. I decided to write them all down in my notebook and do some free writing about each topic using the questions to guide my responses. As I write about each one, I see the workings of my mind and what I value most reflected in my answers. I don’t worry about grammar or spelling, I just write it all down until I have no more to say and read it later. When it’s time to summarize for the survey I will be able to condense my thoughts into a short sentence or two about each topic. I love stuff like this. It helps me know who I am and what I believe in a concrete way.

What do you care most about? What do you value? We all have the opportunity to let our City know who we want to become as a community. Let’s make it happen!

posted for:
loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Submitted By: ellisconklin@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

REMEMEBER A TIME WHEN THERE WERE POLITICAL MODERATES?

By Ellis Conklin

Much has been written and said – I’m looking at you, Bill Maher – in recent months about how the Democratic Party seems to have lost its way.

That it is elitist.

That it is condescending.

That it is out of touch with the real world, where real people live and breathe.

That it is urban-based, urban-driven, urban-obsessed.

That it is no longer the party of the working man (or woman).

That it spends an insane amount of time discussing the merits of defunding cops, removing offensive statues, or pondering the burning issue of gender fluidity, all the while tearing apart the English language.

Who, for example, would have ever thought that the innocuous term “brown out” might offend, well, brown people?

Apparently, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins did when last month he banned those two words to describe unstaffed units, at least in firefighter parlance.

Did I just write “Chief” Harold Scoggins? Ooops!

You see, the San Francisco Unified School District decided in May that it will no longer use the word “chief” in job titles because of concerns from Native Americans.

See where I’m heading on this? Democrats, God love ‘em, have lost more than their way; they’ve lost their cotton-picking (so sorry for that!) minds.

All I know is that next time I hear someone going on about how they got caught hiking or driving in a “white out,” I’m going to get really, really mad.

Which brings me to an intriguing cover story earlier this month titled “The Vanishing Moderate Democrat,” which appeared in The New York Times Magazine.

The piece, written by Jason Zengerle, begins with a congressman named Josh Gottheimer – who represents a wealthy slice of suburban and exurban New Jersey – meeting early in 2021 with Nancy Pelosi to discuss their party’s message.

So, Gottheimer, who was elected in 2016 after barely squeaking by a seven-term Republican incumbent, pulls up a YouTube app on his iPhone, and it is a video of an ad from Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election campaign.

A little background information is in order now, you know, for context. This Gottheimer character is co-chairman of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 29 Dems and 29 Reps that actually believe in bipartisanship. In any case, the group annoyed (then and now) the hell out of Pelosi and most progressives on Capitol Hill, who dismiss the Problem Solvers as nothing more than a bunch of grandstanders. (Jared Kushner, no doubt, would call them “whiners.”)

Of course, it doesn’t help that the caucus threatened to reject Pelosi’s bid for speaker if she didn’t cave to their demands for rule changes that would make it easier for bipartisan ideas to at least be considered. Pelosi agreed to their demands. The San Francisco Democrat had no other choice

So, back to the video. And Gottheimer hits the button on his phone, and his screen comes alive with images of waving American flags, and then good old Bill is saying, “I am honored to have been given the opportunity to stand up for the values and the interests of ordinary Americans.”

Then, over images of construction workers, kids and cops, bold captions are unfurled of Clinton’s first-term accomplishments: “WELFARE REFORM, WORK REQUIREMENTS”; “TAXES CUT FOR 15,000,000 FAMILIES”; “DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG KINGPINS.”
The ad goes on to tick off Clinton’s goals for a second term: “BAN ‘COP-KILLER BULLETS”; “CAPITAL GAINS TAX CUT FOR HOMEOWNERS”; “BALANCE THE BUDGET FOR A GROWING ECONOMY.”

“When the ad is over,” writes Zengerle, “Gottheimer says, he looked at Pelosi. ‘This is how we won,’ he told her, ‘And this how we win again.’”

Zengerle goes on.

“I asked him what Pelosi’s reaction was when he played it for her. Gotthheimer demurred. But the answer seemed obvious. The message that Pelosi and the Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden and the rest of the Democratic leadership had chosen for their party, the message that Democrats would be carrying into the 2022 midterm elections, was not the one that Gottheimer, and the disembodied voice of Bill Clinton, has counseled.”

In case you’ve forgotten, Clinton trounced Bob Dole in the 1996 election winning 49 percent of the vote to 41 percent for Dole. Clinton captured 379 electoral votes, to Dole’s 159.

Hail to the Chief.

Submitted By: ben.killen.rosenberg@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Workshop Response

I watched the livestream of the workshop yesterday and want to thank the Mayor and Council for moving forward with the moratorium on dune grading for now. In case you weren’t able to attend you can listen to the audio on the City Council website. I felt like the applicant didn’t address the reason so many people are concerned and I was glad all our City representatives stood behind the process necessary to update our Plan, our Fore Dune Management Plan and our Ordinances before moving forward.

I think Councilman Spegman was correct in his assessment that people are concerned with unnecessary grading for ocean views, not with grading for safe access. However, Mr. Reimann’s letter as president of the DMA and his original application to OPRD identified ocean views and property values as the main reasons to grade, not safety. OPRD didn’t find significant safety concerns that allowed for grading at the location. But the workshop presentation yesterday, focused mostly on safety and not what the application actually requested–view grading.

Everyone wants people to be safe on our beaches. More education and increased signage alerting visitors to the dangers of the ocean might improve safety at main access points. There will always be some people who will get in trouble no matter what we do, but you can’t fix that.

As a person with a physical disability that sometimes limits my ability to get around, I appreciated Sandy Wood’s comments about beach safety, access and common sense. The ocean is dangerous but to some people, it’s a theme park. You have to use common sense. My mom grew up in Marshfield on the south coast so I learned early on to never turn my back on the ocean, to always have a way out and to know the tides.

I noted with interest that Mr. Horner spoke about past grading practices actually being the cause of the cliffs that have formed because dune sand was left closer to shore.

What we don’t know about cause and effect in nature is actually quite a lot. Even a professional with years of experience can cause unintended consequences by interfering in things we don’t necessarily understand as well as we think we do. There are too many instances where we think we’re solving a problem and really we’re just making a new one.

I don’t remember which Councilmember asked about how a tsunami would impact the dunes but I recall when Dr. Jonathan Allen spoke to council at a previous workshop. He cited new research that shows how dunes can mitigate tsunamis and flood impact from storm surge. I’d like to know more about that.

When Councilmember Nuttall asked about sand movement post grading, Mr. Horner suspected that most dune sand washed away pretty quickly but wasn’t sure how much sand remained behind or where it went. He talked about how the grasses can pop up in new places making new dunes for other neighbors. He also didn’t address the impact of habitat loss or protection of intertidal sea life like razor clams from cubic yards of sand dumped on top of the sand floor or ploughed under but that’s not his area of expertise. I hope as part of the research we can learn more about the impact on wildlife from someone who does.

I’m glad we’re taking the time to do things in order and check all our boxes so that our ducks line up–the Comprehensive Plan, the Ordinances and the Fore Dune Management Plan are the documents that will help us manage growth and solve some of the troubles we’ve come up against. None of us will ever get our way completely or every time but that’s not what living in a community is about.

Fred Rogers once said, “Out of difference can come the reinforcement of two important values. One is tolerance and the other is awareness that people who disagree over the things they hold dear really can live together in love and respect.”

loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Submitted By: ben.killen.rosenberg@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

View Grading Public Comment

I’m sharing with you the letter that I sent to the Manzanita City Council today about dune grading for views. If you have concerns about view grading I urge you to write the City. For those who may not be able to attend the workshop or Council Meeting, you can email your comments to cityhall@ci.manzanita.or.us
Here’s my letter.

Dear Mayor Scott, Councilmembers Kozlowski, Tonjes, Nuttall, Spegman and City Manager Aman,

A few months ago an application to grade 4.5 acres of dunes between Spindrift and Horizon was denied by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The areas to be graded are public lands. In the denial OPRD cited the overwhelming turn out of Oregonians who oppose view grading of the dunes, the age of the FMP and the devastating impact of large scale grading on habitat and wildlife. None of those things have changed.

At a Council meeting, the Mayor and Council agreed to place a true moratorium on all view grading until neutral scientific research and robust public participation could take place.

I believe of the 7 properties involved there are 5 property owners who will stand to greatly benefit financially from view grading at their properties. At least two of those are oceanfront vacation rentals.

Allowing the Dunes Management Association to circumvent OPRD’s decision would violate Policy 6 and 7 of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and erode public trust in the processes of governance.

As you know, while goals in the Comprehensive Plan are aspirational, policies do have the force of law when mandatory language is used and can be employed to deny proposals like this one.

The plan states:
6) The plan must have the support of the majority of the community.
7) The plan is not to be used for the benefit of a few property owners or special interests, but for the city as a whole.

It’s clear to me that public opposition to view grading is strong in our community and that the 5 people who will benefit do not represent the majority.

The professionals hired by the Manzanita Neah-Kah-Nie Dunes Management Association were also hired by the property owners in Cannon Beach who wanted to continue view grading. After a lengthy public process Cannon Beach voted to no longer allow grading for views.

I urge the City to move forward with the view grading moratorium and stand behind the OPRD denial for all view grading until a neutral team of professionals can be hired by the City and public discussion can take place.

Oregon’s public lands belong to the public.

Thank you for your consideration,
Kim Rosenberg

loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Tomorrow’s (Wednesday, July 6, 2022) Council Workshop is from 3-5. You can livestream or attend via Zoom. Find the agenda and materials here:

ci.manzanita.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Work-Session-Agenda-070622.pdf

Submitted By: dixiegainer@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

HAARP

Environmental Warfare?

The U. S. Government has a new ground-based ―Star Wars‖ weapon which is being tested in the remote bush country of Alaska. This new system manipulates the environment in a way which can:

 Disrupt human mental processes.

 Jam all global communications systems.

 Change weather patterns over large areas.

 Interfere with wildlife migration patterns.

 Negatively affect your health.

 Unnaturally impact the Earth‘s upper atmosphere.

The U.S. military calls its zapper HAARP (High-frequency Active Auroral Research Project).

But this skybuster is not about the Northern Lights. This device will turn on lights never intended to be artificially manipulated. Their first target is the electrojet – a river of electricity that flows thousands of miles through the sky and down into the polar icecap. The electrojet will become a vibrating artificial antenna for sending electromagnetic radiation raining down on the earth. The U.S. military can then ―X-ray‖ the earth and talk to submarines. But there‘s much more they can do with HAARP.

So we have to give up fossil fuels because of climate change?

We can’t use Nitrogen fertilizer to grow crops because of climate change?

Can HAARP create droughts? – yes it changes weather patterns!

There is a publication called “Angels don’t play this Harp” by Dr. Nick Begich and Jeane Manning 1997

SO CLIMATE CHANGE IS A WEAPON AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FOSSIL FUELS, OR DROUGHTS OR TOO MUCH NITROGEN, OR CO2 – IT IS A WEAPON AND IT IS BEING USED ON US

Submitted By: annornie@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

I started writing my first book, Summoning Spruce when I was living in Wheeler in 2014. During the years it took to write, I workshopped with visiting authors at The Hoffman Center and enrolled in Writing Alive workshops facilitated by Dana Cunningham Anderson at the former Center for the Contemplative Arts location.

I wanted to share that my book, Summoning Spruce, is now available for sale online (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, ect), at Beach Books in Seaside, and at Forager’s in Downtown Astoria.
You can also order copies at Cloud and Leaf or directly from my website: www.annornie.com

Submitted By: sabots.trailer_0j@icloud.com – Click to email about this post

If you want to weigh in about the ODOT proposals (e.g. a laughable proposed roundabout in Nehalem being a prime example), please consider taking 10 minutes to complete the TSP survey (link below) by Tuesday. For our three North Coast towns, there are important insights we can give for these future proposals. For Nehalem, the example above is N7b – US 101 & 7TH STREET INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS: Construct intersection improvements, likely a mini-roundabout, to provide a long-term solution to improve…

For Manzanita, an example from the TSP list is Classic Street, our narrow unimproved connection between downtown and park where pedestrians, RVs, cars and bicycles compete on a serpentine route with a precipitous drop-off to the west (and downslope a proposed hotel proposal recently rejected by the Planning Committee) and no guard rail or pedestrian walkway. If you live on Dorcas, in the Cottages, in the Highlands or near the golf course, you are the most affected for the increased traffic competition, and this is your earliest opportunity to give some cogent guidance to ODOT.
And, of course, if you happen to be on a city commission in N W or M, here’s a great chance to weigh in on what is best for your town.

Here’s the example from the map: M09, M10 – CLASSIC STREET BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ENHANCEMENTS: Enhance Classic Street to provide space for people walking and biking and create a connection from downtown core to planned multimodal facilities. Treatments could include constructing consistent shoulders to provide space for people walking and adding arrows to indicate that bicyclists should use the travel lane.

These are “early days” for the TSP, but the more people comment, the more that our collective interest is shown in this survey will help guide the success of future street improvements.

Here’s a link to get you started on your inputs:
form.jotform.com/jlainvolve/nehalem-bay-tsp-3
Thanks, BBQ!

Submitted By: Constance@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

Thanks to all of you who have signed the IP17 (Gun Violence Reduction Act), together we will reach our goal and have this on the November ballot. For those in the Tillamook area who would like to sign the petition, please contact Kathy B. @503-742-3786 between the hours of noon-8pm, by July 4th.
For those not aware of the initiative, you must be a registered Oregon voter to sign. IP17 will require a permit to purchase firearms; require passing a background check and limit magazines to a maximum of 10 rounds. Please go to www.lifteveryvoiceoregon.com for the complete text of the initiative.
Tomorrow is your last opportunity to be part of getting this on the ballot. If you’re undecided, that’s ok, remember this is only to get it on the ballot, you will choose how to vote in November. Susan & I will again be outside the Farmers Market tomorrow, look for flashing car lights. This is your opportunity to make a statement for change by signing our petition.
Thank you! /Constance

Submitted By: ben.killen.rosenberg@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Round Two

One of our neighbors, the owner of an oceanfront home who opposes view grading, received a letter from the Manzanita Neah-Kah-Nie Dunes Management Association–the DMA, from now on. She passed it on to me and I’m sharing it here with you.

Some backstory. In November of 2021, a group of 7 property owners had applied to grade the dunes between Horizon and Spindrift to improve their ocean views. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department held a public hearing on February 3, 2022, and in March 2022, OPRD denied the application.

The letter from DMA states that they have been preparing an amendment to the 1995 Manzanita Fore Dune Management Plan to be adopted by the City. The DMA wants to pay for their own set of planners and geologists so they can continue view grading by amending the City’s zoning ordinance. They will present this to the Council at the July 6 workshop at 3pm.

Mark your calendars, kids.

In part the letter from DMA reads: “We need your support to ensure the amendment is adopted by the City and we do not go the way of the City of Cannon Beach’s recent dune management plan update where they were denied the ability to maintain their ocean views. “This would severely impact the quality and value of our beach front homes…”

I’ve added the italics.

Exsqueeze me?! Oregon’s coast is public land. All of it. Including those inconvenient dunes. It doesn’t belong to private citizens or to any private entity for private benefit. However, the president of the association suggests that beachfront property owners have a special right to own the view because it adds value to their private property. Since they seem to believe they own the view, they also believe they should be able to maintain the dunes as they see fit.

It’s deeply troubling to me that the very entity writing this amendment and offering to pay for the process is not neutral and stands to gain financially from view grading.

The November application was to scrape 4+ acres of dunes (10,000 cubic square feet of sand) and spread it near the shoreline about 2 feet deep displacing or killing every living thing that depends on the dunes for habitat and also anything under the sand that would suffocate. After the dunes are gone, they’d replant the same invasive European Beach grass responsible for sand accretion, so they can lather, rinse, and repeat the process every few years, regardless.

The DMA letter brings up Cannon Beach’s recent update to its Fore Dune Management Plan. The reason view grading is no longer allowed in Cannon Beach is because the majority of its residents didn’t want more view grading. Simple as that. The minority of property owners who did want view grading lost the decision.

While the goals of our Comprehensive Plan are aspirational, policies containing mandatory language have the force of law. On page 2 of the City of Manzanita’s Comprehensive Plan, Policies 6 and 7 read:

6. The plan must have the support of the majority of the community.
7. The plan is not to be used for the benefit of a few property owners or special interests, but for the city as a whole.

OPRD’s public hearing in February was a robust showing of opposition to what a handful of property owners wanted to do to public land for their profit. OPRD recognized that and denied the application in part because so many people turned out to oppose it, and in part because the Fore Dune Management Plan is too old and no longer reflects the current science behind climate change, sea level rise, and the kind of severe storms likely to increase in frequency.

Manipulating nature always comes with consequences. Too often when we mess around with natural systems and cycles, Nature bites us. Hard.

While the application mentions safety and access, Oregon law already allows for access grading for safety and habitat restoration grading for Snowy Plovers. But this is not that.

Those who received the letter from the DMA are asked to, “show the powers that be (The City, State Parks, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development) that the community supports dune management.”

But here’s the deal–the community DID show the “powers that be” that we support access, habitat restoration, and safety but we don’t support view grading for a handful of property owners.

What constitutes a beautiful view is a very subjective thing and also a changeable thing. The world offers itself to us every moment of our lives. Beauty, in a million different forms, is everywhere, if we have the eyes to see it.

To provide comment, email City Council and the City Manager before the workshop on Wednesday, July 6 at 3 pm and let them know what you think.

Mayor Scott mscott@ci.manzanita.or.us
Council President Kozlowski lkozlowski@ci.manzanita.or.us
Councilor Tonjes htonjes@ci.manzanita.or.us
Councilor Nuttall snuttall@ci.manzanita.or.us
Councilor Spegman jspegman@ci.manzanita.or.us
City Manager Aman laman@ci.manzanita.or.us

Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Submitted By: daslunas@icloud.com – Click to email about this post

WILL PROPOSED MANZANITA LOFTS HOTEL PUT MANZANITA LINKS AT RISK?

Did you know that the City Council has the final say in rulings made by the Planning Commission?

At the Planning Commission meeting on June 20th, emotional and concerned citizens asked for accountability on the proposed “hybrid Manzanita Lofts Hotel” in Manzanita. I have been following this dialogue for awhile. It centers around a 34-unit complex between Classic Street and Dorcas Lane, butted right up against the north-east end of the Manzanita Links golf course. The hybrid hotel would face the green of the golf course’s Signature Hole – #5.

At the end of the meeting, the Planning Commission voted unaminously to deny this proposal. Although concerns were numerous, safety was prominent. I listened to the 5 hour meeting, knew letters were submitted with nearly 130 signatures against this proposal, and knew neighborhoods surrounding this develoment were vocal about the impact on their lives.

The caveat, though, is actually in the operating requirements of the golf course. The consequences of this proposed development must be carefully considered and weighed against the risks. Therefore, the City Council must decide what to do with the Planning Commission’s advice and be ready to accept their responsibility if deciding against the recommendation.

Prior to the June Planning Commission hearing, my husband and I wandered by the Manzanita Links Golf Course and started chatting wiith Jeff Mitchell, the manager. It was a lazy day, not too crowded, so we asked Jeff how he felt about the proposed hotel going in next to the #5 hole.

Jeff was happy somebody asked the question, because the owner of the “hotel” had never been by to discuss the plans for this new development. My husband asked Jeff if he had concerns about the project, and he laughed before saying, “Oh yes!”

I asked for elaboration.

“Well first,” he said, “those folks (guests) are going to get hammered with golf balls. Hammered and constantly,” I asked him who is liable for damages done by golf balls, and he replied, “Well, if somebody gets seriously injured, isn’t the city responsbile since it allowed this hotel to be built in such a dangerous place?”

That’s one opinion, and is really the key question for the City Council. The golf course has been here a long time and, all the while, using those 2 tax lots as a safety buffer. The hole was designed for safety and challenge. Should the council now decide that tax revenue outweighs critical safety issues and functionality of this primary green space – the golf course?

I asked Jeff about the trees blocking the balls, and he — laughed again. I got the impression that any golfer worth the grain knew that golf balls going between 100 – 180 miles per hour would go straight through green spaces with trees. “Just ask the people who live in Dorcas Village,” Jeff said. “Golf balls show up there all the time.”

Jeff went on about concerns with the drainage… how water just pours over the hill after a few rainy days, how the gully is being filled in, and how that water has to go somewhere — usually down. He talked about guests with dogs and children who could wander onto the golf course and not be aware they were in the path of a speeding missle. Jeff was worried about vandalism with no manager on-site. He was concerned about the smoke and the sparks from the proposed fire pits and how the summers here seem to be getting drier. We listened to Jeff for 20 minutes — something I figured the developer should have done.

As my husband and I walked away, we had a lot to think about. My husband, a golfer, said that if he was teeing off at hole #5 and knew there was even the slightest possibility that he could injure someone – well, he’d just skip that hole.

The goal of the golfer, he reminded me, is to hit the ball straight. When everything lines up perfectly — the ball goes straight. “Most recreational golfers,” he said, “are more like works in progress.” History has proven that with the west wind and the height of that t-box up on the hill, the tendency is for balls to hook to the right when there’s a normal loft of 12 degrees or more. There’s a lot of golf balls that don’t go straight.

Manzanita is lucky to have this beautiful, pristine green space in the city, and the owners of the golf course have generously opened it up to the public so walkers can enjoy it in evenings and on Mondays. The golf course shouldn’t be saddled with lawsuits every time a golf ball breaks a windshield or worse, injures a person.
The golf course was here first. It was designed to be a challenge, but was also designed with safety in mind. It isn’t the fault of the golf course if the city council indiscriminately allows a “hotel” development (with no manager on site) to proceed in an area that has previously served as a safety zone for the golfers.

Lastly, I wondered if the current city council members facing a vote to approve or deny this project (let’s be clear here: it would over-ride the recommendation of the Planning Commission) will personally take responsibility for what the future brings with that vote?

Thank you for your time.

Deb Simmons

Submitted By: daslunas@icloud.com – Click to email about this post

I have often noted where I think the city leaders have fallen short. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that, in its meeting this week, the Planning Commission got it right when its members unanimously rejected the proposal for the Loft Hotel on Dorcas and Classic.

Denise Lofman and the Concerned Citizens of Manzanita, who pulled together in short order, were impossible to ignore. This was a grass roots movement at its finest. The Planning Commission devoted 5 hours to that meeting (5 hours!) and, not only did they listen, they allowed people to talk over the time limit to make a point.

As a candidate for mayor who favors open dialogues, town hall meetings, voting, and citizens coming together like they did on this Dorcas Lane proposal, I was uplifted that the net result was the preservation of what is a neighborhood.

Deb Simmons

Submitted By: dixiegainer@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Didn’t I mention this might happen, and we have such wonderful farms here in Tillamook county – we need local food supply
Thanks to the Democrats in the Oregon Legislature………
Oregon House Democrats pass HB 4002, ignore consequences to family farms SALEM, ORE., 02 MAR. 2022 — After several hours of debate, Oregon House Democrats dealt a death blow to huge swaths of the state’s beloved farm and ranch economy yesterday with passage of HB 4002 on a party-line vote. House Democrats forced through an unworkable agricultural overtime system in Oregon, despite the testimony and input of hundreds of farmers and ranchers, an independent economic study, and information from California and Washington all pointing to the devastating harm it will cause.
Legislators debated HB 4002 for about three hours before passage. Republican legislators offered several alternative solutions throughout the process that would have created a higher hourly threshold, accounted for unique harvesting and seasonal demands of agriculture, and provided farmworkers with overtime payments through the establishment of a worker relief fund. These solutions, including the -A10 amendment, were not given thoughtful consideration by the bill’s proponents, jeopardizing the future of Oregon’s agricultural sector, and creating uncertainty for thousands of farmworkers.

“The -A10 amendments to HB 4002 meet the goals of the proponents of overtime pay after 40 hours, and the goals of the agricultural industry for higher thresholds to ensure that family-scale agriculture remains viable in Oregon,” said Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany) as she asked the chamber to consider her alternative proposal. “It is the only solution offered that will protect farmworker jobs, result in more money in farmworker pockets, and help keep our family farms intact.”

Roughly 96% of Oregon’s farms are small, locally, or family-owned operations. The testimony highlighted concerns that this policy would catalyze emerging patterns leading to the corporatization and sale of farms to out-of-state entities. Data cited from an Oregon State Analysis showed that Oregon lost 1,200 of its small and mid-sized farms between 2012 to 2017, and with the passage of HB 4002, many fear a more pronounced transition.

Perhaps most egregious is the proponents’ characterization of the tax credit mechanism outlined in HB 4002. As drafted, the tax credit defies rational logic by decreasing the percentage a farm is eligible to be reimbursed for as their overtime costs increase. Make no mistake, this tax credit is not guaranteed to farms who must incur the costs of paying overtime and wait for nearly two years to see if they receive the credit. This system presumes that farms, operating on razor-thin margins, will trust in the state’s lottery system to ensure their business isn’t operating in the red.

“I’ve never seen so much data, such well-reasoned and impassioned testimony, and such a clear path to a better solution ignored like House Democrats did yesterday,” said Oregon Association of Nurseries Executive Director Jeff Stone. “No legislator who voted for this bill can ever say with a straight face that they care about farm and ranch families. They heard with crystal clarity what they were doing to family agriculture and ag employees, and they did it anyway.”

###

Oregon’s Coalition of Agricultural Organizations represents a diverse array of farming operations and agricultural commodities and was formed in response to the legislature’s proposal to require farmers to pay workers 1.5 times regular pay for all hours worked over 40.

Contacts Anne Marie Moss (AnneMarie@oregonfb.org) and Curt Kipp (ckipp@oan.org) for more information.

Submitted By: rkinor@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Some noteworthy Budget highlights that the City adopted on June 17th and how our City Council has chosen to spend the monthly fees that you pay in your water bill to operate the water system:
1. The City apparently is not collecting enough Short Term Rental income for the City Hall Short Term Rental Program Manager position so it’s necessary to take Water Operating Fund revenue to help fund that position. Rather than simply explain how this position is vital to the operation of the water utility, the answer was “you really have to understand the complexity of that model to appreciate that allocation”.
2. The Assistant City Recorder/Court Clerk position will need Water Fund revenue for her position to assist the Public Works Director in the construction of the Dorcus Lane water line replacement project this fall. When asked what role this individual will have in this construction project, the City could not provide an answer.
3. The City Manager’s own estimate of 10-15% of her time in management duties of the water utility claims that the model justifies an indirect overhead charge in this Budget of $75,729 against the Water Operating Fund for this limited management role. To provide some context, the Public Work’s Director position which spends 90% of his time managing the water utility, charges the Water Operating Fund approximately $88,000 for his direct management role.
4. Other non salary cost recovery expenses included in the $75,729 charge on the Water Operating Fund for the City Manager’s management activities include “ a desk, computer, paper and so on”. The City can’t provide a cost breakdown among other Funds that use and benefit from this referenced equipment and supplies. The bigger concern is why is the Water Operating Fund apparently is bearing the total cost for supplying equipment and office materials for the City Manager’s office and how many desks and computers does a City Manager need to purchase each year with these funds?
The consultant who produced the indirect overhead charge model admitted that he has no idea what any staff member at City Hall does regarding their actual interaction with water utility operations. So, when the City, who should know what these City Hall staff are doing was asked to provide some common sense explanations to justify these charges, the answer was …. it’s too complex to answer those questions without using the model so citizens should go and read the report if you want those answers.
How did we arrive at this situation where it’s not possible to answer a direct question on any of this? In 2019 citizens shared with this Council that it was not possible that the City could justify paying half of the salaries of the City Manager and Assistant City Manager with funds from the Water Operating Fund. The Mayor’s response was that a 50% Water Operating Fund contribution for the City Manager salary was necessary starting in 2008 during construction of the Water Treatment Plant. The City Manager was heavily involved in the management of the construction of that project and the increase to 50% rather than the historic 25% contribution of his salary from the Water Operating Fund was therefore justified due to this increased work load.
For almost a decade after the completion of the Water Treatment Plant project, long standing members of this Council somehow just forgot to return the City Manager’s salary back to the historic level of the Water Operating Fund’s contribution of 25%.
This funding strategy for City Hall salaries was proving so successful that when this Council decided to hire an Assistant City Manager in 2017, 50% of that salary was also taken from the Water Operating Fund. The few citizens that may have been attending Budget meetings during these years didn’t know what questions to ask and that allowed this Council to get very comfortable in this new creative funding strategy.
From the very moment in 2019 when this was first brought to the Council’s attention, they knew that they had a problem. This Council could have chosen to simply return to a level of 25% of the City Manager’s salary and a lesser but reasonable percentage of the Assistant City Manager’s salary from the Water Operating Fund and this issue would have vanished. But rather than adopt a simple solution to a very specific issue, this Council spends $30,000 for a study of non issues that have no bearing on the Budget transfers from the Water Operating Fund, a consultant who says that he doesn’t know what these positions actually do and a Council when asked for explanations admits that its too complex to explain to you.
Current Council members who may be running for reelection will need to explain their role in this matter as well as their record on a host of other decisions over the years relating to the fiscal and livability issues that have finally come to a head. Let’s hope that we get better answers than it’s just too complex to explain.

Submitted By: tmweissbach@charter.net – Click to email about this post

GENERAL INTEREST: New Brooms?
Recent elections in Manzanita have brought new candidates to the fore. While the candidates are new, are their ideas either new or practical? What are their claims?
1) We’re long-term residents, and we will bring back the good old days. Too late!
2) We will listen to you, unlike the current mayor and council. What they mean is that that they didn’t get their way. They were listened to but what they wanted was either ill-informed, required money that wasn’t available, or just impossible to grant under the law.
3) The current leadership is beholden to special interests. Who are these special interests?
4) There are too many short-term rentals. Agree, but how else can you fund city government? You know, things like police, city manager, office staff, maintenance of our infrastructure.
5) There should be more diversity. Have you ever looked at the population of Manzanita? Where is the diversity to come from? What I look for in a candidate for office is someone who can contribute to effective governance regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
6) The city should bring back the 4th of July parade and fireworks. The city doesn’t have the funds, and many of the volunteers who helped manage these events have aged out. The fireworks were paid for with donations, not city funds. If you have $25 to $30 thousand dollars handy, let the City Council know.
7) The City should stick to its comprehensive plan. That plan hasn’t been examined and modified for 20 years. The plan needs to be revised, and is being revised. Are you willing to spend the time to help in that process or is it just someone else’s responsibility?
We have been blessed in Manzanita with exceptional leadership. Consider carefully before you listen to promises that can’t be kept. Manzanita is undergoing rapid and irreversible change. Life here is not what it used to be, and it will never revert to the good old days. We can only hope to manage the change as intelligently as possible.
Ted Weissbach

Submitted By: dixiegainer@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Person testifies against approving C vacation
for 5 and under.

rumble.com/v18l13s-my-feedback-to-the-fdas-attempts-to-inject-5-and-under-for-covid-19.html

Submitted By: Constance@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

Thanks to all of you who have signed the IP17 (Gun Violence Reduction Act), together we will reach our goal and have this on the November ballot. For those in the Tillamook area who would like to sign the petition, please contact Kathy B. @503-742-3786 between the hours of noon-8pm.
For those not aware of the initiative, you must be a registered Oregon voter. IP17 will require a permit to purchase firearms; require passing a background check and limit magazines to a maximum of 10 rounds. Please go to www.lifteveryvoiceoregon.com for the complete text of the initiative. Thank you! /Constance

Submitted By: ben.killen.rosenberg@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Fresh Eyes

Over the weekend two new candidates declared a run for office. That makes three new people getting involved in the election this year. I’m glad new people are running. I think it’s great when more not fewer people want to be involved in our democracy.

I’ve met all three and have read their statements. Two are retired educators and one is a retired dentist who had a large and successful practice. These are the kind of professions that, to do well, require good observational skills, and the ability to meet folks where they are without judgment.

I know this for sure because in a previous life, I taught preschool in a bunch of different settings from Head Start to a very fancy Montessori school in the West Hills of Portland. To be a good teacher you have to observe closely in order to solve problems and you can’t be thinking you know everything. You have to always carry with you an open mind.

One of the teachers I worked with early on had this quote by Shunryu Suzuki in her classroom. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”

We aren’t prepared for the growth we’ve experienced even though it’s been headed this way for at least a decade. There’s a laundry list of important City work that hasn’t been done over the years for reasons that aren’t clear to me. Add to that the rapid growth of new homes, which exacerbates our need to find solutions to longstanding problems. The to do list includes but is not limited to: updating the Comprehensive Plan and Ordinances, of which the Foredune Management Plan is a part; updating our technology and digitizing our records and documents so they’re accessible to the public; dealing with our storm water system; raising new forms of revenue; building work force housing; raising system development and other fees, and building our infrastructure like our roads to handle growth.

All the stuff on the to do list costs cash money and lots of time both things in short supply. We need fresh eyes and new ideas. We need to come to a middle ground where maybe none of us are super happy with a solution but none of us are super bummed.

From the City Manager’s Council Workshop discussion about community engagement, it sounds like in the coming months we’ll have the opportunity to do that. So let’s get out our thinking hats and I’ll see you at a town hall some time soon!

Kim Rosenberg. loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

Submitted By: Constance@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

We will be outside the Manzanita Market again this afternoon from at least 4-6pm at the corner of Manzanita & Division. Look for the flashing emergency lights from a car.
We are out to get 130,000 signatures to secure this measure will be on the November ballot, LEVO (lifteveryvoiceoregon.com) currently has about 50,000 signatures with many volunteers across Oregon working to get what’s needed.
You do need to be a registered Oregon voter to count. This measure will require permits to purchase a gun; stiffer background checks; limits magazines to a maximum of 10 rounds. Please go to LEVO’s website for the full text of the measure.
Let me know if you’d like to become involved with gathering signatures. Thank you, we hope to see your signature added!