I just got word today that our mild weather is about to end. One of those miserable cold air masses is descending on the Pacific Northwest. We can expect the coldest temperatures of the winter to date, and snow below pass levels. For those in need, the Tillamook Warming Center, at 5^th and Miller in Tillamook, will be open from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. on very cold nights. We can also expect wind and lots of moisture, hopefully rain, next Tuesday and Wednesday. So, make like a Boy Scout and Be Prepared.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Burn Permits --- Get 'em while they're hot

Don't forget that we're in a new year, and your old 2011 permit needs to be committed to the burn barrel. But to do that, you need to get down to the city office and get yourselves a 2012 burn permit. There is no cost.

Dog Licenses --- Time to get it Done

The same advice holds for licensing your pooch. Rates vary, depending on several factors. You need to be sure the dog's rabies vaccination is up to date. Contact your vet's office and have them fax information on your dog's rabies vaccination to the city office. The City fax number is (503) 377-4044.

Water Pressure, an Update

The City Council, at its regular meeting Tuesday, approved a contract for SHN Consulting Engineers to perform hydraulic modeling of the high level delivery system to determine whether the reservoir fill cycles might be contributing to the overly high pressures being experienced by water customers in the lower reaches of the system.

Public Works Superintendent David Pace has recommended that no pressure-reducing valves be installed in the high level system because a number of water customers have already installed their own pressure-limiting valves, and the City doesn't know where all of them are located. Reducing pressure at the system level might affect the customers who have already installed their own pressure-regulating devices.

The engineer's hydraulic modeling would show whether there are adjustments that can be made to the distribution system to even out the pressures. SHN will also determine whether both high-level reservoirs are at exactly the same level, using GPS techniques.

The City Council approved the engineer's recommended hydraulic modeling contract, estimated to cost $5,160. The contract calls for the work to be complete by February 8.

Other City Council Business

Fire Chief Darrell Griffith reported that the Fire Department had responded to 159 calls during 2011. The Department also chalked up 3,000 training hours and 1,000 volunteer hours.

Streets and roads were also a major topic for discussion. Councilor Pat Vining noted that Public Works had worked through most of the street projects recommended by the old Streets Committee, and had very few projects remaining that would be eligible for funding though Small Cities Allotment (SCA) grants.

Vining and Pace recommended that the City take ownership of Warren Street in the Goose Point area, and of the one-half of Bewleys Street owned by the County. In previous street transfers to City ownership, the County had first brought the streets up to standard.

Now, however, Vining and Pace noted, the County is hard-pressed for funds to maintain its roads, and the condition of Bewleys and Warren Streets continues to deteriorate. The City's taking over Bewleys would make that street eligible for SCA grant funding.

Warren Street has been subjected to heavier traffic since the Pioneer Museum opened its outdoor interpretive center in the Goose Point area. The street is deteriorating badly, and the water line also needs to be replaced.

Pace also reported that he had submitted the City's application for continuation of its water rights and water use permit. Also on the subject of water, the City approved a contract for SHN Consulting Engineers to perform the survey work and water rate studies needed to consolidate the Kilchis Regional Water System into a legal water district. This will eventually involve a ballot measure establishing a taxing district.

The City also received communication from Frank Dulcich, owner of Pacific Seafood, and Whitey Forsman, manager of Pacific Oyster. An issue has arisen over the parking of refrigerated trailers in front of the processing plant. According to the fire chief, a fire lane 18 feet in width must be kept open at all times. The Port of Garibaldi is also concerned, since the Port owns the land. Pat Vining suggested meeting with Forsman to work out a solution acceptable to all parties.

The Council set a special meeting for January 17 to review the matter with Forsman and Port Manager Kevin Greenwood.

Councilor Robert Pollock recommended that Terry and Diane Griffin be formally thanked for the excellent Christmas dinner they provided for City staff and members of the City Council and Planning Commission.

Watt Family Park Public Meetings and Site Visit

The Parks Advisory Committee convened Friday, January 6, for a run-through of the material to be presented at the public meeting set for Saturday morning at the Bay City Arts Center.

Attending were committee chair Pat Vining, city planner Sabrina Pearson, City Councilor John Gettman, Planning Commissioner John Sollman, City Public Works Superintendent David Pace, plus Brian Hornbeak, a park neighbor who coaches football for the YMCA, Steven Smith, whose property abuts the proposed park, and Mike Cochran, a Public Works employee who has an interest in gardens and landscaping.

Saturday's meeting was attended by Vining, Pearson, Pace, Sollman, Smith, Cochran, and Billy and Mary Schreiber, whose property lies on the east boundary of the proposed park.

Both of the park neighbors expressed concerns about the current state of the conceptual design, including the possible use of an easement along the west park boundary for vehicular access to the park; the impact of the placement of structures on views of the bay; plus noise, traffic, parking, fencing, lighting and security.

At the Friday meeting, Hornbeak expressed his enthusiasm for the plan, and offered insights on use of the proposed sports field, where he had coached kids playing football. He also offered advice on the condition of the field, proximity to wetlands and other matters. Wetlands exist on non-park properties to the east, and park properties east and south of the playing field.

On Saturday, there was extensive discussion about the public easement on the west park boundary, which a neighbor requires to access a portion of his property. The Advisory Committee suggested repositioning the proposed fence to allow vehicular access to the neighbor's property and only pedestrian access to the park on the east side of the fence. Fencing would prevent public access to the park from Short Street, while a locked gate would permit access by City staff only. The property owner was quite satisfied with that adjustment.

There was considerable discussion of fencing materials and use of arbor vitae and other plants to form living, neighbor-friendly, fences. Sabrina suggested a light wire fence sandwiched between plantings of arbor vitae or other plants as a way of beautifying the park while preventing people from cutting through the hedge. Hedges are more effective at attenuating sound than board fences.

The other major issue was placement of the proposed community structure at the northeast corner of the property, as that would impact several neighbors' views of the bay. Movement of the structure to the northwest corner solved that problem. It also allayed another concern expressed at Friday's meeting, that the original proposed location of the children's playground was too close to Tillamook Avenue. Relocation of the community structure would require placement of the playground to the south of the structure, away from Tillamook Avenue traffic.

Other discussions included safe access to the park from Tillamook Avenue, including the eventual addition of sidewalks, closing of the 9^th Street intersection with U.S. 101, and improving the highway intersection with Tillamook Avenue.

It was agreed that lighting would be confined to the upper, or playground, section of the park, and that lighting would be turned off when the park is closed. Originally, it had been thought that the park would be open until 10 p.m. The neighbors, however, said they would prefer a dawn to dusk operation.

Vining said that the community structure would have kitchen facilities and the capacity to feed people in the event of an extended emergency, such as the extended power outage following the December 2007 storm. The structure would also contain an assembly area, or community hall, City administrative offices, and the library.

The original plan was move the fire station to the upper park area in order to bring it out of the tsunami run-up zone, and that plan remains on the table until the Disaster Mitigation Committee has reviewed the new DOGAMI mapping showing revised run-up zones. The existing DOGAMI maps estimate tsunami run-up to about 59 feet; the City, to err on the safe side, marked out tsunami-safe zones above 80 feet to allow for the possibility of a larger event.

The lessons of March 11 in Japan provide graphic evidence that a tsunami resulting from an offshore megaquake could be much more devastating that previously thought. So, the final decision on the location of the fire station will depend upon what the new run-up maps show.

If the fire station were to be a part of the community structure, the City would have the benefit of the fire department's recently-acquired generator. If the fire station goes elsewhere, Vining said, the City would have to explore other options to power the community hall and kitchen during an extended emergency. He suggested talking to CenturyLink about the feasibility of using their power when phone service is down following a major event.

The neighbors, following the Saturday meeting, were supportive of the park and the Committees' involvement of the public in the planning process.

The Park Planning Committee met again today to walk through the park property and visualize how the planned facilities would fit in the spaces allocated. Thirteen people attended the walk-through, including the committee members, nearby neighbors, and young Isaac Hornbeak and his mom, Shelly. In general, it appeared that the park area had enough room for just about any facilities expected to be located there.

David Nuzum, who coaches sports at Tillamook High School, explained to the group how sports fields are laid out and maintained. He recommended that the Committee adopt a flexible arrangement, so that pick-up games could be played in one part of the sports field while other sports and teams use other sections. Maintenance is crucial, he explained. Practice sessions tend to tear up the field more than actual games. He recommended installation of Astroturf in the goal areas, since these areas are subjected to the greatest wear and tear.

Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Mike Saindon, Garibaldi USCG Lifeboat Station Commander, also attended the walk-through to assess the suitability of using the sports field as an emergency landing zone for helicopters. He was very familiar with the sports field, because his boys have played football there. He said he would request a fly-over, to get the opinion of the helicopter pilots themselves as to the field's suitability. Master Chief Saindon also suggested certifying the community center kitchen so that it could be used for general catering, and offered to help the Disaster Mitigation Committee with its planning for disaster survival.

The next pair of Park Advisory Committee meetings will take place at 6 p.m. January 13 at City Hall, and 10 a.m. January 14 at the Bay City Arts Center. These meetings will address the playground, day use area, benches and walking track. The public is cordially invited to attend all meetings.

Subject matter for the remaining meetings will be: January 20 and 21 --- Sports Field and Sports Track; and January 27 and 28 --- Nature Play Park, Wetland Restoration and Rain Gardens.

Since the park is a conditional use of the property, the Park Planning Committee intends to bring the completed plans to the Planning Commission at its February 15 meeting, where the public will, once again, be given the opportunity to comment on the park's development. The plan will then be presented to the City Council at its March 13 meeting where the public will have yet another opportunity to offer comment. The goal is to have the Park Refinement Grant application in the mail to OPRD by March 31. If the grant is approved, the City will have until June 30, 2014, to complete development of the park.

Pat Vining wanted to assure the public that the Planning and Advisory Committees welcome the public's comments and suggestions. The plans being developed, he said, are conceptual. Many modifications have already been made as a result of comments and suggestions from the public. Vining expressed his appreciation to the Arts Center for allowing use of its facilities for the Saturday public meetings.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters will meet Friday, Jan. 27, at 11:30 a.m. This meeting will feature input on the development of the Watt Family Park, in addition to regular Boosters business.

Bay City Arts Center

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin's Toddler Art classes resumed January 4. She conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

On January 14, at 7 p.m., there will be book readings by authors Judy Allen and Tricia Gates Brown. Both authors live on the Oregon Coast.

Judy Allen will read from her book, "Looking Through the Water," her first novel. It is a story set in the 1940s. It involves a young lady who discovers that she has special gifts, resulting in conflicts within her family and her church.

Tricia Gates Brown will read from her book, "Jesus Loves Women." This is a story about a young woman raised a fundamentalist Christian, who casts off her upbringing to discover herself. There will be no charge for the book-reading event.

The monthly pancake breakfast will be held Sunday, January 15, from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $5 per person, $4 for members. Children eat for half price.

Digital outdoor photography workshops, conducted by Jim Young, are scheduled for five consecutive Saturdays starting January 21, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The first class will cover the technical aspects of digital cameras. Be sure to bring your own camera. The January 8 class will cover composing a picture; February 4, processing the digital image; February 11, field trip to take pictures; February 18, critiquing the photos and picture presentation. The fee will be $25 per class, or $100 to attend all five classes.

As noted earlier, the Park Planning Committee will hold a public meeting each Saturday in January, from 10 a.m. to noon, on planning and development of the park property between McCoy Street and Tillamook Avenue. Each meeting will address a different aspect of park planning. Comments and suggestions from members of the public are most welcome.

Bits and Pieces

Senator Jeff Merkley will hold a Town Hall Meeting at 1 p.m. tomorrow, January 12, at the Bay City Arts Center. All are welcome. Sadly, I have a doctor appointment, and can't attend.

The Planning Commission is still one member short. Those living outside the City but within the Urban Growth Boundary are now eligible to serve on the Commission. Applications should be submitted to the City office.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be Feb. 4, 2012.

I had hoped to get this thing out on Wednesday, but obviously that didn't happen. Lots of things going on. I was even writing Karen Rust's Fencepost for two weeks. With the loss of her husband, Bill, she had lots on her hands.

A Tribute to a Dear Friend

My very good friend, Bill Rust, was remembered at a memorial service today at the Bay City United Methodist Church. The place was packed, and extra chairs were brought in from the Bay City Community Hall.

Special places were set aside for the VFW and the Civil Air Patrol. Bill belonged to both organizations. Karen, Bill's widow, had asked me to deliver the eulogy, and I hope I lived up to her expectations. At my request, Karen had a roaster oven set on a table next to the pulpit, and I referred to it during my presentation, saying it was there to roast Bill. I told the story of the Thanksgiving turkey that refused to cook.

We had a minor problem when the group slated to post and retrieve our colors failed to show. But, happily, there was a small Army detail on hand to render the gun salute. We told them our plight, and they filled in beautifully. "I'll need a few minutes to talk to my team," the staff sergeant in charge told me.

They paraded our colors in and posted them. Near the end of the ceremony, the staff sergeant returned with the burial flag and set it against the VFW post charter, stepped back and rendered a hand salute, which he held. The gun salute was fired. He marched out and returned with another soldier to assist with the folding of the flag and its presentation to Karen. The two then retired to the entryway, and returned on command to retire the colors. The whole thing was beautifully done.

Following the ceremony, there were refreshments in the church fellowship room, enough to feed an army.

I was certainly touched when I paid my respects to Karen after the ceremony. She presented me with a beautiful VFW jacket she had bought for Bill, presumably for his birthday. That was April 17. She said she knew Bill would want me to have it. I'll wear it to our meetings, and anywhere else we're doing a VFW function, to honor him. I know that a little bit of Bill will be with me.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Volunteer Drivers Needed

Carol McAndrew of the VFW Auxiliary noted that there is a need for volunteer drivers for the Wave. Dial-a-Ride drivers are needed for Bay City and North County. Most of the trips, she said, are for transportation of patients to and from the Reinhart Clinic and other destinations in North County.

It's not a big physical job, Carol explained. Mostly, it would involve one to three days a week, and three to four hours, depending on the appointments. It's a good way for retired people to connect with the community. Since the vehicle is a regular passenger van, no special driver license is needed. There may be a few perks, such as an occasional gas gift card, but the biggest reward is the gratitude of the passengers being helped.

If you're interested, call Carol at (503) 801-7400, or the Wave office at (503) 815-8283 and ask for Cathy Bond.

Watt Family Park Update

Now, we're in a holding pattern. The Planning Grant is closed out, and we're ready to close on the purchase of the park property.

Also, the Development Grant request has been submitted to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and now we're waiting for the other shoe to drop.

There will be a dedication ceremony at the park, but I don't know yet when that will be.

On Wednesday, during our Disaster Mitigation Committee meeting, we discovered an interesting thing. We didn't figure in the value of the Fire Department's activity in burning the old school building. That can count as grant match, and it wouldn't be difficult to see who participated and for how long. The rest is simple math.

Fire Department Levy

The Fire Department will be on the ballot for the May primary election. The department's present local option levy expires in 2013, and a new five-year local option levy to support the Bay City Fire Department will be before the voters. According to Fire Chief Darrell Griffith, the new levy will be the same as the current levy: $0.47 per $1,000 in property valuation.

Training is a major factor in running a volunteer fire department. There is constant turnover, as people move on and new people join the department. As firefighters move up the ladder to positions of higher authority, others must be trained to take their place.

Much training can be conducted locally or at nearby fire departments, but some must be bought and paid for. Training is among the many operating expenses of a fire department, in addition to the expenses that are mandated by law.

As I reported last week, the fire department must pay to have its hoses and equipment inspected and tested at regular intervals. Equipment found deficient or defective on testing must be replaced, as must certain equipment upon reaching a specified age. All of these things must come out of the fire department's budget.

We have had some fires in Bay City, some of them spectacular. But most calls, I believe, involve accidents or medical situations. Sharline and I have relied on them several times in the past. When I experienced congestive failure several years ago, our fire department guys were at my house in a flash. They had me awake and on supplemental oxygen before the ambulance showed up to take me to the hospital.

A reliable fire department does one other thing for residents of the area it serves. It reduces the cost of fire insurance. If there is no fire department reasonably close, fire insurance rates go up, sometimes way up.

I urge you to 1) turn in your ballot, and 2) support our fire chief's request for a five-year local option levy to continue providing fire protection and emergency response for Bay City.

Disaster Mitigation

The Disaster Mitigation Committee met Wednesday, April 18. Fire Chief Darrell Griffith was there to outline plans to conduct two projects looming on the horizon.

Our Fire Department will be participating in two major events in the upcoming weeks. On April 25, starting at 6:30 p.m., members of the department, augmented by members of the Coast Guard, CERT, and the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, will conduct a door-knocking campaign throughout the inundation zone for a near-shore tsunami.

All residences and businesses within the inundation zone will receive a visit from a campaigner, who will provide information about the upcoming evacuation drill, and printed material about preparing for an earthquake and tsunami, evacuation routes and locations of assembly areas.

On Saturday, May 5, at 10 a.m., the siren will sound for a full three minutes. That will be the signal for people in the inundation zone to move to high ground. A magnitude 9 megathrust quake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone just offshore can be expected to produce a huge tsunami, which can reach 90 feet in height in the Larson Cove area.

Once again, our Fire Department, assisted by the Coast Guard, Tillamook County Sheriff's Office, Tillamook County Search and Rescue, the Red Cross, CERT, DOGAMI, HAM radio operators and others, will direct the evacuation.

When the ground stops shaking, people in the inundation zone will have from 12 to 18 minutes to reach high ground. You must WALK to high ground. Roads will be impassable and travel by automobile will be impossible. To attempt to drive out would result in getting trapped inside the automobile and probably drowned. Don't even consider it! Many Japanese made that mistake March 11, 2011, and lost their lives.

Darrell wishes to capture data on residents' time from their residence to a safe area, termed a "green zone," or to an assembly area. He also wants to gather information on people who will need assistance in getting out, and people who depend on mechanical or electrical devices because of a medical condition.

I urge everyone in the low-lying areas of Bay City to take the drill very seriously. Your lives may very well depend on it one day.

For those involved in managing or monitoring the event, there will be a briefing starting at 8 a.m. on May 5. I plan to be there to volunteer for whatever Darrell figures an old man can do.

Bewley Street

John Gettman was quick to correct me after reading my last Back Fence. The information I had published about Bewley Street was not based on the most recent data available.

Bewley Street lies wholly within the city limits between Williams Street and the south edge of the Seattle Avenue right-of-way. The properties along the east side of Bewley Street between Williams and Seattle are also within the city. They were annexed several years ago.

From the south side of Seattle Avenue north to Baseline Road, the city limit lies along the midline of Bewley Street.

So, it would seem that there would be no impediment to taking Bewley Street from the County between Williams and Seattle.

Public Works Superintendent David Pace has stated that if Bewley Street were entirely within the city limits and owned by the City, it would qualify for a Small Cities Allotment Grant to resurface it. The street is heavily traveled and badly in need of repair.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters' next meeting will be Friday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. The April meeting will feature the five or six candidates for Chuck Hurliman's position on the Board of County Commissioners. The public is cordially invited to attend. This will be a great opportunity to meet and question the candidates.

VFW Auxiliary 2012 Plant Sale

The VFW Post Auxiliary will hold its annual plant and rummage sale on Saturday, May 12, at the Bay City Community Hall. You'll find some great bargains on plants for your yard, as well as lots of things you've always wanted but never had an opportunity to get.

There'll be more on this later.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since we are now on Daylight Savings Time. Try it. You'll like it. Sharline and I had a great steak last week.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to artspacecafe@gmail.com. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

The menu changes each week, so be sure to check the menu posted at ArtSpace to see what's on the current week's menu.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Bay City Arts Center

The Arts Center reports that the "Meet the Candidates" forum was very successful. BCAC thanks all who took part in the event.

The April Artists of the Month are the Tillamook High School art students, under the instruction of art teacher Amy Wyss. Their works will remain on display at the Arts Center through the month of April. Come down and check it out. Lots of talent here.

The "Twenty" art exhibit is on display in the upstairs foyer. Twenty art pieces were created collaboratively by twenty local artists to raise funds for the Women's Resource Center. Stop by an take a look, and perhaps make a bid on one or more of the works. It's for an excellent cause.

On Sunday, April 29, there will be a Charlie Wooldridge fund raiser. It will consist of a Thai dinner and an artwork sale. More on this next week.

Friday, May 4, is Breadmaking Day. The BCAC Bulletin describes this as a "deliciously aromatic all-day affair." The bread is for the Women's Resource Center's Soup and Bread fundraiser. Volunteers are welcome. The event will start about 8 a.m. More details will follow.

Saturday, May 5, from 5 to 7 p.m., BCAC will host its Artist of the Month reception. The Artists are members of Jim Young's photography class held earlier in the year. On display will be the photographs taken by the students during the class. Light refreshments will be served, and there will be no charge for the event.

Also on May 5, from 7 to 9 p.m., BCAC will host its Open Mic Night, this month featuring the Tillamook Community Chorus. Admission is by donation. You can sign up to be part of the performance, or simply come down and enjoy an evening of great talent. Admission is by donation.

The All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast will be held May 20.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

The events planned for this summer are starting to take shape. Beach Art Week for children ages 6 to 12 will be held June 25 to 29.

G-BAM Camp for youngsters with disabilities, ages 10 to 18, will be held July 6, 7 and 8.

The Jews Harp Festival will be here again, August 3 to 5.

Bits and Pieces

On April 19, in Massachusetts, they celebrate Patriot's Day. This is the anniversary of the "Shot heard around the world." The night before, Paul Revere and Billy Dawes rode through the countryside warning the residents that "the Red Coats are coming."

Revere was captured partway through the ride, and the ride was finished by Billy Dawes and Dr. Sam Prescott. The local militia faced off against British regulars at the Old North Bridge in Concord. A no-doubt-scared kid fired his musket at the British, and the American Revolution had begun.

The rain birds are flocking back from their winter feeding grounds. I ran across Jack Scovel at Freddy's this afternoon. I had seen him at Bill Rust's memorial service, but didn't have a chance to talk to him there. He had been wintering over near Lake Havasu, and said it was getting pretty hot down there. Time to come home. Welcome back, Jack.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be May 5, 2012.

It seems that I have too much on my plate lately, and I haven't been able to publish my Back Fence on time. And I'm late again. With the advent of warmer and dryer weather, I have to mow. Boy, do I have to mow! With the moisture in the ground and the warmer temperatures, it takes only a week for my yard to look like it's time to bale the hay.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Volunteer Drivers Needed

Carol McAndrew of the VFW Auxiliary noted that there is a need for volunteer drivers for the Wave. Dial-a-Ride drivers are needed for Bay City and North County. Most of the trips, she said, are for transportation of patients to and from the Reinhart Clinic and other destinations in North County.

It's not a big physical job, Carol explained. Mostly, it would involve one to three days a week, and three to four hours, depending on the appointments. It's a good way for retired people to connect with the community. Since the vehicle is a regular passenger van, no special driver license is needed. There may be a few perks, such as an occasional gas gift card, but the biggest reward is the gratitude of the passengers being helped.

If you're interested, call Carol at (503) 801-7400, or the Wave office at (503) 815-8283 and ask for Cathy Bond.

Pioneer Museum Interpretive Park

The Planning Commission, at its April 18 meeting, reviewed the Pioneer Museum's conditional use permit, and approved the Museum's request to make several modifications to the original plan.

Gary Albright, Pioneer Museum Director, asked the Commission to approve relocating the Indian Longhouse from the area under County jurisdiction to a location near the Warren Street right-of-way in Bay City. Albright also presented conceptual plans to locate several other educational features nearer to the park entrance.

Commission chair Terry Griffin said he was pleased with the proposed relocation of the Longhouse, noting that it will fare better in the proposed new location than in the wetter area initially planned. The new location will also make it more readily available for park visitors.

Planning Commission members who had visited the park noted their approval of the work that has been done since the park's dedication last summer. There are now two paver walkways in the park, and much work has been done planting native trees and other vegetation, and removing invasive, non-native plants.

The park is a major undertaking for the Pioneer Museum. Because it contains wetlands and waterways, many public agencies are involved in the permitting process. Albright noted his surprise at being told he needed an easement from the Department of State Lands to put a footbridge over a small waterway on the Museum's property. The reason, he said, is that the State owns the waterways, not the Museum.

One member of the Commission mused about the effect all our permitting and regulation would have had on Westward Expansion, had our present-day rules been put in place upon the return of the Lewis and Clark expedition. A member of the audience suggested that we might have reached East St. Louis by now.

For those of you who have never visited the Pioneer Museum site, it's well worth seeing. The Pioneer Museum Interpretive Park is reached from Warren Street in the Goose Point area. Simply turn west on Warren Street from the highway, and continue on Warren until you reach Spruce Street. Turn left and you're in the park.

As Albright said during his presentation to the Planning Commission, the park will be built in stages, as funding becomes available. In addition to the flora and fauna native to the region, the park will also display examples of Native American culture and artifacts from early settlement and industry. It will be a valuable addition to Bay City

Fire Department Levy

The Fire Department will be on the ballot for the May primary election. The department's present local option levy expires in 2013, and a new five-year local option levy to support the Bay City Fire Department will be before the voters. According to Fire Chief Darrell Griffith, the new levy will be the same as the current levy: $0.47 per $1,000 in property valuation.

Training is a major factor in running a volunteer fire department. There is constant turnover, as people move on and new people join the department. As firefighters move up the ladder to positions of higher authority, others must be trained to take their place.

Much training can be conducted locally or at nearby fire departments, but some must be bought and paid for. Training is among the many operating expenses of a fire department, in addition to the expenses that are mandated by law.

As I reported last week, the fire department must pay to have its hoses and equipment inspected and tested at regular intervals. Equipment found deficient or defective on testing must be replaced, as must certain equipment upon reaching a specified age. All of these things must come out of the fire department's budget.

We have had some fires in Bay City, some of them spectacular. But most calls, I believe, involve accidents or medical situations. Sharline and I have relied on them several times in the past. When I experienced congestive failure several years ago, our fire department guys were at my house in a flash. They had me awake and on supplemental oxygen before the ambulance showed up to take me to the hospital.

A reliable fire department does one other thing for residents of the area it serves. It reduces the cost of fire insurance. If there is no fire department reasonably close, fire insurance rates go up, sometimes way up.

I urge you to 1) turn in your ballot, and 2) support our fire chief's request for a five-year local option levy to continue providing fire protection and emergency response for Bay City.

Disaster Mitigation

Those of you who live in the inundation zone for near shore tsunami had a visitor Wednesday evening. The Bay City Fire Department, Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), the Coast Guard and assorted volunteers conducted a door-knocking campaign to advise you of the tsunami evacuation drill set for Saturday, May 5.

According to Don Reynolds and Fire Chief Darrell Griffith, the campaign went off very well, and the residents appreciated the information and the City's concern.

When you're walking or driving around town, you'll notice, beside the roads on hillsides, lath stakes with green tape. The Fire Department spend a day or so poking these lath stakes into the ground to indicate the start of the so-called "Green Zone," that is, the area that will be above the inundation zone in that location.

On Portland Avenue, near where I live, the lath stake is about halfway between 6^th and 7^th Streets. If you look at the new DOGAMI maps for Bay City, the run-up comes up to the back wall of the house at the southwest corner of Portland and 7^th Street. You can see it clearly on the map.

There are actually two objectives for the evacuation drill on May 5: To reach a "Green Zone" within 12 to 18 minutes following a megathrust earthquake; and to reach one of the city's two Assembly Areas, marked as "A" on the inundation maps. One of them is at the Handle Factory in the south end of town, and the other is at the upper end of 5^th Street at the north end of town. Getting to a "Green Zone" is most important; making it to an assembly area is also important for your survival, but it may take considerably longer to reach one of these, owing to the destruction caused by magnitude 9 quake.

On Saturday, May 5, at 10 a.m., the siren will sound for a full three minutes. That will be the signal for those in the inundation zone to move to a "Green Zone." It is suggested that folks in the inundation zone check the upland areas to see where your closest "Green Zone" is located. Plan your route ON FOOT to that point, and plan an alternate route in case your chosen route is blocked. There is a good chance that will happen following an earthquake.

Please, DO NOT try to make the evacuation by automobile. Many Japanese drowned doing just that on March 11, 2011. Roads will be blocked, and your automobile will be useless.

Most important, you should assemble a "go kit" with emergency supplies for 72 hours, and take it with you when you evacuate. Most people put their supplies in a backpack. In addition to a supply of water and three days' rations, you will need your medications, some extra clothing, rain gear, etc. Lists of essential evacuation supplies can be found on the Internet.

Topography will cause the height of tsunami run-up to vary from one part of town to another. The highest run-up in the Bay City area will occur in the Larson Cove area north of town, where the run-up could reach 90 feet.

For the evacuation drill on May 5, our Fire Department will be assisted by the Coast Guard, Tillamook County Sheriff's Office, Tillamook County Search and Rescue, the Red Cross, CERT, DOGAMI, HAM radio operators and others. Members of the City Council, Planning Commission and the Hazard Mitigation Committee have been asked to be present for the drill.

Darrell wants to make a record of problems arising during the evacuation, where they occur, and the probable reasons why. He also wants to see where mobility or medical issues interfere with residents' ability to travel by foot to a "Green Zone." That will help the members of the Disaster Mitigation Committee develop contingency plans to evacuate people with mobility issues.

I plan to be at the Fire Station for the briefing, and to perform whatever Darrell feels he can assign to an old man. Darrell told me that he expected the whole thing to be wrapped up by noon on the 5^th.

Bay City Boosters

The Bay City Boosters hosted a Candidates' Forum at their April 27 meeting, moderated by Pat Vining. Each candidate was allowed a three-minute opening statement. This was followed by a question and answer session, where people in the audience could ask a question which would be answered by each candidate in turn. Each candidate was allowed a two-minute summation at the end.

The panel consisted of candidates for County Commissioner, Position 1, which is being vacated by Commissioner Charles Hurliman. Present were Valerie Folkema, John Coopersmith, Lisa Phipps, Bill Baertlein, Jill Williams and Thomas Donohue. Not present was Steven Forster, because of a conflict with his schedule.

Present in the audience were David Downs, who is running against Mark Labhart for Position 2, and Kari Fleisher, who is running against Denise Vandecoevering for County Assessor.

All of the panelists agreed that the County's major problem is the condition of its roads, but there was a wide range of opinions on how to fix them. Loss of revenues from federal forest timber sales has impacted not only the roads, but also the lumber mills that processed the timber.

Lisa Phipps suggested creation of roads districts or establishing System Development Charges (SDCs) to support the county road system. Valerie Folkema suggested investigating other funding sources, bonding perhaps, to supplement revenues from state timber sales, noting that roads are our responsibility. John Coopersmith suggested establishing three County Roads Districts.

Tom Donohue cited the decline in federal timber revenues, and was opposed to adding more property taxes for roads. He suggested, instead, seasonal taxes, such as transient room taxes.

Lisa Phipps noted that federal harvests are down 90 percent, and that yields from state forests are inadequate to make up for the loss of federal revenues. She explained that two-thirds of the proceeds from state timber sales goes to counties, and of that amount, approximately 27 percent goes to roads.

Liane Welch, Director of County Public Works, explained that state timber money goes into the General Fund and may be used for roads. General Fund money from other sources may not.

Williams noted that sustainable logging could be established in federal forest lands, and that they need to be cleaned up to reduce the potential for forest fires.

Most candidates supported the library, though several wanted to cut back the library's revenues by 10 percent, and one opposed the levy. Bill Baertlein felt that the library had too large a cash carryover balance. The carryover balance supports the library from June 30, the end of the fiscal year, until mid November when the property tax revenues become available. Coopersmith felt the carryover balance was insufficient. Folkema pointed out that libraries equate to education, and the availability of an educated labor force is the key to attracting industries to the area.

There was considerable discussion about economic development. Williams emphasized the need to bring to the County only those industries that would be compatible with our coastal life style. Coopersmith suggested tapping into the Information Highway, noting that the cable comes ashore in Tillamook County. He referred to data centers locating in Oregon to tap available abundant power.

Phipps commented that the Port of Tillamook Bay has most of the County's industrial land, and said there needs to be a strategic plan for economic development, and that our development should not be predicated on reacting to situations. Baertlein advocated a long-range plan for the County.

Tom Donohue expressed his frustration with County bureaucracy and its negative effect on attracting businesses.

Jill Williams noted that County government must regard itself as a steward for the people, and assure that the peoples' resources are used wisely.

In his closing remarks, Pat Vining encouraged members of the audience to introduce themselves and chat with the candidates.

VFW Auxiliary 2012 Plant Sale

The VFW Post Auxiliary will hold its annual plant and rummage sale on Saturday, May 12, at the Bay City Community Hall. You'll find some great bargains on plants for your yard, as well as lots of things you've always wanted but never had an opportunity to get.

There'll be more on this later.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since we are now on Daylight Savings Time. Try it. You'll like it.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to artspacecafe@gmail.com. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

The menu changes each week, so be sure to check the menu posted at ArtSpace to see what's on the current week's menu.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Bay City Arts Center

The Arts Center thanks the Neah-Kah-Nie School District for sharing their students and adult volunteers on their annual Day of Service held April 19. Six students and two adults worked in the Greenhouse and Community Garden. In spite of the rain, they got a lot done.

On Sunday, April 29 (that's tomorrow, by the way), BCAC is holding a fundraiser to enable Board member Charlie Wooldridge and former Board member Jim Fullan to travel to Ireland to "shoot their brains out." Actually they'll be shooting pictures of quaint villages and not-so-quaint castles and ruins.

There will be a photography show from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Starting at 4 p.m. there will be a dinner featuring savory Irish pub dishes and dessert. (Corned beef and cabbage, anyone?) The show features black-and-white photos framed and ready to hang.  The dinner will be prepared by Charlie's niece, Rachel Phaksuwan. Cost of the dinner is $20 per person. Though this article is a bit late, reservations are preferred. Call the Arts Center at (503) 377-9620.

The "Twenty" art exhibit is on display in the upstairs foyer. Twenty art pieces were created collaboratively by twenty local artists to raise funds for the Women's Resource Center. Stop by and take a look, and perhaps make a bid on one or more of the works. It's for an excellent cause.

Friday, May 4, is Breadmaking Day. The BCAC Bulletin describes this as a "deliciously aromatic all-day affair." The bread is for the Women's Resource Center's Soup and Bread fundraiser. Volunteers are welcome. The event will start about 8 a.m. More details will follow.

Saturday, May 5, from 5 to 7 p.m., BCAC will host its Artist of the Month reception. The Artists are members of Jim Young's photography class held earlier in the year. On display will be the photographs taken by the students during the class. Light refreshments will be served, and there will be no charge for the event.

Also on May 5, from 7 to 9 p.m., BCAC will host a Musical Showcase featuring the Tillamook Community Chorus and others. It's great family entertainment. Admission is by donation.

The All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast will be held May 20. $5 for adults, $4 for members, and half price for kids.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

The events planned for this summer are starting to take shape. Beach Art Week for children ages 6 to 12 will be held June 25 to 29.

Stone Sculpture Workshop will be held July 6, 7 and 8.

G-BAM Camp for youngsters with disabilities, ages 10 to 18, will be held July 16 to 20.

The Jews Harp Festival will be here again, August 3 to 5.

Bits and Pieces

Sharline had cataract surgery April 3, her birthday, and April 22. The first one went beautifully, but the second one didn't turn out as expected. They couldn't implant the new lens in her right eye because of a very rare complication. But the good news is that her right eye is improving nicely, and she will probably get her new lens in a couple of weeks.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be May 5, 2012.

Looks like the weatherman will smile on us for the next few days, a welcome relief from the misery of winter. But, according to Punxsutawney Phil, we're still due for another six weeks of winter. But at least we can look forward to our annual February break, when we often get some of the nicest weather of the year. Enjoy!

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Our Crumbling Streets

The Streets Committee was recently reconstituted after about a five-year hiatus, and is rapidly getting back up to speed. During our first meeting in January, Committee chair Pat Vining went over the old list of streets needing repair, according to relative priority. It was pleasant to discover that nearly all the projects prioritized five years ago had been attended to.

But there are still problems, as many will attest. While many streets have been resurfaced, there remain many problems with drainage, especially during our winter storms. Pat and I plan to drive through Bay City following a heavy rainstorm later in February, and photograph failing culverts and places where storm water is draining across streets.

Two other issues were raised at the committee's February 1 meeting. Ownership of Bewley Street is split between the County and the City, the County owning the east half. Also, it appears that the city limits runs down the center of the street in some areas, the east half lying in the Urban Growth area. A part of the road had been paved recently, but other areas are in severe disrepair.

Bay City has relied on Special Cities' Allotment Grants to resurface many of its streets. But to be eligible for grant funding, the street must be a thoroughfare, within the city limits, and wholly owned by the City. Previously, when the County ceded its ownership of streets to the City, the City required the County to bring the streets up to standard first. The committee agreed that this was no longer feasible because of the County's dire funding situation. The committee will recommend that the City take ownership of Bewley Street and take the necessary steps to bring the street into the city limits, so repairing it will qualify for grant funding.

The second issue is traffic on Williams and 16^th Streets. These streets, along with Spruce Street, are used as a thoroughfare between the highway and the Handle Factory. There have been many complaints about speeding on these streets, and they are showing the effect of the heavy traffic quite graphically. However, presumably because of the short length of each street, ODOT has declined to authorize grant funds for badly-needed repairs. In short, ODOT doesn't believe these streets are thoroughfares.

Public Works superintendent David Pace plans to purchase a traffic counter, which will cost about $290. Its first task will be a traffic count on 16^th and Williams Streets to get a verifiable traffic count. That will be far superior to the anecdotal traffic estimates of the past. The counter will be used elsewhere throughout the City, and could open the door to grant funding of other street projects. David also said he would install some traffic calming devices when these streets are resurfaced and repaired.

There has been one other problem on 16^th Street, which the City has attempted to address. There had been significant stormwater runoff from 16^th Street, through private properties, to 15^th Street. David has addressed this problem by repairing the drainage ditches and a failed culvert, but admits that his fix didn't work as well as he had hoped. He promised to keep working on the problem.

Watt Family Park Update

The Bay City Boosters, at their meeting last Friday, were brought up to speed on the current planning for the Watt Family Park. Parks Planning Committee chair Pat Vining and City Planner Sabrina Pearson responded to many questions from the Boosters about traffic, the fire station, lighting, restrooms, etc. Many of the Boosters were eager to find out what that Coast Guard helicopter was doing circling the neighborhoods surrounding the park January 12.

The chopper pilots were assessing the suitability of the proposed sports field for landing helicopters in an emergency. It is comforting to know that the Coast Guard considered the field safe to land two helicopters at one time, and added the sports field to its list of emergency landing zones in Tillamook County. That could prove to be most beneficial to Bay City when the "Big One" hits us.

Last Thursday, January 26, was the 312^th anniversary of the last megathrust earthquake to hit the Oregon Coast. It happened about 9 p.m., according to Japanese records of the "Orphan Tsunami."

Master Chief Mike Saindon, Officer in Charge of the Tillamook Bay Lifeboat Station, who had walked through the park with the committee, asked that a space be provided in the community hall or fire station for Coast Guard emergency communication equipment so the place could serve as a Coast Guard emergency operations center. It is most unlikely that any such equipment at the Lifeboat Station in Garibaldi would survive the tsunami following the quake.

Suggestions for the park keep pouring in. Someone suggested that space be provided in the planned community center, or the fire station, for a police officer to use when responding to a call in Bay City. As we all know, we have no police protection now, beyond what the County is able to provide us on an as-needed basis. That is a matter the City will have to reconsider someday.

Although the scheduled topics for last week's Friday evening and Saturday morning meetings were wetland restoration, rain garden and nature play park, there was considerable discussion Friday evening about use of the sports field for soccer and other games prior to the City's formal acquisition of the park property. The Tillamook YMCA is coordinating with the committee to work the park sports field into its athletic program.

Saturday's meeting at the Bay City Arts Center was the most well-attended of the Saturday meetings, and there were lots of questions and suggestions. Diane Griffin attended as a representative of the Tillamook County Master Gardeners. The Master Gardeners wish to work with the Parks Planning Committee on development of the rain garden and nature play areas. Diane explained how to register to become a recipient of community services from the Master Gardeners. Each aspiring Master Gardener is required to perform 60 hours of community service, 30 with the Oregon State University Extension Office and 30 with one of the agencies registered with the club.

A man and woman living on McCoy Street expressed concern about stormwater runoff pooling on McCoy Street. They were pleased to learn that the rain garden, a sort of planned bioswale, would help prevent that from happening.

Sabrina also spent considerable time bringing people up to speed on planning to date and grant financing. Pat explained the importance of having volunteer help, whether in planning or working on one of the projects in the park.

Most of the grants the City will pursue would require a match. That is, we either cough up the balance of the funds needed to pay for the project, generally 20 percent of the cost, or we contribute our time, which is valued at $20 per hour per person. Or, people or businesses may contribute cash, materials, or the use of facilities and equipment.

Dia Norris, who serves on the Arts Center Board of Directors, suggested an Arts Center fund-raising dinner or other event to help. The Arts Center, itself, has contributed the use of its building for four of the January meetings.

Credit for volunteer hours mounts up quickly, and volunteerism is an excellent way to help the community. I contribute the time I spend attending the various meetings and helping with the planning.

There has been much enthusiasm for the park among the people who have attended the various meetings, and we expect that to continue. Steven Smith, a neighbor whose property abuts the park, emphasized at Saturday's meeting that the most important thing is to get the word out to as many people as possible.

There are three committee meetings set for February. They will take place at 3 p.m. February 1, 15 and 22, all Wednesdays. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to review planning for development of the park on February 15 at 6 p.m. The City Council will review the proposed development plan at its March 13 meeting. The committee plans to submit the application for a park development grant before the end of March.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters will meet Friday, February 24, at 11:30 a.m. This will be a regular business meeting. Bring a potluck item to share, and an auction if you have one.

Bay City Arts Center

The February Artist of the Month Reception will take place Saturday February 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. February's artists are Mosaic Artists, students of April Peterson. Come down and enjoy the colorful display of mosaic mirrors, balls, pictures, etc. Light refreshments will be served. There is no cost for this event.

Following the Artist of the Month reception, there will be an Open Mic from 7 to 9 p.m., strictly family entertainment. Look forward to musicians, singers, poets, storytellers, animators --- you name it. And, there is no charge for Open Mic, either.

The monthly pancake breakfast will be held Sunday, February 19, from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $5 per person, $4 for members. Children eat for half price.

Digital outdoor photography workshops, conducted by Jim Young, are scheduled for five consecutive Saturdays. The sessions started January 21, and run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The January 28 class covered composing a picture; February 4, processing the digital image; February 11, field trip to take pictures; February 18, critiquing the photos and picture presentation. The fee is $25 per class, or $100 to attend all five classes.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

The Arts Center is looking for violin and guitar strings. Or even mandolin or lute strings. Now why would they want a lot of guitar strings? According to the most recent BCAC Bulletin, the strings will be used during Beach Art Week this coming June. Just drop them off next time you come by the Arts Center. Now, I just can't wait to see what kind of project they'll be used for during Beach Art Week. You can bet it'll be something innovative.

Bits and Pieces

I've seen it all. One of the January windstorms blew my neighbor's burn barrel in two. When I came up my drive after getting my paper and my mail, there, where the neighbor's barrel once stood, was the bottom fifth with a pile of ashes inside. Standing upright but upside down next to my bark dust pile, about 15 feet away, was the upper four-fifths of the barrel. That was either a very strong wind gust or a very weak steel barrel! Probably a bit of both.

Many of you may be aware that I am a VFW member active in veterans' affairs. We have recently formed an ad hoc committee to bring veterans' health care to Tillamook County. Presently our vets in need of health care must travel north to Camp Rilea, south to Lincoln City, or east to Hillsboro or Portland. With the size of our local veteran population and the hazards of driving long distances, especially in winter when traveling over the Wilson River Summit, I think we have a pretty good case. We lost our VA van in a collision on Highway 6 a couple of months ago. But we're living in an age of austerity, and funding is very limited. We'll just have to give it our best shot.

The Planning Commission is still one member short. Those living outside the City but within the Urban Growth Boundary are now eligible to serve on the Commission. Applications should be submitted to the City office.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be Feb. 4, 2012.

I guess we've had our February spell of nice weather. It was sure great, but I guess it was just a teaser. We'll have to wait a bit longer for spring to break upon us in earnest. I had 1.28 inch of rain in my rain gauge this morning.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The last few clear evenings, we've been privy to some very interesting celestial goings-on. Soon after sunset, when the sky had begun to darken somewhat, a very bright "star" would gradually make its appearance high in the southwest. As the sky continued to darken, another "star," almost directly overhead, would gradually emerge. These objects are visible long before any other stars make their appearance in the night sky.

The first bright "star" is, of course, the planet Venus, at just about its greatest elongation from the Sun. If you were to view it through a telescope or binoculars, provided you can hold them steady enough, you'd see a crescent. Venus, like the moon, is between Earth and the Sun. Only the small illuminated sliver of the planet's disk is visible, very much like the crescent moon. With the exception of the moon, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky.

Known as the Evening Star, Venus has been immortalized in song and verse. In Richard Wagner's opera "Tannhaeuser," Wolfram von Eschenbach (actually a real historical character) sings a Hymn to the Evening Star (O du, mein holder Abendstern). In that same opera, the title character sings a hymn to the goddess Venus, pleading to be released from her grotto of nymphs and satyrs. (Von Eschenbach authored, among other things, "Parzifal," a Germanic rendition of the Arthurian legend.)

The second bright "star" is the planet Jupiter. It is also very interesting. If you view it through a telescope or a good set of binoculars, you will also be able to see the Galilean moons. There are four of them: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, named for four lovers of the Olympian god, Zeus. They zip around Jupiter much faster than our moon orbits the Earth. You can see them change their positions from night to night. When one of the moons passes across the face of Jupiter, a process known as transiting, you can even see its shadow on the planet, but it takes a good, well-collimated instrument to see that level of detail.

It looks like we have clouds and rain forecast for about the next week, but the next clear evening, check out the heavens and take a look at these two planets. Venus, though now high in the evening sky, will soon begin its plunge toward the western horizon as it prepares to circle around the Sun and reemerge as our Morning Star.

I once enjoyed stargazing very much, but don't do it any longer. Diabetes has virtually destroyed my balance function, and it's now too difficult for me to get around outside at night. And that sadly, is when the stars are out. I guess you can't win them all.

Watt Family Park Update

The public meetings have concluded, and the Park Planning Committee thanks all the participants for their advice and suggestions. The Committee is now putting together all the pieces.

The next task is to draft the City's application for a development grant, so the actual work of developing the park can begin. That's when we bring in the engineers, geologists and landscape architects to prepare the actual drawings to be used in laying out the park. What has been produced up to now is purely conceptual --- the basic layout as envisioned by the Park Planning Committee and augmented by the many people who have attended the meetings.

Committee chair Pat Vining expresses his appreciation to the Master Gardeners organization for sending Diane Griffin as its representative. The Committee will submit an application to the Master Gardeners for approval of the Rain Garden as a venue where members can gain their horticultural experience. Diane advises that, "first year Master Gardeners must perform 60 hours of work on activities sponsored and approved by the Master Gardeners organization. ... 2^nd year and beyond members must perform 30 hours" of such service.

The park won't happen overnight. It will come together in stages, extending over a number of years. I would expect that the first elements to be completed would be the sports playing field, the spectator area and the parking lot. The sports field is playable as it is, but it will be improved to withstand the beating it will get when soccer teams start playing organized games. Bringing a playing field up to standard is a lot like building turf for a golf course, Pat, an avid golfer, advises.

Probably the most ambitious feature will be the log pavilion, which will convert to a public shelter when needed. The playground will employ state-of-the-art playground equipment and several unusual items. A miniature version of a pirate ship was suggested by one of the Committee's contributors. Yo-ho-ho, me hearties, but no bottle of rum!

It is the Committee's objective to use no taxpayer money for the park. Instead, the park's many features will be financed through grants. There are many sources of grant funding for parks and recreation, principally lottery money through the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. There are also many private foundations, such as the Ford Family Foundation, that offer grants for a variety of recreational purposes.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at its next meeting, 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 15, 2012. There, the public will have yet another opportunity to comment on the park design and make suggestions. The plan will then go to the City Council where it will be discussed at the Council's March 13 meeting and, hopefully, approved.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters will meet Friday, February 24, at 11:30 a.m. This will be a regular business meeting. Bring a potluck item to share, and an auction item if you have one.

Bay City Arts Center

Yoga classes are generally held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. This week, however, there were no classes. Classes will resume February 13. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

The monthly all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be held Sunday, February 19, from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $5 per person, $4 for members. Children eat for half price. Be sure to check out the mosaic art pieces crafted by April Peterson's mosaic art students.

Digital outdoor photography workshops, conducted by Jim Young, are finishing up their five consecutive Saturdays. The sessions started January 21, and run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The February 11 class will consist of a field trip to take pictures, weather permitting. On February 18, there will be a critique of the photos and a presentation of the pictures. The fee is $25 per class, or $100 to attend all five classes.

March events begin with the Artist of the Month Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3. March Artists of the Month will be the students of the Tillamook elementary schools. I've always been impressed by the imagination of these youngsters. It's too bad all that imagination seems to dry up as we get older.

The Women's Resource Center will host information about the Mapusha Weavers during the evening. The monthly Open Mic begins at 7 p.m. March 3.

The Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School After School Theater students (Y-Stars) will present The Wizard of Oz March 21, under the direction of Annie Naranjo-Rivera. I don't have a time for this program yet.

The Arts Center is looking for violin and guitar strings. Or even mandolin or lute strings. Now why would they want a lot of guitar strings? According to the most recent BCAC Bulletin, the strings will be used during Beach Art Week this coming June. Just drop them off next time you come by the Arts Center. I just can't wait to see what kind of project they'll be used for during Beach Art Week, but you can bet it'll be something innovative.

Bits and Pieces

Great news! Downie's Café will be serving dinners starting March 1. Sharline and I have always enjoyed their breakfasts. Now we're looking forward to having a few dinners there, too. Their food and service have always been first class.

Not so great news. I tried to unlock the door to my Merc Cougar Tuesday, and the electric lock wouldn't work. Finally, I just decided to use the key to unlock the door. You should've heard the racket! My security alarm seems to work --- too well. I couldn't figure how to shut the stupid thing off. I tried to start the engine, but the ignition was disabled. I opened the hood, but couldn't figure how to disconnect the horn. All this time, I'm waking the dead. Just as I was about to go back in the house to get a wrench to disconnect the battery, the stupid thing finally quit. The battery for my electric lock had run out of gas, I guess. Karl at the Ford garage explained how to disable the security alarm when I stopped by to get a new battery for my key. Now he tells me!

Today John McCamman and I attended a memorial service for Tom Moffitt, a VFW post member from Wheeler. Sadly, John and I had never met Tom. He had been a member of the Nehalem VFW post, which merged with our post two years ago. I'm glad I went. I learned that he had grown up not far from where I lived in New York City, and that he will be inurned at the Long Island National Cemetery, where my mom and dad are buried. Tom was a veteran of Korea and Vietnam.

The Planning Commission is still one member short. Those living outside the City but within the Urban Growth Boundary are now eligible to serve on the Commission. Applications should be submitted to the City office.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be March 3, 2012.

It seems I skipped a week. Sorry about that. There's been lots going on about the park and disaster mitigation, as well as City Council and Planning Commission meetings. In fact I had so much to write that I decided to save an article for the next issue.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

I've Lost a Friend

It was a little more than a week ago that I got the terrible news. My good friend and VFW comrade, Dearl Wayne Taylor, had passed away suddenly. Dearl was 100 percent a U.S. Marine, a sergeant, who had a promising career ahead of him had he been able to stay in the Corps. He had enlisted when he was only 17 years old.

Dearl, who had been trained as a tracked vehicle recovery and repair technician, sustained a head injury when a vehicle he was test-driving rolled over. That ended his career in the Marine Corps. It also erased his memories of his experiences in Vietnam, some of which were probably best forgotten. But when those forgotten memories suddenly came flooding back recently, Dearl was overwhelmed.

I first met Dearl and his fellow Marine, staff sergeant Manford "Jim" Kenner, several years ago, when the pair came to a VFW meeting and signed up. At the VFW meeting, Jim introduced the two of them, saying, "I'm Jim Kenner, and this is my brother, Dearl." So I recorded them in the minutes as Jim and Dearl Kenner. My error became apparent at the next meeting when I read the minutes. I was promptly and forcefully corrected. They were brothers in arms, not in blood.

I had seen Jim earlier, at a Blessing of the Fleet in Garibaldi, where he was wearing his dress blues. When the two of them wore their dress blues at the Veterans' Day celebrations, they were indeed an impressive pair of Marines. (Veterans Day is the day after the Marine Corps Birthday.)

Since I had been a Navy corpsman who served with the 1^st Marine Division in Korea, a special bond sprang up between us, and Jim even gave me a caduceus with a Marine Corps emblem pinned to the top of it to wear on my VFW cap. By the time I found myself attached to the 9^th Marine Amphibious Brigade during the Vietnam War, I had received a commission in the Navy Medical Service Corps.

So, whenever I arrived for a VFW meeting, Dearl would snap me a sharp Marine Corps salute, which I promptly returned. Then I'd brace him. "Sgt. Taylor!" I'd exclaim in a loud command voice. "Yes sir!" Dearl would reply, snapping to attention. Then we joked together and told a few stories. When there was work to be done, he was always one of the first to pitch in. He always seemed to have a smile on his face, and he brightened the atmosphere wherever he went.

In addition to the VFW, Dearl also belonged to the Fleet Reserve Association.

My deepest sympathies go out to Dearl's loving wife, Robin, and to all his relatives and friends. His loss leaves a void in our VFW post and in my life. We'll all miss you, Dearl. Put in a good word with the Supreme Commander for the rest of us when we come knocking at the gate.

Watt Family Park Update

Bureaucracy is a strange thing. Early in February, the City received word from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department that they were ready to deposit the money to cover 80 percent of the park's purchase price into an escrow account, provided the City could assure that the other 20 percent would be available by April to complete the purchase.

The Parks Committee had been proceeding under the notion that the City had yet another year to get the purchase price together, and it was preparing another grant application. This new wrinkle makes that impossible if we are to acquire the property at this time.

Bay City is a small town, but it has one major factor going in its favor. Over the years, the City Council has built up its reserve funds, and the City is in good shape, financially. At the City Council meeting held February 14, the Council adopted a motion offered by John Gettman, to borrow the $88,000, needed to complete the purchase, from the Street Reserve Fund, reimbursement to be determined at a later date. That essentially clears the way to complete the purchase. There are, of course, some legalities to be observed, but, for all practical purposes, we've bought ourselves some beautiful park property.

It is planned to hold some fund-raising activities to help pay back the reserve fund, and the Boosters will probably discuss that at their February 24 meeting. The Bay City Arts Center has also offered to do a fundraiser.

The Planning Commission, on February 15, approved the Parks Committee's plan for the park, sending it on to the City Council for final approval in March. The Planning Commission also recommended to the City Council, that it officially name the park "Watt Family Park."

One other matter was discussed briefly at both meetings. The fire station will not be relocating to the upper park. It had been planned to repurchase a portion of the park property to site the new fire station. On further examination of the suggested site Fire Chief Darrell Griffith agreed that the park site would not be suitable after all, because secondary egress for fire vehicles would be inadequate.

Relocating the city hall, community hall and library remains on the table, however. The location to be repurchased for these facilities appears on the current plan as a picnic area. Another site must be found for the new fire station, and that matter will occupy the Disaster Mitigation Committee for several months to come.

A Water Pressure High

SHN Consulting Engineers and Geologists submitted a written report to the City Council, at its February 14 meeting, analyzing high water pressures in some areas of the City. The Council had authorized the engineering study in January. According to the report, some residences at elevations lower than 100 feet are connected to the high level system, which was intended to serve only properties at elevations of 100 feet or more.

The report recommends updating the City's Capital Improvement Plan to make four specific system improvements, each involving disconnecting affected areas from the high level system and reconnecting them to the low level system. Some of the affected properties are at elevations as low as 30 feet. Total cost for all four recommended improvements would be about $163,000.

While the report notes that water pressures within a residence are building code requirements and the responsibility of individual property owners, it also states that continued operation of a water supply system at pressures greater than those for which it was designed will shorten the life of the system and increase repair costs.

The report also noted that actual system elevations, as determined using GPS technology, are inconsistent with the elevations relied upon to design the system originally. The Willowbrook and Juno reservoirs are nearly 30 feet lower than indicated in the Water Master Plan. The two high level tanks are three to four feet higher than the Plan indicates, and there is about a one-foot difference in the elevations of these two tanks. They should be at exactly the same level.

SHN also discovered that the high level reservoirs are not filling properly, and advised installation of an altitude valve and telemetry to correct this problem.

Other City Council Business

Public Works Superintendent David Pace reported that his department repaired a waterline break in the Latimer Road district. Ordinarily, repair of such a break would be the responsibility of the local district. However, because the break occurred where it could cause a large water main to fail, which would affect service throughout the Kilchis Regional water system, the City undertook the repair. The problem, David said, was that a glued joint in a two-inch waterline had pulled apart. And, he said, they'll get a bill.

Regarding the parking problem on Hayes Oyster Drive at Pacific Oyster, David said that extending the paved parking area, as discussed at the January meeting, would require installation of a retaining wall to support the extra material needed to bring the area up to grade with the existing parking surface. That would require numerous permits, which would likely require several years to obtain. He suggested several other parking alternatives, which would need to be discussed with Pacific Oyster.

Bewley Street is badly in need of repair, but does not qualify for a Small Cities Allotment Grant because it is owned partly by Tillamook County. The Council instructed staff to approach the County Roads Department about transferring the county-owned portion of the street to city ownership. The City must also determine whether any portion of the street lies outside the city limits, and extend the city limits, where needed, to include the entire street. Attorney Lois Albright suggested that properties on the east side of Bewley Street, which are within the Urban Growth Boundary, be approached about annexation into the City.

Tim and Kathy Hall, who live outside the city limits on Doughty Road, petitioned the Council for relief from a hookup charge of $6,750 to provide water to an adjoining property they had previously owned. The Halls, in 1992, built a home on a large acreage. They obtained water service from Bay City and installed a two-inch line and meter. In 1998, they partitioned the property and built a second home, serving it from the same meter.

They sold the original home in 2007, which was never occupied by the purchaser. Ultimately, the property was foreclosed upon, and the bank now requires that the Halls resolve the water situation. Since the Halls were dealing with Tillamook County Department of Community Development, the City was unaware of the partition and the Halls' plan to serve the second home from the same meter.

Because the City would have required the Halls to install a separate water service to the partitioned property had it known of the partition in 1998, the Council agreed to charge the 1998 hookup fee for whatever size meter the Halls decide to install.

The Council deferred action on a request from Frank and Ann Harper to reinstate a System Development Charge credit of $2,176 and several other matters, pending the outcome of research by City staff. The credit expired January 24. The Harpers had sold their property across 3^rd Street from City Hall in 2002, and received an SDC credit $15,386 as part of the payment package, any unused credits to expire in 10 years. The City had purchased the property in 2002 to site a water bottling plant, a project which went down the drain.

The Council also adopted Resolutions 12-01 and 12-02, adopting the local and County Hazard Mitigation Plans, respectively.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters will meet Friday, February 24, at 11:30 a.m. This will be a regular business meeting. Bring a potluck item to share, and an auction item if you have one.

Bay City Arts Center

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

The monthly all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be held Sunday, March 18, from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $5 per person, $4 for members. Children eat for half price.

March events begin with the Artist of the Month reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3. March Artists of the Month will be the students of the Tillamook elementary schools. I've always been impressed by the imagination of these youngsters. It's too bad all that imagination seems to dry up as we get older.

Judy Miller of the Women's Resource Center will give a presentation about the handmade textiles created by young  people associated with the Mapusha Weavers.

The monthly Open Mic begins at 7 p.m. March 3, following the Artist of the Month reception and Judy Miller's presentation.

The Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School After School Theater students (Y-Stars) will present "The Wizard of Oz" March 21, under the direction of Annie Naranjo-Rivera. I don't have a time for this program yet.

Bits and Pieces

Great news! Downie's Café will be serving dinners starting March 1. Sharline and I have always enjoyed their breakfasts. Now we're looking forward to having a few dinners there, too. Their food and service have always been first class.

Today is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and Lent starts tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. Danielle Hurd sent me an e-mail last week, saying she is looking for a "smallish" back pack for a demonstration at the United Methodist Church during the 40 days of Lent. She would also like to collect about as many backpacks as possible to have a "72-hour emergency kit" party. People could bring their own backpacks, or pick up one of the donated backpacks, and stock them with emergency supplies. Danielle said she'd have some starter items and a table showing what an emergency pack should contain. You can reach Danielle at Abundance Massage Therapy, (503) 842-3202, or at her home, (503) 377-0254.

Ruth and Wes Curry e-mailed me a week ago to note that they hadn't seen any of the usual deer for several weeks. Come to think about it, I haven't seen any either. It's been a while since I've seen them luxuriating on my tender green grass. Has anyone else seen the deer, or have they split for warmer and drier climes?

The Planning Commission is still one member short. Those living outside the City but within the Urban Growth Boundary are now eligible to serve on the Commission. Applications should be submitted to the City office.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be March 3, 2012.

Se

We've certainly seen the weather. Raining like crazy, snow levels below pass levels, cold, freezing nights, and finally a brief stint of nice weather before the next cold, rainy patch. Springtime on the Oregon Coast!

Condolences to Linda Downey

Linda Downey, our City Recorder, lost her father last night. He had been ill with a chronic condition for about 12 years, Linda said, but in just the last week or so, he suddenly went downhill. She is now on her way back to Idaho to help with the final arrangements and funeral. I offer my sincerest condolences, Linda. Drive carefully, please. We need you here in Bay City.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu, and Sharline and I plan to give it a try. Dinner will be served until 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since daylight saving time starts this weekend.

Watt Family Park Update

The application for a development grant for the park is virtually complete and ready to present to the City Council at its March 13 meeting.

Meanwhile, our city attorney is finalizing papers to complete the purchase of the park property, which should be completed by the end of March. We're almost there, as far as the purchase of the property is concerned. Now, we enter the development stage.

Today's meeting of the Parks Committee went over a number of development items with City Planner Sabrina Pearson. We're looking for volunteers to help with various projects in the park, and for people who can donate the use of equipment for some of the tasks before us.

Once the property is ours, we plan to submit grant applications to several different granting agencies, government and private, to fund much of the park's development and equipment. Most grants come with a requirement to match the funds granted, generally 20 percent to 25 percent of the total cost of the project. Most grants allow the match to be "in kind," that is, contributions of planning time and labor, and donation of materials and use of equipment. We have received many commitments to donate labor or professional services, but we could always use more.

The Tillamook YMCA, which is working with the City on the field sports program, will be scheduling soccer matches at the park for young children starting in mid March.

The purchase of the park will be completed by the end of March, and a dedication ceremony is being planned for Wednesday, April 4, at 4 p.m. at the park. We hope to see many of you there.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to Danielle Hurd, whose address is daniellelhurd@gmail.com. She will collect the orders and send them on to ArtSpace. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

Examples of the meals offered this week are:

Soups: Split pea, with or without ham; tomato basil with rice; potato; carrot ginger; Senegalese (an African soup with peanut butter, yams and garbanzo beans).

Entrées: Sweet and sour vegetables with rice, with or without chicken; black bean and polenta casserole; raw veggie rolls with peanut sauce (like an egg roll, but not fried); Mexican lasagna (made with tortillas instead of pasta); goulash (mixed veggies, red sauce, short pasta noodles, with or without beef).

The menu changes each week, I am told.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Disaster Mitigation

Bay City got some good news and some bad news this week.

On the good news side, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) has released its new inundation maps based on LIDAR mapping of the Oregon Coast. County Emergency Management, under Gordon McCraw, is scheduling several activities to help people prepare for the "Big One."

There will be a Tsunami Rally at Tillamook Bay Community College on Sunday, March 11, the anniversary of Japan's megathrust earthquake and tsunami. The Rally will last from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

DOGAMI will be on hand to give out inundation maps for Tillamook and central Tillamook County. The Emergency Volunteer Corps, American Red Cross, and other emergency responders will be on hand to answer questions and provide guidance on preparing to survive a tsunami. (I can give you one important tip right now. Don't go down to the beach to watch the tsunami come in. If you do, you can be certain you won't be going home when it's over.)

Tsunami evacuation drills are being scheduled in communities throughout the County, to take place between March and June.

Now comes the bad news.

Bay City had been working with the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and FEMA on a plan, whereby FEMA would buy out the development rights for City Hall and the fire station. The City would have to demolish the existing buildings after completion of the new fire station and city hall.

The money from the buyout would provide the City the seed money to construct a new city hall and fire station. The plan was developed following the 2007 storm, and has been renewed at the City's request, since the City needed time to acquire the real estate to site the new facilities.

The purchase of the Watt Family Park property is virtually complete, and it had been planned to repurchase about four percent of the park to site the new city hall, community hall and library.

On March 3, notification was received from OEM that FEMA had withdrawn the funds it had committed to Bay City's project. That puts us back to square one on relocation of the fire station and city hall. According to Public Works Superintendent David Pace, FEMA determined that too much time has elapsed between "initial and follow-up meetings with the City," and the completion of a formal application for FEMA's consideration.

We had pre-qualified for disaster pre-mitigation assistance, such as moving critical facilities out of the inundation zone, and we had submitted a pre-application to FEMA via OEM in Salem, which had been enthusiastic about Bay City's "demonstration project." We still needed to complete the formal application once we had all the facts and necessary data in place. We were nearly there, at least as far as the city hall and associated structures were concerned. The Disaster Mitigation Committee was still looking for a suitable site for the fire station.

The decision to withdraw the funds was, without a doubt, triggered by the federal government's current budgetary issues. There were hotter brushfires to put out, and the money reserved for Bay City's demonstration project was needed for immediate use elsewhere.

The Disaster Mitigation Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, to discuss the matter. Some ideas have surfaced, but, at this point, they can be discussed only in an executive session of the City Council. Stay tuned.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters' next meeting will be Friday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. There will be no meeting in March. The April meeting will feature the five or six candidates for Chuck Hurliman's position on the Board of County Commissioners. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Bay City Arts Center

March Artists of the Month are the students of Tillamook elementary schools. Next time you're near the Arts Center, stop in and admire the things these imaginative kids have created. You'll be glad you did.

Friday, March 9, at 6 p.m., the Arts Center will present "An Evening with the Potters, a wonderful opportunity to meet the potters who create the soup bowls used and sold at the Bread and Soup Fundraiser organized by the Women's Resource Center. The potters will display their work and discuss the methods and kiln used to create these unique bowls. Refreshments will be served, and there is no charge for this event.

The monthly all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be held Sunday, March 18, from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $5 per person, $4 for members. The Annual Meeting of the Board will follow the breakfast. New members will be selected to serve on the Board. If you are interested in serving on the Board, please contact BCAC.

On Wednesday, March 21, at 4:30 P.M., the Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School Y-Stars will present "The Wizard of Oz." The young cast has been working diligently, under the direction of Annie Naranjo-Rivera, to adapt this story for the stage. Everyone is welcome to come to the Arts Center to enjoy the play.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

Bits and Pieces

A reminder to all my readers. Daylight savings time starts early Sunday morning. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour. Remember the old adage: Spring forward, fall back.

And while you're running around the house resetting all your clocks, you should also test your smoke alarms. If there is any doubt about the condition of the batteries, err on the safe side and replace them with fresh batteries. Those things tend to lose their charge over time.

Last Sunday afternoon, I attended the birthday celebration of my friend, Carol Waggoner, at the ArtSpace Café. The event was very well attended, and Carol had nice things to say about everyone there. Light refreshments were served, all freshly prepared by the crew at ArtSpace. All light, that is, except for the huge birthday cake. It was really impressive. So, happy birthday, Carol, any may there be many, many more in your future.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be April 7, 2012.

Se

We had just one very nice day recently, beautiful, sunny and warm, just the kind of day perfect for mowing lawns. And that's what I should have done. But, no. Surely there'd be lots more nice days now that Spring is about blossom. How was I to know that March had other plans for me? Spring starts March 19, but winter just doesn't want to let go. I guess this March, which came in like a lamb, is going to go out like a lion. Grass will have to wait until April or May. Or June?

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu. Sharline and I gave it a try last week. We enjoyed a great lasagna with garlic bread. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since daylight saving time started last weekend. Try it. You'll like it.

Watt Family Park Update

The purchase of the park property is nearing completion. The City has been leasing the park property for $2,00 per month under a lease/purchase agreement. Now, the City must jump through a few administrative hoops to complete the purchase of the property and receive title. This must be completed by April 1.

The City Council had scheduled a public hearing at its next meeting, to adopt a supplemental budget to borrow $88,000 from the Streets Reserve/Trust Fund. Also on deck is a public hearing to allow the Park Reserve Fund to accept the money from the Streets Reserve Fund. The final act will come under New Business, when the Council formally votes to exercise its option to purchase the school property for the park.

The meeting was originally scheduled for March 13, but, because of the weather, Mayor Shaena Peterson moved most of the agenda up to Wednesday, March 21. She convened a Council meeting on March 13, however, to open several public hearings and then continue them to March 21.

The $88,000 borrowed from the Street Reserve/Trust Fund will have to be repaid in 10 years. This will be done by tacking one additional percent onto the Tillamook P.U.D. franchise fee, for a total fee of three percent. Utility companies are charged a franchise fee for stringing their wires along our streets. The increased franchise fee will repay the loan in 10 years at one half of one percent interest. The total money paid back to the Streets Reserve/Trust Fund will be $90,438.10, which includes $2,438.10 interest.

The Park Planning Committee is meeting every Wednesday at 3 p.m. through March to review the Development Grant application for completeness. The grant request to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is for $750,000, which, if approved, would yield $600,000. The 20 percent match would be made up through contributions of labor, materials, money or equipment use. With this money the Park Planning Committee plans to obtain and install picnic tables, playground equipment, a sports track, sidewalks and trails through the park, and build restrooms and a community pavilion. In addition, we must improve the sports playing field, clear out the noxious weeds and restore the wetland areas, and create nature play areas and rain gardens. The money for the grant comes from lottery proceeds.

Grants are very complex critters, and completing them properly takes time and patience. Right now, the Committee is looking at the figures for construction or installation of park features and plugging in some numbers, not only the values of things being planned for the park, but also the contributions that have been committed, whether labor, use of equipment, or materials. This grant is due in OPRD by April 6. The Committee expects to submit the grant application by April 4, as soon as the purchase of the park property is completed.

There will be a brief ceremony when the final papers are signed near the end of March, and put into escrow. Then, there will be a formal dedication of the park sometime in April, when the Watt family is in town and able to attend. I'll announce that date as soon as I know it.

City Council

Although the City Council meeting had been postponed to March 21, Mayor Peterson convened a short meeting March 13 to deal with several items that needed to be addressed immediately.

The Council voted to pay this month's bills, amounting to $89,234.47. Now, that's an extraordinarily large monthly bill. Councilor Robert Pollock explained that the total included the purchase of a device costing $39,353.37 to irradiate wastewater leaving the plant with ultraviolet light. This is required to kill off any nasty bugs remaining after the digestion process.

Mayor Peterson opened two public hearings. The first hearing, to adopt the Watt Family Park Master Plan, was continued to March 21.

At the second public hearing, the Council adopted Ordinance 654, which calls for an election to establish a five-year local option fire protection levy to fund the Fire Department. Fire Chief Darrell Griffith is asking for $0.47 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which is what we are now paying. The present five-year local option levy expires June 30, 2013.

The meeting lasted only 17 minutes, a Guinness record.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to Danielle Hurd, whose address is daniellelhurd@gmail.com. She will collect the orders and send them on to ArtSpace. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

The menu changes each week, I am told. Check the menu posted at ArtSpace for the current week's menu.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Those in Need

My friend, Danielle Hurd, forwarded a message from Melonie Ferguson, of the Family and Youth Services Team.

Melanie said she is looking for some furniture to help a young couple settling in Tillamook. Right now, they have a mattress on the floor of an empty apartment. The Family and Youth Services Team is donating two easy chairs, but these kids need a lot more.

If you have some furniture taking up space in your garage because the weather has been too lousy to hold a garage sale, you might consider donating some of it to this young couple. Melanie says they need a couch or love seat, a small dining table, three kitchen chairs (or suitable lawn chairs), a simple desk, and a bookshelf.

They have a truck, so you don't have to worry about delivery. If you have some items you'd like to donate, please contact Melonie at MelonieF@tfcc.org.

Disaster Mitigation

On Sunday, March 11, I had the privilege of attending the Tsunami Rally sponsored by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) at Tillamook Bay Community College.

In addition to the new Tsunami Inundation Maps based on LIDAR mapping, which were released just recently, there were displays of survival items offered by several agencies in Tillamook County.

Of greatest interest, however, were the new LIDAR maps with contour lines, showing inundation levels for various degrees of tsunami. The worst-case scenario, a tsunami triggered close to shore by a 9 magnitude megathrust earthquake, is shown in yellow. Inundation from a tsunami triggered by a distant earthquake, is shown in purple.

So, looking at the map, you can see whether your home or business is in danger from any degree of tsunami inundation. The LIDAR maps show all the structures existing when the maps were made. The beauty of LIDAR is that it shows the exact contours of the ground by blocking out the trees and vegetation.

The map for the Bay City and Garibaldi areas is displayed on an easel in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Several excellent speakers described the nature of tsunami wave action. It is not a single wave, as many people believe, but rather a succession of waves each higher than the one before. The tsunami can last for several hours, so you don't want to become complacent when the first wave barely wets your feet. The waves that hit Japan were generally 10 meters, or about 30 feet. Maximum building height allowed in Bay City is 24 feet. So, there's a lot of water in a 30-foot wave, and tremendous power as well. Depending on the configuration of the land, a wave can be much higher. The maps show the worst-case scenario wave reaching 90 feet in Larson Cove.

Paradoxically, wood structures survive best in earthquakes, but they are extremely vulnerable in a tsunami. Masonry structures are just the opposite. They are more prone to crumble in an earthquake, but they are better able to survive a tsunami.

There was much discussion of the pros and cons of constructing vertical evacuation structures. They had built these in Japan, but many people didn't use them. They ran for their cars, which was a serious mistake.

Several tsunami survival events will be held locally. On March 24, at 10 a.m., there will be a Cape-to-Cape tsunami drill. On May 5, there will be a tsunami drill for Bay City and Garibaldi. And, on May 23, there will be a drill in West Tillamook.

There was also discussion of "Map Your Neighborhood," which they have done in North County. I expect that we will be doing something similar in Bay City in the coming months. And you can expect some door-knocking campaigns in Bay City when the weather gets better.

There were some excellent Power Point presentations as well, and you can view these on Channel 4, the local access channel, if you have cable.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters' next meeting will be Friday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. There will be no meeting in March. The April meeting will feature the five or six candidates for Chuck Hurliman's position on the Board of County Commissioners. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Bay City Arts Center

March Artists of the Month are the students of Tillamook elementary schools. Next time you're near the Arts Center, stop in and admire the things these imaginative kids have created. You'll be glad you did.

The monthly all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be held Sunday, March 18, from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $5 per person, $4 for members. The Annual Meeting of the Board will follow the breakfast. New members will be selected to serve on the Board. If you are interested in serving on the Board, please contact BCAC. Those attending the Board meeting will receive a ticket for a free pancake breakfast.

On Wednesday, March 21, at 4:30 P.M., the Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School Y-Stars will present "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The young cast has been working diligently, under the direction of Annie Naranjo-Rivera, to adapt this story for the stage. Everyone is welcome to come to the Arts Center to enjoy the play.

Sunday, March 25, will be a work day. Volunteers are needed to help with the greenhouse and grounds. The greenhouse needs some structural repairs and some reinforcement to the potting bench. Also, work is needed on the raised bed and tool storage area. For the grounds, they need to move the composting bin from the front of the building to the greenhouse/garden area, and they'd like to create some new flower beds. They may also have to move some small trees or bushes.

The April Artist of the Month reception will take place April 7. April's Artists of the Month will be the Tillamook High School art students. Reception is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a soup and bread supper by donation.

Also on April 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a violin workshop with Paul Patterson, a classical multi-instrumentalist from Ohio. There will be a $20 charge for the workshop. There will also be a performance at 7 p.m., following the Artist of the Month reception, featuring Paul Patterson and John Stowell. The performance will cost $7 per person.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

Bits and Pieces

It's been an interesting week, and it's only half over. When I left the house Monday at 5:15 p.m. to attend the City Council Workshop, it was raining, but there were some snow splops on my windshield. At 6 p.m., the lousy stuff was really coming down. It would be  kid's paradise, but a driver's nightmare.

I barely made it up Portland Avenue, and my friend, John Gettman, had to leave his car at the bottom of a steep hill and walk up to his house.

Then the power went out about 8 p.m. I mean, it went out with a bang. I counted two power surges before the lights finally went out for good. The power came back on about midnight, but the hard drive in my satellite receiver was toast. There go all the movies and operas I had recorded to enjoy when all those satellite channels have nothing worth watching.

And, according to Gordon McCraw, our local weather guru, there are more storms marching across the Pacific, aimed right at our Oregon Coast. On Tuesday morning, Gordon came out with what amounted to a "mea culpa," an admission that on his front porch there were four and one-half inches of snow that he had not forecast. When I saw Gordon at today's Commissioner Staff meeting at the Court House, I pointed to him and said, "You're fired!" Gordon is a fellow Navy retired guy.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be April 7, 2012.

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It's been a busy week. The City is grappling with the problem of surface water getting into the sewer system and overwhelming the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The City hired Zwald Industries to "camera" the sewer system to locate where the surface water was getting in, and then to repair the problems. On Monday they dug up my neighbor's sewer connection, and on Tuesday they did mine. They cleaned up the mess the best they could, considering the amount of rain that was falling, but I still have a piece of lawn covered with mud. It took them a bit longer than planned, because my hill is riddled with springs. The hole they dug to replace my "tee" immediately filled with water, which had to be pumped out constantly to keep it "dry." Happily, they kept the time we couldn't flush or run water on both days to a minimum, which Sharline and I appreciated very much. We both take water pills.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Volunteer Drivers Needed

Carol McAndrew of the VFW Auxiliary noted this week that there is a need for volunteer drivers for the Wave. Dial-a-Ride drivers are needed for Bay City and North County. Most of the trips, she said, are for transportation of patients to and from the Reinhard Clinic and other destinations in North County.

It's not a big physical job, Carol explained. Mostly, it would involve one to three days a week, and three to four hours, depending on the appointments. It's a good way for retired people to connect with the community. Since the vehicle is a regular passenger van, no special driver license is needed. There may be a few perks, such as an occasional gas gift card, but the biggest reward is the gratitude of the passengers being helped.

If you're interested, call Carol at (503) 801-7400, or the Wave office at (503) 815-8283 and ask for Cathy Bond.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu. Sharline went down on St. Paddy's Day for some corned beef and cabbage. Superb! We even topped off our dinner with some of Karen Malcom's pie. (Now we'll be working for weeks trying to reverse the weight gain.)

Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since daylight saving time started last weekend. Try it. You'll like it.

Watt Family Park Update

The purchase of the park property is nearing completion. The City has been leasing the park property for $200 per month under a lease/purchase agreement. The City had originally scheduled a public hearing on a supplemental budget to borrow $88,000 from the Street Reserve/Trust Fund to purchase the park property, and another item to establish a mechanism to repay it within a 10-year period. This must be completed by April 1.

But the best-laid plans are often subjected to challenges. This time it was snow and ice. The regular City Council meeting at which the public hearings were to be heard was truncated to consider only three items, and the regular meeting postponed to March 21. Sadly, human beings that we are, the Council didn't open and continue most of the public hearings to the new meeting date. And shame on me for not having had the presence of mind to make that suggestion. Mea culpa!

But, happily, Lin Downey, who was in Idaho tending to her father's funeral, sent out new public notices, scheduling the hearings to be held at a special Council meeting on March 28. That's just barely enough time to get the check into escrow before April 1. But, it'll get done.

The $88,000 borrowed from the Street Reserve/Trust Fund will be repaid by tacking one additional percentage point onto the Tillamook P.U.D. franchise fee, making it three percent. Utility companies are charged a franchise fee for stringing their wires along our streets. The increased franchise fee will repay the loan in 10 years at one-half of one percent interest. The total money paid back to the Streets Reserve/Trust Fund will be $90,438.10, which includes $2,438.10 interest.

The Park Planning Committee continues to meet every Wednesday at 3 p.m. through March, to review the Development Grant application for completeness. The grant application to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will be for $750,000, which, if approved, would yield $600,000. The 20 percent match would be made up through contributions of labor, materials, money or use of equipment. With this money the Park Planning Committee plans to obtain and install picnic tables, playground equipment, a sports track, sidewalks and trails through the park, and build restrooms and a community pavilion. In addition, we must improve the sports playing field, clear out the noxious weeds and restore the wetland areas, and create nature play areas and rain gardens. The money for the grant comes from lottery proceeds.

Grants are very complex critters, and completing them properly takes time and patience. Right now, City Planner Sabrina Pearson is assembling the cost figures for construction, purchase and installation of park features, which include not only the direct charges to grant proceeds, but also the values of contributed labor, materials and equipment use that have been committed. This grant is due in OPRD by April 6, but Sabrina said she expects to submit the application by April 4, as soon as the purchase of the park property is completed. Sabrina explained that OPRD criteria for award of grants include the completeness of the grant application. With the work that has gone into the preparation of the Park Development Grant, Sabrina explained, she hopes the City's application ranks at or very near the top for best-prepared grant proposal.

There will be a brief ceremony when the final papers are signed in late March, and the money put into escrow. Then there will be a formal dedication of the park sometime in April, when the Watt family is in town and able to attend. I'll announce that date as soon as I know it.

City Council

The City Council, on March 14, adopted the new Watt Family Park Master Plan, which now becomes an addendum to the City's Parks Master Plan, and voted to submit to the Oregon Parks and Recreation District an application for a grant of $750,000 to develop the park according to the Master Plan.

The Council also voted to exercise its option to purchase the 5.73-acre former school property from Neah-Kah-Nie School District.

There was considerable discussion of the proposed creation of a water district, including tax base and possible fee structures, but no decision was taken. The Kilchis Regional Water "District" Board met on Wednesday and will meet again on March 28 to deal with these matters.

City Public Works Superintendent David Pace reported that he had received all but two of the easements needed to complete the intertie with the Tillamook Water System and run the water lines under the Wilson and Kilchis Rivers.

David reported that he had received quotes from two local plumbing companies on cost of installing pressure-reducing valves and expansion tanks. Expected cost, he said, was about $305. No decision was made on reimbursement to those who had installed pressure-reducing equipment. The Council expressed concern over the wisdom of reimbursing any installation which didn't conform to state plumbing codes.

David and Fire Chief Darrell Griffith also reported that an agreement had been reached with Pacific Oyster regarding parking of refrigerated trucks and keeping a fire lane clear. They said that a parking arrangement had been worked out, and that the Port of Garibaldi, which owns the property, would stripe the parking areas.

Mayor Shaena Peterson cautioned Council members and others conducting City business about the use of e-mail for discussion of topics which should be a matter of public record.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to artspacecafe@gmail.com. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

The menu changes each week, so be sure to check the menu posted at ArtSpace to see what's on the current week's menu.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Disaster Mitigation

On Sunday, March 11, I attended the Tsunami Rally sponsored by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) at Tillamook Bay Community College.

In addition to the new Tsunami Inundation Maps based on LIDAR mapping, which were released just recently, there were displays of survival items offered by several agencies in Tillamook County.

Of greatest interest, however, were the new LIDAR maps with contour lines, showing inundation levels for various degrees of tsunami. The worst-case scenario, a tsunami triggered close to shore by a 9 magnitude megathrust earthquake, is shown in yellow. Inundation from a tsunami triggered by a distant earthquake, is shown in purple.

So, looking at the map, you can see whether your home or business is in danger from any degree of tsunami inundation. The LIDAR maps show all the structures existing when the maps were made. The beauty of LIDAR is that it shows the exact contours of the ground by blocking out the trees and vegetation.

The map for the Bay City and Garibaldi areas is displayed on an easel in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Several excellent speakers described the nature of tsunami wave action. It is not a single wave, as many people believe, but rather a succession of waves each higher than the one before. The tsunami can last for several hours, so you don't want to become complacent when the first wave barely wets your feet. The waves that hit Japan were generally 10 meters, or about 30 feet. Maximum building height allowed in Bay City is 24 feet. So, there's a lot of water in a 30-foot wave, and tremendous power as well. Depending on the configuration of the land, a wave can be much higher. The maps show the worst-case scenario wave reaching 90 feet in Larson Cove.

Paradoxically, wood structures survive best in earthquakes, but they are extremely vulnerable in a tsunami. Masonry structures are just the opposite. They are more prone to crumble in an earthquake, but they are better able to survive a tsunami.

There was much discussion of the pros and cons of constructing vertical evacuation structures. They had built these in Japan, but many people didn't use them. They ran for their cars, which was a serious mistake.

Several tsunami survival events will be held locally. On March 24, at 10 a.m., there will be a Cape-to-Cape tsunami drill. On May 5, there will be a tsunami drill for Bay City and Garibaldi. And, on May 23, there will be a drill in West Tillamook.

There was also discussion of "Map Your Neighborhood," which they have done in North County. I expect that we will be doing something similar in Bay City in the coming months. And you can expect some door-knocking campaigns in Bay City when the weather gets better.

There were some excellent Power Point presentations as well, and you can view these on Channel 4, the local access channel, if you have cable.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters' next meeting will be Friday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. There will be no meeting in March. The April meeting will feature the five or six candidates for Chuck Hurliman's position on the Board of County Commissioners. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Bay City Arts Center

March Artists of the Month are the students of Tillamook elementary schools. Next time you're near the Arts Center, stop in and admire the things these imaginative kids have created. You'll be glad you did.

Sunday, March 25, will be a work day. Volunteers are needed to help with the greenhouse and grounds. The greenhouse needs some structural repairs and some reinforcement to the potting bench. Also, work is needed on the raised bed and tool storage area. For the grounds, they need to move the composting bin from the front of the building to the greenhouse/garden area, and they'd like to create some new flowerbeds. They may also have to move some small trees or bushes.

The April Artist of the Month reception will take place April 7. April's Artists of the Month will be the Tillamook High School art students. Reception is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a soup and bread supper by donation.

Also on April 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a violin workshop with Paul Patterson, a classical multi-instrumentalist from Ohio. There will be a $20 charge for the workshop. There will also be a performance at 7 p.m., following the Artist of the Month reception, featuring Paul Patterson and his friend, John Stowell. The performance will cost $7 per person.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

The Arts Center thanks all those who attended the Board meeting last Sunday. If you couldn't attend the meeting but have some ideas or suggestions, please sent the Arts Center an e-mail or give them a call. If you are interested in serving on the Board, please contact Dia Norris at the Arts Center. The next Board meeting will be Monday, April 2, at 6 p.m.

Bits and Pieces

Well, the interesting (and disgusting) weather continues, even though it is now "spring." It still feels like winter.

The rain continues, and the storm systems continue to march in across the Pacific. I've certainly dumped more than my share of water from my rain gauge.

Gordon McCraw's weather forecast for Tuesday, March 20, contained an excellent report on the status of the debris field, which was swept out to sea following last year's earthquake and tsunami. According to Gordon, much of the debris has probably sunk, and what still floats is spreading out in the ocean. He estimates that the West Coast will start seeing tsunami debris in 2013. If you're not getting his weather reports, call County Emergency Management, give them your e-mail address, and ask to be added to the mailing list.

Last week I attended the Commissioner Staff meeting at the Court House. Sitting around the corner of the table from me was my shipmate, Gordon, a fellow retired Navy guy. Discussion slipped around to the infamous non-snow forecast. As I was getting up to leave, I looked at Gordon and told him, "You're fired!" Well, Tuesday, after reading his tsunami debris report, I e-mailed him and told him I was recommending that he be rehired.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be April 7, 2012.

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Here I am, a day late this time. And, the month of March is already history. Where does the time go? It's been a busy month, and April looks to be even busier. That's when I'm going to have to mow that grass that's been soaking up the solar heat, albeit through heavy cloud cover, and growing rapidly. Those of you with studded tires, remember to take them off. The deadline to lose the studs this year is April 9. There's a hefty fine for anyone caught driving with studs after that date.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Volunteer Drivers Needed

Carol McAndrew of the VFW Auxiliary noted this week that there is a need for volunteer drivers for the Wave. Dial-a-Ride drivers are needed for Bay City and North County. Most of the trips, she said, are for transportation of patients to and from the Reinhard Clinic and other destinations in North County.

It's not a big physical job, Carol explained. Mostly, it would involve one to three days a week, and three to four hours, depending on the appointments. It's a good way for retired people to connect with the community. Since the vehicle is a regular passenger van, no special driver license is needed. There may be a few perks, such as an occasional gas gift card, but the biggest reward is the gratitude of the passengers being helped.

If you're interested, call Carol at (503) 801-7400, or the Wave office at (503) 815-8283 and ask for Cathy Bond.

Watt Family Park Update

The purchase of the park property is at hand. During public hearings on Wednesday, the City Council enacted all the resolutions needed to complete the purchase of the park property. This evening, City Recorder Lin Downey was preparing to deposit $88,000 in escrow, to be matched by the grant money from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD). Following that, of course, we have to go through all the legal hassle of searching title, writing deeds and all that. But the park will be ours for keeps.

The $88,000 borrowed from the Street Reserve/Trust Fund will be repaid by tacking one additional percentage point onto the Tillamook P.U.D. franchise fee, making it three percent. Utility companies are charged a franchise fee for stringing their wires along our streets. The increased franchise fee will repay the loan in 10 years at one-half of one percent interest. The total money paid back to the Streets Reserve/Trust Fund will be $90,438.10, which includes $2,438.10 interest.

The City Council, at its meeting March 21, approved submission of the development grant to OPRD, to obtain the funds to purchase and install the playground equipment, restrooms, spectator benches for the sports field, sports track, and so on. We will also improve the sports playing field, clean up the wetland areas and replace the invasive plant species with native wetland plants. The City will also create the rain gardens to handle stormwater runoff, and the nature play areas for the children. The development grant, if approved, would yield $600,000, and the City would have to produce $150,000 in match. Happily, these matching funds may be "in kind," meaning contributions of labor, goods, equipment use, and cash. According to City Planner Sabrina Pearson, we have already amassed that much and more in commitments made by supporters of the park.

The City will also pursue grants from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to build sidewalks on Tillamook and McCoy Streets, and to improve the intersection of Tillamook Avenue with U.S. 101.

The City expects to submit the development grant application to OPRD by April 4.

The City plans a brief ceremony when the final papers are signed in late March or early April, and the money put into escrow. Then there will be a formal dedication of the park sometime in April, when the Watt family is in town and able to attend. I'll announce that date as soon as I know it.

City Council

The City Council has met three times this month. That has to be a record of some sort. But the special meeting April 28 was short, probably a Guinness Book of Records short. The City met just long enough to approve a supplemental budget and enact the resolutions needed to complete the purchase of the park.

But, there is other City news. I am saddened to report that Gaile Harris, who came to us when Jaime Heup was taken terminally ill, will retire April 6. In the short time she has been here, she took over the water billings and counter in the outer office, and, when Linda Downey became city recorder after Linda Dvorak's retirement, Gaile became the Planning Commission secretary.

The City staff is hosting an informal coffee and cake for Gaile Wednesday, April 4, at about 12:30 p.m. I plan to stop by and wish her well, and hope to see some of you there as well. I will certainly miss Gaile, and the excellent job she did as Planning Commission secretary.

Disaster Mitigation

I am rewriting the scenarios I developed in 2005 and updated late last year. Now I have two new tools at my disposal: the new LIDAR maps of the area recently distributed by the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), and the Ash Creek study and geologic mapping completed in 2007. I was working with the new DOGAMI maps when it was brought to my attention that I needed to look at the Ash Creek study as well. And, indeed, it provides excellent guidance as to the locations of landslide and other hazards within the City.

The Steering Committee for County Disaster Mitigation will be meeting again April 10, and I plan to be there. County Emergency Management Director Gordon McCraw and Jerry Rilette have been working Pastor David Hurd and members of the Bay City United Methodist Church on disaster survival. They are planning a "Map Your Neighborhood" campaign whenever the weather clears. That is a project which is long overdue. So, when the good weather comes along, expect to see some door-knockers in your neighborhood.

Don Reynolds and the Bay City Disaster Mitigation Committee are planning a tsunami drill for May 5. Stay tuned for further details.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters' next meeting will be Friday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. There will be no meeting in March. The April meeting will feature the five or six candidates for Chuck Hurliman's position on the Board of County Commissioners. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since we are now on Daylight Savings Time. Try it. You'll like it.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to artspacecafe@gmail.com. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

The menu changes each week, so be sure to check the menu posted at ArtSpace to see what's on the current week's menu.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Bay City Arts Center

The Bay City Arts Center has had a change in schedule for April. The Artist of the Month Reception for Tillamook High School art students has been postponed to Friday, April 13, at the request of the high school. There were a few conflicts in the school's scheduling, and the art class wanted a bit more time to prepare for their art show. Though the Arts Center's recent announcement didn't specifically say so, I would presume that refreshments will be served. The reception is a free event, open to the public.

March Artists of the Month are the students of Tillamook elementary schools, and their displays will be available for viewing until the end of the month.

If the weather cooperates, Sunday, April 1, starting at 12:30 p.m., there will be another work day. Quite a lot was accomplished March 25, but there remains much to do. Volunteers are needed to help with the greenhouse and grounds. The greenhouse needs some structural repairs and some reinforcement to the potting bench. Also, work is needed on the raised bed and tool storage area. For the grounds, BCAC needs to move the composting bin from the front of the building to the greenhouse/garden area, and they'd like to create some new flowerbeds. Some of the small fruiting trees and bushes will need to be moved to the area out back that has been prepared for them.

The next BCAC Board meeting will be held Monday, April 2, at 6 p.m. If you are interested in serving on the Board, contact Dia Norris at the Arts Center.

On April 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a violin workshop with Paul Patterson, a classical multi-instrumentalist from Ohio. There will be a $20 charge for the workshop. There will be a Soup and Bread Supper following the workshop, served by donation.

There will be a performance at 7 p.m. April 7, featuring Paul Patterson and his friend, John Stowell. The performance will cost $7 per person.

On Sunday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to noon, the Arts Center will serve its all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, featuring whole grain or buttermilk pancakes, sausages, beans, salsa, fruit and yogurt. Cost is $5 per adult or $4 per member. Children eat at half price.

On April 15, following the pancake breakfast, there will be a Meet the Candidates Forum featuring the candidates for the offices of County Commissioner and County Assessor. Each candidate will be given equal time to tell you about themselves and the issues. There will be plenty of time after that for questions and discussions with the candidates. This is a great time to get to know the candidates.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

Bits and Pieces

I'd have to say that Gordon McCraw has more than made up for his non-snow forecast. Last weekend he officiated over the Cape to Cape tsunami preparation drill.

According to Karen Rust's Fencepost, The Bay City United Methodist Church is planning its Spring Rummage and Cake Sale, which will be held this year at the Bay City Community Hall April 12 through 14. You can bring your rummage to the hall between April 9 and 11. But, no appliances, please, Karen said in her Fencepost.

Karen also reported that the fish release --- remember those little fish in the library fish tank --- went off quite well, if a little challenging. This year, for the first time ever, according to Diane Griffin, the challenge was snow, which accompanied the party of 20 or so who wanted to take part in the release while they hiked in to the release site east of the City. But then, Karen reported in her Fencepost, when the group reached the release site, Mother Nature smiled on them and brought back the Sun. Now, the little guys are on their way down to the bay. Hopefully, one day some of them will come back up Patterson Creek to spawn a new generation.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be April 7, 2012.

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It's been a busy week, and I'm just barely getting this Back Fence out. Sharline had her first cataract taken care of Tuesday, followed by a visit to the optometrist on Wednesday, followed by a visit to an orthopedic surgeon at the Orthopedic and Fracture Clinic in Beaverton today. And the weather hasn't helped.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Volunteer Drivers Needed

Carol McAndrew of the VFW Auxiliary noted this week that there is a need for volunteer drivers for the Wave. Dial-a-Ride drivers are needed for Bay City and North County. Most of the trips, she said, are for transportation of patients to and from the Reinhard Clinic and other destinations in North County.

It's not a big physical job, Carol explained. Mostly, it would involve one to three days a week, and three to four hours, depending on the appointments. It's a good way for retired people to connect with the community. Since the vehicle is a regular passenger van, no special driver license is needed. There may be a few perks, such as an occasional gas gift card, but the biggest reward is the gratitude of the passengers being helped.

If you're interested, call Carol at (503) 801-7400, or the Wave office at (503) 815-8283 and ask for Cathy Bond.

Watt Family Park Update

Into every life, or project, a little rain must fall.

Last week all the loose ends were tidied up and things seemed ready to roll. The City Council passed all the resolutions to borrow money from itself with an assured payback, and authorize an amended budget to complete the purchase of the park property. City Recorder Linda Downey was waiting for word from the Oregon Parks and Recreation District on putting our $88,000 match into escrow to complete the deal.

Then, woops! We got word from OPRD that there was a fly in the ointment, so to speak. The lease purchase agreement with Neah-Kah-Nie School District included a provision that the District would demolish the old school building and remediate the asbestos hazard as a contribution, to be part of the match for the grant.

The City was notified that the grant had been approved, and the school district, as we had agreed, proceeded to demolish the building and remediate the asbestos. Our fire department helped with a spectacular burn, which many of you will remember.

Well, it seems that we may have jumped the gun. We were supposed to have waited for authorization to proceed before demolishing the building.

OPRD is currently reviewing the grant and will notify the City next week of its decision. OPRD may reduce the value of the project by $25,000, or it may agree to allow the building's demolition as match for the grant.

The City Council met in special session today to consider its options. The Council voted to authorize Mayor Shaena Peterson to request a spot on the NKN School Board's next meeting agenda, and directed Public Works Superintendent to attend the meeting to explain the situation.

Meanwhile, City Planner Sabrina Pearson and the Parks Committee completed work to close out the Park Planning Grant and submit the City's application for a Park Development Grant, which was discussed in last week's Back Fence. We are proceeding with this aspect of park development to demonstrate good faith and good intentions.

Stay tuned --- more next week.

Fire Department

The City Council recently approved a ballot measure for the May primary election for a five-year local option levy to support the Bay City Fire Department. Fire Chief Darrell Griffith reported that this levy would be unchanged from the current levy, which expires in 2013: $0.47 per $1,000 in property valuation.

Don Reynolds developed a great fire department during his time as our fire chief, and Darrel is carrying the program forward with some new wrinkles of his own. The Fire Department continues to be a credit to the City of Bay City.

There are many expenses in operating a fire department which are mandated by law. The fire hoses must be inspected annually, and the breather canisters must be replaced on a cyclic basis. Turnout gear must be replaced when is becomes worn. Other equipment must be maintained and inspected regularly. Inspections must be conducted by certified inspectors, and these people don't come cheap. And, the Fire Department must replace any hoses or equipment found to be defective. Nothing lasts forever. Each item of equipment has a shelf life.

The fire department responds to other things besides fires. Medical calls and accidents account for many of their calls. The firefighters are ready to turn out, any time day or night. Whenever someone calls for an ambulance, the first thing to arrive is the department's first responder vehicle. The department's EMTs help get the patient or victim stabilized and ready for the ambulance when it arrives. I had occasion to call for assistance several weeks ago, when Sharline hurt her knee and couldn't get into my vehicle to go to the hospital emergency room. The guys from the fire department were in my driveway in practically nothing flat, and they got her into the car. And we were thankful that we have such people to help in an emergency.

We have a great fire department, a department of which we can all be justly proud. I am a firm supporter of the department, and I make regular contributions to the Bay City Volunteer Firefighters' Association. These contributions are used to support the extra things the firefighters do for their community, such as having cuddly toys for children who are victims of a fire or other disaster. You'd be surprised how a cuddly toy helps calm a small child.

A reliable fire department does one other thing for residents of the area it serves. Fire insurance costs less. If there is no fire department reasonably close, fire insurance rates go up --- sometimes way up.

The Fire Department is not asking for more. They're keeping the levy at the same level it has been for the last five years. I urge you to support our fire department on Election Day in May.

City Office

Times are changing. Wednesday, City staff, Council and Planning Commission members attended a gathering to wish retiring Gaile Harris bon voyage. Gaile came to work for the City as a temporary when Jaime Heup became ill. When Jaime died, Gaile was officially appointed to Jaime's position. When Linda Downie became the City Recorder, Gaile fleeted up to become the Planning Commission Secretary.

But, all good things must come to an end. Gaile is retiring at the end of the week. Friday will be her last day. Gaile came up to speed quite rapidly after being made Planning Commission Secretary, and was doing the job like a pro. I will be truly sorry to lose her, and I wish her well in her retirement.

The City Office is staffed by two full-time employees and one part-timer, who works the counter during the times the office is open to the public. When Gaile moved into the Planning Commission position, we picked up Angie Cherry for the part-time position. She has been a real joy to work with. Angie will now fleet up to become the Planning Commission Secretary.

And we have a new part-time employee. I am told her name is Sierra, but, sadly, I don't know her last name yet. But I'm sure I soon will. So, welcome aboard, Sierra.

Disaster Mitigation

I have just a brief note on Disaster Mitigation this week. There has been a lot of buzz about the debris from the Japan earthquake and tsunami recently. Concern has heightened following the sighting of a derelict Japanese fishing vessel adrift off the coast of Alaska or British Columbia.

Gordon McCraw, our Emergency Management Director, announced in his April 4 Gordon's Update that the West Coast Regional Coordinator from the NOAA Marine Debris Program would be coming to the Tillamook area to share information about the state of the debris field.

The gentleman, Nir Barnea, will speak at the Bay City Arts Center on Wednesday, April 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The following day, Thursday, April 12, he will present a similar program at the Cape Kiwanda Community Center from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Sadly, I won't be able to attend either event. On Wednesday I have my Amateur Radio class and on the following day Sharline goes in for her second cataract surgery.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters' next meeting will be Friday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. There will be no meeting in March. The April meeting will feature the five or six candidates for Chuck Hurliman's position on the Board of County Commissioners. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since we are now on Daylight Savings Time. Try it. You'll like it.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to artspacecafe@gmail.com. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

The menu changes each week, so be sure to check the menu posted at ArtSpace to see what's on the current week's menu.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Bay City Arts Center

The Arts Center welcomes Victor Bofill as its newest board member.

On April 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a violin workshop with Paul Patterson, a classical multi-instrumentalist from Ohio. There will be a $20 charge for the workshop. There will be a Soup and Bread Supper starting about 5:30 p.m., following the workshop. The supper will be served by donation.

There will be a performance at 7 p.m. April 7, featuring Paul Patterson and his friend, John Stowell. The performance will cost $7 per person.

On Wednesday, April 11, Nir Barnea, the NOAA West Coast Regional Coordinator for Marine Debris, will share information on the current state of debris from the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Interest in the debris has peaked lately with the sighting of a derelict Japanese fishing vessel off the coast of Alaska or British Columbia. He will speak from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 13, from 5 to 7 p.m., BCAC hosts the Artist of the Month Reception for the Tillamook High School art students. Light refreshments will be served.

On Sunday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to noon, the Arts Center will serve its all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, featuring whole grain or buttermilk pancakes, sausages, beans, salsa, fruit and yogurt. Cost is $5 per adult or $4 per member. Children eat at half price.

On April 15, following the pancake breakfast, there will be a Meet the Candidates Forum featuring the candidates for the offices of County Commissioner and County Assessor. Each candidate will be given equal time to tell you about themselves and the issues. There will be plenty of time after that for questions and discussions with the candidates. This is a great time to get to know the candidates.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

Bits and Pieces

According to Karen Rust's Fencepost last week, The Bay City United Methodist Church is planning its Spring Rummage and Cake Sale, which will be held this year at the Bay City Community Hall April 12 through 14. You can bring your rummage to the hall between April 9 and 11. But, no appliances, please, Karen said.

Sharline had a birthday Tuesday, the same day she had her first cataract removed. She is doing well following the procedure, except that she has a black eye. I assure all of you, I didn't do it.

She had the surgery at the Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute in Tualatin. They have an excellent system at Pacific. The patient progresses through several stations, culminating with anesthetizing the eye and the surgery itself. I was privileged to watch the procedure on a monitor. When I had my cataracts done, I had them make me a DVD of the procedure, which I gave to Dr. Halperin to show the patients he refers for cataract surgery.

It is an amazing procedure. Tiny slits are made at the edge of the cornea, the clear circle in the center of the eye. The old lens is shattered using ultrasound, and suctioned out. A tiny, folded plastic lens is inserted through another slit. Once inside the eye, the lens unfolds and the surgeon nudges it into the proper position. The actual surgery takes less than ten minutes. The difference it makes in one's vision is amazing. Sharline is looking forward to her second cataract surgery next week.

I mentioned that Sharline had her cataract surgery on her birthday --- her 81^st birthday. But we did have a birthday celebration for her. On Sundays, we always go to Downie's Café for breakfast. When we got there last Sunday, our three daughters were at the restrurant waiting for us. We had a wonderful visit at the house after a great breakfast. It was a birthday that would be hard to surpass. Our daughter, Carla, even baked Sharline a cake.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be April 7, 2012.

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I'm running really late this week. It's been a very busy week, for reasons you'll understand when you read this issue of Back Fence. At least spring seems to have gotten the word. Winter storms have finally yielded to the rapture of spring.

A Tribute to a Dear Friend

My very good friend, Bill Rust, slipped his mortal coil and ascended to meet his Maker. This happened, fittingly, on Good Friday.

Bill was diagnosed in April 2009 with a particular type of lung cancer associated with exposure to Agent Orange from his time in Vietnam. His doctor, then, gave him about six months to live, as his cancer was well advanced.

Bill underwent the requisite chemo and radiation therapy, the things cancer patients have to endure. Happily, with Bill, it seemed to work for a while. He lived a full two years beyond his diagnosis and prognosis.

Bill's was a life of service, of giving to others. He was active with the Civil Air Patrol and Tillamook Search and Rescue. Karen, his loving wife, told me that he even once belonged to the Coast Guard Auxiliary. But his greatest service was to his church, where he was a lay speaker, Young Disciples messenger, Sunday Ministries Leadership Group member, and member of the choir.

My acquaintance with Bill arose from our memberships in the VFW. Bill was our post commander for two years, and was always active with the post. For a while he came in a wheelchair with supplemental oxygen. But he improved, and the doctors told him he was in remission. He was even planning on becoming commander for another year. But, alas, that was not to be.

Bill took a turn for the worse about mid March. He declined transport to the hospital, probably realizing that his condition had entered its terminal phase. Karen told me he died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. April 6, Good Friday.

I will miss my friend. As we are both retired military, he from the Army and I from the Navy, we always enjoyed recalling our exploits in uniform. It was the kind of banter common among old soldiers and sailors. We were both in Vietnam during the war, and in Korea. I was there during the war, and he was there during the peacekeeping operation.

Bill's memorial service will be held at the Bay City United Methodist Church, the church he served so well, at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 21. Karen has asked me to deliver Bill's eulogy.

Karen, my deepest and sincerest condolences. I know that you and Bill would have celebrated your wedding anniversary and Bill's birthday in April.

Bill, please save us a place at the table up there.

New City Council Member Needed, Anyone Interested?

The City is seeking applicants for a vacant City Council position. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of Bay City for at least one year, and you must be a registered Oregon voter. If you're interested, stop by the city office and fill out a form. All applicants will be interviewed by a selection committee, which will make its recommendation to mayor Shaena Peterson. The appointee will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Krum, approximately three years.

Volunteer Drivers Needed

Carol McAndrew of the VFW Auxiliary noted that there is a need for volunteer drivers for the Wave. Dial-a-Ride drivers are needed for Bay City and North County. Most of the trips, she said, are for transportation of patients to and from the Reinhart Clinic and other destinations in North County.

It's not a big physical job, Carol explained. Mostly, it would involve one to three days a week, and three to four hours, depending on the appointments. It's a good way for retired people to connect with the community. Since the vehicle is a regular passenger van, no special driver license is needed. There may be a few perks, such as an occasional gas gift card, but the biggest reward is the gratitude of the passengers being helped.

If you're interested, call Carol at (503) 801-7400, or the Wave office at (503) 815-8283 and ask for Cathy Bond.

Watt Family Park Update

All is well.

Shortly after I posted last week's issue of the Back Fence, Public Works Superintendent David Pace received a call from Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, advising the City that OPRD has decided to accept the demolition of the old school building and remediation of the asbestos hazard as match for the project.

The value of the match is somewhere between $22,000 and $25,000, which puts us in the ball park, if you pardon the pun. OPRD will wire the grant funds to the escrow account within a few days, and our $88,000 match is there waiting for it.

The match, which was borrowed from the Street Reserve/Trust Fund, must be repaid. This will be done by notching up the franchise fee paid by Tillamook P.U.D. for using Bay City's streets to run its wires.

Originally, it had been planned to raise the franchise fee by one percent, to 3 percent from 2 percent. But discussions held during Monday's workshop and Tuesday's Council meeting changed the plan slightly. The original payback based on a 3 percent franchise fee would have paid the fund back fully, plus some interest, in 10 years. Councilor John Gettman noted that it would be in the City's best interest to pay the loan off sooner, and recommended that the franchise fee be raised to 4 percent instead of three.

The accelerated payback would pay off the $88,000 loan in 44 months instead of 120 months if the franchise fee were 3 percent. Following a lengthy discussion, the Council unanimously adopted the 4-percent franchise fee and faster payback. It was noted during discussion that Bay City's franchise fee is low in comparison with other cities. According to the League of Oregon Cities, the lowest franchise fee charged by any other city is 3.5 percent. Most charge 5 percent, and the City of Tillamook charges 7 percent.

It was suggested during discussion that, after the loan is paid off, the additional revenue from the increased franchise fee be dedicated to relocating the fire station.

Fire Department

The City Council recently approved a ballot measure for the May primary election for a five-year local option levy to support the Bay City Fire Department. Fire Chief Darrell Griffith reported that this levy would be unchanged from the current levy, which expires in 2013: $0.47 per $1,000 in property valuation.

Don Reynolds developed a great fire department during his time as our fire chief, and Darrel is carrying the program forward with some new wrinkles of his own. The Fire Department continues to be a credit to the City of Bay City.

Darrell reported, at Tuesday's City Council meeting, that the Department responded to 11 calls during March, and chalked up 403 volunteer hours.

Training is a major factor in running a volunteer fire department. There is constant turnover, as people move on and new people join the department. As firefighters move up the ladder to positions of higher authority, others must be trained to take their place.

A new member of the department must be trained to a certain basic level before being allowed to perform certain functions relating to fire fighting. Once trained, firefighters and EMTs must remain current through continuing education or refresher courses. Darrell explained several paradigm shifts in emergency medical training regarding triage and use of tourniquets.

Much training can be conducted locally or at nearby fire departments, but some must be bought and paid for. Training is among the many operating expenses of a fire department, in addition to the expenses that are mandated by law.

As I reported last week, the fire department must pay to have its hoses and equipment inspected and tested at regular intervals. Equipment found deficient or defective on testing must be replaced, as must certain equipment upon reaching a specified age. All of these things must come out of the fire department's budget.

We have had some fires in Bay City, some of them spectacular. But most calls, I believe, involve accidents or medical situations. Sharline and I have relied on them several times in the past. When I experienced congestive failure several years ago, our fire department guys were at my house in a flash. They had me awake and on supplemental oxygen before the ambulance showed up to take me to the hospital.

A reliable fire department does one other thing for residents of the area it serves. Fire insurance costs less. If there is no fire department reasonably close, fire insurance rates go up --- sometimes way up.

The Fire Department's current levy expires in 2013. So they need to go to the voters to approve another five-year local option levy. The current levy is $0.47/$1,000 in property valuation. Darrell plans to keep the new levy at the same rate. The levy will be on the ballot for the May primary election. I urge you to 1) turn in your ballot, and 2) support our fire chief's request for a five-year local option levy to continue providing fire protection and emergency response for the City.

City Council

The City Council met last Tuesday for its regular monthly meeting. March had seen one regular meeting and two special meetings to meet several emerging problems.

City Attorney Lois Albright explained, in substance, the move to create a proper water district to replace the current Kilchis Regional Water System. Though called a "district" in the past, the Kilchis System is not a water district in the legal sense of the term, but more like a contractual partnership among user groups.

Under the proposal, the City of Bay City would own the water system and its infrastructure, and sell water from the Kilchis wellhead to the households and businesses within the new Pioneer Water District. The City of Bay City, itself, would not be a part of the new district.

The impetus to make this change, Albright explained, is that the rules for providing water are becoming more exacting, especially the requirements for testing water quality. The people who have managed the small consumer "districts" would prefer to be divested of this responsibility, plus the responsibility to maintain and repair the infrastructure.

The proposal to create the new Pioneer Water District will go to the County Clerk for approval. Once this is given, a petition will be circulated among the voters in the proposed district. If enough signatures are turned in, the new district will appear on the November ballot.

The Council discussed acquiring the east half of Bewleys Street from the County. The city limits presently extend to the centerline of Bewleys Street. Before acquiring the street from County ownership, the entire width of the public right-of-way would need to be within the city limits. Councilor John Gettman pointed out that the City must determine how the properties along the east side of Bewleys are platted before deciding whether the street can be annexed without annexing those properties.

Public Works Superintendent David Pace has noted that if Bewleys Street were entirely within the city limits and owned by the City, it would qualify for a Small Cities Allotment Grant to resurface it. The street is heavily traveled and badly in need of repair.

David also informed the Council that a conflict has arisen with the construction schedule for the Tillamook side of the intertie. Goodwill Industries, which intends to locate a new facility in that area, has asked the property owner not to approve the easement agreement until the design engineers have determined whether it will interfere with the construction schedule.

A tentative agreement has been reached, allowing construction of the intertie to take place between July 1 and August 15. But, David added, unanticipated problems boring under the river might extend the boring beyond the agreed-upon six weeks.

Disaster Mitigation

The Disaster Mitigation Committee will meet Wednesday, April 18, at 5 p.m. Fire Chief Darrell Griffith plans to be there to outline plans to conduct two projects in the near future.

On Wednesday, April 25, there will be a door-to-door canvass of properties within the inundation zone for a near shore tsunami. Darrell's objective is to contact 100 percent of the households in the inundation zone to deliver tsunami information. Participating in the canvass will be the U.S. Coast Guard, CERT, and the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI).

On Saturday, May 5, at 10 a.m., there will be an evacuation drill. The objective is to evacuate all the people within the inundation zone to high ground. Darrell said he would capture data on residents' time getting from their residences to the assembly area. Agencies participating in the evacuation drill will be Tillamook County Search and Rescue, County Sheriff's Office, Red Cross, CERT, DOGAMI, and HAM radio operators.

Darrell will hold a briefing at 8 a.m. on May 5 at the Fire Department.

Bay City Boosters

The Boosters' next meeting will be Friday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. The April meeting will feature the five or six candidates for Chuck Hurliman's position on the Board of County Commissioners. The public is cordially invited to attend. This will be a great opportunity to meet and question the candidates.

VFW Auxiliary 2012 Plant Sale

The VFW Post Auxiliary will hold its annual plant and rummage sale on Saturday, May 12, at the Bay City Community Hall. You'll find some great bargains on plants for your yard, as well as things you've always wanted but never had an opportunity to get.

There'll be more on this later.

Dinner at Downie's Café

Downie's Café is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings. They have developed a very tempting dinner menu. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they are considering remaining open until 8 p.m., since we are now on Daylight Savings Time. Try it. You'll like it. Sharline and I had a great steak last Friday evening.

What's New at ArtSpace Café?

ArtSpace Café is offering healthy meals to go. Toward the end of each week, Trisha Kauffman will develop a take-out menu for the following week. Each meal will consist of one entrée and one soup. Cost will be $7 per meal per person.

You can bring your order to ArtSpace, or you can do it the easy way. Send it by e-mail to artspacecafe@gmail.com. Orders for the week must be placed by Tuesday.

ArtSpace Café adheres to two maxims: Healthy and green. They use fresh ingredients for everything, and they don't like to throw plastic in the garbage. So, when you go to pick up your meals, bring a clean container with you. If you don't have a suitable container, ArtSpace Café will be happy to provide one, provided you bring it back clean. They will sterilize the container before using it for another meal.

The menu changes each week, so be sure to check the menu posted at ArtSpace to see what's on the current week's menu.

After placing your order, all you need do is go down on Wednesday, collect your meals for the week, and enjoy. Bon appetit.

Bay City Arts Center

On Sunday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to noon, the Arts Center will serve its all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, featuring whole grain or buttermilk pancakes, sausages, beans, salsa, fruit and yogurt. Cost is $5 per adult or $4 per member. Children eat at half price.

On April 15, following the pancake breakfast, there will be a Meet the Candidates Forum featuring the candidates for the offices of County Commissioner and County Assessor. Each candidate will be given equal time to tell you about themselves and the issues. There will be plenty of time after that for questions and discussions with the candidates. This is a great time to get to know the candidates.

Yoga classes are held every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per 75-minute session. If you are interested in yoga or have any questions, please call or e-mail BCAC. The phone number is (503) 377-9620.

Nancy Slavin conducts Toddler Art sessions every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Check the BCAC Web site for more details. Go to the Grapevine section labeled "Links" to find the link to the Arts Center.

Bits and Pieces

Sharline went for her second cataract surgery on April 12. Sadly, this procedure didn't go as planned. For some reason, her intraocular pressure was high, and it wasn't possible to insert the implant lens at that time. Pressure from within the globe of the eye compressed the capsule where the lens is implanted so that the lens couldn't unfold properly.

So, Sharline must wait to allow the pressure within he eye to fall back to normal levels before the job can be finished. The doctor at the clinic estimates that it will probably take about a month. So, until then, she is running around with a fogged lens on her eyeglasses.

VFW Post 2848 recently changed its meeting day and time. The Post and its Auxiliary now meet the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall. The next meeting will be May 5, 2012.

Se