Over The Back Fence
John R. Sollman, Editor and Publisher

BAY CITY, Feb 2, 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.

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