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Published By Your City Hall |
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 Long Vacant Empire Gas Station to Become Public Parking Lot
The old blue and white building at the corner of Newmark Avenue and South Wall Street in Empire has been vacant for many years. The building has deteriorated and has become an eyesore. While the building has sat idle, the property has become a makeshift overflow parking lot for adjacent businesses and community events.
A gas station was operated at the property from the 1950s through 1991, undergoing several ownership changes between Chevron, Franko, Texaco and a Pacific Pride fuel station. he current owners of the property, Dutch Bros, has been working through the process to identify and mitigate contamination at the property. In 2021, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a “No Further Action” (NFA) letter meaning that no further mitigation was necessary after determining that the site poses no objectionable risks to human health or the environment.
Last year, representatives from Dutch Bros began discussions with City staff about their intent to demolish the building and the small building behind that property in preparation for selling the properties. Given the need for parking and the fact that the property was serving as a makeshift parking lot, Dutch Bros agreed to donate the property to the City with a deed restriction that the properties must be placed into public use. Once the City has ownership, staff will be taking the necessary steps to demolish the buildings, secure the necessary environmental permits, and then design and develop a public parking lot. The proposed parking lot will not only provide parking for the customers of Tokyo Bistro, guests of theatre events at the Dolphin Playhouse, and people visiting Ed Lund Park, it will be used for special community events like the Clamboree and the annual Empire Christmas Tree lighting event.
I want to take a moment and sincerely thank Dutch Bros for their generosity. One of the organization’s core beliefs listed on their website is “giving back through fundraisers, grants and donations is part of our DNA as a company.” The statement is more than just some words on a webpage. Dutch Bros puts their stated core beliefs into action throughout the year in this community and many others.
-Joe Benetti, Mayor of Coos Bay
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  The Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) has completed a review of the emergency response statistics for the 2022 calendar year. The CBFD is made up of 16 full-time staff, seven students or interns, and nine volunteers. The Department operates from three fire stations (Eastside, Empire and downtown) to provide service to the City of Coos Bay and the three contract districts of Libby, Bunker Hill, and Timber Park.
The CBFD responded to 4,420 emergencies in 2022 or an average of 12.1 calls for service each day. This is a 4% increase over 2021. The busiest day of 2022 was Friday, September 9 with 26 emergency responses.
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Sparks Graduates Police Academy
 Please join the Coos Bay Police Department in congratulating Officer Joseph Sparks (pictured in the center) on graduation from the 16-week Basic Police Academy last Friday, January 20, 2023. Officer Sparks will be returning to Coos Bay to complete his Field Training and Evaluation program before heading out on patrol on his own.
Congratulations and welcome back Officer Joseph Sparks!
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Allender Joins North Coos 9-1-1 Team
 On Monday, January 23, Tammy Allender was sworn in as a dispatcher for the North Coos 9-1-1 Center by Coos Bay Police Department (CBPD) Chief Chris Chapanar. Allender, a Coos Bay Native, comes to North Coos 9-1-1 with several years of experience. Allender started her dispatching career at Bay Cities Ambulance before moving to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office. She holds an intermediate certification from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. Allender has been an instrumental member of the Coos County Peer Support Team that provides support for first responders throughout the local area, especially after critical incidents. She is an instructor in stress first aid and emergency medical dispatching.
Please join the CBPD in welcoming Tammy Allender to the North Coos 9- 1-1 team. We are very excited to have her!
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 Beginning Monday, January 30 and extending through Sunday, February 12, the Coos Bay Police Department (CBPD), and law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon will use federally funded overtime to educate the public about safety belt and child seat laws including a law passed in 2017 increasing safety for children under age two.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2020, 1,019 children under twelve were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 10% were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four- to eight-year-olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.
 As a reminder, in 2017 an Oregon law was passed requiring children to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. A child over age two must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4’ 9” in height and the adult belt fits them correctly.
The 2017 law, which extends the rear-facing requirement from the previous age one to age two, will better protect the child’s head, neck, and spine from potential crash injuries. This is because a rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and child’s body while also limiting forward or sideways motion of the head.
For help selecting or installing child car seats, consult the seat manufacturer’s instructions, your vehicle owner’s manual, or visit a local child seat fitting station listed at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#inspection-inspection or at http://oregonimpact.org/Child_Passenger_Safety.
CBPD has dedicated extra patrol officers to participate in this campaign and wants to remind everyone to “Click it or Ticket it!”
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First Downtown Wine Walk of 2023
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Boardwalk Paver Brick Replacement
The City of Coos Bay has contracted with FRC Construction to repair the brick area at the Coos Bay Boardwalk. The subgrade has failed in that area which is causing some of the bricks to break creating a trip hazard. The Boardwalk will be open throughout the repair. We anticipate the work starting on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, lasting through Tuesday, February 7, 2023. Please use caution in this area and comply with signage.
Should you have questions, please feel free to contact Transportation and Facilities Superintendent Dave Wagoner at (541) 269-1181, ext. 2241 or email: dwagner@coosbay.org.
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Repairs Begin on Empire Fishing Pier
The City of Coos Bay has contracted with Billeter Marine to repair the Empire Fishing Pier. Work is schedule to start on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, with an estimated completion date of Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Please use caution around this area and comply with signage.
Should you have questions, please feel free to contact Public Works and Community Development Operations Administrator Greg Hamblet at (541) 269-1181 ext. 2201 or email at: ghamblet@coosbay.org.
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The Coos Bay School District Opening the
New Junior High School to the Community
 A year and a half ago, Coos Bay School District opened the doors of its newest campus with Marshfield Junior High accepting seventh and eighth graders for the first time. Now, the district is opening the campus to the entire community for one night.
Marshfield Junior High, one of two schools built thanks to the voters’ approval of Measure 6-166 in 2017, cost $28.5 million to build and gave Coos Bay schools a standalone junior high that alleviated crowding at Millicoma, Sunset, and Marshfield High School.
The $59.9 million bond has been used to build Eastside School and Marshfield Junior High. The district has also been able to rebuild Madison Elementary and make improvements to Sunset School and Marshfield High School. Next school year, the final remaining bond funds will be used to replace the roof and ventilation systems at Millicoma School.
 Built next door to Marshfield High School, the school is also unique in its structure. While most of the schools in the district are single-story, limited land next to the high school forced the district to think out of the box. The result was a three-story building that has state-of-the-art technology and safety measures perfect for educating seventh and eighth graders for decades to come.
Principal Floyd Montiel and Superintendent Charis McGaughy are excited to open the school to the community, giving parents and others a look inside the newest facility in the district. McGaughy said she hopes the community will come out and get a look at how their tax funds are being spent to improve student outcomes.
The open house is scheduled at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 1. After a brief introduction by the superintendent and principal, guests will be welcome to tour the school. School administrators will be present to answer questions. Cookies and drinks will also be provided.
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 Join the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce celebrating a year of community and business for our annual awards banquet on Saturday, January 28 beginning at 6 p.m. at The Mill Casino.
We have a a variety of awards to give away including the Citizen of the Year award and Business of the Year. The Chamber will honoring our hardworking educators and the are thrilled to announce that the Prefontaine award is back! The Liberty Theatre will be bringing the entertainment with a fun filled showcase for you to enjoy.
Tickets are available online on the Chamber of Commerce website.
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