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Published By Your City Hall |
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 This weekend a large number of students from Marshfield High School, North Bend High School and Southwestern Community College will be graduating. On behalf of the Coos Bay City Council, I would like to extend to each of our area graduating students our heartfelt congratulations and admiration for your incredible educational accomplishments. All of you have persevered in your educational journey and I am proud of you all. I would also like to congratulate the parents, family members, and educators who helped you succeed.
Graduation means you have reached one of life’s many destinations. While it is a time to celebrate your accomplishment, graduation also marks the start of a new journey in one’s life. Some of our graduates will move on and undertake higher educational opportunities, some will go to trade schools and others will enter the workforce. I wish you all the best and much success as you move on in life’s journey.
-Joe Benetti, Mayor of Coos Bay
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Sharing Wastewater Processing Knowledge with Students
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Last week, one of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Operators, Dane Volkel, went to North Bend High School (NBHS) to give a presentation to the environmental science class. Volkel showed the students the different tests that are performed for plant process and permit compliance. He also talked about what it is like to be a plant operator, requirements needed and the job opportunities in this field of work.
One test he performed in front of the students was a Settleometter. This commonly run and important test gives an indication of how quickly the sludge (organic solids) will settle and this helps operators understand how healthy the plant is. Volkel talked about how a standard plant treats wastewater influent. He also reminded students that the only non-organic matter to be flushed down the toilet is toilet paper.
Volkel's presentation went so well, there are plans in place for him to go back to NBHS next school year so he can share his knowledge with other students.
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Training on Active Threat Scenarios
 In early 2023, members of the Coos Bay Police Department (CBPD), Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD), North Bend Police Department (NBPD), and North Bend Fire Department (NBFD) along with staff from Bay Area Hospital and Bay Cities Ambulance began a collaborative effort to prepare themselves and train for a unified response to an active threat incident.
On 6/03/2023, command and select staff from these agencies met at the Newmark Center and engaged in a table top training scenario. Members from each agency were able to provide input as to their response and resource capabilities. The group then discussed how to integrate these resources to provide a holistic response to the threat, emergency medical needs, evacuation, and communication with the community.
The group will continue to work together and hopes to expand to include other local public safety agencies in an effort to be as prepared as possible.
A special thanks to Rob Aton, the Director of Security, Risk and Emergency Management at Southwestern Oregon Community College for hosting and taking part.
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Planning for Fourth of July in Mingus Park
The City of Coos Bay is hosting Fourth of July in the Park at Mingus Park. This year the event will be held from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4, 2022. Planning for this event is underway. The goal is to bring the community together for a free fun-filled family friendly event. The event will feature the Boy Scouts’ fundraiser hamburger stand, Coos Forest Protective Association with Smokey the Bear, ODF&W fishing, and much more.
Organizations interested in participating in the celebration can call 541-269-1101, ext. 3631 for more information.
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Fire Department Hires Two Paramedics
 The Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) has added two firefighters to the career staff. On June 1, 2023, Clinton Cook and Luke Lucero started their employment with the City. These two new firefighters have strong local ties and were picked to fill upcoming vacancies through a rigorous testing and selection process in March of this year. The two will complete a month-long orientation and recruit academy prior to being assigned to a shift schedule.
Cook, the son of North Bend Firefighter Chris Cook, was a volunteer with CBFD and has been a Paramedic with Bay Cities Ambulance for the past six years. Cook has an associate degree from Southwestern Oregon Community College in Paramedicine.
Lucero is the son of North Bend Fire Department Lieutenant John Lucero. Lucero is a Paramedic and has been working as a Firefighter/Paramedic for LaGrande Fire Department for over three years. In addition to a Paramedicine degree, Lucero also has a Fire Science degree – both from Southwestern Oregon Community College.
The hiring of these young firefighters helps the CBFD maintain staffing levels when Lieutenant Doug Vetter retires at the end of June and Firefighter Mike Seldon retires in January of 2024.
The Department is excited to have these two excellent additions to City staff.
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Fire Department Receives Grant for Rescue Tool from Rotary
 Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) was awarded a grant from the Rotary Coos Foundation for the purchase of a hydraulic rescue tool. The Department needed a rescue tool, commonly called the “Jaws of Life” for the fire engine that is housed in the Empire district of Coos Bay. This battery-powered hydraulic rescue tool, or combi-tool, combines the capabilities of both spreading and cutting tools. The combi-tool is lightweight for easy use but is powerful enough to rip or cut through hardened steel to rescue victims that may have been trapped inside a vehicle following a crash. While the City has similar tools at the main station in downtown Coos Bay, the Empire area needed this tool to prevent delays in extricating patients. The traffic along Cape Arago highway, particularly in the summer months, increases the likelihood that a tool like this will be needed.
The Rotary Coos Foundation generously awarded a grant in the amount $10,000 to assist with the purchase of this $17,000 life-saving tool. CBFD staff are grateful for the community partners, like the Rotary Coos Foundation, that help make the Coos Bay area such a great place to live and work.
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Coos County Fire Season Starts June 9
With the weather warming up and the vegetation drying out, the Coos Forest Protective Association has declared Friday, June 9 as the start of “fire season.” Although this bans open burning throughout Coos County, the incorporated cities of Coos Bay and North Bend will still allow back yard burning. The cities are exempt from the ban and are allowed to apply and enforce their own restrictions as conditions dictate. Our coastal air typically keeps the fuel moisture content in our area at a reasonable level through even the dry and windy summer months. Fire department personnel continue to evaluate the conditions and still may need to enact restrictions before the summer is over.
In Coos Bay, no permit is required for residential back yard burning, but the following rules must be followed:
- Burn during daylight hours only
- Fires must be kept in small controlled piles or in a burn barrel
- Fires must be attended by a responsible adult
- A hose or means to extinguish the fire must be on hand
- Allowed fuel includes wood, paper, and yard clippings only (No plastics or garbage)
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Burning is a privilege. Fire department personnel or the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) may suspend or revoke that privilege if smoke creates a nuisance.
If you are unsure if your property is inside city limits or under the county’s authority, you address numbers may provide the answer. Typically, five digit addresses are outside of City limits, where three or four digit numbered addresses are inside the City.
The Coos Bay Fire Department urges everyone to use caution if they decide to burn; particularly during this windy and dry season. More information about back yard burning is available at http://coosbay.org/departments/fire-department#burning-regulations.
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Library Board Members Needed
 The City of Coos Bay is seeking volunteers to fill openings on the Library Board. Applications are available from the City Manager’s Office during the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling 541- 269-8912, or on the City’s website at www.coos.bay.org or email Christine Sylvester at csylvester@coosbayor.gov. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, 2023. Applicants will be contacted for interviews, and appointments will be made by the City Council at the July 18, 2023, regular council meeting.
Library Board Background
The Library Board, Coos Bay Municipal Code 2.25, was established by Ordinance No. 57 and consists of seven members. The term of office is four years. Up to three board members may at any one time reside in Coos County within the boundaries of School Dist. 9 but outside the city limits of Coos Bay. Members shall be limited to serving no more than two full consecutive terms; however, any person may be reappointed after an interval of one year. There are currently two openings on the Board.
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The City of Coos Bay invites the public to attend the first Planning Commission Meeting on the Empire Area Blueprint Project to review the purpose of the project, existing land use, and transportation conditions within the project area.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 6 p.m.
Join in person at City Hall Council Chambers, 500 Central Avenue, Coos Bay
Join Online
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83675158015?pwd=eXVZdk1JallhdkZmcHk4ZTRJRGRRdz09
Meeting ID: 836 7515 8015, Passcode: 711407
Join by Phone
Call 971-247-1195 Meeting ID: 836 7515 8015, Passcode: 711407
Live Stream
The meeting will also be streamed live via the City’s YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@cityofcoosbay/streams
Submit a comment by Monday, June 12 at the project website: https://empire-area-blueprint-deagis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/contact-us, or by contacting Planning Administrator Chelsea Schnabel at cschnabel@coosbayor.gov or 541-269-8918.
Find out more here:
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The South Coast Equity Coalition in partnership with the Juneteenth Celebration Committee is hosting Coos County’s Third Annual Juneteenth Celebration June 17 and 19, 2023.
Our theme this year is Family Reunion. We chose this theme because for Black communities, family reunions have centered around resilience through storytelling, visibility, joy and food.
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On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas finally learned that they had been freed from bondage. President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier, but Texas slaveholders hid that fact from the people they kept in chains. Since then, generations of Black Americans have celebrated the anniversary of that liberation as “Juneteenth.”
The South Coast Equity Coalition is honored and delighted to bring the FREE celebration to Coos County for the third year with fun, education, entertainment, and activities for all!
Juneteenth Celebration Itinerary
Saturday, June 17, 2023
11 am – 1 pm A Keynote Address from Oregon Remembrance Project’s Taylor Stewart
A FREE discussion followed by Q&A at the Coos History Museum with Taylor Stewart. Learn about Juneteenth and its historical ties to black communities and how resilience through equity is achieved. We will also be remembering the life of Mr. Alonzo Tucker.
Taylor Stewart has resided in Portland, OR his entire life. He graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in Communication and Portland State University with a Master’s in Social Work. Two encounters inspired Stewart to start the Oregon Remembrance Project. The first was a quote from John Lewis, longtime Civil Rights icon and Congressman from Georgia, who said, “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” This inspired Stewart with the fierce urgency of now. The second was the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum where the museum focused on the stories of everyday Mississippians who did their part to pave the way for justice. This taught Stewart the idea that you don’t have to be an extraordinary person to do extraordinary things. Stewart’s life was transformed by the opportunity to participate in the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Projects. He hopes to bring that same opportunity for transformation to other individuals and communities in Oregon.
To learn more about Mr. Alonzo Tucker follow the link: https://www.oregonremembrance.org/the-story
Saturday, June 17, 2023
4 pm – 8 pm The Family Reunion Reception at Black Market Gourmet
4:30 pm Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by Zoey Acker
5:00 pm Oregon’s Black Pioneers by Carolyn Acker
5:30 pm A Taste of Reliance by Chef Jardin Kazaar
6:00 pm Black National Anthem by Gold Meadows
6:30 pm Intermission (A lot of fun with music, food, and arts and crafts)
8:00 pm Closing of the Space (Call to Action) by Taylor Stewards
A FREE day at Black Market Gourmet with music, food, arts, crafts and activities for all ages!
Black Market Gourmet is located at 495 Central Ave, Coos Bay, 97420
Monday, June 19, 2023
6 pm – 8 pm FREE Movie Night at the Egyptian Theatre
On the day of Juneteenth, the planning committee will be showing a family friendly movie, Soul, a Disney Pixar film. The movie centers on Joe, a middle school band teacher who feels unfulfilled because his ambition is to be a full-time jazz musician. On the day he lands the biggest gig of his career, Joe nearly dies — but then gets the chance to return to his body if he can figure out the purpose of his life.
The South Coast Equity Coalition is a Regional Health Equity Coalition (RHEC), we are an autonomous, community-driven, and cross-sector group. We work by building on the inherent strengths of local communities to meaningfully involve them in identifying sustainable, long- term, policy, system and environmental solutions to increase health equity for communities of color, and those living at the intersection of race/ethnicity and other marginalized identities.
For more information about the Juneteenth Celebration and the South Coast Equity Coalition, visit https://southcoastequity.org/ or email equity@unitedwayswo.org.
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Spring Clean Up at Shore Acres
 Shore Acres State Park is seeking volunteers for a garden beautification event Friday, June 16 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Shore Acres State Park, 89526 Cape Arago Highway, Coos Bay. Volunteers should sign up online. Tasks include weeding, trimming, mowing, mulching, painting, staining, picking up trash and pulling invasive weeds in the botanical gardens. Participants should pack water, a sack lunch, and gloves if they have them. Rangers also recommend dressing for the weather and wearing closed-toe shoes. Participants should also be prepared to travel a short distance on uneven ground to the service site and be prepared to work with hand tools.
These two events will help get the park ready for Rose Sunday on June 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Father’s Day that includes rose viewing, Garden House open house, refreshments and information displays from the South Coast Rose Society.
Shore Acres features a formal garden with plants and flowers from all over the world. It includes a Japanese-style garden with lily pond and two curated rose gardens that include All-American Rose Selections. Something is in bloom almost every day of the year: the first spring bulbs pop up in late February; rhododendrons and azaleas soon follow; roses bloom through the summer; and dahlias appear August through mid-October.
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