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Published By Your City Hall

June 21, 2024

Special Projects and Programs Made Possible Through Grant Funds

At this week’s City Council meeting, the Council accepted a grant from Business Oregon to help with the seismic rehabilitation of the Eastside Fire Station. This $1.1M grant was written and submitted by the Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD), showcasing the wide range of expertise found in our staff and departments. Like CBFD, each department writes, submits, and manages their own grants. Grants are a key component of the financial support assisting with special projects or programs. And though each department has expertise with grant writing, they do juggle that grant work with their regular operational tasks. A huge thank you to each of the departments for going the extra mile to find funding for our community.

The receipt of the Eastside Fire Station funding sparked the idea to highlight the amount of grants the City has been awarded over the last five years. While there are a lot of opportunities for grant funding available, it can be a time-consuming process, which sometimes doesn’t result in a grant award. With that in mind, City staff carefully identify available grants, making sure to focus on opportunities to cover large projects or ‘one-off’ purchases. This saves us from becoming dependent upon grant funding for daily operational needs. 

Over the last five years, the City has been awarded nearly $11M in grant funds from federal, state, and local/regional sources which have helped to fund projects or specific single-time needs. A breakdown of those funds over each year shows we are becoming increasingly more successful in our grant applications:

Fiscal Year 2019-2020           $209,086

Fiscal Year 2020-2021         $1,076,988

Fiscal Year 2021-2022         $2,713,012

Fiscal Year 2022-2023         $3,307,218

Fiscal Year 2023-2024         $3,412,743

Finally, it is important to thank all of the organizations that make grant programs available to small communities. Without this generosity and assistance, many special programs or projects would not be possible in Coos Bay.

-Joe Benetti, Mayor of Coos Bay

Revised Council Meeting Dates 

On June 4, the City Council discussed and approved a revised summer meeting schedule for July - August for both City Council and the Urban Renewal Agency (URA) Board meetings:

July 2, 2024 – CANCELLED July 16, 2024 July 23, 2024 (work session) August 6, 2024 August 20, 2024 – CANCELLED August 27, 2024 (work session) – CANCELLED

Meeting dates are also available by viewing the City of Coos Bay Events Calendar on the homepage: https://www.coosbayor.gov/home

Notice of election November 5, 2024, for positions of Mayor and four (4) Councilors. Citizens can file their declaration of candidacy at City Hall, 500 Central Avenue, in the City Manager’s office from June 5, 2024 - August 27, 2024. Candidates filing by petition are to file before 5 p.m. on August 20, 2024. Citizens must be a registered voter and have resided within the city limits for one (1) year preceding election date. Questions can be addressed to Christine Sylvester, City Recorder, at 541-269-1181, ext. 3103.

$1.1 Million Dollar Make-Over for
Eastside Fire Station

Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program (SRGP) is a state competitive grant program that provides funding for the seismic rehabilitation of critical public buildings.

At the June 18 meeting, Coos Bay City Council approved the receipt of a seismic rehabilitation grant through Business Oregon for the structural stabilization of the Eastside Fire Station.

The Eastside Fire Station was built in 1954. The 5,275 square foot building served as the base of municipal services for the City of Eastside (including Council Chambers, Finance and Public Works offices, Fire, and Police departments) until the merger of Eastside with Coos Bay in 1983. The building has continued to serve the Eastside community as a fire station since that time.

For many years the Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) staffed the station 24/7 with one full time employee. In 2002, that practice was deemed both unsafe for the sole firefighter and an inefficient use of the resource (less than 4% of the City’s emergency responses are in the Eastside community). The CBFD maintains the Eastside Fire Station and keeps a reserve fire engine there if an issue with the Isthmus Slough bridge would prohibit or delay the response of resources from Fire Station #1. The City also keeps a stockpile of disaster preparedness supplies within the Station to assist the Eastside community with response and recovery from a natural or man-made disaster. 

The CBFD leases the living quarters to Coos Forest Protection Association (CFPA) for the housing of seasonal staff from May to October. Additionally, several community groups utilize the Station for scheduled meetings within the neighborhood.

The southern Oregon coast is extremely vulnerable to a devastating earthquake such as a Cascadia Subduction Zone event with the possibility of an energy release between 7 and 9+ on the Richter scale. The concrete Eastside Fire Station was not designed to withstand an earthquake. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) has listed the structure’s collapse potential as “very high”. 

Eastside has a population of roughly 2,400 permanent residents as well as two schools with up to 1,000 students and staff when school is in session. The City recognizes the need to keep equipment and resources available within Eastside to assist with the response and recovery from an earthquake. With assistance from HGE, a local architect firm with a history of successful grant applications, staff applied for the Seismic Rehabilitation grant and recently received notification of the grant award. This $1,125,000 grant will ensure that the City has a resilient presence in the Eastside neighborhood.

Say Hello to Special Events Season!

Special Event season is underway at the City of Coos Bay, bringing so many great events to the community and at no cost!! Some of the events include the Downtown Farmer’s Market, Mayfly Festival, Family Fun Day and Shakespeare in the Park just to name a few. The Coos Bay Library has numerous events planned at Mingus Park for kiddos during the Summer Reading Program. Check out their website for more information.

Please note that the Special Event Permit Application (SEPA) and webpage have undergone some recent changes. Staff hope that these changes will help event organizers better prepare for their event and understand exactly what is required by the city before making an application. There is no fee for the SEPA unless you are serving alcohol in which case there is a City OLCC fee. One of the changes includes access to the Background Investigation Release which accompanies the SEPA for events that are serving alcohol. The City does the background check in alignment with the state OLCC application process and signs off as the local jurisdiction.

After reviewing the municipal code, the number of portable restrooms per person has increased from 50 to 100. For every 100 people, a portable restroom is required.

Other updates to the website include bringing current maps to include with the SEPA to ensure City staff can support event locations accurately.

If you have any questions or need clarification, please reach out to the Public Works Department at 541-269-8918.

Mobile Fire Training Unit in Coos Bay

The Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) is benefitting from a special training resource owned by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). The State has a Regional Trainer, Rick Cooper (formerly with North Bend Fire Department), who leases an office within the CBFD. As the Regional Trainer for Southwest Oregon, Cooper is responsible for providing State sponsored training for Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties. Because of our symbiotic relationship with DPSST, Coos Bay has easy access to the scheduling of DPSST training resources and opportunities.

The CBFD has seven Fire Science and/or Paramedicine students who are currently going through a three-week training academy. Additionally, with the new fire training facility at Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC), the CBFD needed to have a handful of staff certified as “Live-Fire Instructor” to lead training with real fire. DPSST saw these two events as an opportunity to use their specialized “Mobile Fire Training Unit” to benefit the local fire service community. DPSST has provided their Mobile Fire Training Unit for the training of students and to qualify six additional CBFD staff as Live-Fire Instructors.

This specialized trailer utilizes propane to fuel different types of fires and a wide variety of scenarios within the trailer. Firefighters experience realistic fire conditions, but in a very controlled environment. Computers monitor heat levels and generate artificial smoke but because the fuel can be instantly shut off, the risk of injury to firefighters is significantly reduced.

Several other fire departments from around the county will be coming to utilize the Mobile Fire Training Unit over the next several weeks. Coos Bay is fortunate to have this relationship with DPSST that allows us to bring valuable training right to our doorstep.          

Stay Up to Date on Local Tourism!

Governor Kotek Hosted Digital Equity Event in Coos Bay

Oregon’s Digital Equity Plan was recently approved with an allocation of $9.9 million in initial federal funding to implement the Digital Equity Plan

On June 13, 2024, Governor Tina Kotek hosted a roundtable event in Coos Bay to foster dialogue around digital equity issues in Southwest Oregon and the initiatives being organized by local and state governments.

“I am committed to our state’s goal to provide all Oregonians with access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet,” Governor Kotek said. “Digital equity is a cornerstone to achieving positive social, civic, economic, and educational outcomes for our state. Today’s conversation about the innovative approaches local communities in Southwest Oregon are taking to address our digital divide is another reminder that Oregon is ready for more federal resources to implement these plans.”

“We live in an interconnected world where equitable access to digital technologies is critical,” Sami Pierson, Coos Bay Public Library Director said. “Public libraries are an integral part of our society and are a key player in bridging the digital divide. We want an Oregon where everyone has access to computers, and the Coos Bay Public Library is looking forward to continuing to work with the Oregon Broadband Office and our local partners to meet that vision.”

Roundtable participants included Business Oregon Director Sophorn Cheang and representatives from the Oregon Broadband Office, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Coos Bay Library, United Way of Southwestern Oregon, Boys & Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon, Coos Hispanic Allies, and the North Bend School District.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has approved Initial Proposal Volume II under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Now that Initial Proposal Volume II (IPv2) has been approved, Oregon will receive the necessary funding allocation to administer the program and can start the subgrantee selection process. The 5-Year Action Plan, Initial Proposals Volumes I and II, and the public comments that shaped them are Oregon’s strategy to invest $689 million from BEAD funding to provide access to affordable, high-speed, reliable broadband internet to 100% of Oregonians.

For more information on the BEAD program, click here.

On March 28 of this year, the NTIA announced the acceptance of the State of Oregon’s Digital Equity Plan. Oregon will use the $9.9 million Digital Equity Capacity Grant allocation from the NTIA to implement the approved State of Oregon Digital Equity plan, which will ensure that all Oregonians have meaningful access to affordable and reliable high-speed home internet, a computing device and technical support, and the digital literacy skills necessary to fully participate in the 21st-century economy and society.
 

City Requests Development Proposals 

The City of Coos Bay is seeking development proposals for the former municipal fire station site at 150 South Fourth Street. Approximately 0.22-acres m/l of readily available land, ideally suited for Mixed-Use development in Oregon’s largest coastal city.

The property is intended to provide the community with a mix of mutually supporting retail, service, office, and residential uses. The property’s location within the Downtown Parking District means that off-street parking is not required for development. Multiple public parking lots are near the property and available for public use.

Economic development and revitalization are a primary goal of the City of Coos Bay. The City envisions a new development on the property that provides a mix of uses to further revitalize and enhance the economic vitality of the Downtown area. Development proposals for the property should complement the surrounding Downtown both functionally and aesthetically.

The City seeks Letters of Interest from interested development teams. City staff will review Letters of Interest to make a recommendation to the City of Coos Bay Urban Renewal Agency (URA). Presentations will be scheduled with top applicants and the URA. Selection of the preferred development proposal is anticipated thereafter.

Library Accepts Flags for Disposal During June

In Collaboration with the Daughters of
the American Revolution

The Coos Bay Public Library will once again be accepting warn, torn, and dirty U.S. flags for proper disposal during the month of June. If you are replacing your old flag with a new one and you’re not sure what to do with it, bring it to the library! We will be accepting these flags throughout the month of June and will work with the Daughters of the American Revolution to ensure they are properly destroyed.

Neurodiversity Gathering at the Library

On Tuesday, June 25 from 2-4 p.m. we will have our sensory-friendly monthly gathering for neurodiverse adults and support staff at the Library. Join us for fun, snacks, and community! 

The Coos Bay Public Library will be having a Clothing Swap from 12-3 p.m. on Saturday June 22. Bring up to five pieces of clothing or accessories that are clean and serviceable and drop them at the drop off table. We’ll sort them out and put them on our display tables. Donations are accepted from 12:00-2:30 p.m. You don’t have to bring something to take something.

Looking for a little magic? Come on out to Mingus Park from 10-11a.m. on Friday, June 28 and enjoy watching Jeff Evans who has been named “Seattle’s funniest magician” and two-time winner of Parent Map Magazines “Golden Teddy” award.

Beware the Ides of March! Coos Bay’s own Shakespeare in the Park brings us Julius Caesar! Performed in the outdoor amphitheater of Mingus Park, the production features a brilliant cast of one of Shakespeare’s most revered plays. Shows will be held on Saturdays and Sundays, June 22 - 23 and June 29 -30 at 3 p.m. Green Show begins at 2:30 p.m. Bring a chair or a blanket to sit on the amphitheater’s hillside overlooking the stage.

The Coos Bay Downtown Association and the City of Coos Bay would like to extend an invitation to participate in 4th of July in the Park. This year the event will be held from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Mingus Park. Planning for this event is underway. The goal is to bring the community together for a fun-filled family friendly event.

This event is free to the public. If your organization would like to participate, please fill out the vendor application by emailing mainstreetmanager@coosbaydowntown.com and return it via email beth@checkerberrys.com. Any questions can be directed to Beth Clarkson at 541-290-4176.

Join fellow runners and walkers on July 4, 2024 at Mingus Park for the annual Firecracker Run! There will be a 1/2-mile kid’s run and the 4K for grown-ups. Kid’s run is 1.5 times around the lake. The 4K is three times around the lake followed by a huge hill in the park. You will then run on city streets, down another Mingus Park dirt trail, and finish on the paved path by the lake.

10 a.m. – 1/2 mile kid’s run – Free!

10:15 a.m. (or whenever the kid’s run is over) – 4K Grown-up Run/Walk

• Free for South Coast Running Club members, but please sign up online to help make race morning less crazy!
• $10 for non-members. Register online here! 
• Become a member and race for free!

The Bay Area Concert Band is preparing for two summer concerts this year featuring a guest performance by New York jazz artist Aaron Johnson accompanied by Wilbur Jensen, Ilya Lushtak, Dave Captein and Dale Snyder.

The first performance will be an indoor concert to be held at the North Bend Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Immediately following the Thursday evening concert, there will be a reception to honor the band’s esteemed guest, Aaron Johnson and accompanying musicians. 

The second performance will be held Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 12 p.m. in Mingus Park and also features New York jazz artist Aaron Johnson. Saturday’s performance will be the traditional opening performance for the Oregon Coast Musical Festival. It has been the Band’s honor to open the Festival since the Festival began in 1978.

Conductor Stephen Simpkins has compiled a wide range of music that has something for everyone. A few of the songs the band will be performing include:

• “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” composed and written by John Williams
• The lighthearted “Farandole” written by Georges Bizet
• Be transported with works such as “Folk Dances” composed by Dmitri Shostakovich which is filled with the joy and exuberance of the Russian people
• “Three Celtic Dances” written by Brian Balmages, based on three different Scottish dance forms.
• Enjoy the beauty of the “English Folk Song Suite” by R Vaughn Williams.
• Tap your toes to “El Relicario Paso Doble” by Jose Padilla a
• “The Peanut Vendor (El Manisero)” a Cuban song composed by Moises Simons.
• Our featured guest will be accompanied by the Bay Area Concert Band as Aaron Johnson delights us with “Concerto for Clarinet” by Artie Shaw.

Please join us for an entertaining time and enjoy these songs and more! Admission is free, donations are greatly appreciated. For more information visit our website: bayareaconcertband.org or find us on Facebook.

9-1-1 Dispatcher

The City of Coos Bay is soliciting applications for the position of 9-1-1 Dispatcher.  To apply for the position, interested parties should submit a city application, police supplemental application, resume, and letter of interest to the HR Office or by email at jspencer@coosbayor.gov. City applications are available from the City Manager’s Office, City Hall, 500 Central Avenue, Coos Bay, Oregon 97420, by email at jspencer@coosbayor.gov or on the City’s website at https://www.coosbayor.gov/government/job-openings

• Type: Full Time
• Salary/Pay Rate: $4503 - $5742/Month DOQ *Salary may increase dependent on Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Deadline to Apply: 06/21/2024 5 p.m.

Deadline to apply for position is June 21, 2024 at 5 p.m. Please include a valid email address where you can be contacted.  All notifications regarding your status in the selection process will be made via electronic mail. NOTE:  Applications without an attached personal resume will not be considered. It should also be noted that preference will be given to a certified dispatcher applying for this position.  In addition to preference, Certified applicants would be eligible for a $5,000 hiring bonus ($2,500 after being hired and $2,500 after successful completion of probationary period) as well as the possibility of up to $1,000 moving expense reimbursement.

The City of Coos Bay is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.  All qualified persons will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, handicap or any other non-merit factor. If reasonable accommodation is required to complete the application process, please contact the City Manager’s Office at 269-8912 during normal business hours.

JOB DESCRIPTION

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:  Performs a variety of radio communications for police, fire, and EMS units. Answers business and emergency telephone calls and performs clerical and receptionist work in the operation of the Police Department.  Performs related work as required.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:  Works under the supervision of the Communications Supervisor and/or the shift supervisor.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:  Supervision of other employees is not a normal responsibility of an employee in this class.

TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF WORK:  An employee in this classification may perform any of the following duties; however, these examples do not include all the specific tasks which an employee may be expected to perform.

1.   Operates two-way radio, teletype, telephone, data processing, voice logging, Computer Aided Dispatch, and computer equipment in the dispatch center; receives and transmits messages to the Coos Bay Police and other contracted police and fire agencies; maintains records of on duty police officers, fire, and EMS location at all times. Completes CAD entries on types of calls, reporting party, subjects contacted and arrested, and disposition of the case.  Monitors all radio traffic from police, fire and medical agencies served by Coos Bay Police/Coos Bay 9-1-1 Center.

2.   Responds to requests and inquiries for record checks:  DMV, CCH, NCIC, warrants, vehicles, persons, property, registration and miscellaneous information.

3.   Receives all incoming business telephone calls for the Police Department.  Answers after-hours phone calls for other city departments. 

4.   Maintains files and records of arrests, cases, and information such as licenses, stolen cars and car registrations.  Codes, logs and tallies statistical reports.

5.   Provides appropriate information to other law enforcement agencies as may be required.

6.   Monitors building security and wastewater alarm systems and notifies proper personnel when activated. 

7.   Provides pre-arrival medical instructions to callers on the phone until EMS services arrive on scene.

8.  Monitors activity in city hall via video camera.  Provides information, directions and resources to subjects in the police lobby by telephone or intercom.         

9.  Conducts background record checks as approved by Coos Bay City Ordinance.

HIRING PROCESS

Applicants must complete and submit the required application forms and personal resume by Friday, June 21 at 5 pm as specified in this job posting. All applicants will be notified of the final status of their application.

• Application Period: ................................. May 13 - June 21, 2024 at 5 p.m.
• Review of Applications: .......................... Will be reviewed upon reception
• Testing…………………………………….............. TBA occurs in-person at CBPD- Testing is for entry level applicants only.
• Interviews with Selected Candidates:  ...TBA
• Follow-up Interview (as needed) ............TBA
• Projected Start Date: ............................... August 2024

City of Coos Bay 500 Central Ave. Coos Bay, OR 97420

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