Clatsop County Commisssion Meeting Highlights, Wednesday, March 26th

Marijuana facility moratorium

The board conducted the first reading of an ordinance imposing a moratorium on medical marijuana facilities in the unincorporated county. The moratorium bans the operation of dispensaries and other facilities that provide marijuana products to medical marijuana card holders until May 1, 2015.

Earlier in March the Oregon Legislature passed a bill granting cities and counties the ability to impose moratoriums on medical marijuana facilities effective until May 1, 2015. Currently no medical marijuana facilities operate in the unincorporated county.

The board will resume a public hearing on the ordinance and take a final vote at its April 23 meeting.

Diking district transfer

The board approved a letter of intent re-assigning easements of Diking District #13 from Clatsop County to the Bonneville Power Administration. The district, which came under the county’s administration after it was dissolved in the 1970s, covers property along the Youngs River and Walluski River that is the location of a project aimed at restoring the land to natural conditions by the modification and removal of some of the surrounding dikes.

The project is a cooperative effort of the BPA, Astoria Wetlands LLC and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.

Commissioner liaison duties

The board re-assigned some of its liaison appointments to outside agency boards in light of the appointment of Matt Samuelson as new commissioner for District 5. Those assignments are:

COVER OREGON APPLICATION FAIR TUESDAY MARCH 25 IN CANNON BEACH

Clatsop County residents interested in applying for health insurance coverage under the Cover Oregon insurance marketplace can get personal assistance at an Application Fair Tuesday, March 25 in Cannon Beach.
The fair will take place 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Cannon Beach City Hall, 163 E. Gower.
Cover Oregon is the state’s new online marketplace where Oregonians can shop for health insurance, choose from different health insurance companies  to find plans that will fit their needs and budget, and access savings to help pay for coverage.
Attendees should bring the following information to complete their applications:

• Social Security number (or alien resident number)
• Birthdates for everyone in the household
• Employer and income information
• Other income information (alimony, student loan interest, IRA, etc.)
• Any self-employment deductions
• Policy and plan names for any current health insurance
• Information about health coverage available through an employer

Your application time can be shortened by printing out an application form from the CoverOregon.com website and fill out as much information prior to the event.
For more information contact Judi Mahoney at (503) 358-2333 or Miranda Heligso at (503) 325-8315.

WORKSHOPS ON TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS TO BE HELD IN SEASIDE AND ASTORIA

  

The Oregon Office of Emergency Management in association with the Oregon Office on Disability and Health is holding a series of free workshops on Earthquake and Tsunami Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations.

The workshops are set for:
Friday, March 21, 1-3pm, Tillamook Library, 1716 3rd Street , Tillamook

      Wednesday, March 26, 1- 3 p.m. – Providence Seaside Hospital, 725 S. Wahanna Rd., Seaside

     Thursday, March 27, 3 p.m. – Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St., Astoria
 

These workshops will help those who work with elders, daycare/infant care, people with disabilities, or other vulnerable groups learn more about how to prepare for earthquakes and tsunamis and other natural disasters.

Participants will learn about the natural hazard posed by the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquakes and tsunamis and their impact on their business or services. Participants will be given preparedness information tailored to vulnerable population support services. Each workshop will last about two hours.

Presenting the workshops are Althea Rizzo, Geological Hazards Program Coordinator at the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, an experienced presenter with a long history of natural hazards education in Oregon, and Justin E. Ross, Disaster Preparedness Community Outreach and Training Program Coordinator for Oregon Office on Disability and Health, who is an emergency management professional specializing in vulnerable populations disaster planning and preparedness.

To register email althea.rizzo@state.or.us with “EQ Workshop” in the subject line and provide name, agency, email address and which workshop you wish to attend.

MATT SAMUELSON SELECTED AS NEW DISTRICT 5 CLATSOP COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Matt Samuelson sworn in March 12

Matt Samuelson of Elsie is the new Clatsop County Commissioner for District 5.

The Board of Commissioners unanimously selected Samuelson from among three applicants at its March 12 meeting. Samuelson was sworn into office following the vote by Circuit Court Judge Phil Nelson.

Samuelson will serve the remainder of the term of former commissioner Debra Birkby, who resigned Jan. 31. The term runs through Dec. 31, 2014. Samuelson, a mechanic, is a life-long and seventh-generation Clatsop County resident. He is a former member of the Jewell School District Board and is active with 4-H and the Clatsop County Fair.

District 5 covers the southern portion of Clatsop County, including Cannon Beach, Arch Cape, Jewell, Elsie and Hamlet and portions of Seaside.

The District 5 position is up for election May 20 for a four-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2015. The other two applicants for appointment to the vacancy, Dale Barrett and Lianne Thompson, have filed as candidates in the May election; Samuelson is not a candidate.