Author: North Coast BBQ

In August 2024, the City Manager issued a Request For Proposals allowing engineering firms to provide proposals for professional engineering services and construction administration. The request included the unusual requirement that “all proposers must have been in business as their current entity for at least five years”. This effectively eliminated North Coast Civil Design, a local firm with 25 years of  experience including the design, overview, and construction administration services for the Dorcus Lane Reconstruction Project. North Coast Civil Design was viewed to be in existence in their “current entity”  as a business for 3 years thus effectively preventing them from even submitting a proposal for consideration. 

City officials retain Windsor Engineers from Portland, pay them $424,000 for presenting a project to the community for 2,000 feet of road widening, a new 10 ft. wide paved pedestrian path, over 3,000 ft. of new water main, over 1,000 linear feet of retaining wall for the extreme slope along the west side of Classic Street, and stormwater improvements. Unfortunately, key provisions of that design will not now be built and Windsor Engineers was removed from the project with no public explanation. City officials now decide to select North Coast Civil Design to salvage a project that squandered both time and money. No explanation given as to why the 5 year prohibition preventing a submittal a year ago was no longer relevant. 

Classic Street is defined as a Minor Collector street due to the volume and type of traffic it carries and as such is required by City Ordinance to have minimum eleven foot travel lanes. City officials plan to ignore their own Ordinance requirements and maintain the existing 10 foot travel lanes for a considerable portion of the project. The 2 foot wide landscape buffer that was designed to separate vehicle traffic from pedestrians has been eliminated thus maintaining the existing unsafe conditions for bikers and pedestrians. Despite the fact that Councilors take an oath to uphold City Ordinances, when that oath becomes inconvenient, they simply ignore it and hope no one notices.
   
Perhaps the most important element of the project identified by Windsor Engineering was the need for a retaining wall or other suitable engineering measures along the steep slope that forms the west boundary of Classic Street. The Windsor consultants noted the  pavement condition along the west side of Classic Street and confirmed that the underlying base is moving or otherwise failing. There will be no retaining wall built to arrest this movement which will only be exacerbated by the increasing levels of traffic on Classic Street in the years to come. The exact condition of the existing road base is also unknown. Old timers recall when the original road base was put in with substandard materials including old tires and the City then failed to overlay the road base with sufficient asphalt.  

The City continues to pay legal fees and awaits a verdict out of Tillamook Circuit Court resulting from a prospective bidder who alleges the City engaged in an improper bid process. The City Manager claims that visitors pay for most of our infrastructure improvements yet not a single dollar of Transient Lodging Tax money from those visitors has been budgeted for this project to assist funding the construction as recommended by the Windsor consultants to create a long term stable roadway with sufficient width to provide safe conditions for pedestrians and bikers. 

No announcement from the City as to when the new design which bears little resemblance to the one presented last year, will be presented to the public at a meeting for review and questions. Also, a firm cost for the above described project remains unknown and likely will need to be increased if some of the unknowns need to be corrected. After all, what could possibly go wrong? 

Randy Kugler

We’re excited to invite you—and everyone you know—to join us for two important community protest events that bring us together for positive change!

Event #1: Nehalem Community Protest

Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Location: Nehalem (gather across from the coffee shop)

Let’s unite as the North County Resistance for a peaceful, informative, and constructive gathering. Even if there’s a little rain, don’t let that stop you—we promise you won’t melt! Bring your own beverage or grab a coffee across the street. We’re also collecting donations for the Food Bank to help our neighbors in need. Your participation can make a real difference in our community!

Event #2: “NO KINGS” National Protest

Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025

Location: Manzanita

This is our biggest protest of the year, and we’re joining 2,456 locations across the United States—over 1.5 million people are already registered! Rain or shine, we’ll stand together against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. There’s no coffee shop nearby for this one, so be sure to bring your own drinks and anything you’d like to share with fellow citizens.

Why Participate?

Our protests are more than just gatherings—they’re moments to strengthen our community, raise awareness of important issues, and inspire hope. Every voice matters, and together we can create lasting, positive change. By showing up and supporting each other, we build a stronger, more caring community for all.

Take Action!

Register now to join the “NO KINGS” event in Manzanita on October 18, 2025! Your commitment encourages others—invite your friends, family, and neighbors to stand with us. Use the link below to sign up and help spread the word:

mobilize.us/s/RYC75X

Together, we can make a difference. I’ve already signed up—will you join us.

Best, Patty