Posted on

Networking opportunity set for July 18

 

By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director

Living in a small, rural community like Tillamook, the Chamber of Commerce – along with all our residents and business owners – faces both unique challenges and opportunities. One example is the increasing  number of small businesses and entrepreneurs in our area without a traditional brick and mortar building. We have a surprising number of freelance and independent contractors that offer valuable services while operating sometimes with just one person. These businesses – much like traditional small businesses – don’t always have access to the resources that large companies do, and survive based simply on their talent, the useful services they offer, and of course networking and mutual support from other small business and business owners.

One avenue of support that has sprouted in our community under the guidance of photographer and owner of Imago Dei Photography Xiomara Guard is our local chapter of the Rising Tide Society. This professional group gets together once a month for Tuesdays Together to discuss topics picked by the national organization and to learn from industry experts. Their goal is to emphasis collaboration over competition and encourage education and community support – because a rising tide lifts all boats. The Rising Tide Society believes there is no reason why each of our independent and creative businesses can’t be successful, and that success will come in the way of relationships and collaborations.

At the Chamber, we are partnering with the Rising Tide Society to offer a networking and social gathering on July 18th at 5:30 here at the Chamber office. This evening of learning and connecting is open to all business owners and independent contractors and is a way to learn more about the Rising Tide Society as well as the other services in our community. Come learn if this group is a good fit for you, and discover ways you can partner and grow in conjunction with other small businesses. If you’re already a member of the Rising Tide Society, consider this an opportunity to network and reach out to other businesses about your services and skills to see how you can help each other flourish. And of course since this is a Chamber-hosted event, it will be casual and fun.

That same day is our monthly Mornings on Mainstreet. These morning get togethers are drop in from 8-9 for our Chamber members to stay connected with one another and with the Chamber. It gives us face time to hear from our members and learn how we can continue to serve them and our community in the best way possible. This gathering is always the third Tuesday of every month, and as we’ve continued to host this quasi-membership meeting, we’ve been encouraged to see new members appearing every month to learn what is happening in the business community. Help us spread the word that this monthly resource is here for our members and is a great way to stay involved.

The Chamber has some more networking, educational, and informative ideas coming down the pipe and we would love the business communities feedback on gaps they feel we can fill in regards to formats and topics. You can get in contact with the chamber by emailing info@tillamookchamber.org or just giving us a call at 503-842-7525.

Posted on

Cork & Brew Tour – get your tickets before they sell out

 

By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director

If the air smells slightly hoppy downtown, that would be thanks to those boxes of beer we are storing in our temporary downstairs office as it awaits its debut on June 16. And before you even ask, no, we haven’t taste tested a single bottle – it’s all for the 2017 Cork & Brew Tour.

This promises to be the best Cork & Brew Tour yet, so whether you’re a regular or a newbie, come Friday evening you are in for a fun treat – literally and figuratively.

All the fun begins at Pelican Brewing Co’s new bottling facility on the corner of Front Street and Grove Avenue, with interactive brewery tours, uncorking contests, a blind taste test, a professional photo booth and friendly games of corn hole and ring toss. We’re excited to announce that Jazzitude will be performing during the launch party! Be prepared to check in to this awesome kickoff at 4:30 p.m. and spend some time enjoying the music and all the fun activities. A huge thank you to our sponsors, Warrenton Kia, Coast Real Estate Professionals in Manzanita, and Werner Meats in Tillamook.

Then, with your passport and complimentary tasting glass in hand, join the official self-guided tour that starts at 6 p.m. Wander through downtown to 12 locations, each with its own beer and wine to sample and delicious, locally-sourced appetizers and finger foods that compliment each beverage.

We are excited to bring back Anderson’s Florist as a tour stop this year, and of course the new Chamber office at 208 Main Avenue. Our other participating stops are Rob Trost Realty, Lucky Bear Soap Co., Sunset Tans, Sunflower Flats, Madeline’s Vintage Marketplace, Homelife Furniture, Diamond Art, YoTime, Remax, and Toth Art Collective.

This year’s beer list includes Pelican Brewing Co., Werner Brewing Co., Reach Break Brewing, Ft. George, Buoy Brewing, Rusty Truck Brewing Co., Two Towns Cider, Rogue Ales & Spirits, Wolves and People Farmhouse Brewery, Ninkasi Brewing Co., and McMenamins. So far, wines will include Provincial Vineyards, Blue Heron, and Renee’s Tasting Room in Rockaway Beach. Thirsty yet?

However, there is more fun on this tour than just wine and beer. The people make the tour, and we love to see friends laughing and talking as they explore all of the downtown shops. June 16th will also be the debut of live music on the Second Street Plaza! The Plaza will be open and ready for action, and we are excited to align the live music downtown with the Cork & Brew evening. If you have not been able to get your feet on the new space yet, this will be a great chance to try it out, and maybe even do a little dancing.

Since we want to be sure you can remember what an awesome evening it is going to be, we’re also coordinating a number of fun “selfie stations” along the tour routeUse #tillamookcork&brew to tag your photos on your favorite social media accounts, and be sure to tag the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets for this event are $35 a piece and can be purchased online at www.tillamookchamber.org or by visiting the Chamber office, Pelican Brewing Co.’s downtown Tap Room, or Sunflower Flats. The event is expected to sell out again, so be sure to buy your tickets in advance.

For more information, contact the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce at info@tillamookchamber.org or call 503-842-7525.

 

Posted on

June 7th Hwy Project Update

The plaza is open for walk-throughs and that means that the Blue Moon Café has returned to its storefront and is open for business.  Now with one of the best views in the downtown!

Another grand opening of the plaza will occur on Friday the 16 with the Cork’n Brew festivities and there will also be music on the plaza that you can enjoy even if you weren’t lucky enough to score a Cork’n Brew ticket.  Of course, the weekend after that will be the June Dairy Parade with its own set of events scheduled for the new plaza.  The place is going to be hopping.

There are still a few items to be installed on the plaza but they will probably show up after the June Dairy Parade.  July should have us sporting a new informational kiosk in front of the electrical meters, decorative rails around the landscape wells, and bollards at each end of the one-way street, as well as in front of each parking space.

The other July unveiling should include the realignment of Pacific Avenue north of First.  Next week is scheduled for prepping all of the subgrade stabilization on the new approach while the lightweight concrete crews set-up for pouring.  They will be pouring not only the south side Pacific Avenue connection to the new bridge, but also the new City sidestreet that will be known as the Hoquarton Landing, with a picnic area, transit stop, and parking at the Hoquarton Park and bike/pedway entrance.  Tentatively, the paving of the new Pacific Avenue connection will be targeted for July 24th but that is dependant on getting all the pipework, water quality features, drainage, and everything else into place before that time.

In other construction news, on the bridge itself, the rails and pylons are being formed with a target to pour in two weeks, which should then allow the decorative rails, now in the process of being powder-coated, to be placed on top of the concrete ones.

The nightwork continues for this week in order to get the street conduit crossings and boxes placed so that the new vertical signal poles can be set next week.  The electrical interconnections for both the signals and the lights can then proceed.  The horizontal signal pieces will arrive in the following week or two.

The Eastside sidewalks are in the process of forming and pouring the water quality curbing so that the north end sidewalk can start pouring next week.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org

Posted on

May 31st Hwy Project Update

The bridge switch went off without a hitch, West First Street is paved and smooth, and the Memorial Day traffic load of tourists did their usual clog-up but nothing more, the project focus, other than some forming of bridge rails, is back to Pacific Avenue.

The sidewalk demolition work has cleared the way so that tonight will launch a couple of weeks of nightwork in the downtown area in order to minimize the traffic impacts of cutting in the utility crossings, manholes, storm drain inlets and beehives on the east side of the road.  The heavy equipment required for this work will take up one of the travel lanes for maneuvering and so northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane on the left.

Ear plugs have deposited at key residential locations downtown in recognition of the impending disturbance.

On the west side of the street, next week will see Northwest Liners arriving to line all of the deep holes along the new sidewalks that are meant to catch storm water run-off.  After lining, these will be filled with soil, and eventually plants, to filter the water before it runs into the Hoquarton and Bay.

There will also be a Water Quality vault installed this week in the area immediately downslope of the former Shell Station as the contractors prepare the ground for the south approach to the bridge which will connect the bridge with the north end of Pacific, thereby bringing the final highway configuration into reality.  The tentative date for getting this paving work done, along with the paving of the new City street alongside it, which will be named Hoquarton Landing, is currently targeted for July 12th.  Once this Pacific Avenue extension is in place, the area around the former station will become Shell Island and will be difficult to work in.

Last but not least, the multi-textured festival plaza work is wrapping up with a crosswalk tie-in being poured on the Main Street end and plywood being placed over the tree wells so that nobody trips on them during the Cork’n Brew festivities on Friday, June 16th.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org

Posted on

May 23rd Highway Project Update

Tonight’s the night that the switch gets flipped.  The asphalt crews will be working on the bridge from 7:00 PM until 2:00 AM at which time the night flaggers arrive so that the stripers can begin their work of grinding out the old striping and laying down the new travel lanes.  Come tomorrow morning, Wednesday the 24th, the new bridge will be accepting its first traffic.

One lane of northbound traffic will be wiggled around the old Shell Station and guided up main to tie in over onto the new bridge come Wednesday morning.  For the duration of Wednesday, there will also be a single lane southbound on Main as the contractors complete the transition.  Once Thursday rolls around, traffic can return to two lanes southbound.

With all the adjustments, the two lanes of westbound coming into downtown on East First Street, otherwise known as Highway 6, will remain open in order to serve the anticipated heavy Memorial Day traffic.  The sewerline paving work on West First Street should be complete and freeflowing for traffic.  The accesses to the Third Street Shell Station will also remain open through the weekend even though eastside sidewalk demolition work is already launched along Pacific Avenue.

The typical holiday snarl may be slightly hyper-typical this year, especially since we’re going to have good weather, but the construction project and the City are attempting to clear as many routes through the City as possible.  Regardless of everyone’s best efforts, there will be stacking and tempers will be tried, but please pack plenty of patience and it should be a beautiful weekend.

As for the work crews, they will rest too.  There will be no work on Memorial Day.

Which brings us to the summer.  The multi-textured Plaza work will be wrapping up this week and the facility should be ready for the Cork’n Brew festivities on June 16th.  We will have some awkward pinches compared to our usual comfort zone, such as there won’t be any parking on First Street for the Farmers’ Market, but these are just growing pains that won’t stop our forward motion.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org

Posted on

May 3rd Highway Project Update

The project crews continue to push six and seven days a week in an effort to keep the progress steaming forward.  The buff-colored decorative concrete is set to be poured tomorrow between the dark ribbons and the terra-cotta accent pads that are already in place; the concrete quilt is coming together.  The driller’s in town working the corner by the Wells Fargo Bank and moving up Pacific in order to ensure that all traffic signal foundations are set in the next two weeks.  The bridgework assembly is clicking together in rapid production with a projected asphalt course being applied on the 22nd of this month.  All this without any additional nightwork in the next couple of weeks.

That said, the Chamber was informed on Tuesday that ODOT would be issuing a press release today with an important scheduling announcement regarding the bridge approaches.  We will forward that release to you once it is received, we anticipate this to be a short-term project delay notice.

In order for the contractors to position for the demolition of the east side sidewalks, the traffic will be flopped to the west side of the street next Monday, presuming that the weather materializes as forecast so that the restriping can be done.  This will still leave some work to be done next week on the west side walkways between 2nd (Blue Moon) and 1st (Rodeo) but that will be handled by a temporary lane closure for that short-term work.

With the work swinging over to the other side of the street, the Chamber has requested that ODOT ensure open parking on the west side of Pacific.  The parking bays are only six foot deep, but if the contractor can find enough slack that avoids the wheel ruts developing in the Pacific travel lane, the prospects are good for getting that parking back.

Recent schedule adjustments presented by the contractor show the west side of Pacific being completed by the original date of Memorial Day, however the east side of Pacific is now scheduled to be fully wrapped up by the end of June.

The extended sidewalk work on the east side will surely have an impact on the beginning of summer business, but hopefully, the completion of the plaza, and the west side of the street, and possible parking, this will allow for a vibrant tourist season. The final touch will be the paving crew looking at overlaying Pacific from 4th to 1st before the Fourth of July.  That should put a fine finish on the roadway for the rest of the summer traffic.

Somewhere between all of this hubbub, we will celebrate.  The Cork’n Brew is set for the first event on our new Plaza on June 16th followed by the June Dairy Festival activities on the 24th.  We may have to be careful navigating the crowds through the bits of sidewalk construction as they move from the Farmers’ Market down 2nd to the Plaza and points beyond, but after this long haul, it will all seem worthwhile.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org
Posted on

A new parade route and more fun surprises this June Dairy Parade

Oregon Tillamook June Dairy Parade

By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director

Check your weather app folks, because summer is finally starting to poke its head through from behind the clouds. So don’t be surprised to hear that we are amping up for the annual June Dairy Parade and Festival. This year’s theme is “60 years on the MOOVE.”

There are a couple of major changes to the parade this year, some of which you may have heard about already and hopefully this will answer any questions you may have. The biggest change is that the parade will be moving in reverse from what it has historically done in the past. In other words, the official starting point will be at Main and 11th, and it will end at Goodspeed Park (see the route map.)

We’re doing this for a variety of reasons but the largest is to help accommodate traffic along Hwy 101, which typically starts to build up by 11:30 a.m. We worked with both the City Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office to brainstorm a solution that would eliminate that annual traffic gridlock. Now we can get the parade entries off of Highway 101 quicker and open it up sooner to traffic.

We also will be turning down Third Street, instead of rounding the corner at Second Street, which has been the tradition. That’s because that section of Second Street (soon to be the plaza) will be the stage for this year’s Dairy Festival. The Festival will begin promptly at 11:45 and go until 4 p.m.

This year’s Festival will again have several fun family activities hosted by local businesses, including live music and a community barbecue co-hosted by Chef Nelia and the Tillamook Fire Department and sponsored by Warrenton Kia. Other fun activities include a Tillawheels car show, the ever-popular Penny Scramble, and a special appearance by Tillamook’s budding roller derby league. Come learn more about this grass roots roller derby movement in Tillamook and meet some of the skaters. We are also working with the Farm Bureau to coordinate a petting zoo for that day as well. Hoping that comes to life, after all it is a dairy festival.

As always, plan to make a day of celebrating The Dairylands in one of our first community event of the summer. If you need a parade float application, you can pick them up at our office, located at 208 Main Street.  Please have your entry returned by May 30th.

We are also seeking nominations for both Grand Marshal and Honorary Grand Marshal. If you have a friend or family member that you think deserves this honor, please submit either the Grand Marshal Application 2017, or the Honorary Grand Marshal Application 2017. Both can be found at www.tillamookchamber.org/junedairy.

(Insert Map Here)

Posted on

April 26th Hwy Project Update

Second Street Plaza
The Second Street Plaza is blooming in the rain.  The revelation of the new stamped and colored concrete corners on Pacific Avenue have already brightened up the dreary weather.
Now the forms are being set for the pouring of the striking dark gray “tactile paver strip” that will serve as the visual “curbing” on the street to differentiate the pedestrian from the vehicular areas when cars are using the westbound one-way.    When the plaza is blocked off from traffic for special events, the flat strip will not trip dancers or audience members.
Between the patterns established by those two colors, the variously-scored pebble-color concrete sections which form the base lines of the plaza will be poured over the next three weeks.  Then during the week of the May 21st, the benches, bollards, and light poles will be placed in order for the entire plaza to be ready to open by the weekend of Memorial Day.  And then be used as part of the June Dairy Parade festivities.
Multiple local companies have been helping in the plaza construction including Bros and Hoes Landscaping, Westwind Concrete, and CoastWide Ready Mix.  The landscapers will also be laying the unit pavers between the curb and sidewalk all the way down Pacific from My 12 through the 21st, adding another strip of color down the road.
The other project piece that is tracking well with being completed on schedule is the Hoquarton Bridge itself.   The excavator crews and lightweight concrete crews will be flipping back forth between the North and South bridge approaches over the next month, grading, tying in water & sewer lines, and installing the curb, gutter, driveways, & bio-retention ponds to make way for the sidewalk crews to move in on the approaching sidewalk pours.
Atop the bridge, the electrical is now going in along the east side with the forming of the overlook getting finished up next Wednesday and sidewalks/overlook being poured during the next week.  And then the magic happens as the bridge rail base and pylons take shape and the bright orange handrail is installed in the week before Memorial Day.
All this despite our record-setting rainfall which has turned a series of contractors’ schedules into unreadable wet rags.  While it has been trying, the patience of the Tillamook community during this difficult process has been phenomenal.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org
Posted on

April 19th Highway Project Update

In an effort to catch up with the schedule, the project crews have been working six-tens in most locations.  Westwind, the concrete flatwork subcontractors, will be jamming on the sidewalks with the Rendezvous on track to be completed by this Friday and the ramps by the Phoenix Exchange set to go next Monday, and then on to the sidewalks between Second & First Streets by the end of next week.  Not long after, a concrete crew will be peeling off to start the sidewalks on the north side of the project by the Diesel Repair Shop.  Meanwhile, the concrete stamping work in the Second Street Plaza will be ongoing as weather allows.

There have been the usual surprises with fuel tanks under the sidewalks by the Blue Moon and phone poles without adequate bracing, but each headscratcher is dispensed with as it arises, and the crews shift to work around the problem.

The electrical team is pushing right along with the sidewalk crews, setting the last pole foundation up by the Rodeo by Wednesday next week and then jumping onto the bridge to run electrical for the lighting on the east side.

If you want to see a “Guppy” in action, one is moving in this week on the north side of the bridge to start pouring lightweight concrete off the ends of the bridge.  Once the sewer lines are installed on the south side, the “Guppy” will switch over to start pouring lightweight on that end in a couple of weeks.

Another set of nightwork events will occur on 101 next Monday and Tuesday nights in order to reset barrier pins.

On the bridge itself, while the deck is curing, wingwalls are being poured and next week will see the east side water overlook being formed up.  When the project is done, there will be a cantilevered overlook on each side of the bridge for viewing up and down the Hoquarton, hopefully creating an inviting showpiece in the heart of the community.

With all of this preparatory work coming together, we should finally be able to see the new streetscape take shape in three weeks from now as pavers go down, tree grates are installed, along with decorative fences around the new streetside planters.

Hopefully, as the sun comes out more often, all of this effort should reveal some substantial visible progress like a rainbow at the end of a storm.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at
Posted on

Mornings on Mainstreet

By Sierra Lauder
Director of Events and Downtown Promotion

Last month at the Chamber Headquarters at 208 Main Ave. we had the pleasure of hosting “Mornings on Main Street.” Around 20 people gathered to share coffee, treats and great discussion about all the activity in the downtown area. Lots of the conversation stemmed from the construction along the sidewalks of Pacific and the “Second Street Plaza.” I use quotations around “Second Street Plaza,” because the City of Tillamook’s Beautification Committee is entertaining possible names for the project. They will be narrowing the results at the next Beautification Meeting on April 10th, so if you have an idea to toss in the hat, contact City Hall or let us know at the Chamber and we’ll pass it along. There is some discussion of taking the top four choices and having a public vote. Look forward to that!

Construction projects within buildings were also a big topic of discussion. How could they not be, when the gathering was held within the freshly framed walls of the future offices for the Chamber? The Chamber project is zipping along, with electric and heating work wrapping up this week and sheet rocking kicking off next week. The Visitor’s Center will be fully operational in plenty of time for summer. Art Accelerated Board Chair Neal Lemery shared about the grants that they have been working on for improvements to the Beal’s Building, where they are hoping to start classes and workshops in the near future, as well as open for regular hours for the gallery. After banter about the facelift that is taking place in the old Murphy’s Furniture Building on First St. to accommodate a new T-Mobile store, and a report on the remodeling of the Blue Moon, Phil and Nelia from the Pacific Restaurant invited the entire group across the street and took us through the new restaurant space. Let me just give you this sneak peek: It. Is. Gorgeous.

We very much enjoyed this Mornings on Main Street event. Starting in May, the Chamber will be hosting these gatherings each month, on the third Tuesday of the month. While we invite you to contact us anytime with questions, thoughts or ideas, these member open house opportunities are a really easy way to connect with the projects the Chamber has going on, and a low pressure way to engage with others in the business community.

A quick update on upcoming events: it is Dairy Madness at the Chamber! The June Dairy Parade and Festival is set for June 24th. Entry forms for the June Dairy Parade will be going out early next week, and the coloring contest is OPEN. The parade route will be changing this year, and we will be working hard in the next few months to make sure that the information about the new route is available to everyone. The parade will now be STARTING at the high school, marching north up Main Ave., turning right and heading east on Third St. and disbanding at Goodspeed Park. We will be taking advantage of the open Second Street to host a large family friendly Dairy Festival.

Cork & Brew tickets will go on sale online April 10th! The Cork & Brew Tour takes place on June 16th, the Friday before Father’s Day.

If you have questions about these events or just want to talk Tillamook, feel free to call me at the Chamber (503) 842-7525, or email me at sierra@tillamookchamber.org.

 

Posted on

June Dairy Parade and Festival

Mark your calendars: this year’s June Dairy Parade and Festival is set for June 24, 2017!!!

“60 Years on the MOOVE” will be the theme for the year, and we are excited to say that parade entries have already begun to roll in! In keeping with the theme, even the parade route will be “mooving” a little bit this year- the parade will stage and launch from the high school and TPUD, and officially be underway as it heads north on Main Ave.. The route will be up Main to Third, where it will make a right and head east along Third Street before officially disbanding at Goodspeed Park. Here is a link to download the ParadeRouteMap.

Want to join the fun?

Here is a 2017 June Dairy Parade Entry Form. If you would like to join the parade, please have your entry for returned by May 30th, 2017 to the Tillamook Chamber office.

We are also seeking nominations for both Grand Marshal and Honorary Grand Marshal. If you have a friend or family member that you think deserves this honor, please submit either the Grand Marshal Application 2017, or the Honorary Grand Marshal Application 2017.

The Tillamook Chamber also hosts a June Dairy Parade Coloring Contest! Children between the ages of 3 and 12 can enter before June 12th to win great prizes in several age brackets. Entry forms are available here: coloring contest, and are due back at the Tillamook Chamber office before June 12th.

Dairy Parade weekend is a big deal in Tillamook! We’re continuing to grow the Dairy Festival, and this year children of all ages are guaranteed to enjoy festival happenings downtown. Second Street will host a car show, community BBQ, and a carnival of family activities hosted by local businesses. Fans of last year’s Penny Scramble will be happy to hear that we will indeed be scrambling again! Be sure to rest up headed in to the weekend; in addition to the parade and festival, the YMCA Milk Run, the Tillamook Farmer’s Market, and the Tillamook County Rodeo are all happening June 24th!!!

 

If you have any questions or need more information about the June Dairy Parade and Festival, please call Tammy at the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce: (503) 842-7525, or email info@tillamookchamber.org

Posted on

March 31st Highway Project Update

Oregon spring break has thrown more than usual commotion into the traffic mix and next week’s Washington break may add even more, particularly if the weather shows a couple of strands of sunshine.

They’ll be arriving to see the further demolition of the west sidewalk between 2nd and 1st Streets up to the Rodeo.  That will push the envelope with having two blocks open at a time but the hope is to move right in behind them with the curbs, driveways, ADA Ramps, and sidewalks.

The pedestrian bridges and pathways to the entrances along Pacific have taken on the appearance of a maze.  With the underground vaults exposed, the residents and business patrons have found the work beneath their feet quite intriguing.   In this next week however, the lids for those vaults should be poured and the vaults backfilled so that attraction will disappear back underground.

Next door, the Second Street plaza will be getting a lot of attention as the conduits for the future undergrounding of electrical power in the plaza is installed by Just Bucket Excavating, Inc., so that the base for the new roadway and the fine grading can follow shortly behind.

And right behind that, Westwind, the concrete flatwork subcontractors, will be building a 10 x 10 plaza mock-up so that everyone can see a sample of what the future will bring.  At a later point, after everyone is done admiring it, the mock-up will be incorporated into the permanent flatwork on the Plaza.

Similarly, the bridgework is now on a very focused timeline as the decks are being formed up, run-offs are set up, and bulkheads maneuvered into place in preparation for the deck pour that is targeted for Tax Day.  Remember that’s April 18th this year.

Fortunately, Spring breakers will not likely encounter the traffic-stopping drainage pipe crossings by the front of Rosenberg’s as those are set to occur as night work early next week.  These tie-ins will run back to the east side where the main drain has been laid, and getting them across 101 will require flaggers to move vehicles through, so with the holiday traffic and Rosenberg’s business activities in mind, the decision was made to shift the work out of high traffic hours and into the night.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org
Posted on

Cork & Brew set: June 16, 2017!!!

Cork & Brew 2017 kicks off on the evening of June 16th at 4:30 in the Pelican Bottling Room with a Launch Party that will feature several new activities, including an interactive introduction to the brewing process, a blind tasting competition and an uncorking battle. “Tourists” will be set loose at 5pm, passports in hand, to explore downtown and revel in the experiences that each “Tour Stop” will have crafted. The official Tour will wrap up at 8pm. Art Accelerated will be the final stop on the tour at their cooperative member gallery in the Beals Building at the corner of 3rd and Main.  They will not be serving beer or wine, but will be accepting completed passports until 8:30 and will be offering coffee and tea and hosting an art exhibit. Tourists are invited to consider one of the “after-party” options being offered at downtown establishments.

Ticket Sales are OPEN online: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-cork-brew-tour-tickets-33168375504?aff=es2

Tickets are available, and we’re announcing the first three breweries that will be sponsoring this year’s Cork & Brew!!!!

Pelican Brewing – Tillamook– What would we do without these guys??? Cork & Brew will once again kick off with a super fun Launch Party in their TIllamook Bottling Room. Pelican brewers will be on hand to give us behind-the-scenes tours of the ever-growing facility and talk about what makes beer, well, beer.

Werner Brewing Company– We love these brothers! If you can’t wait until June for a taste of their tasty balanced IPA and too-easy brown, try them on tap in Netarts at The Schooner Restaurant & Lounge or the Upstairs Bar & Grill. (Look for a Tillamook tap room opening this summer!)

Reach Break Brewing– More brothers! Josh and Jared Allison have recently opened their incredibly welcoming brewery and tap room just up the road in Astoria, Oregon. Centrally located, their tap room features a roll-up wall that allows for you and your family to soak up the sun on the patio during these long spring days. Reach Break explores styles, hops and flavors that assure they will become a primary reason to venture up the coast. Come for the juicy hazy NE IPA’s, stay and be wowed by the rest of the line up. Save me some of the saison- it’s AMAZING.

Cheers!

Posted on

March 24th Highway Project Update

The sidewalk on Pacific Avenue between 4th and 3rd Streets by Wells Fargo Bank and Homelife Furniture has been opened up to foot traffic, the fuel tanks have been removed and the Pacific Avenue undersidewalk vaults opened up for repair and reconstruction.  With vault lids being set by the Rendezvous this week and the Blue Moon next, the contractor is pushing hard to get the sidewalk work next to the Tillamook Apartments and the Rendezvous poured and cured so that the folks who traffic that block can return to some semblance of normalcy.

Admittedly, the pedestrian pathways leading to the entrances along Pacific have been confusing for both residents and patrons; hopefully a clear system that everyone can pick up on intuitively will be in place by this weekend.

The sidewalk disruptions will shift to the Post Office frontage along First Street beginning the first week of April as pipework starts to get laid back past Laurel toward Madrona.  There will have to be some carefully coordinated work around the delivery entrance to the rear of the Post Office as everyone knows that, regardless of which way the wind blows, ‘the mail must get through’.

In the meantime, the bridge continues apace.  The steel is being delivered and the decks will be formed up over the next two weeks now that the waterline is tied together in the channels underneath.  The bridge takes on more of its final shape with every passing day.

The drainage work on the north end by the Diesel Repair Shop is ready to stub out the 18” westward laterals next week, which may require some nightwork in the vicinity of Rosenberg’s to get them across the travel lanes. However, the good news is that, with SC Paving’s asphalt batch opening on the 30th, the pothole patching throughout the project should vastly improve.

In a last minute turn of events, a local partnership has cropped up that will lay the groundwork for the future undergrounding of electrical power in the Second Street plaza (soon to be renamed through a citywide contest).  The Tillamook Urban Renewal Agency has joined forces with the Tillamook People’s Utility District, the Tillamook Public Works Department, and Just Bucket Excavating, Inc. to ensure the installation of sufficient conduits and vaults under the Plaza that will accommodate the future pulling of all overhead wires in that area down through those tubes in order to keep the visual clutter in this community centerpiece to a minimum.

Each partner is bringing either money, materials, or labor forward in this last effort before the plaza get constructed with hard surfacing that will prevent the ability to lay these conduits for decades to come.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org

Posted on

March 17th Highway Project Update

When Governor Kate Brown came to town on Wednesday to view the progress of the 101/6 Highway Project, the rain provided a seamless backdrop curtain to the jackhammers and sawcutting as she listened to local businesspeople at Madaline’s Vintage Marketplace talk about their concerns.

While the bridgework is essentially tracking along its projected trajectory, in an effort to accelerate the sidewalk process that has fallen so far behind its original schedule, ODOT and its contractors have agreed to a project revision that allows them to take up two blocks of sidewalk at a time on the west side of Pacific (between 3rd and 1st) so that they can gain some work efficiencies and shorten the overall disruption time.   With this change, jackhammers and sawcutting were in full swing.

This may cause some increased discomfort in the short term for businesses such as the Blue Moon Cafe, but the hope is that it will decrease the total downtime.  As always, such times of duress are when the affected businesses need your patronage the most.

The preliminary digging along Pacific has uncovered a bunker fuel tank, which is being pumped out and removed, but, barring further unknowns, the two-block effort should allow the concrete workers to move along with pouring larger sections at a time.  The tricky timing of ensuring continuous access to businesses and residences is the next major logistic to be surmounted and the ODOT team is applying a variety of tools, such as night work, quick-fixing concrete, and temporary alternate accesses, to ensure that the all sidewalk sections come together smoothly and briskly.

In the midst of all this hubbub, you will see the excavation team jumping back and forth across the Hoquarton as they dash up to the north end next week to close up the drainage work there and then jump back down mid-week to tie the 2nd Street storm drainage into the manhole on Main Street.  This full day’s work will require traffic control that necks down southbound traffic on Main to one-lane from the bridge to just south of 2nd.

When you do get back around to watching the bridge progress, now that the spans and bearings have been set, you will see the deck being formed over the next few weeks.  You will also spot City crews who will be joining the contractor next week to assemble the new waterline across the bridge.  This will be the main that serves the entire north Hwy 101 area up to the Fred Meyer/Goodwill as well as providing a backfeed for Bay City and the Creamery through our intertie system.

The Governor left town with a picture of Tillamook, from the project to the Creamery to the Chamber of Commerce offices themselves, in the midst of a full remodel.  The promises made were that another visit in Fall 2018 would provide an entirely different picture of a community complete.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org
.
Posted on

March 17th Highway Project Update

When Governor Kate Brown came to town on Wednesday to view the progress of the 101/6 Highway Project, the rain provided a seamless backdrop curtain to the jackhammers and sawcutting as she listened to local businesspeople at Madaline’s Vintage Marketplace talk about their concerns.

While the bridgework is essentially tracking along its projected trajectory, in an effort to accelerate the sidewalk process that has fallen so far behind its original schedule, ODOT and its contractors have agreed to a project revision that allows them to take up two blocks of sidewalk at a time on the west side of Pacific (between 3rd and 1st) so that they can gain some work efficiencies and shorten the overall disruption time.   With this change, jackhammers and sawcutting were in full swing.

This may cause some increased discomfort in the short term for businesses such as the Blue Moon Cafe, but the hope is that it will decrease the total downtime.  As always, such times of duress are when the affected businesses need your patronage the most.

The preliminary digging along Pacific has uncovered a bunker fuel tank, which is being pumped out and removed, but, barring further unknowns, the two-block effort should allow the concrete workers to move along with pouring larger sections at a time.  The tricky timing of ensuring continuous access to businesses and residences is the next major logistic to be surmounted and the ODOT team is applying a variety of tools, such as night work, quick-fixing concrete, and temporary alternate accesses, to ensure that the all sidewalk sections come together smoothly and briskly.

In the midst of all this hubbub, you will see the excavation team jumping back and forth across the Hoquarton as they dash up to the north end next week to close up the drainage work there and then jump back down mid-week to tie the 2nd Street storm drainage into the manhole on Main Street.  This full day’s work will require traffic control that necks down southbound traffic on Main to one-lane from the bridge to just south of 2nd.

When you do get back around to watching the bridge progress, now that the spans and bearings have been set, you will see the deck being formed over the next few weeks.  You will also spot City crews who will be joining the contractor next week to assemble the new waterline across the bridge.  This will be the main that serves the entire north Hwy 101 area up to the Fred Meyer/Goodwill as well as providing a backfeed for Bay City and the Creamery through our intertie system.

The Governor left town with a picture of Tillamook, from the project to the Creamery to the Chamber of Commerce offices themselves, in the midst of a full remodel.  The promises made were that another visit in Fall 2018 would provide an entirely different picture of a community complete.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org
Posted on

Cranes, sidewalks, and walking paths, oh my!

 

By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director

Does anyone else feel a little like they are in Seattle or Portland? Our skyline is crowded with cranes lately, moving meticulously around traffic as they set the cumbersome bridge supports. Soon they will be hoisting the bridge bearings up one by one and maneuvering the hefty pieces into place. Next on the list is placing the mammoth girders that will span the Hoquarton.

A little north of Hoqurton, large storm drains and beehives are being installed, and on Second Street the tree wells are finally ready to be formed. Once the storm drainage work is complete, the new pedestrian plaza will be ready for its makeover – in other words they will be pouring the colored and multi-patterned concrete. That should be exciting to see and for many of us it will help to visualize the final picture that we’ve been waiting so long for.

Remember that this month the construction zone might feel like it has expanded a bit as the foundations and electrical trenching begin along the new bicycle/pedestrian trail near Goodspeed Park. We will also see the formation of the interior bays and overhang for the pedestrian walkway over the Port of Tillamook Bay’s Hwy 6 railroad bridge.

For those wondering, this bicycle and pedestrian path will eventually lead back to the Hoquarton Landing park near the Hwy 101 bridge. Then it will cross the highway via a traffic island to join Sue H. Elmore Park, which will be renovated later this summer. The City of Tillamook has plans to continue a boardwalk path westward through Front Street towards the walking circuit around Tillamook Regional Medical Center.

Speaking of walking, the new sidewalk pattern that was tested next to Homelife Furniture has been approved and the rest of the sidewalks are scheduled for pouring. This piece of the project is a tad behind schedule after 90 feet of newly-poured sidewalk had to be torn up when it was discovered it didn’t have the correct scoring pattern on it. This pattern will set the tone for the rest of downtown, where more than 2,000 feet of new sidewalks will be added from First Street to Fourth Street and from Main to Pacific.

There is a lot of questions coming in about if the bridge and sidewalks are going to be done by Summer. Due to some recent revisions to the bridge construction we have received word that ODOT is still committed to opening all lanes of traffic by this summer. The sidewalk schedule is currently being revised and all parties are coming to the table to identify the best timeline revisions to make sure that this stays on track for completion by Memorial Day.

You can stay up-to-date on the highway project be visiting tillamookchamber.org and subscribing to our weekly bulletin. If you have any questions regarding the highway project email Jeannell at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org.

Posted on

February 3, 2017 Hwy Update

This week the activity has visibly picked up on the Pacific Avenue sidewalk alongside Homelife Furniture and Wells Fargo, in addition to the demolition work on Second Street, and, with the Highway Project now returning to full swing after the holidays, we are now returning to regular bulletin releases again.

We will likely be seeing significant grading, forming, and pouring of the curbs, sidewalks, and ADA ramps occurring in the next few weeks.  Driveways will be poured one half at a time in order to keep access open.  Where sidewalk demolition occurs, a pedestrian access to each business will be kept open at all times.  While this may cause some inconvenience, such as even having customers go around the block to get to the door in some cases, your favorite businesses will always be available to you.

Ahead of the sidewalk construction will be the electrical work drilling in and forming up the lightpole foundations and pouring the vaults for the signal control cabinets.

At the bridge, the foundational support work continues on the east half of the new bridge as the cages are being formed up, and then the individual columns poured and stripped.

The New Year’s work is picking up momentum and, in contrast to last Fall’s seeming lack of forward motion, progress should be more visible now as more surface work commences.  The changes in the streetscape can now be witnessed as the shapes change from day-to-day.

You too can help to change the shape of the downtown.  While the new home of the Chamber of Commerce at 208 Main Avenue (the old Bell’s Office Supply storefront) is in the process of being remodeled to fit its new purposes, it is currently hosting an open house display of ideas for “wayfinding signage” in Tillamook.  This project for the City focuses on a series of guidance signs, for pedestrians and automobiles, that point the way to local attractions.

Exactly where such signs should be placed and what they should say requires your input, because who knows the community better than you?  So please, find your way to the new Chamber office up until February 9th to check out the project information and leave your suggestions.  Your input will be used to develop a signage plan that should be laid out and constructed to coincide with the end of the Highway project in 2018; another part of our ‘total downtown makeover’.   If you have any questions regarding the project, call Sierra at (503) 842-7525 or email her at Sierra@tillamookchamber.org.