To the Editor:
I am writing to support the Manzanita City Hall/ Administration Building. Although I don’t live in Manzanita, I am privileged to serve as an honorary board member on the EVCNB Board of Directors. Further, as the chief sponsor of legislation to create the Oregon Resilience Plan and other legislation regarding emergency preparedness, I understand the importance of structures that will be still standing and will provide support and resources after a disaster as citizens expect. Manzanita is fortunate to have a top notch fire and rescue service that provides first responders for everything from motor vehicle accidents, medical events, search and rescue and water rescue, and natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, storms and even tornadoes. These volunteers deserve the very best resources to support their excellent work.
The current City Hall and Police Station are within the tsunami inundation zone. These buildings are not seismically retrofitted and cannot be and will likely collapse in an earthquake. In order to remedy this, the city has acquired the Underhill Plaza property on Manzanita Avenue between Division and Classic in order to provide a site for new facilities and an area to deal with community needs after a disaster. The new building will be a critical component of Manzanita Emergency Preparedness both from a planning and response standpoint.
The new building will allow Manzanita to coordinate emergency response for the community and add efficiency in operations.
The new building will be out of the Evacuation Zone, confirmed by Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), and will provide the combination of Police, Public Works and City Administration functions allowing for efficient response to any emergency. After an emergency, City Hall is the first place the community goes for information and the facility will also provide a coordinated Public Safety communication center, which would have been very helpful in response to the Tornado and is always a critical component of any response.
Sincerely,
Deborah Boone
Retired State Representative