Governor Kotek Visits Josephine, Curry, Coos Counties on One Oregon Tour
Governor and First Lady stop in Grants Pass, Gold Beach, Port Orford, Bandon, Coos Bay and North Bend
On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Governor Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson visited communities in Josephine, Curry and Coos Counties on stops 21, 22, 23 of the One Oregon Listening Tour.
“The folks in Southwest Oregon are committed to their communities and making things work better. My job as Governor is to make it easier for good ideas to take shape,” Governor Kotek said. “We can all learn from each other.”
Starting in Josephine County on Wednesday, the First Couple had breakfast with local leaders in Grants Pass at the Powderhorn Cafe, followed by a tour of Options for Southern Oregon’s crisis resolution center and a listening session on the community’s efforts to address behavioral health needs. The behavioral health discussion included representatives from Options, the Grants Pass School District, AllCare Health, Josephine County Public Health, and the Grants Pass Police Department.
They then visited Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center, getting a chance to observe their summer camp for children (Camp EEK!) and meet some of the resident animals. The visit to Josephine County concluded with a visit to Redwood Terrace Assisted Living Community and a discussion with local leaders who serve older Oregonians. The conversation focused on aging in place, behavioral health and senior isolation, services for veterans, and HUD-subsidized housing for older adults.
Day One of the trip continued in Curry County with a dinner in Gold Beach at the Port Hole Café with local elected leaders — and a quick photo with Gold Beach’s “Spokes-Otter” Goldie B. Rogue.
They started bright and early on Thursday with a wildfire discussion with U.S. Forest Service and Coos Forest Protective Association representatives and State Representative Court Boice at Indian Creek Cafe. Topics included the current response to the Flat Fire, the environmental and financial harm that wildfires cause, and workforce challenges.
A trip to Gold Beach is not complete without a visit to Gold Beach Book and Art Gallery, the Oregon Coast’s largest bookstore and home of the largest bronze sculptures in the state.
After grabbing some new used books, the Governor and the First Lady headed to Port Orford. Their first stop was Port Orford Sustainable Seafood, an innovative effort in collaboration with Oregon State University to support local fishers and promote wild, line-caught seafood to restaurants and homes in Western Oregon. Next stop was the Port of Port Orford to check out their two large yellow cranes, known locally as “The Hook” (which lift every boat in and out of the water) and get a briefing about the Port’s redevelopment plans and vision to strengthen the Port as an economic engine in the region.
Heading north into Coos County, the Governor and First Lady then had a lunch meeting with the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance and their partners at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to discuss workforce housing, conservation efforts, and other initiatives on the South Coast. This was followed by an early education roundtable in Coos Bay with regional providers that, among other things, zeroed in on how the Governor’s early literacy initiative passed during the legislative session will be implemented and the challenges faced by preschool providers in rural communities. Thursday concluded with a dinner with education leaders at Wildflour and attending the student-performed Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. by the Little Theatre on the Bay at the Liberty Theatre in North Bend.
On Friday, a working breakfast with local leaders at the Pancake Mill Restaurant started off the day. That was followed by a briefing at the Port of Coos Bay about their container terminal project. The Governor and First Lady then joined a homelessness resources roundtable at The Devereux Center to hear about the community’s efforts to serve their unhoused neighbors.
They ended their visit to Coos County at the Mill Casino Plank House Restaurantfor a working lunch with leaders of the Coquille Indian Tribe.
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“The folks in Southwest Oregon are committed to their communities and making things work better. My job as Governor is to make it easier for good ideas to take shape,” Governor Kotek said. “We can all learn from each other.”
Starting in Josephine County on Wednesday, the First Couple had breakfast with local leaders in Grants Pass at the Powderhorn Cafe, followed by a tour of Options for Southern Oregon’s crisis resolution center and a listening session on the community’s efforts to address behavioral health needs. The behavioral health discussion included representatives from Options, the Grants Pass School District, AllCare Health, Josephine County Public Health, and the Grants Pass Police Department.
They then visited Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center, getting a chance to observe their summer camp for children (Camp EEK!) and meet some of the resident animals. The visit to Josephine County concluded with a visit to Redwood Terrace Assisted Living Community and a discussion with local leaders who serve older Oregonians. The conversation focused on aging in place, behavioral health and senior isolation, services for veterans, and HUD-subsidized housing for older adults.
Day One of the trip continued in Curry County with a dinner in Gold Beach at the Port Hole Café with local elected leaders — and a quick photo with Gold Beach’s “Spokes-Otter” Goldie B. Rogue.
They started bright and early on Thursday with a wildfire discussion with U.S. Forest Service and Coos Forest Protective Association representatives and State Representative Court Boice at Indian Creek Cafe. Topics included the current response to the Flat Fire, the environmental and financial harm that wildfires cause, and workforce challenges.
A trip to Gold Beach is not complete without a visit to Gold Beach Book and Art Gallery, the Oregon Coast’s largest bookstore and home of the largest bronze sculptures in the state.
After grabbing some new used books, the Governor and the First Lady headed to Port Orford. Their first stop was Port Orford Sustainable Seafood, an innovative effort in collaboration with Oregon State University to support local fishers and promote wild, line-caught seafood to restaurants and homes in Western Oregon. Next stop was the Port of Port Orford to check out their two large yellow cranes, known locally as “The Hook” (which lift every boat in and out of the water) and get a briefing about the Port’s redevelopment plans and vision to strengthen the Port as an economic engine in the region.
Heading north into Coos County, the Governor and First Lady then had a lunch meeting with the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance and their partners at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to discuss workforce housing, conservation efforts, and other initiatives on the South Coast. This was followed by an early education roundtable in Coos Bay with regional providers that, among other things, zeroed in on how the Governor’s early literacy initiative passed during the legislative session will be implemented and the challenges faced by preschool providers in rural communities. Thursday concluded with a dinner with education leaders at Wildflour and attending the student-performed Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. by the Little Theatre on the Bay at the Liberty Theatre in North Bend.
On Friday, a working breakfast with local leaders at the Pancake Mill Restaurant started off the day. That was followed by a briefing at the Port of Coos Bay about their container terminal project. The Governor and First Lady then joined a homelessness resources roundtable at The Devereux Center to hear about the community’s efforts to serve their unhoused neighbors.
They ended their visit to Coos County at the Mill Casino Plank House Restaurantfor a working lunch with leaders of the Coquille Indian Tribe.
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