By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
All motels, vacation rentals, RV parks and campgrounds in Lincoln County closed since March 23, could reopen in two weeks under a proposal to be considered Thursday by county commissioners and seven city councils.
The county and cities raced to close recreational lodging and camping after the first weekend of Oregon’s Spring Break when Gov. Kate Brown’s stay-at-home order failed to keep people from visiting the coast. It followed similar bans in Tillamook and Clatsop counties as part of local and state responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
The proposal to reopen lodging June 1 was developed by County Counsel Wayne Belmont in consultation with city managers from Newport, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Toledo, Siletz, Waldport and Yachats plus ideas, comments and reaction they gathered from the lodging industry.
The lodging plan is separate from the county’s proposal to the state – if approved this week — to reopen restaurants, salons, gyms and shopping malls as soon as Friday.
And both of those are also separate from the governor’s directive that retail businesses across the state can reopen Friday — even if the county plans are not yet approved — if they follow social distancing guidelines for customers and employees.
The proposal to reopen lodging completely – but with strict procedures for cleaning and care — evolved the last three weeks. It started with limits on motels use, keeping vacation rentals closed, and requiring a three-day minimum for RV parks.
That changed as various groups weighed in through comments to city managers and county commissioners. A May 8 version of the plan – the third version — was made public Tuesday morning on the county’s website and then updated late in the afternoon with the fourth and final draft.
The question now is if the seven city councils and three county commissioners can agree on the June 1 reopening date and three pages of operational details in the proposal.
The county and cities agreed initially on the recreational lodging ban and then voted again in late April to extend it to May 31. The one exception was the Waldport City Council, which voted to extend the ban only until Friday. It is scheduled to meet Thursday to consider an extension.
That countywide cooperation could be tested Thursday, said Commissioner Claire Hall, if some city councils object to the reopening date or operational details.
“We want to get a policy that works countywide,” Hall told YachatsNews. “But this is the point that if (some cities disagree) we go our separate ways.”
That has already happened in Tillamook County, where the city of Tillamook voted last week to allow a handful of motels inside its city limits to reopen. Motels elsewhere in Tillamook County remain closed.
Devil in the details
Procedures for reopening hundreds of motels, more than 1,000 vacation rentals, RV parks and campgrounds countywide cover three pages. They include everything from requiring remote check-ins, daily temperatures checks and masks for employees, closed public areas, and detailed protocol for cleaning rooms. Pools, spas and hot tubs could not be used.
Motels would be limited to four people per room. Vacation rentals would be limited to six visitors even if the house is licensed for more.
That’s drawn the ire of dozens of vacation rental owners and managers. In emails flooding into county commissioners since Friday they contend rental homes are larger than motel rooms, not turned over daily and therefore potentially safer.
Vacation rental owners successfully argued against a proposal to limit vacation rentals to related family members. It now reads “household members.”
Todd and Kate Korgan, owner of Yachats-based Sweet Homes Vacation Getaways, contended in an email to the county that the limits on guests appear arbitrary and not based on room size or square footage of houses.
“As proposed a typical 350 square foot hotel/motel room can have four guests, but a large 3,000 square foot beach house with distinct bedrooms can only have six guests, including kids,” they wrote. “This is not based on any meaningful assessment of the size of the home, the number of bedrooms/sleeping areas, etc. so it does not effectively accomplish what you are trying to achieve. Likewise, it is possibly illegal.”
Other vacation rental owners wrote to commissioners saying that limiting guests to six would mean they’d have to cancel many of their summer reservations.
Sweet Homes also suggested a “soft” or un-advertised reopening May 21 so that motels and vacation rentals could get familiar with new protocols for check-in and cleaning.
Memorial Day weekend is May 23-25.
The final draft proposal to be considered Thursday also dropped a required three-day minimum stay in RV parks and campgrounds. But it closes group camping areas and requires guests to bring their own soap, hand sanitizer and toilet paper.
Drew Roslund, who operates the Overleaf Lodge and Fireside Motel in Yachats, said the county and city plans are only the minimum standard. His two properties, which have 97 rooms, will close rooms for at least 24 hours before they are cleaned and rented again.
“We’re not comfortable with sending our cleaning staff into a room right away,” he said.
In addition, Roselund said, his motels’ occupancy rate is usually about 70 percent in June so letting some rooms sit idle for a day or two should not be an issue.
Only a handful of emails to the county since Friday urged keeping lodging closed until the course of the coronavirus pandemic is clearer and worried about the influx of visitors. Two people who said they worked at motels said they were afraid of going into rooms to clean them.
County, city reactions could be mixed
How commissioners and council members will react to the proposal Thursday is wide open to speculation.
In a reply to one email posted on the county’s website, Commissioner Doug Hunt said he endorsed a phased reopening of lodging, with motels and campgrounds going first because they have on-site managers to watch over guests.
“I believe the presence of on site management, staff and other support aspects make reopening of this group a better first step,” Hunt wrote.
In an email, Yachats Mayor John Moore said he endorses the June 1 date for reopening all lodging because there is a risk of permanent closure of some businesses.
“We need to let out lodging facilities reopen, but with procedures in place to protect as best we can our employees, our guests and members of the community,” he said.
Moore said circumstances in Lincoln County are different than nine weeks ago with more — but not enough — personal protective equipment, hospitals that are better prepared to treat cases, and significantly more coronavirus testing capability.
Moore said he was undecided on the limit of people in vacation rentals, especially in light of social distancing and the governor’s prohibition on gatherings of more than 10 people. He said individual city decisions on that and other details would come as councilors and commissioners discuss the issues Thursday.
Hall said she thought that the county and cities holding together on the issue for eight weeks was “remarkable.”
“This is a very difficult tightrope to walk,” Hall said. “We’ve made good choices so far. Hopefully we can continue to do that.”