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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017 Planning Commission approves new Cannon Beach Academy site Traffi c, tsunami concerns were considered By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian Paris Achen/Capital Bureau Gov. Kate Brown talked to reporters Thursday in her Ore- gon Capitol offices about the revenue impact of proposed transportation plans. Tax package failure could pave way for transportation bill Few weeks left to a craft deal By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — The fail- ure of a state revenue-rais- ing package this legislative session could “clear a path forward” for passing a long- awaited transportation fund- ing bill, Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday. “When you’re tackling multiple very diffi cult issues and revenue reform, that’s something that legislators and governors have spent decades trying to address,” Brown said. “When … move it off to the side, it certainly clears a path for- ward for transportation.” Brown said passing the transportation package is now her administration’s focus for the less than three weeks remaining in the session. “We are working very closely with the legislative work group, and folks have rolled up their sleeves and are working hard as well. Everyone is moving in the right direction.” Brown made the com- ments shortly before hold- ing a nearly four-hour meet- ing with leaders on the legislative work group that authored the package of road congestion and mainte- nance projects and increases in taxes and fees. The tax increase means the Legislature’s Demo- cratic majority will need Republican votes to obtain the constitutionally required three-fi fths majority vote to raise revenue for the trans- portation projects. Republicans and Dem- ocrat leaders continue to negotiate specifi cs of the plan. But Republicans have stopped short of promising their votes. There is no guarantee of GOP votes, said Jonathan Lockwood, a spokesman for Senate Republicans. Republicans are decry- ing a bill headed to the House fl oor today that would slash a tax break for “pass through businesses — generally small businesses whose profi ts are taxed as their owners’ personal income. The proposal would bring in nearly $200 million in additional money to help offset the state’s $1.4 billion revenue shortfall. Democrats say the tax exemption, a bargain with Republicans in 2013, has failed to stimulate job growth and benefi ts wealthy professionals such as hedge fund managers, lawyers and doctors. Republicans also have been seeking changes to multi billion-dollar transpor- tation package, including rollbacks to the state’s car- bon emissions standards and a smaller gas tax increase. However, both parties have invested considerable effort in crafting the plan to main- tain roads and bridges, ease congestion and increase the accessibility of transit. ‘Getting to a transportation package would be something people would be really happy to see come together this session.’ Jonathan Lockwood “Getting to a transpor- tation package would be something people would be really happy to see come together this session,” Lock- wood said. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. CANNON BEACH — The Cannon Beach Academy is one step closer to opening this fall in the former Preschool and Children’s Center building. The P lanning C ommis- sion voted unanimously and with little discussion Thurs- day to grant a conditional use permit to the kindergarten- through- second- grade charter school. Any exterior changes or modifi cations still need to be reviewed by the Design Review Board before the school can acquire a building permit to move forward with the project, City Planner Mark Barnes said. Although establishing the academy in Cannon Beach has been in the works for more than four years, the last-minute need to fi nd a new location came when the board received an estimate of $150,000 over the $90,000 they budgeted for con- struction costs at the original location on Sunset Boulevard. An almost identical request was approved by the Planning C ommission in May 2015 and ll Ca ime yt n A Submitted Photo The Cannon Beach Academy hopes to open a charter school at the former Preschool and Children’s Center. again in January at 171 Sunset Blvd. David Vonada, of Tolovana Architects , said at the meeting most of the work will be small safety improvements, like improving exit signs and mak- ing door handles Americans with Disabilities Act acces- sible, and expects few to no external changes. “This building was just meant to be,” Vonada said. While the city, which owns the property, did assess the building to be structurally sound and found that a char- ter school would not impact traffi c signifi cantly, the former Children’s Center is not with- out fl aws. The site is technically within the tsunami inundation area, according to a map done in 2013 by the Oregon Depart- ment of Geology and Min- eral Industries. However, this map has no regulatory power, meaning the school can choose to do with that information what it may, Barnes said. It is the 1995 tsunami inun- dation map, also prepared by the state , that rules schools can- not be built in the tsunami zone without a formal consultation with the state. The Children’s Center site is outside of the 1995 version of the zone, and therefore not bound by these restrictions. One of the reasons the origi- nal elementary school closed in 2013 was due to tsunami safety concerns. 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Because the school has opted to use a parent rideshare system instead of a school bus, Commissioner Joe Bernt raised concerns about possible con- gestion in what is already a narrow parking lot with only one exit. “We will have a half-hour drop-off window to give stu- dents extra time,” Cannon Beach Academy Executive Director Amy Moore told the Planning C ommission. Other aspects, such as addi- tional ADA requirements or fi re code improvements, are to be determined later by the city’s building offi cial. The city is still negotiating with academy representatives on a three-year lease, which is the amount of time academy board members expect to out- grow the space . The school has also hired two teachers, Dawn Jay from Aloha and Melissa Kennedy from Klammath Falls, Moore said. As of Thursday , 40 students were enrolled to start in the fall, Moore said. B ONDED S ENIORS Beautifully trained to wisdom and sweetness. Help to fi ll again their little cups of happiness. 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