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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2017)
June 23, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A When Batman came to Gearhart Adam West a regular at the height of his fame By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal W ow! Bam! Pow! Shazam! Among Batman’s many stops around the planet in his role both as caped crusader — and without the cape — Bill Anderson, better known as Adam West, was a frequent visitor to Gearhart at the time of his greatest fame. The “Batman” TV show ran from 1966-68. In late August 1966, shortly after release of his “Batman” feature, West arrived at the Clatsop County Airport accompanied by his children, Jonelle and Hunter, along with his brother and sister-in-law John and Carol Anderson and their two children, Winn and Peter. “The group spent Sunday and Mon- day visiting with Bill and John’s mother,” the Seaside Signal reported. From Gearhart their plans were to go by chartered plane to Walla Walla, Washing- ton, the Signal wrote in 1966. “Batman will then fl y to New York City via Portland in Los Angeles, where he will make a number of personal appearances to promote his new Batman movie.” According to the Internet Movie Data- base, Adam West was born William “Billy” West Anderson on Sept. 19, 1928, in Wal- la Walla, to parents Otto West Anderson, a farmer, and his wife, Audrey V. Speer, an opera singer. She was also known as Adele. After a divorce Speer remarried. She took Billy and his younger brother, John, to Seattle. At age 14, Billy attended Lakeside School, then went to Whitman College, where he got a degree in literature and psy- chology. During his last year of college, he also married 17-year-old Billie Lou Yeager, the fi rst of several marriages, before launching a career in fi lm and show business. In 1959 he moved to Hollywood and took the name Adam West. He appeared in the fi lm “The Young Philadelphians,” and guest starred on television W esterns and crime dramas. His mother, meanwhile, remarried once again and lived in Gearhart’s Ocean House on Pacifi c Way . Gearhart’s Jim Furnish re- membered her as Adele DeSilva. West was a constant visitor to Gearhart, Jeff Ter Har, a neighbor at the time, said. “I was like 10 years old,” Ter Har said. “I “Batman” entertains Gearhart kids in Au- gust 1966. SEASIDE SIGNAL/ FILE PHOTO would be home and he would be at my par- ents house for cocktails and all my friends would come over and see me. ‘I have Bat- man at my house — Bruce Wayne without the mask.’ It was pretty cool for me.” During one visit, West joined a volley- ball match between the Cannon Beach & Gearhart lifeguards at Gearhart Beach, Scott Davis said. “It was really a blast hav- ing the caped crusader supporting our ef- forts,” Davis said. “I remember him smiling and laughing to this day, as he described his new, larger than life role, with all the fun- fi lled drama, campiness, and humor for the upcoming Batman TV series.” Jean Ter Har shared that Adam West used to like to come over and read a book in her living room to “kind of hide out for a while,” she said. West’s family became really good friends with his parents and his family. West’s brother, John, spent “a lot of time down here too, also his wife Carol,” Ter Har said. “A lot of the kids are still in the Portland area.” Scott Bechtolt of Astoria still cherishes memories of when Batman came to Gear- hart. “We walked down a few houses and ap- proached a house that looked like a light- house without the tower or a nautical fort,” Bechtolt said. “I thought that was cool … then we knocked … and … Batman an- swered the door! Just like on T.V. … Ka- pow!” Funds could help infrastructure Seaside celebrates high school grads Renewal from Page 1A Using tax increment fi - nancing, funding comes through increases in assessed values of local properties. As new development arrives and existing properties are im- proved, assessments rise and see property tax increases. Property taxes on the growth in assessed value in the urban renewal area are frozen and increases are allocated to the city’s urban renewal agency and not the taxing districts. Subsequent improvements can lead to higher home val- ues and in turn higher assess- ments, ultimately generating more funds for the urban re- newal district. “As the assessed value grows in the district, only the urban renewal agencies can tax against that increase,” City Manager Mark Winstan- ley said. “The other agencies don’t get that.” Southeast Seaside’s infra- structure goals, prepared in a May goal-setting session, in- clude a pedestrian bike bridge, parks projects and upgrades to unincorporated properties in the area. Because part of the land is owned by the county, those areas would need to be annexed into the city. Annex- ation would require approv- al from the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners. “Typically, counties are very supportive if you’re do- ing infrastructure,” Elaine SUBMITTED PHOTO A boundary map of the Southeast Seaside Urban Renewal District. Howard of Howard Consul- tants said. “And 90-some- thing percent of your plan is infrastructure.” Spending decisions can be changed as long as their cost does not exceed the debt the agency can incur, Howard said. The city is limited to proj- ects listed in the city’s urban renewal plan. Members of the commis- sion considered both 20- and 25-year scenarios. A 20-year timeline would have yielded a maximum in- debtedness of $37.6 million; maximum indebtedness using a 25-year urban renewal dis- trict reaches $62.4 million. “It’s a marked difference between 20 and 25 years,” Winstanley said. Bridge upgrades by them- selves could consume a large portion of the project fund, Howard said. “You’ve got those bridge repairs, which really may be a top priority,” Howard said. “But they’re $26 million. That’s a lot of money. I’m not sure how much the city can add to that — but that’s what causes the angst in looking at the proj- ects in the 20- to 25-year time frame.” Urban renewal funds for school infrastructure of $8.7 million are targeted to im- prove transportation, bring a sewer system to the new campus site, improve water Managing Hip & Knee Arthritis JOIN US FOR A SEMINAR storage at the school site and acquire land as needed for right-of-way for streets and utilities. “This is a situation where the school district is devel- oping in a huge way, but by forming this urban renewal agency we have an opportuni- ty to share in the costs rather than put it all on them,” Win- stanley said. “For every dollar we don’t have to pay on pub- lic improvements that are a requirement for development, we can spend it on the kids. And that’s an opportunity for us.” Up to $7.5 million is tar- geted for building improve- ments and business assistance in the area, according to How- ard. Additions or changes to the plan can come at any time. “This gives us the most fl exibility in my mind, and the most options,” City Coun- cilor Steve Wright said of the 25-year plan unanimously en- dorsed by Seaside Improve- ment Commission members. City staff and consultants plan a briefi ng with the c ounty Board of Commissioners on Tuesday and will seek county approval at the commission’s July 26 meeting in Astoria. Seaside’s Planning Com- mission will review the plan for conformance to the city’s comprehensive plan, Howard said. The City Council will hold a formal hearing Aug. 14. Grads from Page 1A Thaddaeus Stapleton, originally from Washington state, is ready to leave the Oregon C oast. He will at- tend Southern Oregon Uni- versity to study business administration. After com- pleting his undergraduate degree, Stapleton plans on pursuing a master’s. “I was a little unsure if I’d make it but I’m here now, ” Stapleton said. The valedictorians each gave an address highlight- ing the impact Seaside High School had on them, what they are looking forward to in the future, and advice for their fellow classmates. Summer Spell’s speech acknowledged that the la- bels each one of them had do not defi ne them anymore, whether that be a positive one like “successful” or a negative one like “lazy.” Dania Nolazco Luna, the fi rst member of her family to graduate high school, said: “Whatever it is you do from here on out, you only get back what you put in.” Caroline Kotson’s goal for her fellow classmates is to break away from their generation’s stereotype as entitled. Kotson said no matter what each student’s future will look like, “go out and change the perception of our generation.” After three valedictorian addresses, a slide show of the graduates played. Students’ baby pictures and senior pictures along with group photos were shown. Once the slide presenta- tion completed, the fourth valedictorian gave his speech. Carson Schulte said he spent his fi rst three years at Seaside High going through the motions in fear of what others might think of him for standing out too much. However, at the beginning of his senior year, his father challenged him to try new things. Schulte joined choir and other activities where he found a great support sys- tem. “If you have a dream, go out and chase it until you can’t chase it any longer,” he said. Following Schulte, the Class of 2017 was awarded diplomas. The fi nal valedictorian address, given by Eliza- beth Barnes, encompassed that people are unique and special in their own ways. “Don’t let anyone tell you you don’t matter,” Barnes said. “Never stop being who you are and seeking what you want.” Presentation by Dr. Michael Vessely Orthopaedic Surgeon WEDWESDAY, JUWE 28 th 5:30pm to 6:30pm Holiday Inn Express 34 W. Holladay Drive. Seaside, OR Light appetizers served ADMISSION IS FREE The Joint Replacement Institute MCMIWWVILLE OREGOW Please RSVP bd contacting Natalie.Reed@capellahealth.com or (503) 435-6571