OUR 113th Year
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM
HIS BRILLIANT CAREER
Two buyers
vie for school
in Gearhart
November 13, 2020
$1.00
SOUTH COUNTY
Coronavirus
cases on rise
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Two buyers seek ownership of the
former Gearhart Elementary School
property.
The potential sale comes after the
school closed this year and the cam-
pus moved to the new Pacifi c Ridge
Elementary School on Spruce Drive in
Seaside, outside of the tsunami inun-
dation zone.
Originally listed at $1.9 million,
the district lowered the price to $1.2
million earlier this year before autho-
rizing the sale in August at $750,000.
That deal didn’t materialize.
In September, the school district
approved negotiations with a bidder
who requested confi dentiality at the
time.
At last Wednesday’s Gearhart City
Council meeting, potential purchasers
Jeff Bodner, a general contractor, and
Celeste Bodner, founder and execu-
tive director of Foster Club, proposed
to repurpose and revitalize the school
building as a community hub for arts
and cultural activity, and as a commu-
nity gathering space, and as a place
for philanthropic organizations, such
as Foster Club, the national organiza-
tion based in Seaside she founded and
where she serves as executive director.
Bodner said she envisions light ren-
ovation for the organization, dorm-
style lodging to serve program pur-
poses and also community meeting
pace for workshops or events hosted
by collaborators or community mem-
bers, or as rented event space.
Designated
public-/semi-public,
zoning code limits uses to a govern-
ment facility, community meeting
building, public service use or educa-
tional purposes.
“I’m intrigued by the idea of some-
body willing to take responsibil-
ity taking over the building and hav-
ing it open to public use for some fee
structure, but making sure that the ball
fi elds and playground were available
to the community,” City Councilor
Dan Jesse said. “To me that’s a pretty
good win-win for everybody. I would
like to see this conversation continue.”
The southern part of Clatsop County
faces a surge in positive coronavirus cases.
Since Oct. 30, the county has reported 43
confi rmed coronavirus cases, of which 25 of
those are identifi ed as residents of an area
which includes Seaside, Gearhart and Can-
non Beach.
As of Tuesday, the county recorded a total
of 293 cases since March, the health depart-
ment reported. Two-hundred and forty-three
of those have recovered. One person has
been hospitalized; the others are convalesc-
ing at home.
According to the county’s Public Health
Department, parties and social gather-
ings among friends and family are the pri-
mary cause of these and other recent local
COVID-19 cases.
“We have community spread,” Pub-
lic Health Director Michael McNickle said
Monday. “The virus is in the county and
is being spread through many routes of
exposure.”
The Sunset Empire Park and Recreation
District closed the Sunset pool until Nov. 18
after a staff member tested positive for the
coronavirus. They are recovering at home
and in contact with their medical provider
and the health department.
The city of Seaside refers all inquiries
about coronavirus cases to the health depart-
ment, City Manager Mark Winstanley said
Monday, and does not keep statistics about
local spread.
If a worker at a store tests positive for
coronavirus and is a direct contact to a
known case from another source, they would
be contacted by the health department and
asked to quarantine, McNickle said.
Second offer
In an electronic meeting last Mon-
day morning, Seaside School District
building committee member Brian
Taylor and school board members
authorized Seaside School District
superintendent Susan Penrod to nego-
tiate and execute a contract on the for-
mer elementary school property with
Robert Morey and his wife Timi.
If the sale is completed, an Oregon
LLC would be formed to take title to
the property, Robert Morey said.
“We will be collaborating with the
entire community as we determine the
best long-term uses of the former ele-
mentary school property,” he said.
Active initiatives taking place in
Gearhart, including changes to the
city’s downtown commercial zone,
the High Point Fire Station site, the
parks master planning project and
the buildable lands inventory will
Photos by City of Seaside and Seaside Police Department
ABOVE: Bruce Holt honored with a plaque from the city, presented by Mayor Jay Barber.
BELOW: Holt and family members at City Hall.
Lt. Holt honored at
City Council farewell
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Seaside’s longest-run-
ning employee took a bow
last night, as City Coun-
cil commended him for
37 years of service to the
police department and the
city of Seaside.
“We have a special
opportunity to recognize
Bruce Holt, who’s retir-
ing after 37 years of ser-
vice city of Seaside,”
announced Mayor Jay
Barber. “You have shown
a great deal of respect to
all with whom you have
come in contact with, and
will be greatly missed.”
With family in the
audience and many more
watching remotely, Holt
was recognized for his
commitment to the com-
munity and his profes-
sional leadership.
A video presentation
offered glimpses of Holt
throughout his career —
usually, but not always
sporting his trademark
mustache.
Holt served as a
reserve offi cer in 1982
and was hired by the Sea-
side Police Department in
November 1983. He was
promoted to senior offi cer
in February 1987 and ser-
geant in 1989. He received
a detective role in the mid-
1990s and promotion to
lieutenant in June 2016.
“Service with a smile,”
was his motto, whether in
the station, entertaining
young people in the class-
room, refereeing a ball
game or at a community
barbecue.
See Coronavirus, Page A5
Barber and councilors
stressed Holt’s roles as
president of the Seaside
Rotary, church member,
and with his wife Dana,
foster parents to more
than 70 children over the
years.
Holt played a key role
in keeping alive the mem-
ory of Seaside Sgt. Jason
Goodding, the offi cer who
was killed in the line of
duty in 2016.
“Every year you’ve
been there to remind us
of his service, and the fact
that he paid the ultimate
price of his leadership in
the community,” Barber
said. “That’s what really
resonated with me. Not
only your heart for Jason
but for all of the guys and
gals that served in the
police department.”
Holt now serves with
the Oregon chapter of
COPS, a national non-
profi t dedicated to the con-
cerns of police survivors.
Holt thanked his par-
ents for instilling a com-
mitment to service in the
community, which he
promised to maintain after
leaving the department.
See Gearhart, Page A3
Overhead view of Broadway Middle School.
“It’s going to continue
to be our pleasure to be
involved,” Holt said.
He thanked Chief Dave
Ham for choosing him as
lieutenant and the city and
councilors for their sup-
port and guidance.
“Thank you on behalf
of our entire family to
give us the opportunity
to serve this commu-
nity,” Holt said. “We have
enjoyed it.”
Councilors and staff
followed with their own
salutes to the lieutenant,
including some who have
known him for decades.
“I am lucky to be able
to be able to call Bruce
a friend and it’s been an
honor to serve with him,”
City Manager Mark Win-
stanley said. “We’re going
to miss him a lot.”
Webinars planned
ahead of potential
middle school buy
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
As the Sunset Empire Park and Recre-
ation District closes in on a Nov. 30 sale
date for the $2.25 million purchase of the
former Broadway Middle School, the exec-
utive director and board are looking to the
future.
How will the district use the 73,000
square feet of building space on 5.4 acres in
the heart of Seaside, who will their partners
be and how much will it cost?
Directors met at a work session last
Thursday to receive a purchase update and
schedule future public information sessions.
Livestreamed and on-demand webinars
See Broadway, Page A3
With homelessness, ‘frustration’ is the key word
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Seaside city councilors
asked the police chief, city
attorney and city manager
what can be done to manage
the growing number of home-
less in Seaside.
The workshop last Fri-
day came after Seaside Mayor
Jay Barber sounded an alarm
about chronic homelessness,
with increasing numbers of
people living on the city’s
wooded fringes, on riverbanks
or in cars.
“The purpose of this meet-
ing is to educate the coun-
cil so we can begin to involve
the community to get input
from everybody affected by,
both those who are home-
less and those in the sur-
rounding areas impacted by
people who are homeless,”
Barber said at the workshop.
“In the city’s attempt to deal
with this, we’ve come up with
all types of challenges being
able to work with people who
are homeless. What are our
options to deal with this issue
in our community?”
Those options are limited,
City Attorney Dan Van Thiel
said. “Frustration is probably
the key word that I could use
here.”
Federal court decisions in
Boise, Idaho, and Grants Pass
have determined “homeless-
ness is not a crime,” and cities
cannot prevent the homeless
from voluntarily sitting, lying
or sleeping in public, Van Thiel
said. “The answer quite simply
is we are not going to be arrest-
ing these people,” he said.
In most instances, police
act as a referral to housing,
mental health or drug addic-
tion resources, Police Chief
Dave Ham said.
When behaviors cross over
to littering, fi ghting in pub-
lic, or violations of open con-
tainer laws, police may issue
citations.
Since the homeless often
don’t have cellphones or a
permanent residence, making
contact is problematic.
R.J. Marx
See Homelessness, Page A5
A person sleeps at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center parking lot.