NORTH COAST
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015
3A
A rebel salute
Civil War re-enactment
draws about 1,500 visitors
The Daily Astorian
During Labor Day week-
end, the Northwest Civil
War Council’s annual Civ-
il War re-enactment drew
about 1,500 visitors both
Saturday and Sunday, ex-
ceeding last year’s turnout,
according to early estimates
from Jim Munson, the event
coordinator.
However, the number
of re-enactors dropped
about 40 percent, down to
between 350 and 400, be-
cause of the now-discon-
tinued county ban on open
flames.
The Clatsop County Fire
Defense Board lifted the
ban Thursday, thanks to
the recent rains and cooler
weather, but many re-enac-
tors had already canceled
their appearances. Had the
ban remained, it would
have
precluded
battle
re-enactments and camp-
fires, two signature fea-
tures of the living history
event.
But the battles carried
on as usual, as did the oth-
er mainstays, including the
battalion dress parades, the
artillery
demonstration,
the medical demonstra-
tions, the Sunday morn-
ing church service and, of
course, the stirring history
lesson by Abraham Lin-
coln impersonator Steve
Holgate.
Erick Bengel/The Daily Astorian
While galloping away, a group of Confederate soldiers salutes a Union army on the battlefield at Fort Stevens State
Park — a mighty friendly greeting, considering that the Yankees had just licked those Rebels in battle, and in full view
of the public, Sunday afternoon.
Milestone: A century mark for Seaside High School
Staff, students hope to highlight special occasion throughout the year
By KATHERINE
LACAZE
EO Media Group
SEASIDE — All impending
school years carry some sense
of trepidation, excitement or an-
ticipation for incoming students,
teachers, administrators and
staff. For Seaside High School,
the 2015-16 school year is a
milestone, Principal Sheila Ro-
ley said.
The class of 2016 will be the
100th class to graduate.
Throughout the school year,
students and staff look forward
to making a big deal out of the
“100th class” celebration, Roley
said.
“In general, students are the
ones with the really good ideas,”
she said.
She designated Associated
Student Body President Alie
Zagata to lead a team in put-
ting together a history of the
school and planning activities
and events throughout the year,
Beach each had their own dis-
trict for elementary students,
but educators and community
members determined it would
be best to start a high school
run by a separate uni¿ed school
district with its own board of di-
rectors. In November 1916, after
several delays, the communities
dedicated a recently ¿nished
$35,000 Union High School in
Seaside.
“Seaside can well feel proud
of this excellent educational
building, and those instrumental
in the building of this valuable
adjunct to this great resort can
feel highly elated at the result of
Katherine Lacaze/EO Media Group their labors,” the Seaside Signal
A photo at the Seaside Museum depicts the Union High wrote Nov. 16, 1916.
School built in 1916 that served students from Gearhart,
Another Signal article de-
Seaside and Cannon Beach.
scribed the new school as “big-
ger in its enrollment” and “bet-
including a community event “it’s going to be a big project,” ter in its equipment, broadened
next spring. Students are con- Roley said.
till it stands second to none in
sidering a time capsule to store
the county.”
Regional high school
memorabilia and messages to
J.W. Branstator was the
About 100 years ago, Sea- principal at the time. Under his
future generations. They are in
the early stages of planning, but side, Gearhart and Cannon direction, the district planned
Putting the maps in order in Seaside
By KATHERINE LACAZE
EO Media Group
SEASIDE — Seaside City
Council is considering a limited
expansion to the city’s Down-
town Maintenance District
boundary. During a work session
Aug. 31, council members re-
viewed businesses and organiza-
tions within the district and their
assessments. While they stopped
short of an overhaul of boundary
lines, councilors could “clean
up” the district’s northern border
straight across Oceanway.
Any change would not go into
effect until ¿scal year 2016-1.
Established in 1983, the dis-
trict has not changed since then.
The boundaries are uneven, but
in general, include businesses in
the downtown core from Roo-
sevelt Drive to the Promenade
located along Broadway and
portions of Avenue A, Avenue B,
Columbia Street, Oceanway and
Franklin Street. Businesses are
charged based on the number of
frontage feet.
For 2015-16, nearly 10 tax
lots within the boundaries were
assessed at a rate of about $8.84
per front foot to generate more
than $92,000. After the assess-
ment is completed, it is sent to
Clatsop County, which adds
the fees to the property owners’
county taxes for the year.
The dollar per front foot rate,
according to the city’s Adminis-
trative Assistant Kim Jordan, is
based on two contracts the city
pays for downtown landscaping
and litter removal.
Only when those contracts
increase does the assessment rate
go up, she said. Otherwise, the
rate stays the same. The city does
not make money off the assess-
ment.
At the work session, coun-
cilors discussed in particular a
spring request by the Seaside
Elks Lodge, which has two large
parking lots along Avenue A, to
receive reduced rate or relief al-
together from the assessment.
Representatives of the lodge said
the funds could be returned to the
community through the organi-
zation’s scholarship fund or var-
ious projects. The organization
pays a little more than $1,000 for
one lot’s front and $1,400 for the
second, 160-foot lot.
If the organization’s lots were
removed from consideration, it
would require an approximately
2. percent rate increase per lot
for other property owners, ac-
cording to city staff.
Councilor Randy Frank said
he was open to a reduction, add-
ing, “I don’t think there’s any-
thing wrong with them chipping
in here.”
Councilor Dana Phillips did
not agree since the street in front
of the lodge is landscaped and
maintained through the city’s
contracts, and the Elks bene¿t
from it, she said.
“They’re getting a service
from the city, and I don’t think
what’s being charged for that ser-
vice is out of whack,” she said.
If the city were to make an ex-
ception in the future, Frank said,
the language should be broad-
ened so it applies to a whole
group, such as all nonpro¿t
organizations, rather than a sin-
gular entity. No decisions were
¿nalized at the work session. The
councilors expressed a desire
to extend the district’s northern
border straight across Ocean-
way, which would incorporate a
handful of new tax lots, including
those occupied by Ashore Hotel
and Pizza Harbor, the parking lot
next to Quatat Park owned by
Beach Development and a piece
of land that was owned by Donn
Bauske. Charges go to property
owners, not businesses, Jordan
said.
Gather the chorus
Strike up the band
Sing H appy
50th Birthday
To Under-Pant M an!
W e Love You,
XXOXO
City of Astoria
SERVICE FAIR
Thursday, September 10, 2015
4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
at the
Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Barbey Center,
20th and Marine Drive
•
•
•
•
Meet City officials, employees, and volunteers
Find out what’s happening in City departments through
displays and demonstrations
See big construction equipment, police cars, and fire trucks
up close
Enjoy free hot dogs!!
to expand its curriculum so the
caliber of Union High School
would equal that of Astoria High
School.
Union High School was lo-
cated directly west of the cur-
rent facility, along what is now
North Holladay Drive. Some
time in the 1950s, the district
constructed a new building that
became the core of the current
high school.
That facility was expanded
in 1962, increasing the capacity
of the school to 600 students.
A gymnasium large enough for
two basketball courts and fold-
ing bleachers was a highlight of
the upgrade.
Fast forward to today
Fast forward to now, as the
school prepares for its 100th
year of serving high school stu-
dents in South County.
Roley, Assistant Principal
Jeff Roberts and other staff
members and teachers are pre-
paring for the arrival of approx-
imately 450 students for the
2015-16 school year.
Freshmen and new students
will come Tuesday for a pro-
gram called Link Crew. Junior
and senior crew leaders will
show the new students around
the school and put on several
team-building exercises to help
them get acclimated before
the remaining students arrive
Wednesday.
“It’s a great transition pro-
gram,” Roley said. Incorporated
about 20 years ago, she added,
it is “one of the most signi¿-
cant changes for setting a posi-
tive school climate we’ve ever
made.”
Personally, Roley is entering
her 30th year as an educator, and
she said the “excitement and an-
ticipation has never diminished
one bit for me.”
“I anxiously await the arrival
of the staff and kids each year,”
she said.
Each year, she anticipates
leading the high school into the
future. Educators are never sat-
is¿ed, she said, because “they
know there is growth we can
continue to make.”
For online updates:
www.dailyastorian.com
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
Clatsop NAMI ACC (National Alliance on Mental
Illness) will meet September 8th at 7 pm in
the Astoria Seafood Center upstairs conference
room.
Guest speaker will be Joell Archibald, RN, MBA,
Innovator Agent serving Columbia Pacific CCO,
covering Mental Health issues and projects in
Clatsop County.
Drew Herzig, Astoria City Councilman, will speak
about the new Astoria Warming Center project at
the October 13th meeting.
The public is invited.
CITY O F A S TO RIA
NO TICE O F PUBLIC HEA RING
T he City o f As to ria Pla n n in g Co m m is s io n w ill ho ld a p u b lic hea rin g
o n W ed n es d a y, S eptem b er 16 , 2015 a t 6 :30 p.m ., in the As to ria City Ha ll,
Co u n cil Cha m b ers , 1095 Du a n e S treet, As to ria . T he p u rp o s e o f the hea rin g
is to co n s id er the fo llo w in g req u es t(s ):
1. W ireles s Co m m u n ica tio n F a cilities W CF 15-02 b y S ha ro n Gretch,
L exco m fo r Verizo n W ireles s (VAW ), L L C d b a , Verizo n W ireles s to co n s tru ct
a 150’ high w ireles s co m m u n ica tio n fa cility a t 3850 Res ervo ir Ro a d in the
L R, L a n d Res erve zo n e.
2. W ireles s Co m m u n ica tio n F a cility W CF 15-03 b y S ha ro n Gretch,
L exco m fo r Verizo n W ireles s (VAW ), L L C d b a , Verizo n W ireles s co n s tru ct a
150’ high w ireles s co m m u n ica tio n fa cility a t 1580 S hively Pa rk Ro a d in the
IN In s titu tio n a l zo n e.
F o r in fo rm a tio n , ca ll o r w rite the Co m m u n ity Develo p m en t Dep a rtm en t, 1095
Du a n e S t., As to ria OR 97103, p ho n e 503-338-5183.
T he lo ca tio n o f the hea rin g is a cces s ib le to the ha n d ica p p ed . An in terp reter fo r
the hea rin g im p a ired m a y b e req u es ted u n d er the term s o f ORS 192.630 b y
co n ta ctin g the Co m m u n ity Develo p m en t Dep a rtm en t a t 503-338-5183 48
ho u rs p rio r to the m eetin g.
T he As to ria Pla n n in g Co m m is s io n res erves the right to m o d ify the p ro p o s a l o r to
co n tin u e the hea rin g to a n o ther d a te a n d tim e. If the hea rin g is co n tin u ed , n o fu rther
p u b lic n o tice w ill b e p ro vid ed .
