NORTH COAST
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
3A
Barn owner faces court date for commercial activities
Despite lack of
permit, barn owner
said to rent premises
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
GEARHART — In another twist
to a long-running dispute, Shannon
Smith, owner of Neacoxie Creek
Barn, will be in Gearhart Municipal
Court Monday to face trial for zone
code tickets. The two tickets charge
that Smith conducted business activ-
ities in a residential zone.
Smith also will receive two ad-
ditional tickets for zone code viola-
tions for alleged commercial activi-
ties based on other events early last
month, City Manager Chad Sweet
said Wednesday.
Each ticket could bring a $500
¿ne.
Smith pleaded not guilty to the
¿rst two tickets, and will issue a plea
for the third and fourth tickets Mon-
day.
“I want to give her every oppor-
tunity she has to make this work, but
at this point we have to go through
these steps to protect the city from a
liability standpoint,” Sweet said.
He said despite the lack of a per-
mit, Smith has continued to operate
commercial events, such as wed-
dings and large parties in violation
of city code.
“She’s technically not permitted
for anything at this point,” Sweet
said. “She has a pending conditional
use permit with conditions that need
to be ful¿lled before she conducts
Katherine Lacaze/EO Media Group
Gearhart resident Shannon Smith
has been trying for several years
to renovate her historic livery for
use as an events center.
I can’t comment on that,” he said.
Smith asked to speak and
brought an “olive branch” to May-
or Dianne Widdop.
The plastic branch was intended
as a request for “a sit-down discus-
sion with this town,” Smith told the
council. “Let’s find another way. I
don’t want to have an injunction. I
want to work with the city. I’d like
to find solutions, instead of this
crazy situation that has gone on
too long. I don’t want to be fined
or legally acted upon into oblivion,
and I think it’s actually the spirit of
Gearhart to sit down and talk with
each other and work with each oth-
er.
“So here’s my olive branch,”
Smith said. “Countries can do it,
organizations can do it, we can do
it. I don’t think anybody wants to
have the legal bills we continue to
have. This is my eighth request and
I hope you really take it to heart.”
Citing
pending
litigation,
Widdop and councilors did not
respond.
Submitted Photo
Gearhart resident Shannon Smith in front of Neacoxie Creek Barn, said to be in use as an events center
despite what the city says is a lack of proper permits.
According to its website, Nea-
coxie Creek is an event venue locat-
ed on the banks of Neacoxie Creek,
with a 110-year-old historic barn and
acre of grounds. The property was
the original livery stable for the ¿rst
“Gearhart Park” hotel built in 1890.
The barn is listed for weddings,
parties, corporate picnics, retreats
and workshops and more with use
of the barn main Àoor, western lawn,
creekside front lawn, and gardens.
“We understand there is at least
commercial business. Those condi-
tions have not been met.”
Conditions unmet
Those conditions include park-
ing access under the Americans with
Disabilities Act; an ADA license;
¿re, life and safety issues; and an
occupancy permit, “which is very
important to a commercial business,
especially when you’re changing oc-
cupancies from a livery stable to an
event center,” Sweet said.
one more wedding scheduled this
month,” Sweet said.
City may seek injunction
The code violations are separate
from an injunction proposed by the
City Council at its meeting last week.
Councilors agreed to seek an
injunction that could padlock the
barn from future events. That in-
junction would be sought at the
county level. “We’re working with
our attorneys and that is pending so
Drought loans offered to businesses Molalla man arrested
The Daily Astorian
U.S. Secretary of Agricul-
ture Tom Vilsack has designat-
ed Clatsop County a primary
natural disaster area because of
damages and losses caused by a
drought that started in July.
“Our hearts go out to those
Oregon farmers and ranchers
affected by recent natural disas-
ters,” Vilsack said in a release.
“President Obama and I are
committed to ensuring that ag-
riculture remains a bright spot
in our nation’s economy by sus-
taining the successes of Ameri-
ca’s farmers, ranchers, and rural
communities through these dif-
¿cult times. We’re also telling
Oregon producers that USDA
stands with you and your com-
munities when severe weather
and natural disasters threaten to
disrupt your livelihood.”
The U.S. Small Business
Administration is offering
small, nonfarm businesses in
Clatsop, Tillamook, Washing-
ton and Columbia counties
low-interest federal disaster
loans to offset economic losses
because of the drought.
Businesses in Washington’s
Paci¿c and Wahkiakum coun-
ties are also eligible. The dead-
line to apply for loans is May 2.
“SBA eligibility covers both
the economic impacts on busi-
nesses dependent on farmers
and ranchers that have suffered
agricultural production losses
caused by the disaster and busi-
nesses directly impacted by the
disaster,” said Tanya N. Gar-
¿eld, director of the adminis-
tration’s western Disaster Field
Operations Center.
Small, nonfarm businesses;
small agricultural cooperatives;
small businesses engaged in
aquaculture; and most private
nonpro¿t organizations of any
size may qualify for loans of
up to $2 million to help meet
¿nancial obligations and op-
erating expenses which could
have been met had the disaster
not occurred.
Eligibility for the loans is
based on the ¿nancial impact
of the natural disaster, and not
on any property damage. The
loans have an interest rate of
4 percent for businesses and
2.625 percent for private non-
pro¿ts, with a maximum term
of 30 years.
By law, the government
makes such disaster loans
available when the secretary
designates an agricultural di-
saster.
Nurseries are eligible for
disaster assistance in droughts.
for online sex abuse
But businesses primarily en-
gaged in farming or ranching
are not eligible for disaster
assistance. Agricultural enter-
prises should contact the Farm
Services Agency about USDA
assistance made available by
the Vilsack’s declaration.
Applicants may apply on-
line at https://disasterloan.sba.
gov/ela
Disaster loan information
and application forms are also
available from the administra-
tion’s Customer Service Center
at 800-659-2955 or at disaster-
customerservice@sba.gov. For
more information, visit www.
sba.gov/disaster
Completed
applications
should be mailed to: U.S. Small
Business Administration, Pro-
cessing and Disbursement
Center, 14925 Kingsport Road,
Fort Worth, TX 76155.
Clatsop County Sheriff’s
deputies arrested a 22-year-
old Molalla man Wednesday
in connection to online sex-
ual corruption and physical
abuse of a 13-year-old Clat-
sop County girl.
Colby Alen Greer was
arrested in the parking lot of
a shopping center in Happy
Valley following a two-week
investigation.
Prior to his arrest, the sher-
iff’s of¿ce said, Greer had
been communicating with
deputies who were posing as
the girl on a social media net-
work. Greer thought he would
be meeting the girl but was in-
stead greeted by Clatsop and
Clackamas County sheriff’s
deputies.
Greer reportedly started
contacting the victim after be-
ing randomly suggested to her
as a friend on a social media
Clatsop County hires ¿rm for manager search
covery, outreach, candidate
presentation and final candi-
date selection.
The entire selection pro-
cess could take more than
three months.
In other business:
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
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W A NTED
C ross F it CLASSES
• The Board of Commis-
sioners approved a cable
franchise agreement with
Charter Communications to
eventually fund video re-
cording of county meetings
and public access service.
H O BUR
T D G ER S
OG
S
The Clatsop County Board
of Commissioners unani-
mously agreed Wednesday to
hire national consulting ¿rm
Waldron to assist the board
with hiring a new county
manager.
County Manager Scott
Somers’ last day with the
county is Sept. 18. He re-
signed to become the city
manager in College Park,
Md.
Last week, the Board of
Commissioners selected Rich
Mays, the former city manag-
er of Cannon Beach, to serve
as interim county manager.
Waldron is charging a flat
fee of $25,000 for the county
manager search.
In its proposal, Waldron
touted a four-stage search
process that consists of dis-
HAM
The Daily Astorian
site. He apparently nurtured
the relationship using several
forms of online communica-
tion. During their monthlong
relationship, Greer met the
victim in person on two occa-
sions at public locations within
Clatsop County.
He was booked into Clat-
sop County Jail on two counts
of ¿rst-degree sexual abuse,
two counts of luring a minor,
second-degree unlawful sexu-
al penetration, ¿rst-degree and
second-degree online sexual
corruption of a child, using
a child in a sexually explicit
display and attempted using
a child in a sexually explicit
display.
The sheriff’s of¿ce does
not believe there are other
victims in the case. However,
if anyone has any information
related to other related crimes
they are asked to contact Sher-
iff’s Of¿ce Detective Ryan
Humphrey at (503) 325-8635.
The Daily Astorian
P ICNIC
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