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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 Cantwell intervenes to help Coast Guard with health care High response for citizen survey in Cannon Beach LONG BEACH, Wash. — Due to a change in the status of a U.S. Coast Guard Sec- tor Columbia River medical and dental clinic, local Coast Guard families are sometimes being forced to travel hun- dreds of miles to get health care. During a recent meeting at Station Cape Disappointment, Coast Guard personnel told U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell that some people who are eligible for Coast Guard beneits are driving as much as “six hours or more round trip to access health care at military treat- ment facilities with the capac- ity to serve their health care needs,” according to a press release last week. In a recent letter, Cantwell urged Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Jonathan Wood- son to make it easier for Coas- ties in aouthwest Washington and northern Oregon to get local medical care. The Coast Guard units at Station Cape Disappoint- ment, the National Motor Lifeboat School, and Sector Columbia River used to be designated as “Tricare Prime Remote” units. That designa- tion allowed local families to get care through private-sec- tor providers. However, the federal gov- ernment recently recognized the Sector Columbia River medical and dental clinic as an oficial military treatment facility. As a result, the remote designation for local bases was removed, and people who qualify for Coast Guard ben- eits are now required to get their care through the military clinic. In her letter, Cantwell said she thought the clinic’s new designation “is putting an inappropriate and dispropor- tionate burden on the Coast Guard men and women sta- tioned there.” She urged Woodson to reinstate the remote status for local Coast Guard facilities. Cartwright Park mountain bike track gets go-ahead By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — “We’re ready to dig! We’re ready to move dirt!” Chris Quacken- bush said this week as the Seaside City Council unan- imously approved a plan to build a mountain bike track in Cartwright Park. The project was driven by Quackenbush, Morgan Soller and Steven Blakes- ley, members of the North Coast Trail Alliance. “We’ve been thriving all over the state,” Soller said. “Mountain bike trails are just going off the charts. It’s super popular.” Organizers hope to pro- vide a spot for mountain bike riding close to home. “It was really cool — the first meeting 23 people showed up,” Soller said. “And it’s grown from then on.” The track will be devel- oped on vacant land north of the park’s boat ramp and behind the Seaside School District Administration Building. Oblong tracks of natural soils will be built up into berms and hills. SEASIDE AMERICAN LEGION th 4 ANNUAL NEW ENGLAND “It’s a place for mountain bikers to go do what they want to do without having a lot of transition, a lot of elevation change,” Soller said. The effect will be a similar experience to a “purpose-built trail,” he said. The Seaside Planning Com- mission conditionally approved the plan earlier this month. The commission required erosion mitigation measures, bike racks for the park and minor modiications to the plan. Phase one includes one berm and four pump bumps, requiring 6 yards of clean ill. Phase two will require about 38 yards of clean ill and material for the track. “Next Tuesday, we’re going to go over and do the site clear- ing and grading of it, and then start laying it out,” Soller said. Building could start the sec- ond weekend in May. Northwest Coast Trails Coa- lition donated $250 for signs. Teevin & Fischer is donating materials and an excavator will be provided by All Rents. Labor will be provided by volunteers. “We’re planning on attacking it based on every- 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 Baked Potato Bar ther’s o M D E- Friday April 29 th 4 pm ‘til gone , G $6 .00 6PM “Karaoke Dave” AS TO RIA AM ERICAN LEGIO N ard Saturday April 30 th 9 AM - 4 PM Cla tso p Po st 12 ak en, and B St. Mary of the Sea Auditorium 1411 Grand Avenue Astoria Fundraiser sponsored d by Court 151 Catholic Daughters of America 1132 Excha n g e S treet 325-5771 LIVE body’s availability every weekend until it’s inished,” Soller said. “The thing with dirt and rock you can only pack it so much, you also have to let the weather hit it. You don’t want to ride it prematurely.” Organizers aim for a Fourth of July opening. “That way everybody who’s been working so hard can have a barbecue and reap the beneits,” Soller said. Sal e Kucera has completed strate- gic plans involving citizen sur- veys for six communities. The National Citizen Survey has administered more than 1,000 surveys of residents for local governments of various sizes. “The survey gives an accu- rate relection about how the community feels about the direc- tion we’re heading,” Kucera said. “It can afirm we’re head- ing in the right direction or show us areas we need to concentrate on more.” Areas of weakness can be prioritized in the strategic plan, he said. “It is meant to gauge the public satisfaction rate with the city,” Kucera said. The survey includes many standard questions, but certain questions were tailored specif- ically to the community. Can- non Beach is unique in that it is a coastal town with tourist activ- ity in a remote location, Grass- ick said. Citizens could also write comments. Kucera said he hopes the sur- veys, by asking citizens for their honest opinions, help to “build trust” in the government. “We are asking all residents to have an equal voice,” he said. e Assessing livability ay Planning process The surveys, mailed to res- idents about a month ago, will be analyzed soon. A preliminary report should be available May 16, and in late May, city council- ors and consultants will meet to review the survey responses that will “become a large part of the strategic planning,” Kucera said. By NATALIE ST. JOHN EO Media Group nt Pla CANNON BEACH — The last day for Cannon Beach resi- dents to submit a citizen survey is Friday. Along with input from the City Council and staff, the sur- vey will play a major role in informing the city’s strategic plan. So far, the city has received a 40 percent response out of about 1,700 residents. City Manager Brant Kucera said this “very high” response rate is not expected to increase much more. “It’s exciting,” Public Works Director Dan Grassick said, not- ing how a “vocal and passionate group” comes to city meetings but others do not come. “We always ight for public input.” But some residents wonder what it all means. They say the survey is vague and will fail to provide meaningful direction for the city’s future. “In completing the survey for which the city of Cannon Beach is spending $30,000, we found that its questions were designed to apply broadly to any city in the country,” Rex Amos said in a letter to The Daily Astorian. “This expensive exer- cise is a poor substitute for good governing.” At a City Council meeting in early April, Vinnie Ferrau said certain questions were straight- forward and others were vague. “If I am not in favor of cur- rent economic development and I choose ‘poor,’ will that be interpreted as not enough or too much?” Ferrau asked. Kucera responded that “poor” would mean that the citi- zen is unhappy with the speciic city services provided. At the same meeting, Jan Siebert-Wahrmund said she was concerned that the questions were too vague to inform deci- sions on complex issues. “The answers allowed don’t give any indication of why a cit- izen votes one way or another,” Siebert-Wahrmund said, adding that responses can be “misin- terpreted” because of the vague questions and answers. “Our community needs and deserves real dialogue, which takes time and effort but is worth it.” The strategic plan is a two- year process that will also include plans for the next ive and 10 years and will help guide future city policies and goals. The plan is to be updated continually and reviewed each year as a “living document,” Grassick said. “The goal for me is to take it and overlay it in pub- lic works to make sure I am pri- oritizing the right things. It’s another road map for guiding each department through annual work plans.” For example, strategic planning would be taken into account when planning roads, providing water services or cre- ating visitor amenities. PR By LYRA FONTAINE The Daily Astorian Saturday, May 7 th , 2016 LOBSTER FEED Assistance League® the Columbia Pacifi c’s 9 th Annual Help Clothe Kids Saturday, May 7 th • 4-8 PM Advanced Ticket Sales $ 29 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS • FREE • N O A DMISSION R EQUIRED Call 503-738-5111 • Only 125 Losters! 11 AM -12 PM Free for Kids: Golf Clinic & Putting Contest - Bicycle Raffl e - Tickets $1.00 or 6 for $5.00 11 AM -1 PM BBQ Lunch $5.00, Kids under 5 eat Free! Enjoy music by : Rusty Spurs Band 1315 Broadway in Seaside (Sponsors: Subway, Knutsen Insurance, Reed & Hertig and Van Dusen Beverages) 12:15 PM Helicopter Ball Drop - Free to attend (Balls landing closest to the pin Win!) Win. Prize Packages Donated from These Great Businesses! (All tickets must be purchased in advance. 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