3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017
Seaside school campus plan clears first hurdle
Traffic, fate
of old schools
for future
discussion
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — The Sea-
side School District cleared a
major hurdle Tuesday night.
Members of the city’s Plan-
ning Commission made a rec-
ommendation that could lead
to the building of a new school
campus outside of the tsunami
inundation zone.
By voting to recommend
approval of the district’s
request for an expansion of the
urban growth boundary, the
commission paved the way for
rezoning 40 acres of the prop-
erty and annexing an addi-
tional 49-acre portion of the
property, located at Seaside
Heights Elementary School,
2000 Spruce Drive.
“This is one of the key
pieces in moving the schools
up onto the new property,” for-
mer superintendent and mem-
ber of the district’s construc-
tion oversight committee Doug
Dougherty said after the meet-
ing. “This is a major step.”
Planning goals
Although a conceptual plan
for the site was included in
the district’s submission, this
was not a request to approve a
Submitted Drawing
Traffic concerns on Spruce Drive and South Wahanna
Road will be addressed after rezoning.
development plan for the site,
according to a city staff report.
The request, headed to the
City Council, would make
amendments to the compre-
hensive plan, zoning ordinance
and zoning map necessary for
the school district to prepare a
conditional use request for an
institutional development plan
for the campus.
Consultant Greg Winte-
rowd of Winterbrook Plan-
ning said the school’s request
addresses relevant criteria of
statewide planning goals, the
Seaside comprehensive plan
and the Clatsop County com-
prehensive plan.
The proposed location is
the only site that meets all
seven city criteria, he said, and
the only site with access to a
major collector street, South
Wahanna Road.
“Once we get approval, we
know we have the proper zon-
ing, the intent is to finish the
development plan, show them
what this development plan
is and then really focus on
impacts,” Winterowd said.
Supporters
Educators, school board
members, government offi-
cials, former students and oth-
ers stressed the urgency of the
commission’s decision, the
result of what Dougherty said
was a result of more than 25
years of research into the Cas-
cadia Subduction Zone.
Dougherty said studies
could not tell exactly when a
Cascadia event would occur,
but it’s “highly likely to occur
by 2060. It’s very import-
ant this get done as quickly as
possible.”
Patrick Wingard of the
Department of Land Conserva-
tion and Development and Ore-
gon Coastal Management Pro-
gram evaluated the proposal
in terms of statewide plan-
ning goals, particularly those
relating to tsunami inundation
zones and urban and rural uses.
“We support the proposal
because they’ve shown the
proper rationale and justifi-
cation to show the locational
and need requirements laid out
in statewide planning goals,”
Wingard said.
Seaside High School Prin-
cipal Jeff Roberts called the
school the “hub of the com-
munity” and encouraged com-
missioners to “do what is best
for kids” by approving the
application.
Recent Seaside grad Brad
Rzewnicki said he saw no
other option than moving the
schools to the new campus. “I
think this new school will pro-
mote even greater learning for
the staff, as well as other stu-
dents,” he said.
Gearhart’s Mayor Matt
Brown, speaking as a district
resident, said he was support-
ive of the zone change.
Brown called the move an
“investment” into the com-
munities of Gearhart, Sea-
side and Cannon Beach fit-
ting into the criteria outlined
for the urban growth bound-
ary amendment.
Chairman Steve Phillips
of the school district’s board
of directors said the campus
would provide an emergency,
higher elevation refuge in case
of tsunami or natural disaster.
“There are a lot of positives
to this and I encourage you to
move forward and allow us to
continue our planning,” Phil-
lips said.
Concerns
Issues raised during public
testimony included concerns
about traffic on Spruce Drive,
Wahanna Road and Cooper
Road, a side street occasion-
ally used as a cut-through.
Wingard asked for assur-
ances that future develop-
ment of existing school prop-
erties — Gearhart Elementary
School, Seaside High School
and Broadway Middle School
— would not be rezoned for
higher density uses.
Coordinator of the Necan-
icum Watershed Council Mel-
yssa Graeper asked that any
new road consider waterways
and wetlands.
District bus driver Allan
Erickson drew attention to
potential traffic bottlenecks of
Spruce Drive and Wahanna
Road, as well vulnerability of
the city’s bus barn and main-
tenance facility in the case of a
catastrophic event.
Commissioners told district
officials they would like to see
traffic measures — including
stop signs, lower speed limits
and limits on left-hand turns in
some locations — discussed in
future applications.
Unanimous vote
Commissioners considered
holding the hearing open for
another month, but ultimately
decided to take an immediate
vote.
“I don’t see any testimony
coming that would change
my mind as to how I’m going
to vote here,” Commissioner
Richard Ridout said in asking
for a vote.
“The concerns are valid,
but that will be taken care of
at a later date,” Commissioner
Lou Neubecker said.
Commissioners
unani-
mously agreed in recommend-
ing approval to the council.
“It’s exactly what we were
looking for,” Superintendent
Sheila Roley said after the
commission’s unanimous vote.
Community-based meet-
ings could begin after the start
of the school year.
“Whether or not we can
solve every single problem in
the way each person asks —
we can’t guarantee that,” she
said. “But what we can guar-
antee is that we will really lis-
ten and work collaboratively
with all of our partners to get
the best possible solutions.”
Naselle bank robber still at large
$5,000 reward
offered for
information
reopened on July 26, and is
now offering a $5,000 reward
for information leading to the
robber’s arrest.
By NATALIE ST. JOHN
EO Media Group
On Aug. 1, Chief Criminal
Deputy Pat Matlock said dep-
uties are still “actively inves-
tigating.” The woman did not
attempt to disguise herself, but
so far, police haven’t been able
to identify her, he said.
Bergstrom said bank rob-
beries are extremely rare in
the county, although the same
branch was robbed in 1983 and
1984. According to Chinook
Observer records, the last bank
robbery occurred in December
2007, when a tall, heavy-set
man took a hostage inside the
great Northwest Federal Credit
Union in Long Beach. He pep-
per-sprayed all three employ-
ees before locking them in the
restroom, and making off with
about $7,000.
The man, who robbed sev-
eral other, mostly small and
rural Oregon and Washington
banks around the same time,
NASELLE, Wash. — The
woman who robbed the Naselle
Bank of the Pacific last week is
still on the loose.
“We’re still plugging away
on that,” Lieutenant Jim Berg-
strom, of the Pacific County
Sheriff’s Office said late last
week. “We are running down
numerous tips from the infor-
mation that’s been put out
there.” As he spoke, Berg-
strom was preparing to scruti-
nize surveillance footage from
the bank.
“We are going to see what
else other people might have
missed,” Bergstrom said.
Still on the loose
A heavy-set, dark-haired
woman in her early to mid-30s
entered the bank around 3:50
No pepper spray
Robbery suspect
p.m. on July 24, and passed a
note to a teller. She allegedly
pushed a couple of tellers
around and climbed over the
counter while trying to force her
way into the cash drawers. She
left on foot a couple of minutes
later. The tellers weren’t seri-
ously hurt, Bergstrom said.
Wahkiakum County dep-
uties and officers from other
agencies who were in the area
also responded.
The Bank and Sherif’s
Officehave not revealed the
amount of money she stole,
but Bergstrom said it was not
a substantial amount. The bank
became known as “The Pepper
Spray Bandit.”
The glass ceiling
According to the FBI, 4,900
people committed a total of
4,251 bank robberies, burglar-
ies and larcenies in 2016. About
148 of those crimes occurred in
Washington.
In some ways, last week’s
robbery was typical. Most
occur at branches of commer-
cial banks, and in most cases,
no one is seriously injured or
killed. Like the Naselle suspect,
about half of the robbers in
2016 used a note to make their
demand for money.
However, female bank rob-
bers are quite unusual. Just
under 4 percent of the perpe-
trators were women last year.
Bank robberies in rural com-
munities are also rare. In 2016,
just 110 of the bank crimes
occurred in rural areas.
If you have information
about the robbery, contact Lt.
Jim Bergstrom at 360-875-
9397 or call Crime Stoppers to
report anonymously.
Gearhart is finally game for video lottery
City issues four
conditions
the land use case for reconsid-
eration in late May, and in July,
voted on behalf of granting a
conditional use permit for the
machines.
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
GEARHART — Gearhart
Crossing will get its video lot-
tery machines.
In early July, city councilors
changed direction and withdrew
a notice with the state challeng-
ing the addition of up to six lot-
tery machines in the pub and
deli.
Wednesday night, coun-
cilors revisited the matter one
more time, to issue final find-
ings and approve the per-
mit. Councilors voted 4-1 to
approve a revised conditional
use permit at the neighborhood
cafe, opening the door to the
machines owner Terry Lowen-
berg has been seeking since late
November.
Conditions included a
restriction on exterior signage
related to lottery machines; a
separated area for patrons seated
at the lottery machines; tables
available for patrons at the lot-
tery machines for the purpose of
consuming food and beverages;
and a closing time of 10 p.m.
State law preemption
Citing losses at his neigh-
borhood grocery at 599 Pacific
Way, Lowenberg won a con-
ditional use permit to open a
neighborhood brewpub and deli
at the former Gearhart Grocery
in March 2016.
Limit of 40 seats
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Gearhart reaffirmed findings granting a conditional use
permit to Gearhart Crossing for a conditional use permit
granting four video lottery machines.
After
commissioners
approved the plan, Lowenberg
submitted an amended per-
mit request seeking video lot-
tery machines. Machines were
to be separated from the main
dining room by an 8-foot wall
designed to deter minors from
the gambling area.
Maintaining neighborhood
character, the proximity of lot-
tery machines at nearby loca-
tions along U.S. Highway 101
and no proven need all factored
into two Planning Commis-
sion and subsequent City Coun-
cil decisions to deny the per-
mit that would have allowed the
machines.
In May, Lowenberg took
his case to the state’s Land Use
Board of Appeals.
As a business that serves
beer and wine on the prem-
ise, state law issues clear rules
regarding the placement of lot-
tery machines, his attorney Greg
Hathaway said, and held sway
over local zoning prohibitions.
A key provision of the Ore-
gon Liquor Control Commis-
sion law regulates how a video
lottery game may be placed
Hathaway said, and does not
require an applicant to demon-
strate that the placement of lot-
tery machines is permitted by
local land use regulations.
Responding to what City
Attorney Peter Watts called “the
strong language” of the state
ordinance, the city withdrew
Wednesday,
councilors
asked if the seats in the gam-
ing area would count toward the
cafe’s limit of 40 for the estab-
lishment, or if they would be
considered separately.
“There are no questions
about how many seats there
can be according to code: 40
in the building,” Lowenberg
said. “Where you put them in
the building doesn’t make any
difference.”
Mayor Matt Brown, Coun-
cilors Sue Lorain, Dan Jesse
and Paulina Cockrum voted
to approve the conditional use
permit allowing the lottery
machines.
Councilor Kerry Smith
voted against.
The decision of the City
Council may be appealed to the
Land Use Board of Appeals.
“This is the end of this por-
tion of it, and there is a 21-day
opportunity for people to
appeal, starting today,” City
Administrator Chad Sweet said
after the meeting.
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Russ Vandenberg, Denny Jones and Parker McCarthy
handle the grill at Seaside’s National Night Out.
National Night Out
on patrol in Seaside
Bonding over
burgers, games
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
Seaside celebrated the
34th annual National Night
Out Tuesday as residents and
police officers shared burg-
ers and conversation at Cart-
wright Park.
“It’s a national push to
have a night out and meet
your neighbors and have
a barbecue,” Police Chief
Dave Ham said at the event.
“It’s a great time to get out
and socialize with your
neighbors, and meet up with
your police department.”
National Night Out is an
annual
community-build-
ing campaign that promotes
police-community partner-
ships, held the first Tuesday
in August.
The national event, cele-
brating its 34th year, came to
Seaside about 12 years ago,
Ham said, with the goal of
offering a “nonchalant atmo-
sphere” and an opportu-
nity to meet members of the
Clatsop Post 12
police department. The event
alternates locations between
Broadway Park and Cart-
wright Park.
Ham credited the Kiwanis
Club and Rotary for provid-
ing food and supplies, and
the city’s Park and Recre-
ation Department for games
and prizes.
Officer Matthew Brown
enjoyed his first National
Night Out as a Seaside police
officer. Originally from Wal-
lowa, Brown joined the
department in December.
“I like it,” Brown said.
“It’s good to see the commu-
nity show their support for
law enforcement.”
One goal of National
Night Out is to offer the pub-
lic an opportunity to share
concerns with local law
enforcement.
“Hopefully we can help,
depending on what it is,”
Brown said. “It might not be
an issue to everybody, but it’s
an issue to them.”
Has anyone come up with
a question or problem?
“Not yet,” Brown said.
“Just a lot of ‘thank-yous’ and
people being appreciative.”
U.S.
Hot Roast Beef Coast Guard
Sandwiches
Birthday
With Macaroni Salad
Friday
th
Aug.
4
4 pm until gone
$
Cake
Warrior Expeditions
Fundraiser -
Come and Visit with the
Cross Country Riders
8. 00
6PM
“Karaoke Dave”
ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION
Clatsop Post 12
1132 Exchange Street
325-5771