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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
Founded in 1873
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM
Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
Can illegal fireworks be deterred?
I
t’s not too early to prepared for
Independence Day 2019 — a celebration of
our nation’s 243rd birthday.
With July 4 falling on a Thursday, Seaside
will brace for a four-day weekend blast that
could have some unintended consequences.
After the 2018 celebration, Seaside resident
Cindy Daly described the “outlandish use of
illegal fireworks in the Cove, in the dunes and
on the beach. Cove resident Bill Basiliko called
Seaside a “war zone.”
“You couldn’t even tell
when the official fireworks
started,” he told city council-
ors in July.
Almost a century ago
sailors and townspeople
“engaged in a mix-up” on
R.J. MARX Broadway, when the Signal
reported on July 5, 1923,
“a citizen strenuously objected to a sailor’s
shooting off torpedoes under his feet.” Today,
residents and officials say, the problem is worse
than ever.
In Gearhart, two young people were hospi-
talized after illegal fireworks exploded.
In Seaside, a visitor threw lit mortar fire-
works into random fire pits before police were
notified and the man was arrested and charged.
But enforcement remains at least as com-
plex as it did in 1999, when the Signal reported
“the problem of illegal fireworks is an ongoing
concern for authorities.”
Photos by R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Fireworks display in Seaside in 2017.
worse at night.”
To win a successful prosecution, complain-
ants must be willing to file a report and follow
through with an investigation. Evidence is
needed to prove “who threw that particular
projectile,” Ham said.
Like Seaside Police and State Parks,
firefighters are equally short-staffed. The city
only has four professional firefighters; the rest
are volunteers, according to Fire Chief Joey
Daniels.
Their day starts on the Fourth at 7 a.m. and
continues to the early hours of July 5, Daniels
said. This year, one firefighter logged 22 hours
straight.
Throughout the evening, firefighters confis-
cated what he described as “a U-Haul size load
of fireworks.”
Fewer shows
The annual show — a tradition launched
decades ago and one of the largest in the Pacific
Northwest — draws thousands to Seaside and
presents one of the most remarkable displays
anywhere.
Engineered by Larry Kriegshauser, the
show benefits businesses and restaurants
throughout the community and caps off a day
of festivities, from the downtown parade to the
Seaside Museum’s Ice Cream Social.
One problem for Seaside is the lack of
fireworks shows on the coast and throughout
the region. Cannon Beach gave up its fireworks
show years ago. Vancouver and Tigard have
opted out.
Fire bans on the South Coast limit events.
Pacific City, Neskowin and Manzanita, each
in Tillamook County, each abandoned their
fireworks shows this year.
As a result, Seaside draws an ever-larger
crowd.
And, according to longtime Seaside
Chamber of Commerce volunteer Doug Barker,
the crowd “has changed dramatically. We have
these few who are really causing problems.”
Light it up?
Officials at a workshop on illegal fireworks. From left, seated with pad, Seth Morrisey,
Jason Elkins, Teri Wing, Jay Barber, Dave Ham and Joey Daniels.
Parks patrol
Beach enforcement falls under the aegis
of Oregon State Parks, but patrols are limited,
State Parks District Manager Teri Wing said at
a Sept. 11 Seaside City Council workshop on
illegal fireworks.
“We’re more than willing to help, but
there’s a limit to the enforcement rules,” she
said.
State Parks is responsible for management
of the ocean shore from low tide up to what’s
referred to as the statutory vegetation line.
According to Park Ranger Justin Parker
of the Fort Stevens Management Unit, parks
employees emphasize prevention related to
camping, litter and fireworks.
“We know around the holiday, the popular-
ity of the beach and use of fireworks creates
problems,” Parker said.
Two beach rangers with training in special
event management, permit compliance and
ocean shore rule enforcement work out of Fort
Stevens and Nehalem Bay, along with about
30 staff members who either directly patrol
the beach or provide support along the North
Coast.
State Parks has a contract with the Clatsop
Officials at a workshop on illegal fireworks. From left, Tita Montero, Jason Elkins, Teri
Wing, Jay Barber and Dave Ham.
County Sheriff’s Office and recently the
Oregon State Police to provide funding for
additional services, including overtime and
reserve coverage, in place to provide additional
resources through the peak tourist season, not
just the Fourth of July.
“A lot of people think the state has huge
pockets, but we don’t,” Wing said. “We do
what we can in that respect.”
A matter of personnel
Seaside ordinances prohibit all fireworks
on the beach, Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham
said, in line with the state prohibition which
does not allow any fireworks on the ocean
shores without permit.
Any possession or use of any firework —
even legally purchased fireworks in
Oregon — is prohibited year-round on the
beach in Seaside.
About half of the city’s 19 police officers
are not on duty at night because they’ve
been on duty during the day or on an extra
assignment.
“That takes them out of the equation at 7,
8 p.m.,” Ham said. “It becomes a safety issue
when people are working long hours without
breaks and they’re working seven days in a
row.”
All fireworks are illegal on the beach,
including sparklers, he said, as well as bottle
rockets, Roman candles and mortars. Some
explosive devices confiscated by police are
bigger than the commercial devices used for
Kriegshauser’s professional show.
Most violators simply run off at the
first sign of police. “They watch, drive by
and they go out again,” Ham said. “It gets
The Sept. 11 workshop presented an
abundance of ideas from officials and residents
alike.
Putting notices in hotels and short-term
rentals “would make a lot of difference,” Daly
said.
Russ Vandenberg, general manager of
the Seaside Civic and Convention Center,
proposed lighting up the Prom after the city’s
official fireworks show’s conclusion.
“What about bright light fixtures during
the Prom and light the beach up after the main
fireworks is over?” Vandenberg asked. “Light
it like it’s daylight out there and people might
be less able to find enjoyment with these
fireworks.”
Seaside’s Matthew Stolberg urged a greater
education component for visitors, an idea sec-
onded by Councilor Steve Wright.
Ham urged residents to follow through
when they make a complaint. “If you’re one
of those people who call in, tell me where it’s
happening, identify the person and be willing to
sign a complaint,” he said.
City Councilor Tita Montero suggested a
texting hotline to identify violators. “Take a
picture of a person and text it to the hotline,”
she said. “Then we know who that person is.”
Mayor Jay Barber suggested forming a task
force to sort through available options.
“We need to put together a strategic plan
with incremental steps that we can actually
pull off in a way that helps to progressively
deal with the issue that doesn’t put a damper
on the celebration but helps to deal with illegal
fireworks,” Barber said. “This will take citizen
involvement.”
R.J. Marx is The Daily Astorian’s South
County reporter and editor of the Seaside Sig-
nal and Cannon Beach Gazette.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Vote Taylor for Astoria mayor
I
’m voting for Dulcye Taylor to be our next
mayor of Astoria due to her vast experience
as a consensus builder in this community.
I have been a resident for over 35 years,
and a leader of volunteers for over 30. I
understand the challenges and necessity of
consensus building. I have learned from
experience it does not take one person to
resolve problems, but many working together
to fix issues that affect the whole.
For over 10 years, in many different set-
tings and situations, I always found her to be
an authentic, open, responsive, caring and
effective leader. I’ve participated with Dul-
cye as she successfully led our downtown
into becoming a thriving, vibrant place to
live and work.
She has a distinctive ability to bring
everyone to the table from all walks of life
with different needs and dreams to accom-
plish shared goals. She listens to all ideas and
concerns, and can empower groups to build
positive accord in a timely manner for the
betterment of our whole community.
I’m confident Dulcye is just what our city
needs now to lead us through upcoming dif-
ficult issues facing our beautiful community
through her vast local understanding, her dis-
tinctive inclusive leadership style and her
skills as a peacemaker.
Dulcye can, and will guide Astoria into a
future we all can continue to live, work, and
play in. I hope you will join me and vote for
Dulcye Taylor for mayor.
JUDITH P. NILAND
Astoria
abortions is unfair to the poor, I suggest that
forcing law-abiding taxpayers to fund this
immorality is unjust. Fairness is subjective;
justice is objective.
Yes, there most certainly is a problem, and
Measure 106 addresses it.
ROBERT JOHNSTONE
Astoria
Vote ‘yes’ on Measure 106
F
A
recent letter to this forum, “Vote ‘no’ on
Measure 106” (The Daily Astorian, Sept.
27), displays a common fallacy by conclud-
ing, “there is no problem.”
When a beating heart is stopped, in the
name of convenience, there is a problem.
Forcing me to pay for that killing is a
problem.
Mocking those who dare to take a moral
stand in defense of life is a problem.
If the writer thinks prohibiting tax-funded
Limit or ban Astoria
waterfront development
rom the bench on Pier 3 to Pier 39, the
Riverwalk has become a primary fea-
ture of Astoria. Our estuary’s green forested
shores, highlighted by wildlife, the bridge and
ships at anchor, define our community.
The most valuable land in Manhattan,
between Fifth and Park avenues, is next to
Central Park, whose operation costs exceed
Yosemite’s. Nobody proposes to divide it into
high-rise lots. In Vancouver, Canada, Stan-
ley Park occupies the second-most valuable
land in the world. How much of it could they
urbanize without creating a privatized slum?
During the madness of the 2007 sub-prime
bubble, frenzied real estate over-capitaliza-
tion elicited some 17 proposals upon Asto-
ria’s waterfront. At one memorable hearing,
the incredulous term “view corridors” was
used, like Malibu, where corridors between
wall-to-wall buildings offer waterfront views
as enjoyable as glimpsing a movie through a
keyhole.
How many condominiums would it take to
turn our riverfront into a Malibu?
Unrestricted or even measured substantial
development of the riverfront essentially pri-
vatizes the very element that imparts value
to our community. The irreparable loss for
the city would be far greater than any private
gain for speculators. Building condos in Cen-
tral Park, like eating Aesop’s golden goose, or
reckless waterfront building, could cost devel-
opers their illusive treasure.
At least consider severely limiting the
development of Astoria’s waterfront, if not a
comprehensive moratorium on development
there altogether.
TED THOMAS
Astoria