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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2018)
A11 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018 Academy: Fell 17 students short of its 50-student goal Continued from Page A1 Close by April Without the money , the school likely will be unable to pay its staff through the end of the school year and would have to close its doors by April. What that would mean for students or for teacher contracts is unclear . “I do not have answers for you,” Fredrickson said in an email. “I am focused on getting our pledges so this won’t happen.” T he charter school has struggled since its incep- tion . The effort to open it began after Cannon Beach Elementary School was shuttered in 2013 due to fi nancial issues and tsu- nami safety concerns. After securing a charter through the Seaside School District in 2016, the acad- emy had to fi nd a new loca- tion four months before opening for the 2017-2018 school year. A cost esti- mate for the new location came in $150,000 over what was budgeted for construction at the orig- inal location on Sunset Boulevard. While the academy was able to secure a home at the former children’s center ‘SOME OF THESE PLEDGES WERE MADE SO LONG AGO. THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WENT BY BETWEEN THE PLEDGE BEING MADE VERSUS WHEN WE’RE ASKING FOR OUR MONEY MAY HAVE IMPACTED THIS’ Amy Fredrickson | director of Cannon Beach Academy building, fi rst-year enroll- ment was lower than antic- ipated. Fredrickson has attributed the enrollment challenge to the percep- tion that the school’s status was “up in the air” during the last-minute location change. Confusion about the fact the school is tui- tion-free and not a private school also played a part. The academy faced lower than expected enroll- ment again this school year , falling 17 students short of its 50-student goal. Having fewer students ulti- mately impacts how much funding the charter school receives from the Seaside School District. Doubts Pledges could also be stalling because of doubts some people in the commu- nity have about the acade- my’s sustainability. One major donor, who has remained anony- mous, has told the board they will not give their $33,000 pledge until the school proves it can make it through two full years. Because of how long it took the academy to open its doors, the loss of some momentum from initial donors could be contribut- ing to the problem, Fred- rickson said. “Some of these pledges were made so long ago. The amount of time that went by between the pledge being made versus when we’re asking for our money may have impacted this, as well,” she said. In the short term, the board hopes to solidify a fundraising committee in January and collect as many pledges as possible. “We can’t be compla- cent. We can’t be passive anymore,” John Molyneux, a board member, said. Port: Staff will analyze dredging, maintenance costs on and around Pier 1 Continued from Page A1 Liberian-fl agged bulk carrier Leon Oetker, which was ordered into the Port late last month because of steer- ing and radar issues. Pier 1 was the only place large enough for the ship to tie up, get repaired and avoid a poten- tial accident in the river , Haglund said. “As long as (the fee) applies to everybody, and everybody is benefi t- ting from a pier that is there for emer- gencies whenever one of these big ships needs it, it’s legitimate,” he said. Vessels transiting the Columbia receive invoices for services from the Merchants Exchange in Portland, said Jim Knight, the Port’s executive director. “They would send the bills to the ships’ agents, and once a month the Port would receive a statement of how many vessels were charged and how much money was collected,” he said. Port staff will analyze how much dredging and maintenance on and around Pier 1 costs before coming up with a proposed fee. A cargo ship passes under the Astoria Bridge in December. Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Street: Slide activity will be monitored for years to come Continued from Page A1 Some neighbors told Mayor Arline LaMear and City Councilor Cindy Price they were concerned about speeding cars if Bond Street was fully reopened . But so far, with the street open again for the past sev- eral days, Harrington and the city have not heard any complaints, nor has Har- rington noticed any exces- sive speeding. Public w orks staff and p olice will continue to mon- itor the street to see if any speeding issues emerge. “Because it’s an alterna- tive route to the highway, we’ve always had speed- ing complaints there,” Har- rington said. Even back when the entire street allowed two- way traffi c. “It’s just one of those streets,” he said. Speeding was exacer- bated by the fact that motor- ists turning onto Bond were often already frustrated by congestion on Marine Drive, running late and in a hurry, Harrington added. The city restricted park- ing on some street corners to increase visibility as peo- ple drive up and over hills on Bond Street. The retaining wall itself seems to be acting as sort of a visual deterrent, slowing drivers down as they approach , Harrington said. Public w orks staff will continue to monitor slide activity above Bond Street — likely for years to come, Harrington said. The Bond Street project cost just under $6 00,000 , and work has remained within budget, according to the city. City leaders expanded the Astor-West Urban Renewal D istrict in 2016 to include a portion of Bond Street east of the traffi c light at Columbia Avenue to Second Street. Including this sec- tion of Bond Street inside the renewal district opens up funding for future work. A ribbon-cutting cere- mony to celebrate comple- tion of work on Bond Street will be held at the site on Fri- day at 2 p.m. Parking is avail- able in the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce parking lot and the public is welcome to attend. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays FROM TRIPLE PUNCH THROUGH CHRISTMAS Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday December 21 st through the 24 th , 2018 All Purchases Tripled on Your Card. You Buy $30 - We Punch $60! CLIP THIS COUPON TO REDEEM $5.00 OFF The MOST Awesome PRIME RIB You have EVER Tasted! CLIP THIS COUPON TO REDEEM Valid through 12/24/18 Where the Meat Lovers Shop 503-861-2271 www.mainstselect.com LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED facebook.com/MainStMarket 191 S. Main Ave., Warrenton
