A2
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2021
GULLS
FLY
IN BRIEF
Pop-up vaccination clinic
planned in Cannon Beach
Clatsop County on Wednesday will host a pop-up
coronavirus vaccination clinic in Cannon Beach.
People 18 and older can walk into the
Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce from 5 to
7 p.m. and receive the one-dose Johnson & Johnson
vaccine.
The county has set a target of vaccinating 27,533
people — or 70% of the population — to try to achieve
herd immunity against the virus. As of Friday, 17,973
people have been fully vaccinated.
County commissioners approve budget
County commissioners on Wednesday night
approved the budget for the fi scal year that starts in
July.
The budget is $109.9 million, up from $102.5 mil-
lion this fi scal year.
The board approved an increase of $50,000 for
capital purchases and projects in the special projects
fund to complete the data and fi ber connection proj-
ect for the sheriff ’s offi ce and Clatsop County Jail.
The projects were budgeted for in this fi scal year, but
because they have not been completed the off setting
revenue will roll into the beginning balance of the
new budget.
Park district, education group
close in on rec center lease
TOP: Supporters cheer on Tatum La Plante as she enters the Turnaround
to graduate from Seaside High School on Thursday. LEFT: Seaside High
School graduates received their diplomas at the Turnaround. BELOW:
The Seaside High School Class of 2021 parade down Broadway.
SEASIDE — The Sunset Empire Park and Recre-
ation District moved closer to a deal with the North-
west Regional Education Service District to lease a
portion of Sunset Recreation Center.
The service district is in the process of selling their
29,000-square-foot Clatsop Service Center in Astoria.
They hope to lease a 7,600-square-foot space in the
Sunset Recreation Center.
The proposed two-year lease at Sunset Recreation
Center includes an annual rental amount payable in
quarterly installments. It also includes a small per-
centage increase each year of 1.5% to the agreed upon
amount set, said Skyler Archibald, the park district’s
executive director.
— The Astorian
Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Oregon House expels Nearman
for role in Capitol breach
SALEM — Mike Nearman became the fi rst state
legislator to be expelled in Oregon’s 162 years of
statehood for his part in aiding anti-lockdown pro-
testers, some of them armed, to breach the closed
Capitol during a Dec. 21 special session of the
Legislature.
On a 59-1 vote Thursday night, the House con-
cluded that Nearman engaged in “disorderly behavior”
when he opened a door and allowed some protesters to
enter the Capitol’s northwest vestibule. Police eventu-
ally ejected them and blocked their second attempt to
breach a diff erent entrance to the Capitol later that day.
Several people were arrested.
Nearman was the lone vote against his expulsion.
— Oregon Capital Bureau
ON THE RECORD
Strangulation
Theft
On
the Koyuncu,
Record
• Erkan
•
Stacia
Nicole
31, of Gearhart, was
arraigned Thursday on
charges of strangula-
tion, assault in the fourth
degree and menacing.
Assault
• Margaret Kater-
ina Wilski, 22, of Long
Beach, Washington, was
arraigned Wednesday on
charges of assault in the
second degree, crimi-
nal mischief in the fi rst
degree and unlawful use
of a weapon.
Erhardt, 31, of Vernonia,
was arraigned Wednes-
day on charges of aggra-
vated identity theft, theft
in the fi rst degree and 18
counts of identity theft.
DUII
• Devontae Leshawn
Gravely, 28, of Wood Vil-
lage, was arrested Thurs-
day on U.S. Highway
101 for driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants
and assault in the fourth
degree.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway St.
TUESDAY
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 10 a.m., work
session, (electronic meeting).
Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board of
Directors, 5:15 p.m., 1225 Avenue A, Seaside.
Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission, 5:30 p.m., City
Hall, 1095 Duane St.
Seaside School District, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting).
Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., work session, 989
Broadway.
Gearhart Small Business Committee, 6 p.m., (electronic
meeting).
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Gearhart moves closer to new fi rehouse site
A bond vote likely
in November
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
GEARHART — An ideal
elevation, a more convenient
location and cost savings of
up to $4 million are selling
points for a new fi rehouse
and police station at High-
lands Lane.
Offi cials hope to bring a
portion of a 36-acre lot on
Highlands Lane owned by
Cottages at Gearhart LLC
into the city’s urban growth
boundary.
The
City
Council
approved up to $80,000 from
the building reserve fund
for due diligence in plan-
ning, architecture and geo-
technical engineering ser-
vices at the site. This will
provide residents, the Plan-
ning Commission and City
Council with information
to decide whether to move
forward with a bond vote in
November.
“I would like nothing
more than to be on the ballot
in November,” Mayor Pau-
lina Cockrum said.
After six or seven years
of research and preparation
to move the fi re station to
higher ground, “it feels like
it’s in alignment” this year,
the mayor said.
If approved, the city will
save an estimated $3 mil-
lion to $3.5 million on what
would have been required
for purchase of land on North
Marion, City Attorney Peter
Watts said, and the proj-
ect would be signifi cantly
simplifi ed without potential
eminent domain issues asso-
ciated with the High Point
location.
In March, costs at High
Point were estimated at $13.5
million, including construc-
tion and land acquisition.
Zoned
within
Clat-
sop County, after a poten-
tial urban growth boundary
exchange, Cottages at Gear-
hart developers would ben-
efi t from increased housing
density under city zoning
code.
The Cottages at Gearhart
purchased the property in
2018 for $649,000.
Even if a bond vote failed,
the Highlands Lane property
could be used for housing or
a fi re station at a later date.
“Whether voters autho-
rize a fi re station, we have a
future site that they can go to,
and then we have a park, that
certainly would be a benefi t
to the city,” Watts said.
The Highlands Lane prop-
erty comes with a park and
potential workforce housing,
which could help recruit vol-
unteer fi refi ghters.
“A lot of communities
have had to go with full-
time professionals, because
it’s becoming so diffi cult to
recruit volunteers,” Watts
said. “So anything that we
can do to make them more
attractive for people to vol-
unteer, that will be signifi -
cant fi nancial savings to the
city.”
The Highlands site is
closer to where volunteers
generally live, “and so it
should hopefully be eas-
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ier for them to respond,” he
added.
According to the time-
line presented at Tuesday’s
City Council meeting, site
investigation,
conceptual
design and the urban growth
boundary land exchange are
underway.
City Councilor Brent
Warren said the No. 1 thing
to determine was “the pre-
liminary pulse of the peo-
ple. ” “And that seems to be
really crucial, ” he said.
A public survey could
help the public “move for-
ward with confi dence,”
Cockrum added. “I, for one,
think this is worth the time
— whatever it takes to get
the word out, ” she said.
Public comment would
take place between June 28
and July 12, with the anticipa-
tion that the bond vote would
be fi led with the county in
August for a November
vote. The bond vote could
be pushed to next spring, or
November 2022, Watts said,
but the risk of waiting is that
favorable bond rates could
vanish.
City c ouncilors unani-
mously voted to approve
funds for the due diligence.
The building reserve fund has
$122,000 and is anticipated
to receive another $100,000
in funds from the new city
budget and from the federal
c oronavirus r elief aid .
“We believe this will be
a good way to spend those
funds,” City Administrator
Chad Sweet said. “We’ve
done a lot of work to get this
down as tight as possible
without wasting any money.
This will allow us to get
some good information.”
Watts said he is grateful
for the developers to be will-
ing to do the deal.
“They’ve been very easy
to work with with,” Watts
said. “Whether or not their
motive is primarily profi t
driven, or they also want
to see Gearhart thrive, they
are deeding the city prop-
erty and I appreciate the fact
that they’re willing to do that.
This might be in their fi nan-
cial benefi t. It’s certainly in
ours.
“Because whether or not
voters authorize a fi re station,
we have a future site and a
park that certainly would be a
benefi t to the city. I’m happy
that this seems like it can go
forward.”
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