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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, ApRIl 23, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
All that they do
Belongs in downtown
don’t want to be a firefighter! This takes
a certain class of people willing to go
into a raging fire to put it out, or pull peo-
ple out of the flames — sometimes with
really bad outcomes; remember the air-
plane that crashed into the house in
Gearhart?
That is not all they do! Car wrecks. I
can’t imagine what it would be like to pull
up to a car accident, and see it is some-
body you know, or even if it was someone
out of town, and they are in life-threaten-
ing shape, and needing medical aid.
They have the tools to help you,
whether it is medical, or they are cut-
ting you out of your car with the Jaws of
Life. Somebody fell down, stroke, broken
bones, etc. I am only touching the surface
on all that they do.
Remember they were out in force
during the big storm we had, helping clear
trees and checking on people.
They come to your house at any time
of the day or night when you are in need.
Even if you can’t change the battery in
your fire alarm, and need help.
Support your firefighters wherever you
are.
If you are a volunteer firefighter, then
all you get is a small stipend for all that
you do. Even though you put in hours and
hours of training for your certificates.
Kudos to all of our volunteer and paid
fire departments! I don’t want to be a
firefighter!
THOMAS THIES
Gearhart
T
I
Close to the center
s a resident of Gearhart, and some-
time business owner, for 27 years, I
value and appreciate all that our volunteer
fire department and small police depart-
ment do for the city. I don’t know anyone
who doesn’t appreciate them.
I believe a new fire station with space
for the police department is needed. We
rely on them for public safety and secu-
rity. Because they so often respond to
emergencies when seconds count, it
seems obvious that a central location is
essential.
The current plan is to move these
departments to a location that is about 2
miles from the center of town. Voters are
assured response time will be only 90 sec-
onds longer. That may be true, though on
a summer weekend it seems U.S. High-
way 101 and city streets might lead to
slower response. Houses south of the cur-
rent fire station will see slower response,
for sure.
Volunteer response time isn’t being
discussed, but the fire station will be fur-
ther away for some of those who drive
equipment to the fire or medical emer-
gency. The generosity of the contributors
of land for a new fire station should be
appreciated, but public safety needs to be
close to the center of the city served, not
in the most remote part of town.
Please vote “no” on the $14.5 million
bond.
JAMES C. CASTERLINE
Gearhart
A
Front-row seat
s mayors of Gearhart, we’ve had a
front-row seat toward the goal of a
new fire station. In 2006, Mayor Kent
Smith put a $3.75 million bond measure
on the ballot for a fire station and City
Hall. It failed by 96 votes.
Since then, much has been learned
about the Cascadia Subduction Zone,
the potential for earthquakes and tsuna-
mis, and the need to improve resiliency.
In 2015, Mayor Dianne Widdop formed
a citizens’ fire station committee. They
evaluated nine sites and recommended
Dunes Meadow Park.
A community survey asked the public
to choose a site: the current location, the
park and 13th Street and N. Marion Ave-
nue (Highpoint). From the results, Mayor
Matt Brown and the City Council elim-
inated the park as a location. Highpoint
was the first choice.
In early 2021, the Highpoint own-
ers withdrew their offer to sell. Later in
2021, Mayor Paulina Cockrum and the
City Council were offered land at one of
the original locations studied, near High-
lands Lane.
In exchange for about 5 acres for a fire
and police station and a park, the property
owners requested annexation of this prop-
erty into the city. At 70 feet, the proposed
site is on some of the highest ground in
the area.
The time is now. If we wait, this facil-
ity will cost more. Worse, it will cost
more if we experience a disaster and relief
efforts are compromised!
PAULINA COCKRUM
MATT BROWN
DIANNE WIDDOP
KENT SMITH
Gearhart
A
he issue of a new fire station in Gear-
hart, to me, is about location. I totally
agree with the volunteers, there needs to
be a new seismic safe building, built to
modern engineering standards. But the
location should be downtown, where it
has always served as the hub of the town.
We taxpayers do not need to pay for a
mega station and training facility. There
are ample training options to be shared in
this county, as has always been the case.
The reality of a major seismic event
in this area is catastrophic. The roads will
buckle, mass flooding, no power or water,
no natural gas to run generators and no
cell service, just to name a few of the
problems. If the volunteers can even get
to the new proposed location, there will
be no way of dispatching equipment.
If the taxpayers are paying for this
bond measure, and no government grants
have been secured, then let’s put the new
station in the heart of Gearhart. If the city
administrator and the volunteers’ goal is
to have housing for a paid department by
asking for a mega station, they should be
upfront with their intentions, and we can
have a discussion about that issue.
Regardless, the new fire station
belongs downtown.
PRESTON DEVEREAUX
Retired Gearhart fire chief and
volunteer
Cloud of public division
fter years of debate, Gearhart’s pro-
posed fire bond measure will soon
conclude under a cloud of public divi-
sion and poorly constructed messaging
designed to mislead the average voter.
Of all the misinformation foisted upon
our residents, along with costly items
purposely omitted, it is the matter of
taxes, which is the most egregious.
Our city promoters have dedicated
much effort to convince us the proposed
fire megaplex has a minimal tax impact,
and have gone so far as to project actual
tax levies. However, they can’t and
shouldn’t project taxes.
For the city to illustrate taxes, they
must treat the $14.5 million bond as the
final cost, which is semi-fraudulent, since
the requested funding is based on esti-
mated costs only. The city has no firm
bids or contractual agreements in place,
leaving the entire project subject to sub-
stantial cost overruns and tax levels much
higher than the city’s current projections.
In addition, the city promoters have
conveniently refused to provide a pro-
jected operating budget for the proposed
facility, nor have they identified the level
of required full-time staffing, all leading
to increased cost pressures on Gearhart’s
existing general fund, which will cer-
tainly lead to an additional layer of taxes
up and above the proposed bond levy.
An honest process would disclose
the impracticality of projecting taxes on
loose cost estimates, and would offer
Gearhart full disclosures of the projected,
and ongoing, impact of increased operat-
ing costs, and the additional increase in
operating taxation.
Vote “no!”
JACK ZIMMERMAN
Gearhart
A
Time is money
e have more than enough factual
data to base our vote on Measure
4-213. The impact of delay is fiscal irre-
sponsibility. Review the Bond Scenario
Calculator on the city of Gearhart’s web-
site. As you can see, time is money.
The city has been at the forefront of
keeping our community livable and safe.
We are fortunate dedicated volunteers
have committed to enriching our commu-
nity. We do not need to abandon our emo-
tion and humanity.
Vote with your head and your heart.
Vote “yes.”
WILSON MARK
Gearhart
W
Preapproval
ost people are familiar with borrow-
ing money to buy a car or home.
Before shopping, many of us go to a bank
to get preapproved to find out how much
we can borrow. Are we required to spend
the full amount we are approved for? No.
The city of Gearhart is required to get
voter approval to take on large debt. Does
voting yes on Measure 4-213 automat-
ically create $14.5 million in debt? No.
The ballot measure is essentially a preap-
proval from the voters, which allows the
city to borrow up to a maximum of $14.5
million.
Once the city has voter approval, it
can borrow by issuing a single bond, or
by issuing multiple bonds of different
amounts, up to the maximum approved
amount.
M
Your “yes” vote allows us to move for-
ward on this vital project for the bene-
fit of our first responders and our whole
community. Without this funding, we can-
not pursue the next steps in the process,
like getting architectural plans and speci-
fications, which are necessary before we
can get competitive bids from construc-
tion firms.
The approval of the ballot measure
also allows us to clearly demonstrate
the community’s support for the project,
which better enables us to pursue grants
and donations, reducing the need for bond
financing.
Vote “yes.” Support our first
responders.
BRENT WARREN
Gearhart City Councilor
‘Yes we can’
ogether we can: Gearhart has always
been a “yes we can” kind of place.
In the 1950s, the citizens realized they
needed a fire station. Volunteers came
together and built a simple fire station
with unreinforced cinder block and mortar
made with beach sand.
The fire station still stands today, but
sadly, after 64 years, it is aging badly,
won’t survive a moderate earthquake,
and is inadequate for our modern needs.
Working together, citizens have tackled
the problem and now have an excellent
plan for a new, updated fire and police sta-
tion in a more resilient location.
But some people are trying to divide
us, to distract us with misinformation and
to keep us from our purpose of a safer and
more resilient community now, and for
the future.
Gearhart knows how to come together
for each other. Join me in voting “yes” on
Measure 4-213.
BEBE MICHEL
Gearhart
T
Good reasons
or good reasons, the city of Gearhart
asks voters for a “yes” vote on Mea-
sure 4-213, a bond for a resilient fire and
police station.
The highly dedicated and well-trained
men and women of the Gearhart Volun-
teer Fire Department responded to more
than 660 emergency calls last year in
their service to our community. Most citi-
zens would agree that citizens’ safety and
property are the top priorities of the local
government.
I know the firefighters’ conditions they
operate in, and have talked to the firefight-
ers about the struggles they endure every
day.
Please vote “yes” for the bond that
will replace a below-standard and non-
code compliant station and build a resil-
ient facility. I clearly understand that
this request does not come from what
is wanted, but rather a need for our
community.
The city has spent decades review-
ing the information, consulting with
the experts, and making the best choice
now available given the previous
compromises.
Passage of this bond will allow the fire
and police departments to have a facility
to operate at a level of safety for the fore-
seeable future.
A vote “yes” on the ballot measure
equals 84 cents per day, or an additional
$307 annually on my home. Indeed, just
pennies per day for the future safety of
my hometown.
DENISE FAIRWEATHER
Gearhart
F
Quite offensive
s a resident of Gearhart, I want to
clearly state that I respect and support
our fire and rescue workers, as well as our
police. I am thankful for the work they do,
and the service they provide. My husband
was a public servant before he retired,
and I know firsthand of his dedication to
the public needs, often working in bad
weather and late into the night.
I read the recent article “Voters in
Gearhart to decide on new firehouse”(The
Astorian, April 19). As a resident, I found
the remarks by our newest mayor to be
quite offensive. She refers to her career as
a caregiver, stating that people who work
to serve others are subject to “harassment
and bullying,” and goes on to say that the
“discourse (I guess she means community
discussion, but doesn’t make that clear)
is still bullying, downright uncivil behav-
ior …” The “bullying” seems to me to be
coming from the mayor’s office.
Residents have tried to explain to the
mayor and other city employees that a
“no” vote for the $14.5 million bond does
not imply a lack of support for the fire and
police who serve the community. A “no”
vote is a clear statement that the residents
believe the bond request is excessive, and
the proposed location inappropriate.
A
It is clearly understood that upgrades
should be made to the current fire station.
A reasonably designed station in a loca-
tion appropriate for the people who would
be paying for it would certainly be sup-
ported by the community.
DOROTHY BAKER
Gearhart
Nostalgia doesn’t save lives
s anyone who has been at the coast
for a number of years can attest,
Gearhart has changed. The entire north-
west coast has changed.
Families are moving here from other
locations far and wide, bringing a new
richness to the area. Traffic is heavier,
the population is growing, services are
strained from demand and the number of
calls received by our selfless police offi-
cers and volunteer firefighters continues
to increase.
Change is unavoidable in life. There’s
an old saying that, “If you don’t change,
you die.” People are constantly adapt-
ing, growing and evolving how they
view the world. Nostalgia is a wonder-
ful thing. It offers comfort, warm memo-
ries and familiarity. But nostalgia doesn’t
save lives.
Acknowledging that we’re a grow-
ing community with complex needs, par-
ticularly in regard to keeping our com-
munity and citizens safe, is critical. Our
emergency response volunteers deserve
updated, adequate tools to perform their
lifesaving duties.
The location of that facility and equip-
ment must be in an area that is secure, in
order to keep us all safe and revive the
community in the event of a disaster.
The current station isn’t going away.
Its nostalgia and place in the community
will remain. There’s a unique opportunity
to make its function different, but mean-
ingful to the community it has served so
well for 60 years. It has done its job.
It’s time for the Gearhart Volun-
teer Fire Department to have access to
21st-century facilities on high ground.
Vote “yes” on Measure 4-213.
LISA CERVENY
Gearhart
A
Outdated and inadequate
honestly respect the right of those folks
who say “no” to the Gearhart resiliency
station bond measure. But why vote “no?”
Maybe they’re stuck on the blueprint
concept. The plan is designed to attract
and maintain certified firefighting volun-
teers, not a paid team.
Is it really an overwhelming footprint
vision for this growing town? Is the cost
of the bond the real reason for shouting
“no?” Or is it the powerful nostalgic heart
tug of that old cinder block green engine
garage?
Sorry, but it is outdated and inadequate
in every respect. One small bathroom.
They make coffee and clean up their toxic
gear in the same stained sink. There’s no
exhaust system to clear engine fumes.
Understandably, change is hard. But
let’s get smart and rip off the Band-Aid.
A new higher ground home for our fire
and police is critically important to pro-
vide the civic services we all demand and
depend on.
Gearhart is unbelievably blessed to
have 27 volunteer firefighters. Our volun-
teers are professional in every way, and
there for us 24/7/365. Please give them
the respect they give us with your “yes”
vote.
The beautiful Gearhart Volunteer Fire
Department traditions are here to stay.
Neon engines will still lead the Fourth of
July parade, there’s still going to be an
Easter egg hunt and a giant Christmas tree
lighting Pacific Way.
VICKIE ABRAHAMSON
Gearhart
I
A critical juncture
arly Clatsop native people created
the Ridge Path in Gearhart. Mar-
shall Kinney, who platted the town, incor-
porated it into the town plan in 1890 for
future generations to enjoy.
This brings me to reflect on the future
of our new fire station. We are about to
vote on something that is more important
than first meets the eye. We are attempting
to create a safety net to protect and help
future generations, not only for the town
of Gearhart, but also for the surrounding
area.
I find such hope and reassurance in
the positive energy and dedication that
the firehouse committee and City Council
have shown to make this a reality. It has
been at least 16 years in the planning.
Now that we’ve reached a critical junc-
ture in this process, let’s not forget that
there is a lot of power in positive energy,
coupled with intent. Thank you.
DIANE SPEAKMAN
Gearhart
E