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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2015)
April 10, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A Cannon Beach’s 2014 travel and tourism broke $1M The categories break down thus: • Lodging industry reve- nues: $45,784,199 (39 per- cent of all spending) • Food and beverage rev- enues: $29,348,846 (25 per- cent of all spending) • Retail revenues: $18,783,261 (16 percent of all spending) • Recreation revenues = $11,739,538 (10 percent of all spending) • Transportation reve- nues = $11,739,538 (10 per- cent of all spending) Compiled numbers say more than 53,000 walk-ins at Visitor Center Multiplier By Erick Bengel Cannon Beach Gazette In calendar year 2014, the direct economic impact of travel and tourism to Cannon Beach totaled ap- proximately $104,778,653, DFFRUGLQJ WR ¿QDO ¿JXUHV recently provided by the city’s Chamber of Com- merce. State survey averag- es calculated by Dean Runyan Associates allows chambers of commerce to EUHDNGRZQWKDW¿JXUHLQWR amounts spent in differ- ent categories. In Cannon Beach, those amounts are: • Lodging industry reve- nues: $40,836,675 (39 per- cent of all spending) • Food and beverage revenues: $26,194,663 (25 percent of all spending) • Retail revenues: $16,764,584 (16 percent of all spending) • Recreation revenues: $10,477,865 (10 percent of all spending) • Transportation reve- nues: $10,477,865 (10 per- cent of all spending) However, the only ex- DFW¿JXUHLVWKHRQHIRUWKH lodging industry, which is extrapolated from the 8 per- cent transient lodging taxes paid by the city’s visitors who stay in a hotel, motel or inn. Last year, Cannon Beach’s lodging taxes to- WDOHG 7KDW ¿J ure comprises the 6 percent lodging tax collected by the city, the additional 1 per- cent tax for the city’s Tour- ism and Arts Fund, and the 1 percent lodging tax that goes to the state. The economic impact of travel and tourism is even greater when one factors in the “multiplier effect,” which considers the mon- ey that is re-spent within the community by the peo- ple employed by the local businesses raking in visi- tor dollars. The money is turned over and over within the local economy until it is saved or spent elsewhere. Generally, the multipli- er effect ranges from 3 to Walk-ins ERICK BENGEL PHOTO At this year’s Chamber Awards ceremony, Patrick Nofi eld, center, president of Escape Lodging, accepted the award for Excellence in Leadership on behalf of the company’s CEO Tom Drumheller. Left : Sheri Russell, secretary of the chamber board. Right: Becki Sperley, chief fi nancial offi cer of Escape Lodging. 7 times the direct econom- ic impact, so, at minimum, Cannon Beach saw about $314,335,961 in economic impact in 2014. %HFDXVH WKHVH ¿JXUHV are calculated from tran- sient lodging dollars, they only account for the visitors who stayed overnight. It doesn’t count the day-trip- pers. “So add a whole lot more people,” and Cannon Beach’s travel and tourism industry is a “much bigger industry than most people understand and realize,” said Courtland Carrier, executive director of the chamber. On the Seaside side In Seaside, the direct eco- nomic impact of travel and tourism in 2014 totaled ap- proximately $117,395,384, according to Jon Rahl, as- sistant general manager of the city of Seaside’s Visitor Bureau. With the multiplier, that’s $352,186,152. How do Cannon Beach’s ¿JXUHV FRPSDUH WR those from previous years? It’s hard to say; as far as Carrier knows, the chamber hasn’t run these numbers before. Carrier compiled a preliminary version of these percentages for the cham- ber’s newsletter in Febru- ary. And here’s another 2014 statistic: the Cannon Beach Visitor Center tallied about 53,766 visitors who walked in to ask for help. By comparison, an estimated 20,000 enter Seaside’s Visi- tor Center annually, accord- ing to Rahl. Council confronts some citizens’ concerns about ODOT tree-thinning on Hwy. 101 cials determined that about 200 dead or dying alder trees hanging over the road posed a hazard to drivers and need- ed to be eliminated. About 5,000 trees stand along that By Erick Bengel stretch of road, according to Cannon Beach Gazette Bill Jablonski, manager of ODOT District 1. The April 7 Cannon Phil Massebeau, John- Beach City Council meet- son’s neighbor and son-in- LQJ ZDV WKH ¿UVW VLQFH WKH law, said the city should Oregon Department of have “let us know what’s Transportation cut down going on.” about 55 trees from U.S. His wife, Kirsten Masse- Highway 101 between Can- beau (Johnson’s daughter), non Beach’s north entrance said she wishes the city and Sunset Boulevard on had asked its arborist, Will March 9, and the council- Caplinger, to conduct an ors got an earful during the independent review of the public comment period. targeted trees. 7KH ODFN RI QRWL¿FDWLRQ “I’m not happy with the that the trees would be re- result. I’m not happy with moved and when they would the way the city handled it. be removed upset some res- I’m not happy with the way idents whose properties bor- the state handled it,” John- der the affected area. son said. “It seems like you — the people here representing No negotiations Toward the end of the ‘We the People’ — have not followed through very well meeting, Councilor Mike with being diligent in your %HQH¿HOG WROG WKH DXGL responsibility to inform us ence he felt the council was Benefi eld to residents: ‘We do hear you’ ERICK BENGEL PHOTO Th e building that housed Dooger’s Seafood & Grill in Can- non Beach for about 23 years, and has gone unused for more than three years, may soon be home to a brew pub owned by Pelican Brewing Company. Dooger’s building sold “I think it’s a great move for the community to get a viable restaurant back in the location,” Blankenship said. “It’s one of the best locations in town, and the Pelican Brewing people By Erick Bengel have a longstanding rep- Cannon Beach Gazette utation for good quality, so I’m excited to partner A new brew pub may with them here in Cannon open at Hemlock Street and Beach.” Sunset Boulevard in the The name of the new not-too-distant future. business is also up in the Hallmark Inns & Resorts air — it may be called a recently sold the building “brew pub,” maybe a “pub that housed Dooger’s Sea- and brewery,” or combina- food & Grill in midtown tion thereof — but “it will Cannon Beach for 23 years, be ‘Pelican’ something,” and that has stood vacant Prinzing said. since 2011, to Pelican In addition, the brewing Brewing Company. company has not yet set a Though an offer has timetable on renovating the been made and accepted, building and getting its op- the brewing company has erations underway, he said. QRWRI¿FLDOO\FORVHGRQWKH Formed in 1996, Peli- deal and is still in the rou- can Brewing Company — tine 30-day “due diligence” whose original name was phase, where the company 3DFL¿F %UHZLQJ &RPSDQ\ takes a closer look at the — also owns businesses in building and its environ- 7LOODPRRNDQG3DFL¿F&LW\ ment to ensure there are Their parent company is “no surprises,” said Jim Nestucca Ridge Develop- Prinzing, CEO of Pelican PHQWEDVHGLQ3DFL¿F&LW\ Brewing Company. Courtland Carrier, exec- The plan is for Pelican to utive director of the Can- close on the property before non Beach Chamber of July, said Kirby Blanken- Commerce, said that Peli- ship, general manager of can Brewing Company has Hallmark Inns & Resorts. “a great reputation,” add- “It’s not really over till the ing that he’s anxious to see fat lady sings,” he said. what the Pelican “folks are The brewing company all about.” KDVQRW¿QDOL]HGLWVGHVLJQ “We are really excited for the building or what about Cannon Beach, and equipment will eventually we love the community, go in there, but Prinzing and we’re super excited to said he expects the result be a great partner for all will be similar to the com- the other businesses and pany’s brewing facility, residents and (to) add some Pelican Pub & Brewery, in more value to the commu- 3DFL¿F&LW\ nity,” Prinzing said. Vacant space may become a new midtown brew pub ‘No one supersedes [ODOT] authority in that right of way.… How would we feel if someone tried to supersede our right of ways in our own city, you know?’ City Manager Brant Kucera (about) what’s going on in a timely fashion,” said Ed Johnson, a Cannon Beach resident. Johnson lives directly east of the highway cor- ridor where ODOT em- ployees and contractors with Trails End Recovery, a Warrenton-based timber recycling company, felled about 30 trees, 8 or more inches in diameter, and 20 to 25 smaller “brush trees.” /DVW VSULQJ 2'27 RI¿ “being lectured to, and the ones who should’ve been lectured to was ODOT.” 2Q 0DUFK %HQH¿HOG was “as surprised as any- body” to learn that ODOT and its crew were down on the highway, he said; the department had been post- poning the tree-removal project for almost a year. City Manager Brant Kucera said that, before the thinning occurred, he met with Jablonski and asked www.cannonbeachgazette.com & ANDREW MARC 102.3 fm the Classic Rock Station Friday, May 22 nd at the Liberty Theater t.com at Astoria es th e sw bo x 239 N . H em lock • C an n on B each • 503.436.0208 of f ic e a ‘Developing a relationship’ ODOT will not return to cut more trees until next year, Kevin Werst, the de- partment’s transportation maintenance manager for the Warrenton Section of District 1, said March 9. “I don’t want them to come back and cut more trees, is basically the bot- tom line,” Phil Massebeau said at the meeting. “We feel they’ve done enough,” Kirsten Masse- beau added. %HQH¿HOG WKDQNHG WKH speakers for their com- ments, telling them that “we do hear you,” and that the council will “work on these things as best we can.” Meanwhile, the city staff has “spent a lot of time with the ODOT personnel and been working to develop a relationship there that I think is going to improve the situation,” he said. ACCOUNTING SERVICES INCLUDE: Quarterflash tic ke ts means possible and the saf- est means possible. And, in their minds, this is safety.” In addition, once ODOT marked certain trees as “hazard trees,” the depart- ment became legally lia- ble for what would happen if any collapsed onto the highway. “You can question their arborist in his choice of trees, but ODOT is not go- ing to question the fact that, once they’re marked ... they are essentially cut at that point,” Kucera said. “There is no choice in the matter. That was made very clear to me.” ODOT told Kucera that the department is willing to negotiate on whether to re- plant the trees, what species to replant with, and how to handle the understory, “but there was no negotiation on the trees that were coming down,” he said. Defending Jablonski, Kucera said, “the man is a landscape architect. He has professional training on how to handle vegetation. The man is not just an engi- neer that wants to pave and concrete over everything.” Jablonski also “works very well with the city” and has shown interest in get- ting input from the commu- nity in the future, Kucera said. Buzz Johnson, LTC Visit us online at Present Est. 1980 him to hold off on the proj- ect. Jablonski indicated that ODOT was unwilling to wait any longer and cited Oregon law 366.366, which clearly states the depart- ment can remove trees from a state right of way without ¿UVWREWDLQLQJDSHUPLW “That was the end of the discussion, as far as I was concerned,” Kucera said. “No one supersedes their authority in that right of way.” %HQH¿HOG VDLG WKHUH was almost no way the city could have stopped ODOT, except “take our heavy equipment out there, and block them, and then get sued for it.” “How would we feel if someone tried to supersede our right of ways in our own city, you know? It makes it impossible to do business that way,” Kucera said. “(ODOT is) a transporta- tion department. Whether we like it or not, their job is to move things along high- ZD\VLQWKHPRVWHI¿FLHQW nd t ke Tic • • • • • • Individual Taxes Business Taxes Full Service Business Accounting Bookkeeping Payroll Financial Statement Prep Over 30 years of experience in small business accounting, individual and business tax return preparation. Located above the Cannon Beach Book Company 130 N. Hemlock Street 503-436-1728 • buzzjo@charter.net