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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2015)
JULY 17, 2015 • VOL. 39, ISSUE 15 WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM COMPLIMENTARY COPY Police offi cers, city reach deal Fountain up and fl owing at the library Cannon Beach drinks to Harley Sroufe By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette J ames Harley Sroufe was a well- loved character in Cannon Beach, and now his memory can live on more fully in the public eye. The 41-year- old fountain built to honor Sroufe was re- located to the front of Cannon Beach Li- brary and rededicated Thursday, July 9. Sroufe owned Sroufe’s Grocery on North Hemlock Street from 1951 until his death in 1964, and was a member of the city parks committee. Sroufe Memorial Fountain, a drinking fountain in the shape of a seashell, was designed by the late John Yeon, a former Portland architect and Cannon Beach resident, and originally placed in the city park Sroufe helped create. “Nobody could think of where else it might be put,” Sroufe’s son, Gerald Sroufe, said. “Main Street wasn’t quite as grand as it is today.” The fountain was relocated near the Christian Conference Center for a time before moving between the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce and the tennis courts on East Second Avenue. The latest relocation was the work of the public art committee. “This was one of their projects, to move the fountain over here instead of bringing another piece of art into town,” Judy Wood, co-president of the Cannon CARLA O’REILLY/SUBMITTED PHOTO Owen Barrows and his dad drinking from the fountain for the fi rst time. Beach library board, said. James Harley Sroufe’s wife, Margaret, was a volunteer at the library for about 20 years, making it a ¿ tting location. And his daughter-in-law, Maureen Dooley-Sroufe, is the co-owner of Can- non Beach Book Company. “I can walk across the street and get a drink of wa- ter,” she said. The drinking fountain actually hadn’t worked in years, but is once again fully functional in its new location. Cannon Beach po- lice will ¿ nally get their fair share, win- ning an up to 4 percent salary at the Tuesday, July 7 meeting of the City Council. City Manager Brant Kucera noted that, on average, Cannon Beach’s Po- lice Department had Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn been 18 percent below every other depart- ment in the county. The new two-year contract will provide of¿ cers with pay more closely resembling those in nearby communities, such as Gear- hart, Seaside and Manzanita. Salaries for pa- trol of¿ cers will now start at $20.50 per hour. Negotiations were conducted between the newly formed Cannon Beach Police Of¿ cer’s Guild and city administration, represented by Kucera, Chief Jason Scher- merhorn and the city’s labor attorney Steven Schuback. The guild was represented by attorney (lizabeth Lemoine, Senior Of¿ cer Joe Bowman, Of¿ cer Seth Collins and Of¿ - cer Devon Edwards. “Since City Manager Kucera and I started, we have been aware that our Police Depart- ment is underpaid when compared with other departments in Clatsop County,” Schermer- horn wrote in his report to the City Council for its July 7 meeting. Highlights of the agreement include an increased laundry, cleaning and boot reim- bursement allotment for of¿ cers, added com- pensation for certi¿ cations and a physical ¿ t- ness incentive change to the Oregon Physical Abilities Test. If of¿ cers complete the test, they could receive an increase up to 4 percent of their base salary. The police department’s canine of¿ cer will receive a 5 percent base salary increase and 30-minute shorter shifts to cover time spent caring for the dog at home. The evidence technician will receive a 2.5 percent base hourly wage increase. “I think what’s important is you can see here that the assignment, you’re putting a lot of trust and discretion in a person who’s handling very sensitive things.” Kucera said. “We really want that person in that position to be of the highest ethical standards.” See Fountain, Page 9A See Police, Page 6A City Council moves ahead with citizen survey plan By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE On Tuesday, July 7, the City Council narrowly ap- proved a $30,000 strategic plan that could guide future policy choices in Cannon Beach. According to City Manager Brant Kucera, the National Citizen Survey relies on citizen input to provide a detailed analysis and summa- ry of community viewpoints, and is used by cities as large as two million and as small as a few hundred. The survey is administered by the National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association, and serves as a tool for long and short-term planning. The survey will cost $15,000, with another $10,000-$15,000 for facili- tation, Kucera said. For the price the city’s getting, Kucera said he is “not sure how it’s a bad deal.” He said he has ad- ministered in the survey in at least six other communities with successful results. “For me, I think that the ability to cross-tabulate our- selves with other communities and from year to year are very important things to see as far as how we rank and then are we having a process of contin- uous improvement,” he said. He noted that the survey results could be used to entice residents to Cannon Beach. Councilor Mike Bene¿ eld agreed that attracting more full-time residents than sec- ond-home owners should be the goal for the future of the town. Mayor Sam Steidel said he is more concerned about the people already living in Can- non Beach than attracting po- tential newcomers, and would rather see a service needs sur- vey. Steidel said he did not like the National Citizen Survey’s format, which uses the terms “poor, fair, good and excel- lent” which could be consid- ered subjective. He noted that he believed the survey would be a “waste of time and mon- ey.” Steidel added that he had no interest in comparing Cannon Beach to other communities, because of its uniqueness. “We are Cannon Beach, Can- non Beach is us,” he said. Some in the audience agreed. In the crowd of about 15, a handful stood up to speak against the survey be- fore the strategic plan discus- sion even began. Jillayne Sorenson said a national survey may not be the best route for a commu- nity like Cannon Beach with its speci¿ c characteristics. “I think there are a number of ways of receiving feed- back from the community,” she said, adding the survey shouldn’t be the only source of input. ‘‘We are Cannon Beach, Cannon Beach is us.’ Mayor Sam Steidel The way questions are posed could have an impact on the results, Sorenson said, and the survey may not be worth the expense. Kucera said the questions can be customized and sug- gested going with the na- tional survey to avoid bias. An in-house survey may inadvertently offer leading questions, he added, noting the national survey is statis- tically defensible. Bene¿ eld said he wants the city to be proactive, and a strategic plan would assist in that. Councilwoman Wen- dy Higgins said the survey would provide an oppor- tunity for staff and elected of¿ cials to utilize commu- nity input for future plans and budgets. “That’s what a strategic plan is: a road map in how to get from here to there,” she said. Councilor George Vet- ter said he wasn’t sure the survey was the best way to spend money and discussed putting it off. Bene¿ eld said he didn’t see what another month of rehashing would do. Councilors Bene¿ eld, Higgins and Melissa Cad- wallader voted in favor of the survey. Steidel and Vetter provided the nay votes in the 3-2 decision. The survey administra- tion period is estimated to take 17 weeks. Resulting data will be used to develop a strategic plan draft before the new year. The average return rate of the survey is 30-55 percent, which is ad- ministered every two years by councilors. Nature awareness camp for kids is back in session By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette Video game controllers and cell phones rule a child’s world most of the year. Fire Mountain School offers a different sort of playtime. The school’s Nature Aware- ness Track Camp, now in session, helps children con- nect with nature through ed- ucational play. “We’re throwing them out there without any sort of technology or someone telling them what to think, no constant driving for their attention,” teacher Mike McGlinn said. “We’re just letting them soak up every- thing that’s around us right here. To stop and breathe and think.” Fire Mountain School is situated between Oswald West State Park and the Paci¿ c Ocean. Fire Moun- tain School operated for years before closing for a three-year absence due to a lack of volunteer support. “We want the communi- ty to know the program is back,” teacher Sarah Lip- pold said. With a different theme each week, volunteers — including Fire Mountain School staff and parents — touch on topics ranging from streams and rivers to outdoor survival skills. The kids will also be taking ¿ eld trips to areas such as Short Sand Beach in Arch Cape. While learning through the arts and science is in- volved, McGlinn said staff really focus on environmental issues during the school year. “In this world of aca- demic success and hitting the numbers with Common Core education, I think there’s a lot that’s lost in terms of freedom and cre- ativity,” he said. He added that the kids are not only learning more DANI PALMER PHOTO/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Viva Simmons ducks under a parachute during a game at Fire Mountain School’s Nature Awareness Track Camp on July 9. about their outdoor envi- ronment, but gaining more respect for themselves, oth- ers and nature. Lippold said the young- er campers experience the same themes each week, but with more age-appro- priate lessons. The older children often mentor the younger ones in an expe- rience that teaches them See Camp, Page 9A