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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 2015)
AUGUST 14, 2015 • VOL. 39, ISSUE 17 WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM COMPLIMENTARY COPY Destination for room tax increase still uncertain Additional revenue to have ‘huge impact’ on Cannon Beach By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette Visitors will be contributing a little bit more to the Cannon Beach experience. Cannon Beach’s City Council unanimously approved an ordinance raising the city’s transient lodging tax from 7 to 8 percent during their regular meet- ing Tuesday, Aug. 4. City Man- ager Brant Kucera said the city anticipates about $360,000 more in revenue for ¿scal year 0- 6, from 2ct. to -une 30, 06. The ordinance goes into effect on 2ct. and will apply to all reser- vations made after that date. Reservations made prior to the passage of the ordinance are not subject to the tax. The city’s room tax was last increased in 00 and with the state’s percent tax, will bring Cannon Beach’s lodging tax to a total of 9 percent. 6eventy percent of that percent increase will go toward tourism, like- ly the Visitor Center, while 30 percent will go into the city’s general fund, di- vided in accordance with state statutes. The room tax allocation was des- ignated to the center during the city’s budgeting process, but City Council talks focused on whether the money would also bene¿t the Chamber of Commerce, which runs the center and recently received $8,48 from the Tourism and Arts Commission, for a time. At one point, two differ- ent contracts, one for the center and one for the chamber, was suggested. A ¿nal decision on the allocation will be made next month. The additional revenue will have a “huge impact on Cannon Beach” and planning for the future, Cham- ber of Commerce Executive Direc- tor Court Carrier said after the deci- sion. A whopper of a bill While future visitors of Cannon Beach will see a slight increase in their lodging bill, residents Cindy Bryden and Ernest Goff saw a mas- sive increase in their water bill — from a monthly average of $4 to $0 — over the March 0 to April 0 service period. A member of the city’s water crew met with Bryden to discuss po- tential plumbing problems, but none were found, leaving the high water usage a mystery. Public Works Di- rector Dan Grassick said the city’s electronic reading meters have a low failure rate and when they do fail, it’s in the customer’s favor as the volume measuring mechanism slows down. No exterior leaks were discovered, either. See Tax, Page 9A Cannon Beach keeping an eye on water demand City officials tap Ecola Creek early By Dani Palmer EO Media Group DANI PALMER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Two-year-old Gunner, the Cannon Beach Police Department’s chocolate Labrador K-9 officer, gets some lovin’ from his family during National Night Out Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the city park. Surrounded by community members, Officer Josh Gregory’s wife, Alisha Gregory, holds Gunner’s leash, 2-year-old Colin Gregory smiles as he looks on and Jacie Gregory, 13, and Scott Gregory, 14, pet their dog. Community and police share a ‘National Night Out’ Cannon Beach holds National Night Out By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette C annon Beach Police Chief -ason Schermerhorn has been at the market in uniform and heard a parent tell a child, ‘You better be good or he’s going to get you.’ Police aren’t out to get people, he said. National Night 2ut, held at the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Aug. 4, pre- sented a chance for youth to see law en- forcement of¿cers aren’t scary. “We’re just everyday people,” Schermerhorn said, working to help people. Promoting police and community camaraderie, more than 6,000 law en- forcement department’s around the U.S. held National Night 2ut, according to the National Association of Town Watch. The evening offered food, activities for kids, a rafÀe for all and the chance to chat with the department’s of¿cers. “What the goal is just letting people come talk to us on a different level,” Schermerhorn said. The event offers a chance for com- munity members to bring up concerns or ask questions and get to know the of- ¿cers, he added. Schermerhorn had participated in Na- tional Night 2ut as an of¿cer with the Seaside Police Department and said he thought it’d be great to do in Cannon Beach, as well. While some communities around the nation struggle with police and citizen relations, the small community has al- ready built a strong relationship. Schermerhorn said residents are good at keeping an eye on their neighborhoods and working with law enforcement. “In many cases, people call in and let us know what’s going on,” he said. “Some feel like they’re bothering police when they do it and they’re not.” Cannon Beach resident Michael Diak brought his son Dominic, 3, to the event. He said Cannon Beach police do a good job of making the city safe. Hav- ing the officers be apart of the com- munity is “a special quality,” he added. In its second year of holding the event, the Cannon Beach Police De- partment saw about 60 people Tues- day evening, around 0 more than last year. Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue was unable to attend this year as the depart- ment was short handed, but Home De- pot came out to offer crafts to the chil- dren. Schermerhorn said multiple local businesses and organizations, such as the Cannon Beach Bakery and the Ro- tary Foundation, also made donations to the event. Cannon Beach offers multiple op- portunities throughout the year for res- idents to meet with police one-on-one, including Coffee with a Cop and Burg- er with a Cop. CANN2N BEACH — The city of Cannon Beach is now dipping into Ecola Creek water supply — about a month ahead of schedule for the ¿rst time in years. The Public Works De- partment started the Eco- la plant up in late -uly, DAN GRASSICK drawing 00 gallons per minute to supplement water that comes from three mountain springs during the summer. “In a normal year, we’d usually make it to Labor Day weekend,” Public Works Direc- tor Dan Grassick said. But it’s been a dry summer, with .8 inches of rain in -une and only .66 during See Water, Page 9A Weapons fears drive emergency container debate City plans to continue container program By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette The city of Cannon Beach will continue its emergency cache container program, but is exploring changes after concerns regard- ing safety arose. Residents spoke against discontinuing the program during a city council meeting in -uly. City Manager Brant Kucera said despite concerns, the program would not be phased out in Cannon Beach. “2bviously it’s an important program,” he said during an emergency preparedness meeting )riday morning, -uly 3. “6o there’s no intention of eliminating the program.” But, he added, there is “valid concern” for what is placed inside the containers, intend- ed for use in an emergency such as the Cas- cadia subduction earthquake and tsunami. Cannon Beach started the program three years ago and has expanded to three locations PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE See Containers, Page 9A Save our cannon! When is the Cannon Beach cannon coming back to the museum? By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette The Cannon Beach His- tory Center and Museum is working to save the city’s namesake. So if you’re one of those who’s stopped by the museum wondering where THE cannon is, it’s in Astoria awaiting its new, permanent home. “People ask every day, ‘Where’s the cannon? When’s the cannon coming back?’” said Elaine Trucke, executive director of the cen- ter and museum. The cannon is currently at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in storage. The Can- non Beach History Center and Museum is raising mon- ey to install an exhibit that will preserve extensive con- servation work, and hopes to have it back by -anuary. The exhibit will be presented in a microenvironment that will help protect the antique in a climate-controlled area. The cannon was on the USS Shark when it foundered on the Columbia River Bar in 846, and had been used in border disputes and the West Indies. It washed up onto a beach in Arch Cape but was lost in the tide and not seen again in the area until 898. The cannon sat in front of Arch Cape’s post of¿ce for years before moving in the 940s, ending up in private SUBMITTED PHOTO The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum’s capstan is soaked in wax after a chemical treatment at Texas A&M. hands and eventually being given to the museum in 00, Trucke said. In 00, while com- paring it to other cannons found in Arch Cape, a repre- sentative from Texas A&M discovered the underside was falling apart and was severely rusted from sitting outside for more than a cen- tury. Pieces were falling off. The museum decided then to raise the money to restore the cannon and the capstan. They shipped it to College Station, Texas, in 0, where repair work began. See Cannon, Page 10A