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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 2015)
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 • VOL. 39, ISSUE 20 WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM COMPLIMENTARY COPY When a tsunami hits, do you know where to go? Teachers don’t like Cannon Beach Academy plan By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette Teachers with Seaside School District 10 took the opportunity to stand and speak against a proposed charter school in Cannon Beach during a public hear- ing on Tuesday, Sept. 15. In a reversal of the Aug. 18 hearing, the majority of those who testi¿ ed, includ- ing parents, opposed the school. “It isn’t an ‘us vs. them,’” parent 0ichelle Wunderlich said. “I’m not against the charter school. I’m just very much for a strong district for everyone.” She said the charter would take away ¿ nancially from the district. “It’s affect- ing the whole pie too much for such a small piece,” Wunderlich added. Chuck Albright, a third- grade teacher at Gearhart (lementary School, echoed Wunderlich’s sentiments. He said all students need an “excellent education” and the wants of 75 students should not be placed ahead of the needs of 1,500. He added that there’d be diminished quality in the district regardless of the teachers’ skills. Without incentives, Gearhart fourth-grade teacher Sena Bergquist said she doesn’t see how Cannon Beach Academy would at- tract the same high caliber teachers. And with the loss of up to 85 students, she’s also concerned about how funding cuts would “neg- atively affect” the other schools. Cannon Beach Academy Board of Directors Presi- dent Ryan Hull said he sees a reduction in class sizes as a bene¿ t for Seaside schools. After the meeting he said the district would receive 20 percent of what the charter would get per student from the state if it sponsors the academy. Seaside Union President -ohn 0eyer handed over a list of 11 points against the charter school signed by a dozen people, the majority of whom were district teach- ers.0eyer said he is not comfortable with the acade- my’s curriculum and would only be OK with a school in Cannon Beach if it managed by the district. A sense of belonging Hull said Cannon Beach Academy wants to be a part of the district. If the school district supports the acade- my rather than the state, he added, there would be “set checks and balances.” The academy would have to give annual reports and could be closed if it doesn’t meet measurable goals. “We’re part of the district still,” he said. “We’re not an outside entity, but we are different.” See Academy, Page 10A CANNABIS IN CANNON BEACH DANI PALMER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Race the Wave participants began at NeCus’ Park and ended at the Elk Creek Road emergency cache site in Cannon Beach. Wearing their city of Cannon Beach shirts, Daniel Willyard, with the Water Department, left , and City Man- ager Brant Kucera run along the beach, other runners not far behind them. Race the Wave annual event tests tsunami preparedness By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette I f disaster strikes in Cannon Beach, residents are ad- vised to run for the hills. They got some practice Sun- day, Sept. 13, at the city’s second annual Race the Wave, a 5K and 10K tsunami preparedness run and walk. ³It’s a Eeautiful state we live in, Eut there’s de¿ nitely a ha]ard level,´ 2regon 2f¿ ce of (mergency 0anage- ment Director Andrew Phelps said. In the event of a megathrust quake, scientists esti- mate Cannon Beach residents will have only about 15 minutes before a tsunami follows. “Knowing the evacuation route is pretty much the simplest thing you can do to be prepared,” Ali Ryan Han- sen, earth science information of¿ cer for the Department of *eological and 0ineral Industries, said. “<ou’ve got- ta practice, gotta make that muscle memory.” PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE See Race, Page 7A DANI PALMER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Cannon Beach residents Julie Sackett, left , and Marlene Reynolds check out a city evacuation map during the Emergency Preparedness Fair following Race the Wave. Councilors seek to serve ‘will of people’ By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette The Cannon Beach City Council laid it out to voters: write an ordinance regulat- ing marijuana dispensaries or hold a vote in Novem- ber 2016 giving voters the chance to opt out of sales. During the Sept. 8 work session earlier this month, no decisions were made, but the council seemed to lean toward an ordinance by the end of the night. “This is something the majority of our residents have voted for,” Council President 0elissa Cadwal- lader said. “I want to see us as a council try to do what we can to make the retail not necessarily easier, but something that ¿ ts our community.” Councilor 0ike Bene- ¿ eld said a vote in 2016 would give residents “an- other chance to voice their opinion,” but noted a ballot would take time and mon- ey. Cannon Beach’s busi- ness license ordinance cur- rently requires businesses to abide by local, state and federal law, prohibiting marijuana dispensaries. 0edical and recreational marijuana is now legal in Oregon, but still considered a controlled substance by the federal government. By relying on the current ordinances alone, the city could be at risk of being sued, city attorney Tammy Herdener said. Other municipalities have been sued over sim- ilar ordinances and while the cities have prevailed at a lower court level, See Council, Page 6A Pollution readings concern watershed council By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette With historically high bacteria readings, the (cola Creek Water- shed Council and Surfrider Foun- dation believe something may be wrong with Cannon Beach’s wastewater infrastructure. The cause, however, is uncertain. Are high readings a result of failing systems, human activity, storms or something else? Field coordinator for Surfrid- er’s Blue Water Task Force Ryan Cruse appeared before the City Council Sept. 8. He and others asked the city to conduct a com- plete review to study potential À aws in sewage and wastewater systems. The Surfrider Foundation has documented a history of sporad- ic high readings, mainly at Gow- er Street and Chisana Creek. On Aug. 29, Surfrider mea- sured 518 organisms per 100 milliliters in the ocean near Gower Street, well above the 158 organisms per 100 millili- ters threshold considered safe under the Oregon Beach 0on- itoring Program, run through the Oregon Health Authority. High measurements of (. coli in fresh water and enteroc- cus in marine water are indi- cators of the possible presence of fecal matter and a potential health hazard. Watershed Council Chair- man 0ike 0anzulli said the city’s beaches have some of the highest pollution readings in Oregon. In 2013, 12 percent of Can- non Beach’s results exceeded the national Beach Action Value safety threshold, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Sunset Bay State Park in Coos County was the worst, with 35 percent of its results ex- ceeding the health threshold. 0anzulli noted two recur- ring themes: high readings at the Gower Street and Chisana Creek outfalls, and “city deni- al” of potential infrastructure problems. He said a Cannon Beach 2012 study suggested the need for infrastructure test- ing, but to his knowledge, the testing never happened. “The city does not know the source of all the contamination,” he said, adding Cannon Beach needs to investigate further. Public Works Director Dan Grassick countered that the city did take steps to ¿ nd solutions for the high readings. No health issues were determined, he said. See Watershed, Page 11A Hannah Moore with the Oregon Beach Mon- itoring Pro- gram tested ocean water near Gower Street in Cannon Beach. DANI PALMER/ CANNON BEACH GAZETTE