MAY 6, 2016 • VOL. 40, ISSUE 10
WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
SPRING UNVEILING ARTS FESTIVAL
ENTIRELY
BY HAND
Sculptor of 55-foot eagle comes to Spring Unveiling
W
ithout sculpting assistants or scan-
ning technology, Heather Soder-
berg-Greene is creating a bronze
eagle sculpture with a 55-foot wingspan
entirely by hand.
It will soon be the largest sculpture of its
kind in the country, and possibly the world.
“A lot of artists around here have said I’m
crazy for doing it by hand,” she said. “Now,
doing it all old school and by hand is being a
rebel.”
The Cascade Locks-based artist, who will
showcase new work at Primary Elements
Gallery this weekend for the 16th annual
Spring Unveiling Arts Festival, has always
been somewhat of a rebel.
See Eagle, Page 10A
COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Citizen
appeals
Arch Cape
committee
disbanding
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
It’s the last design review committee
in Clatsop County, and residents are re-
luctant to see it go.
After being disbanded by the Clatsop
County Board of Commissioners in Feb-
ruary, the committee’s fate has moved to
the state Land Use Board of Appeals .
Arch Cape resident Jim Jensvold ap-
pealed the county’s decision to dissolve
the 39-year-old Southwest Coastal Cit-
izens Advisory Committee, also known
as the Arch Cape Design Review Com-
mittee.
The committee was the last of six
in the county to survive, and until this
year screened all construction design re-
view applications for the unincorporat-
ed community of Arch Cape submitted
to the county Community Development
Department.
See Arch Cape, Page 7A
Seaside School
District’s race
to safety
Superintendent
‘optimistic’ about bond
By R.J. Marx
Cannon Beach Gazette
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
‘A lot of artists around here have said I’m crazy for doing it by
hand. Now, doing it all old school and by hand is being a rebel.’
—Heather Soderberg-Greene
When U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden paid a
visit to Seaside last month, his goal was
to help the school district move schools
in the tsunami inundation zone to safety.
That will require passage of a new
bond, three years after a $128.8 million
plan failed with voters.
State and federal assistance will be
critical to its passage, Seaside School
District Superintendent Doug Dough-
erty said Monday.
“One of the pieces we heard over and
over again was our community wanted
to have some type of help from the state
and federal government to offset local
costs,” he said.
Dougherty and the school board in-
tend to put the bond on the November
ballot to pay for the relocation of Sea-
side High School, Gearhart Elementary
School and Broadway Middle School.
“What we’re looking at is a school that
will eventually be expanded in one di-
rection or another, then build another el-
ementary school or middle school up the
hill to the east,” Dougherty said. “We’re
still discussing plans and components.”
As Dougherty and offi cials seek
funds from state and federal sources,
they’ll also ask the community to assess
local enthusiasm.
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
See Bond, Page 7A
Cannon Beach selects new fi re chief
Pendleton fi re marshal will receive off er
By R.J. Marx
Cannon Beach Gazette
E.J. HARRIS/EO MEDIA GROUP
Pendleton Assistant Fire Chief Matt Benedict, right, coordinates fi refi ght-
ing eff orts from his truck while fi refi ghters battle a fi re in Pendleton’s old
City Hall in July.
The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Pro-
tection District will make an offer to
Matt Benedict, the Pendleton fi re mar-
shal, to serve as fi re chief.
In a special meeting Friday, April
29, members of the district’s board of
directors unanimously agreed to offer
the job to Benedict contingent on the
successful negotiation of an employ-
ment package and contract.
“He’ll be a great addition to our
system,” Director Garry Smith said at
the meeting.
The salary for the fi re chief’s job
is $67,500 to $75,000, depending on
qualifi cations.
“We had a great meeting with
him,” Board of Directors Chairwoman
Sharon Clyde said. “We hope we will
be able to negotiate with him.”
In addition to being Pendleton’s
fi re marshal, Benedict is the chief of
the all-volunteer Helix Rural Fire Pro-
tection District.
He was selected from a fi eld nar-
rowed to former Pendleton Chief Gary
Woods and John West of the state De-
partment of Public Safety Standards
and Training.
“All three of them were very good,”
Clyde said. “He (Benedict) seemed
like he would fi t in very nicely — as
they all did — with the fi refi ghters and
the community.”
Interim Chief Jim Stearns said after
the meeting the board will now con-
tact the candidates and let them know,
and contact the Special Districts Asso-
ciation of Oregon.
See Fire Chief, Page 7A