May 6, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A
Arch Cape appeal
Arch Cape from Page 1A
“I don’t think it was right
for the county to just dissolve
the committee with very min-
imal notice and with hardly
any public process,” Jensvold
said in an email. “That’s not
the way to build trust between
the county and this communi-
ty, which has a strong vision
for its own future.”
The county has iled a mo-
tion to dismiss the appeal. If
the Land Use Board of Ap-
peals does not dismiss the
challenge, both Jensvold and
the county would ile briefs
and a hearing would occur.
Oregon Coast Alliance
Land Use Director Cameron
La Follette did not join the
appeal, but said it was a mis-
take for the county to disband
a committee that had a role in
local review for decades.
The committee worked to
protect Arch Cape’s wetlands,
which are “essential” in pre-
venting loods, she believes.
“There are real reasons be-
hind this appeal,” she said.
‘Inappropriate’
and ‘hostile’
At the county commis-
sion meeting in February,
the Design Review Commit-
tee was accused of being an
unnecessary, expensive and
time-consuming land-use
authority.
The committee’s ability
to make quasi-judicial land-
use decisions was “inap-
propriate,” according to the
staff report interim County
Manager Rich Mays pre-
sented.
Commissioners
heard
complaints that the Design
Review Committee was
“hostile” and “not in line
with what the folks were do-
ing in Arch Cape.”
“The committee really
adds nothing of substance
to the design review process
... and only adds unneces-
sary delay and expense for
residents and the county,”
wrote Arch Cape resident
Tim Crawford in a letter to
commissioners.
Jensvold and others
strongly disagree.
“That committee is an
important part of what
makes Arch Cape a good
place to live,” Jensvold said
in an email. “I love the com-
munity spirit of Arch Cape
— that’s part of the reason I
moved here. I want the com-
munity to be able to speak
for itself, and have a voice in
how it changes. The Design
Review Committee gives us
the means to do that.”
School bond in the works
Bond from Page 1A
A 2013 poll was conduct-
ed by telephone, Dougherty
said, but components of this
year’s polling have yet to be
determined.
Feedback could determine
the scope of the bond, he said.
Three community forums
in 2013 were attended by par-
ents, students and community
members who brainstormed
about what should be includ-
ed in the campus, and other
forums, involving district
faculty and staff members
and Seaside High School stu-
dent leaders, also were held.
Dougherty said “there is
no speciic plan as yet,” but
the most important goal, dis-
cussed in a board subcommit-
tee, is to get schools out of the
tsunami zone.
Preliminary plans
Along with a plea for
federal support, Dougherty
shared preliminary plans to
relocate at-risk schools.
The district intends to
develop property east of
Seaside Heights Elementary
School owned by Weyerhae-
user, the same site proposed
in 2013.
“We have had many
geo-techs evaluating that
hillside,” Dougherty said.
“They strongly believe
that is the very best piece
of property to relocate the
school district.”
No new roads would need
to be built, he said.
A major tsunami wave
driven by a megathrust quake
could reach 90 to 120 feet.
Elevation at the proposed site
rises from 80 feet at the bot-
tom edge to several hundred
feet.
The property would need
to be purchased and placed
within the urban growth
boundary, Dougherty said.
Dougherty said the district
is still in process of negotiat-
ing with Weyerhaeuser for
the land and a purchase price
has yet to be determined.
“I signed a nondisclosure
agreement so I can’t say
where we are in the process,”
Dougherty added.
If the bond is approved by
voters in November, Dough-
erty estimates it will take four
years to move all students to
safety.
The district has not de-
termined the move would be
phased in or done all at once.
“It will likely take time to
move kids from each school,”
Dougherty said.
New ire chief selected
Fire Chief from Page 1A
Stearns said he will remain
at the “will of the board.”
“Hopefully we’ll get this
fellow on board June 1,”
Stearns said. “Beyond that,
I’ll stay as long as need be.”
The board is looking to
replace former Fire Chief
Mike Balzer, who was ired
in October.
Balzer has since iled
a lawsuit against the ire
district claiming wrongful
dismissal. Three ire board
members turned back a recall
election in early April. The
recall effort stemmed from
frustration among some res-
idents over the board’s han-
dling of Balzer’s iring.
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Cleaning up at Circle Creek
‘A great turnout
and a great day’
By Katherine Lacaze
EO Media Group
The North Coast Land
Conservancy’s Circle Creek
Habitat Reserve hummed
with activity Saturday, April
23, when a small army of vol-
unteers helped clean up the
property in time for public
visits over the late spring and
summer months.
The 35 volunteers were
split into groups who un-
dertook various tasks, such
as building and maintaining
trails, cleaning up and burning
old wood debris and planting
salal, a native plant species.
“It was a great turnout and
a great day,” Stewardship
Director Melissa Reich said.
“We got a lot done and the
trail are looking in great shape
for the season.”
The annual project sym-
bolically marks the time of
year when the property gets
used more by the public. Ad-
ministrative and Outreach
Assistant Lynette Villagomez
said during late fall and win-
ter, the property, which is part
of an active loodplain, is not
accessible to people because
of precipitation. The trails
usually are opened around
Earth Day and closed in late
fall, depending on weather.
“Every spring, we’ll come
out here and do cleanup and
maintenance and make it
more inviting for people to
visit,” Villagomez said.
Of all the conservancy’s
properties, Circle Creek is
“one where we’ve chosen to
welcome people,” because of
Join Lower Nehalem Wa-
tershed Council on Thursday,
May 12, in an event featur-
ing Dr. Tommy Swearingen,
Human Dimensions research
project leader for the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wild-
life marine reserves program,
for a presentation on the pro-
gram’s ongoing research to as-
sess the socioeconomic impact
of marine reserves.
Oregon has designated ive
marine reserve sites, located
at Cascade Head (near Lin-
coln City), Otter Rock (near
Newport), Cape Perpetua (near
Yachats), Redish Rocks (near
Port Orford), and most recently
Cape Falcon (near Manzanita).
The Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife is responsi-
ble for managing and scien-
tiically monitoring these ive
sites.
The goal of the Human Di-
mensions Project is to assess
the socioeconomic impact of
marine reserve implementa-
tion and to perform research
that informs near-shore man-
agement.
The Lower Nehalem Wa-
tershed Council is exited to
partner with the Friends of
Cape Falcon Marine Reserve
to bring this presentation on
the social science side of ma-
rine reserves research to the
North Coast.
L ife Ca re
O N LY
5 9
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Family includes you
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About 35 volunteers showed up to the North Coast Land Conservancy’s Circle Creek
Trails Clean-up to prepare the habitat reserve for the summer hiking season and upcom-
ing events.
its location, accessibility and
composition, she said.
Reich agreed, saying the
site has “been grazed for a
long time,” “has a history of
human use” and is one where
the conservancy is doing ac-
tive restoration, making it a
great spot to have seasonal
trails open to the public.
“It is “a good example of
the old forest and the swamp,”
she said. “You can see them
side by side.”
Tessa Scheller, a local
volunteer and member of the
conservancy’s Conservation
Committee, said she believes
welcoming and encouraging
the public to spend time on
the habitat reserve is valu-
able as it leads to an increased
sense of ownership and, sub-
sequently, stewardship and
support.
“I think being out here helps
that,” she said.
Some people may suffer
from nature deicit disorders of
varying degrees, she said. The
conservancy wants to recon-
nect humans with the rest of na-
ture so they become “aware of
the rich diversity, even of plant
life, in their backyard,” said
Scheller, who also sits on the
board of the Northwest Coast
Trails Coalition.
Reich added that numerous
people have, at one point, done
a project or some volunteer
work on the property and they
are watching it slowly trans-
form over time because of their
efforts.
“A lot of people are able to
feel connected,” she said.
The timing of the cleanup
project also coincided with
preparation for the conservan-
cy’s annual event, “The Forest
Remembers,” held in late April.
The Circle Creek Trails
Cleanup was put on in partner-
ship with the North Coast Trails
Coalition. Additionally, some
volunteers came from out of
town to participate in the project
as part of the 2016 Yale Day of
Service, where alumni of Yale
University throughout the coun-
try take part in service projects
in their various communities.
The oficial Day of Service is
May 7, but Judy Fairdig said
she and her husband, Paul,
participated early and came to
Seaside from Portland because
they wanted to volunteer for the
conservancy’s project.
For more information on
“The Forest Remembers” pro-
gram, call the conservancy at
503-738-9126 or visit www.
nclctrust.org.
Assessing the impact of marine reserves
*Full year,
per household.
O pen en ro llm en t thro u gh Ju n e 30, 2016
C redit ca rds a ccepted.
KATHERINE LACAZE/EO MEDIA GROUP
2325 SE DOLPHIN AVENUE
WARRENTON
www.medix.org
IN AN EMERGENCY CALL
9-1-1
Presenter Dr. Tommy
Swearingen oversees the pro-
gram’s human dimensions re-
search, working in conjunction
with a multitude of research
partners in academia and the
private sector. His research has
focused on recreational visitor
management, environmental
ethics, tourism, and communi-
ty development.
The presentation will be
held at the Pine Grove Com-
munity House, 225 Laneda
Ave. in Manzanita. Doors open
at 6:30 p.m. for refreshments;
council updates at 7:20 and
presentations at 8:30.
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