Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current, December 30, 2016, Image 5

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Cannon Beach gazette., December 30, 2016, Page 5A, Image 5

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 2016)

Prev Page of 10 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (1.4 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 10 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextDecember 30, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A Volunteer ﬁ ghts ﬁ res for the love of it Christmas giving Fireﬁ ghter says it’s a way to ‘give back to the community’ Christmas from Page 1A By Lyra Fontaine Cannon Beach Gazette When the historic Oswald West log cabin burned in 1991 due to an act of ar- son, JoAnne Cremer was one of the ﬁ re- ﬁ ghters on the scene battling the blaze for hours. It was one of the most memorable mo- ments in Cremer’s 32 years as a Cannon Beach volunteer ﬁ reﬁ ghter. “It was the night of my birthday,” she said. “We were there until late in the eve- ning or early morning. It was the hottest ﬁ re I have ever fought in my life because of the logs … We all worked really hard that night.” Cremer was recently featured as Can- non Beach Fire and Rescue ﬁ reﬁ ghter of the month, recognized for her longtime commitment and for being “probably the most positive person with one of the best smiles.” Cremer decided to join the ﬁ re district after living in Cannon Beach for several years and getting to know local ﬁ reﬁ ght- ers. “I just decided it was a way I could give back to the community,” she said. Cremer said the “love of it” motivates her to continue ﬁ reﬁ ghting. “This is like my other job — my un- paid job,” she said. “Once you get into an organization like this and become so close with everybody, it’s like having a second family. For some of us, it’s our ﬁ rst fami- ly. I think that’s why I continue it, just the love of it and wanting to continue to help people, to try and make people’s lives eas- ier.” “Sometimes you have calls that aren’t all roses,” she added. Training Cremer has been the Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue safety ofﬁ cer for seven years. She oversees the scene at car acci- dents, ﬁ res or medical calls to ensure vol- unteers are wearing personal protective equipment and heads a safety committee, discussing policies each month. Volunteer ﬁ reﬁ ghters participate in regular Wednesday trainings. “Sometimes the drills are really exciting,” Cremer said. Trainings might involve “burn to learns,” in which people donate their old homes or motor vehicles for the team of volunteers to burn for a period of time. These drills allow volunteers to gain ex- perience with handling actual ﬁ res. LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE JoAnne Cremer has been a volunteer ﬁ reﬁ ghter with Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue for 32 years. ‘Once you get into an organization like this and become so close with everybody, it’s like having a second family. For some of us, it’s our ﬁ rst family. I think that’s why I continue it, just the love of it and wanting to continue to help people, to try and make people’s lives easier.’ JoAnne Cremer “We might set up a smoke machine and a ‘body’ in there that we might have to ﬁ nd to keep us in touch with what could honestly happen in a real ﬁ re,” Cremer said. “We have mock motor vehicle acci- dents, and sometimes in the summer we have a mock rescue in the ocean where we deploy our Jet Skis.” Cremer holds certiﬁ cations in ﬁ re ﬁ ghter II, apparatus operator, emergency medical responder and water rescue tech- nician. Cannon Beach volunteer ﬁ reﬁ ght- ers have access to courses that provide continued education, she said. Cremer was also a Cannon Beach life- guard for 25 years, more than 15 years full time. Though she remembers some serious rescues, Cremer also recalls the camaraderie among her fellow lifeguards. “It was wonderful,” she said. “You’re paid to be at the beach.” Outdoor adventurer For 21 years, Cremer has worked at the same landscaping company, where she enjoys “being able to beautify things.” She likes walking away from a yard and thinking, “Wow, that looks so good.” “I love working outside, even in the rain,” she added. Cremer has also ﬁ shed commercially for sockeye salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, taught in the experimental education unit at the University of Washington and taught preschool in Cannon Beach — “when it was down by the kite shop.” Cremer grew up in Portland and moved to Cannon Beach in 1980. “I always wanted to live at the coast, even as a little kid,” she said. She appre- ciates “the close-knit community and the amazing beauty of the beach and our sur- roundings.” In her spare time, Cremer enjoys tak- ing her active dog, Sailor, on walks, hik- ing, mountain biking and cycling. An avid cyclist, Cremer often bikes to Astoria and around Fort Stevens. She has also started century riding — biking 100 miles. “You start at a certain time and you pedal 100 miles,” Cremer said. “You’re out there and it’s like, ‘Yep, I’m doing this.’” The American L egion helps deliver gifts that kids wish for from the “Giving Tree” at U.S. Bank, con- taining cards with items that people in the community can purchase. Maddy Wrege, 10, was volunteering for the fourth year. “These are the most toys we’ve had for awhile,” she said. “I like delivering be- cause I like seeing the peo- ple’s expressions.” By Friday, the presents were delivered and volun- teers, including police ofﬁ - cers and ﬁ reﬁ ghters, helped load and deliver food boxes to low-income apartments at Elk Creek Terrace and Shorewood Apartments and other Cannon Beach house- holds. Since 1977, American Legion Vice Commander Don Boehm has organized the program and shopped for food. The program be- gan when someone donated $5,000 for Christmas bas- kets. “We’ve carried that on,” Boehm said. “We’re here for the community. We wish to thank all the people who do- nate and make it known that we appreciate their support.” Volunteers Stacie Gil- ligan and Heidi Lent have coordinated the food baskets for about seven years. “It takes us about a week to get it done,” Lent said. “It’s very necessary. The American Legion is the only service organization in Can- non Beach, so it felt natural for them to take this on.” Some items are donated by community members, food banks or local busi- nesses like Bruce’s Candy Kitchen. The rest is pur- chased by the post’s chari- table account, which comes from donations and pro- ceeds from fundraisers. It cost about $3,500 to $4,000 to ﬁ ll the food baskets, Gil- ligan said. Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn — assisted M U N I C I PA L M E M O December 2016 Is published monthly by the City of Cannon Beach 163 E. Gower Street • P.O. Box 368 • Cannon Beach, OR 97110 (503) 436-1581 • Fax: (503) 436-2050 • TTY (503) 436-8097 MEETINGS City Council Regular Meeting City Council Work Session Design Review Board Planning Commission CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING, December 6, 2016 • Adopted Ordinance 16-06, Amending Business License Ordinance to allow Marijuana Businesses in Cannon Beach; • Adopted Ordinance 16-07, Repealing Chapter 9.18 of the Municipal Code which Imposed a Moratorium on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries; • Adopted Resolution 16-12, for the Purpose of Accepting the Final Official Canvass of Votes from the Clatsop County Clerk of the November 8, 2016 General Election; • Adopted the Affordable Housing Report submit- ted by the Affordable Housing Task Force; • Adopted the 2016 Em- ployee Handbook; • Appointed Karolyn Ad- amson to serve a second term on the Emergency Preparedness Committee; appointed Robin Risley to serve a second term on Parks and Community Services Committee; Ap- pointed Patrick Lathrop to his first term on the Parks and Community Services Committee and reap- pointed Tom Drumheller to the Tourism and Arts Commission; • Approved the revised process and evaluation form for the City Manager position. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION, December 13-, 2016 • Haystack Rock Aware- ness Project (HRAP) Coordinator Melissa Keyser presented the 2016 annual report for HRAP; • Discussed the Linn County class action lawsuit; • City Manager Brant Kucera presented an update on the Strategic Plan goals. by 12-year-old son Jackson — said the ofﬁ cers help with the program each year. “It’s such a good partner- ship,” Schermerhorn said. “This is one of those things that ofﬁ cers love to do, and it’s great for people to see a different side of the po- lice ofﬁ cers. We’re actually doing what we want to do, which is help people, and we appreciate the l egion for keeping us involved.” Siblings Silvia and Christian Avila volunteered for the Christmas basket program with their mother, Mirian Luna. “I have time and I want to help,” Christian said. “I’ve always lived in Elk Creek so I’ve experienced this from the other perspective … I feel like we kind of took it for granted. This doesn’t happen everywhere else. I think it’s a sigh of relief for the parents. They will buy one or two things for each child, but having this much more to bulk up what’s un- der the Christmas tree really helps.” A volunteer ﬁ reﬁ ghter, Silvia said she decided to volunteer because she en- joys helping others. “It’s what we do in the ﬁ re department,” she said, “and Christmas is my favor- ite holiday.” FOR YOUR INFORMATION MAYOR: Sam Steidel COUNCILORS: Wendy Higgins, Melissa Cadwallader, Mike Benefield & George Vetter CITY MANAGER: Brant Kucera Of Interest... JANUARY 2017 3 10 19 26 CANNON BEACH FIRE AND RESCUE Cannon Beach Police Of- ﬁ cer Matthew Nunnal- ly and ﬁ reﬁ ghter Brian Smith share holiday cheer while volunteering at the American Legion Christ- mas Basket program. 7:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m 6:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. DESIGN REVIEW BOARD - The Design Review Board meeting November 17, 2016 was cancelled. At their December 15, 2016 meeting the Design Review Board discussed: FS 16-04, for Wayfarer Restaurant, Located at 1190 Pacific Drive. The applicant, Dave Norstedt, was seeking approval for two freestanding signs for the Wayfarer Restaurant. The signs will replace two existing signs previously approved. Ap- proved PLANNING COMMISSION - At their November 22, 2016, meeting the Planning Commission discussed: V 16-06, Vonada Variance Application to Allow an Ex- isting Entry Deck to Remain in the Front-yard Setback to Facilitate Placement of a New Access Ramp at 524 N Ash. Approved P 16-02, Cannon Beach Holdings LLC, Partition Re- quest for 1371 S Hemlock, Location of Pelican Pub. Approved Discussed the annual parking management plan review. At their December 22, 2016 meeting the Planning Com- mission discussed: CU 16-05, Cannon Beach Academy request for a conditional use permit to allow a temporary location for Cannon Beach Acad- emy Charter School at 171 Sunset. The applicant was previously approved for a condition use permit (CU 15-02) which has expired. CP 16-01, City of Cannon Beach request for Zon- ing Ordinance text amendment, specifically, the amendment of tree removal ordnance, chapter 17.70, Tree Removal. Discussed the annual parking management plan review. • The Cannon Beach Recycle Center is open Tuesday - Sunday, 8am - 4pm for resi- dential and commercial use; • City Hall will be closed Monday January 2, 2017 in observance of the New Year Holiday. • City Hall will be closed Monday January 16, 2017 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday. Haystack Rock Awareness Program’s Wish List 2017 Education: Acorn Naturalist (www.acornnaturalists.com): Marine Algae Printing Kit QTY 1 #t- 22219 – $61.95; Fish Printing – QTY 3 Sea Star Replica #fp-9990 $12.95 per, QTY 2 Flounder Replica #fp-9996 $19.95 per, QTY 1 Salmon Replica #fp-14028 $19.95 per; Bird Track Mold Kit – QTY 1 #mo-24439 $94.95 Nature-Watch (www.nature-watch.com): Animal Track Molds QTY 1 #248z $133.20, Peregrine Falcon Puppet QTY 1 #431c $39.99 Beach - Volunteers Amazon (www.amazon.com): Optics: Vortex Diamondback 10x42 binoculars QTY 6 $199.99 per; Clothing: Wantdo Unisex Outdoors Hooded Waterproof Vest Red QTY 10 $29.86 per various sizes Englund Marine in Astoria or www.englundmarine.com: Muck Wetland Field Boots QTY 5 $128.95 per various sizes We are in search of beach volunteers for the 2017 season. Please contact: Lisa Habecker, Education & Volunteer Coordinator 503.436.8064, habecker@ci.cannon- beach.or.us NOTICE OF VACANCIES CITY COMMISSIONS, BOARDS & COMMITTEES The City of Cannon Beach is seeking applications for the following vacancies: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE: THREE (3) vacancies to fill four-year terms. The EPREP Committee meets regularly for the purpose of providing evacuation planning and public education regarding emergency preparedness. The committee is comprised of six at-large community members. The Emergency Preparedness Com- mittee normally holds its regular meetings on the last Friday of each month at 10:00 a.m. and may schedule work sessions as needed. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE: TWO (2) vacancies to fill four-year terms. One va- cancy is open immediately, one begins January 1, 2017. The primary responsibility of the Public Works Committee is to review all public works projects and make recom- mendations to City Council. The Public Works Committee holds its regular meeting on the third Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m. To be eligible to serve on a City committee, applicants must have resided within the city or its urban growth boundary during the one year immediately preceding appointment; or at the time of appointment, shall have owned real property lo- cated within the city or its urban growth boundary for at least one year immediately preceding appointment. Applications are available at City Hall, 163 E. Gower Street, Cannon Beach, by email addressed to riggs@ci.cannon-beach.or.us, or on-line at www.ci.cannon-beach.or.us. For consideration at the February 7, 2017 City Council meeting, applications must be returned to Colleen Riggs, Assistant City Manager, Can- non Beach City Hall, at P.O. Box 368, Cannon Beach, OR 97110 by 4:00 p.m., Monday January 30, 2017. Late applications will not be accepted. For more information, please contact Colleen Riggs by email or phone at (503) 436-8052. Brandon Ogilvie and Nancy McCarthy will be sworn in to serve on the City of Cannon Beach City Council at the January 3, 2017 City Council Meeting.