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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2017)
4A • January 13, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Views from the Rock Charcuterie and wine to celebrate the new year Looking at life from both sides now W S orry, this message can’t be conveyed in 140 characters or less. Only a few weeks into the new year, the nation is plunged into a tug-of-war on issues as profound as our health, our planet and war. The deep splits on these issues not only exhibit our individual preferences — or preju- dices — but regional ones. An editorial in a sister newspaper described the gap between rural and urban Oregonians as “stark and deep. … In the wake of a bitter presidential campaign and tight election, the gap has never seemed so wide.” Only eight counties out of 36 counties tilted to Hillary Clinton in Oregon, but Donald Trump received 220,000 fewer votes. The editorial nevertheless recalled Abraham Lincoln’s CANNON SHOTS fi rst inaugural address R.J. MARX and concluded on an optimistic note: “We are more alike than different.” I would posit that in this state, we are more different than alike — and that will require some radically different thinking. A matter of perspective The League of Oregon Cities listed its 2017 legislative session priorities for the new year in Salem, beginning Feb. 1. Among them, housing, land use, lodging tax, marijuana and water/wastewater, all critical issues close to home. The South County is a little schizophrenic, developed by hunters, fi shermen and loggers, but today relying on an econo- my driven by tourism, largely funded by a cosmopolitan audi- ence that couldn’t tell the difference between halibut and had- dock. That which we valued — Paul Bunyan ranging overland with a chainsaw strapped to his back — does not appear to have the same role in a world where mountain bicyclists would prefer to pedal among the trees sporting Day-Glo insignia and GoPro cameras strapped to their helmets. Visitors come to Cannon Beach to bask among the natural resources — vast swaths of timberland, rolling mountains and fertile streams — not to exploit them, but to appreciate their beauty in their natural state. Do we want more visitors or less? They supply the city’s tax coffers, but they also choke downtown streets and roads. Is land preservation a good thing? Conservationist Anne French, who led a cadre of dowdy old socialites in front of bull- dozers seeking to pave a rural dirt road, once told me she hated the word “development,” because it implied there was some- thing lacking in our natural environment. Yet I also interviewed a New York developer who said he couldn’t look at a piece of land without imagining a supermarket on it. Members of the North Coast Land Conservancy recently celebrated the $10 million purchase of 3,300 acres of land at Onion Peak, this in addition to the $1.3 million Boneyard Ridge acquisition adjacent to Ecola State Park. Will business and industry share their enthusiasm? The city will be establishing an emergency management site for mass care shelter. The process will require rezoning and expanded urban growth boundaries. The city’s strategic plan states by July 2018, an additional 25 units of affordable housing will be in place. By the end of that year, the city will experience a 10 percent increase in long-term rentals. By July 2020, Cannon Beach will make an additional 25 units of affordable housing available. More people, more traffi c and so it goes. At the end of this year, the city will create 50 new parking spaces in the downtown district. Is Cannon Beach going to become more like Bend or Beaverton? The city’s Ecola Creek Watershed provides municipal water to Cannon Beach. The Department of Fish and Wildlife consider Ecola Creek West Fork a vital area for coho salmon. The city plans workforce housing on city-owned land — starting with placing park model homes at the RV Park. Since the homes have no storage tanks or propane tanks, a permanent sewer will be needed, as well as changes to the city’s zone codes. As new park model homes come to the RV Resort in Cannon Beach and elsewhere, who will determine limits on septic and wastewater runoff? In November, opponents in Cannon Beach of retail cannabis sales sought prohibition. The vote was close, 51 percent to 49 percent. Whose rules will we play by? Future decisions could tilt either way. Fresh ideas Environmental consequences of overfi shing, water contam- ination, clear-cutting or other man-made activity are all too apparent. Social consequences — lack of affordable housing, R.J. MARX/CANNON BEACH Will Cannon Beach always be a town where you can ride your horse for a cup of Insomnia coff ee? FILE PHOTO Th is aff ordable home plan design was rejected in 2016. SUBMITTED PHOTO Maybe we can all agree on something: the scenic beauty of Cannon Beach. Th e Cannon Beach Gallery Group, hosts of the Plein Air Festival, received a portion of the Tourism and Arts Commission’s grant funding. medical care and need for educational opportunities — will only become more pressing. Risks of tsunami and natural disas- ter will be competing for dollars in a session that starts already $1.7 billion in the hole. Our differences are real and hard and at times we share little common ground. My message: that’s OK. Dig in and stand fi rm. Our points of view are our strongest asset, combined with a will to sustain our values. The 2017 Oregon legislative session lasts only 160 days, ending on or before July 10. In Cannon Beach, these issues are discussed year round at council, planning and design review meetings. So ladies and gentlemen, to your corners. Get involved in city politics. Hold representatives accountable. Show up at City Hall. Tell us what’s important to you. Annoy your friends on Facebook with political barbs. We’ve never needed fresh ideas more than now, or to do more with less. Let’s keep the discussion alive and have confi dence that our tolerance — and our tenacity — will yield results we can all live with. A master of fantasy at the Cannon Beach Library W e at the Cannon Beach library are very pleased to announce that fantasy writer Terry Brooks will be speaking at the Satur- day, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. as part of the Northwest Author Series. Brooks is well-known for his epic Shannara series and will be talking about the “Shannara Chronicles,” his newly-released televi- sion mini-series. Brooks was born in the rural mid- western town of Sterling, Illinois, and he and his wife Judine now divide their time between Seattle and Cannon Beach. His bachelor of arts degree is in English literature, and he later obtained a law degree from Washington Lee University and practiced law before becoming a full-time author. He has written 23 New Publisher David F. Pero Editor R.J. Marx Reporter Lyra Fontaine Sales/Advertising Manager Betty Smith AT THE LIBRARY CARLA O’REILLY York Times bestsellers during his writing career; more than 21 million copies of his books are in print. Don’t miss it! Also in January, Cannon Beach Reads will be beginning their eleventh year. On Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m., they will discuss “Fahrenheit 451,” by Ray Bradbury. The novel presents a future American society where books are out- lawed and “fi remen” are directed to burn any they can fi nd. The book is named Production Manager John D. Bruijn Circulation Manager Heather Ramsdell Classifi ed Sales Jamie Ramsdell Advertising Sales Holly Larkins Brandy Stewart CANNON BEACH GAZETTE The Cannon Beach Gazette is published every other week by EO Media Group. 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon 97138 503-738-5561 • Fax 503-738-9285 www.cannonbeachgazette.com • email: editor@cannonbeachgazette.com after the assumed temperature at which paper combusts. For additional information about Cannon Beach Reads, contact Joe Bernt at 503-436-4186 or send him an email at berntj@ohio.edu. All in all, January at the library will be a quieter time — but also a cozier time! We took down our holiday decora- tions and put them away until next year, but we still can enjoy these cold winter days by the gas fi replace surrounded by good company, great books, current newspapers and free Wi-Fi. Lastly, don’t miss our fi rst library membership meeting and brunch of 2017 at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Guest speaker Pam DeVisser will be discussing palliative care. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Annually: $40.50 in county, $58.00 in and out of county. Postage Paid at: Cannon Beach, OR 97110 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cannon Beach Gazette, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Copyright 2017 © Cannon Beach Gazette. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. hen we opened Provisions 124 in 2015, our primary goal was to offer the fi nest gourmet products from the Pacifi c Northwest. We wanted to offer our customers an assortment of locally produced artisan products they couldn’t fi nd in their hometown. With that in mind, we searched out local sources of delicious marionberry jams, hazelnuts, bread, cheeses, kombucha, coffee and oil and vinegar. But, it was the local UNCORKED RAMBLINGS charcuterie we re- ally were excited STEVEN SINKLER about. Charcuterie is a fancy name for salami and other meat products such as sausage and paté. Years ago, Hickory Farms owned this product space and you couldn’t go into a mall at Christmas time without seeing a large summer sausage “pop-up store.” Today, small gourmet charcuteries are making meats which are European in style and are nothing like your grandma’s Hickory Farms. Here in Oregon, we are fortunate to enjoy meats from two of America’s fi nest charcuteries, Olympia Provisions and Chop Butchery & Charcuterie, both from Portland. Olympia Provisions has a bigger brand name, as both Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey have sung the praises of their meats. Olympia Provision’s bestselling “Saucisson Sec” is a dry salami made in a traditional French style, com- bining ground pork with garlic and black pepper. Chop’s “Garlic and Black Pepper” is similar in style, with slightly less fat and more seasoning. Both salamis are savory, delicious and popular year-round. During the year, we also carry Olympia Provisions paté and other dry salamis from both Olympia Provisions and Chop, but we always carry these two classics. When customers ask which wine pairs best with these salamis, I tell them they can go in a couple of different directions, depending on their preference. If looking for a red wine, I recommend a wine that has a nice fruit presence with lower tannins. Syrah is a food friendly red wine packed with blackberry fl avors and hints of pepper, making it a perfect companion to salami. I rec- ommend Lujon Cellars Syrah if more fruit is desired or Al- exandria Nicole’s Jet Black Syrah if looking for darker fruit and pepper fl avors. If a softer red wine is desired, J Scott Grenache would pair nicely as it delivers red fruit fl avors, think cherries and strawberries, with slight hints of pepper. When a white wine is preferred, I’d stay away from high acid wines like Riesling or pinot grigio. Instead, I’d go with a softer white wine, like Puffi n Pinot Gris which of- fers fl avors of apple, honeysuckle and lemon zest. Pudding River Barrel Aged Chardonnay would also be an excellent choice as it delivers a soft mouthfeel of apple and pear. Both of these Oregon wines are made with a nod to the old world, which makes them perfect for charcuterie. I’d also be quick to recommend a delicious bottle of rosé, as I truly believe a chilled bottle of dry rosé pairs nicely in almost any situation. Stoller Pinot Noir Rosé is delicious, but of course my favorite is our very own Puffi n Rosé, which is made from grenache and syrah. These dry blushes deliver strawberry fl avors that are food friendly and counter the garlic and pepper fl avors, rather than match them. If willing to venture is a slightly different direction, I’d also recommend a bottle of bubbles to go with charcuterie. Sokol Blosser Sparkling Evolution is a delicious brut (dry) sparkling wine with slight fl avors of citrus and nectarine that combine nicely with the bubbles. A bottle of bubbly transforms a simple plate of sliced meats into an elegant entrée. The next time you’re looking for something to eat, but don’t want a full meal, try some local charcuterie with a bottle of local wine. You’ll see what our European friends have known about for years, it’s a divine combination. Throw in some cheese and crackers while you’re at it. Happy New Year from all of us at The Wine Shack and Provisions 124. Please drink responsibly! LETTERS Save school money, improve bridges At the Dec. 15 Seaside School District board meet- ing, I requested and received from the board the budget for the recently approved $99.7 million school bond. Before the bond election, I wrote an article that was published in the Seaside Signal and the Cannon Beach Gazette. It noted that high school building costs are presently running at a cost of $35,000 to $42,000 per student assuming no land cost. The Seaside district cor- rectly revised its earlier plans and now will not replace Seaside Heights Elementary School, which houses 500 of the districts 1,500 student enrollment. That leaves a need to build new schools for 1,000 students which, based on current school projects, should cost about $40 million. The Seaside School District is building schools for 1,280 students (not 1,000) even though school enroll- ment has been declining and the Cannon Beach charter school will draw away students. Seaside’s facility cost per student, per their estimate, is $82,000 and not the $37,000 to $45,000 that is the current, typical cost per Oregon student. The Seaside cost estimate assumes an average of 150 square feet per student and a cost per square foot of $255 (plus extra for coastal and foun- dation additions) for building construction costs. The real difference in Seaside’s numbers is in the site costs, which are over $10 million. Two decisions by the school board made the school bond cost high: 1) the decision to build for a growth of 280 new students and 2) to incur signifi cant site See Letters, Page 5A THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING
