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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2017)
MAY 5, 2017 • VOL. 41, ISSUE 9 WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM COMPLIMENTARY COPY Charter reaches enrollment target Arch Cape Cannon Beach Academy will open in the fall By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette The Cannon Beach Academy is offi cially set to open this fall almost four years after the town lost its elementary school. The charter school had until May 1 to en- roll at least 17 kindergartners and 17 fi rst and second graders combined. As of Friday, April 28, 18 kindergartners are enrolled and the fi rst and second grade class has been maxed out with 22 students , board member Phil Sim- mons said. “We as a team, and as a community, have been working on this for years,” Simmons said. “When they fi rst closed the elementa- ry school, some families had to move, and I was a little concerned there wasn’t going to be enough interest. But in my heart I knew that there was, and this victory supports this interest.” Cannon Beach Elementary School closed in 2013 due to tsunami safety concerns and budget shortfalls . Now the academy has se- cured the lease for a temporary space on Sun- set Highway and has hired a director to lead the school into its fi rst year. See Academy, Page 8A still hopes for design review Technicality sends appeal back to county By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Arch Cape residents fi ghting to retain oversight of key development decisions saw a victory last week at the state level. For the second time, the Land Use Board of Appeals has sent the decision to dissolve the Arch Cape Review Design Committee back to Clatsop County , leaving county commissioners to either keep the committee in place or vote to dissolve it again. The design committee makes recommen- dations on development within the unincorpo- rated town south of Cannon Beach . C ommis- sioners have deemed the group unnecessary, time-consuming, expensive and a potential legal liability, voting to dissolve it twice. Supporters of the 34-year-old committee challenged the move , citing the state’s obli- gation to have citizen involvement in land use decisions as a primary reason. Community engagement Cameron La Follette, who helped repre- sent the petitioners from Arch Cape through the Oregon Coast Alliance, said the county shouldn’t expect every community to col- lect input in the same way. “If Arch Cape wants more opportunities to review, the county should honor that,” La Follette said. “In my experience, the more engaged a community is, the better. Land is an absolute — there’s only so much of it.” County Manager Cameron Moore said the decision to remand the decision back to the county boiled down to a technicali- ty. The county did not publish a separate, specifi c notice of a public hearing. Moore said he will take time to review the decision before taking a next step. “This was simply an oversight on the part of county management,” Moore said in an email. The Arch Cape committee is the last of its kind in Clatsop County. Supporters ar- gue the county should honor the communi- ty’s decision to keep the committee active. “The county has been looking for a way to get rid of our committee for some time,” Tod Lundy, who was chairman of the Arch Cape Design Review Committee, said in February 2016. “It’s a burden for them to come down to Arch Cape and review every sizable remodel and new building.” Harding’s Trading Company transitions from coff ee shop to rustic French cuisine By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette t Harding Trading Company, ev- ery part of the restaurant is for con- sumption. No, it’s not all edible. But as long as it has a price tag, a restaurant goer can buy one of the many vintage items that line the walls and adorn the tables of the new French rustic-style restaurant — even some of the tables and chairs themselves. Whether it be the colorful, antique cookware and glass chandeliers, the cuisine or a space light exclusively by candlelight, every aspect of the restau- rant is important together co-partner Jane Harding said. “You are coming for more than just dinner. You are coming for an experi- ence,” she said. The restaurant on Beaver Street transitioned from an organic coffee shop into casual French cuisine mid- April and is managed by Harding, her husband and the Becklund family. Part of the inspiration came from her French heritage, and a lot from the building itself. Quasi-judicial See Food, Page 10A Harding Trading Company in Cannon Beach One issue for the county is that the Arch Cape committee is quasi-judicial, requiring extra staff time to keep minutes and send notices for each meeting. County Commis- sioner Lianne Thompson said this week there is a way to have Arch Cape neighbors participate without a formal committee. She is recommending the town funnels de- velopment recommendations and reviews through a neighborhood association, which would allow for more voices to be heard rather than a few on a committee, she said. “I believe in neighborhood livability. I am a neighbor,” Thompson said. “Account- ability can be used as a tool or a weapon, PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE See Arch Cape, Page 7A Chamber hosts celebration ‘about saving the beach’ Historic Beach Bill celebrates 50th anniversary By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette 50 years ago, former Governor Tom Mc- Call fl ew his helicopter onto the beaches on Cannon Beach to declare a simple statement. Keep Oregon beaches public. On May 13, 1967, that publicity stunt helped drive public support to pass the Ore- gon Beach Bill — the legislation that estab- lished public ownership of Oregon Coast. To celebrate this, the Chamber of Com- merce is hosting the 50th anniversary of sign- ing the Beach Bill on Saturday, May 13, with a host of activities, music and possibly a visit from Governor Kate Brown. See Beach, Page 6A CANNON BEACH HISTORY CENTER AND MUSEUM/SUBMITTED PHOTO An important fi gure in Oregon’s Beach Bill was Bob Straub. Straub stands on a van parked on the beach in Cannon Beach promoting the Beach Bill.
