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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2017)
JUNE 2, 2017 • VOL. 41, ISSUE 11 WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM COMPLIMENTARY COPY City tests time limits on parking Downtown streets will have a three-hour cap Brant Kucera By Brenna Visser City manager heads to Sisters Cannon Beach Gazette In an attempt to create more downtown parking, Cannon Beach plans to impose time lim- its along a section of Hemlock Street starting this week . Residents and tourists will see three -hour parking limit signs on Hemlock Street be- tween First and Third avenues, as well as on First, Second and Third streets between Hemlock and Spruce. The City Council this month decided to move forward with the pilot program to see whether or not timed parking increases turnover in parking spots. This in turn would help the city reach the goal of creating 50 new spots by the end of 2018. This pilot area was chosen after a parking study contract- ed by the city surveyed the two busiest days of spring break, and found that Hemlock Street is the fi rst to fi ll up — sometimes as early as 9 a.m., City Planner Mark Barnes said. “Part of the congestion comes from a number of cars cruising H emlock trying to fi nd parking,” Barnes said . “If you can increase turnover, you’ll get more people in spaces rather than going around in circles.” Enforcement City M anager Brant Kucera said the fi rst few weeks will be all about educating business owners and visitors about the rule change. See Parking, Page 6A Kucera has worked on the coast since 2014 By R.J. Marx Putting the ‘cannon’ in Cannon Beach Cannon Beach Gazette Brant Kucera, who has served as Cannon Beach’s city manager since 2014, has been named the new city manager of Sisters in De- schutes County. Kucera topped a fi eld of four candidates who visited Sisters for public gatherings and inter- views, according to Joseph O’Neill, the city’s fi nance director . He was selected unanimously by the Sisters City Council Wednesday, May 24. “I felt it was time for a change of pace as far as my job goes,” Kucera said Friday, May 26. “Sisters is a small city but it’s growing fast and I fi nd that opportunity really appealing to me.” Kucera, 46, said he feels he has made a lot of “positive changes” at C ity H all. “I think that overall the direction of the city is positive, however there’s still, in my mind, an aggressive agenda that needs to be pursued when it comes to affordable housing, how we’re going to use our room tax money in the future and implementing the water and sewer master plans,” he said. Kucera’s last day in Cannon Beach will be June 30. He starts in Sisters July 5, replacing Rick Allen, who has served as interim city man- ager since April 2016. Final approval is con- tingent upon the ratifi cation of an employment agreement between Kucera and the city. In Cannon Beach, Kucera succeeded interim City Manager Jennie Messmer . The previous city manager, Rich Mays, held the position for more than eight years before re- tiring. The eponymous artifact is home for good By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette After a long winding journey from the shores of Arch Cape and to the labs of Texas A&M Univer- sity, Cannon Beach fi nally has re- claimed its cannon — for good this time. About 30 people came to the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum reception Saturday, May 20, to celebrate the cannon that in- spired the town’s name change from Ecola in 1922. In 2012, the histor- ic cannon and capstan were sent to Texas A&M to be refi nished and returned to Cannon Beach in 2016. Since then, the museum has spent the last year on fi nal touches, such as installing a climate control system that keeps humidity at 40 percent to prevent degradation and exhibit displays, to ensure the can- non be shared with multiple gener- ations, museum Executive Director Elaine Trucke said. “We’re celebrating the end of See Cannon, Page 9A Nationwide recruitment PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE A University of Idaho graduate with a mas- ter’s degree in public administration from Northern Michigan University, Kucera was chosen over three other candidates from a pool of 47 applicants. The nationwide recruitment effort was led by the League of Oregon Cities. Over the past 13 years, Kucera has worked in municipal governments in Pennsylvania, Mich- igan and Idaho. He had previously managed Pennsylvania’s Borough of Kennett Square be- fore coming to the Oregon Coast. At a 2014 meet-and-greet at the Surfsand Resort with community members and local of- fi cials, Kucera said that he envisioned himself settling down on the Oregon Coast for quite some time. During his time in Cannon Beach, Kucera helped the city adopt its fi rst strategic plan, which he called “the foundation we’re going to need to move forward as a community.” The plan was developed from a citizen survey that received a 40 percent response rate from the city’s 1,700 residents. He worked to prioritize and address housing, infrastructure and emergency services needs, Kucera also served as the city’s emergency manager. “I had heard he was in the running, but I had not heard anything about any decision being made,” City Councilor George Vetter said . “It’s too bad, but I’m sure we’ll get a good replace- ment.” BRENNA VISSER Executive Director Elaine Trucke presents the new exhibit to a crowd of museum supporters, May 20. ‘It’s the icon of this town.’ —Elaine Trucke Building community, making connections Michael Henderson joins Duane Johnson real estate team By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Michael Henderson came to the North Coast in 1999 because of his passion for surfi ng. Before moving to Cannon Beach in 1999, Hen- derson, now an agent with Duane Johnson Real Estate, lived in Sandy in the shadow of Mount Hood. He would watch weather reports, and when the sun come out he’d head for the coast. “The problem was that in a two-hour drive on the Oregon Coast conditions can change very quick- ly,” Hender- son laughed. But once he came to Cannon Beach, he found lots Michael of reasons to stay. He built Henderson a business around action sports like surf- ing, skating and snowboard- ing before switching gears to do sales and marketing Columbia Distribution. He started building a family, too, after the birth of his two sons, 16-year-old Sam and 11-year- old Max. As life kept moving for- ward, the idea of getting into real estate was always in the back of his mind as something he thought would be a good fi t, he said. But he was wary of jumping into a franchise — he wanted whatever he did next to be personal. Eventually, a friend intro- duced Henderson to Johnson . Henderson had met him once before when he fi rst worked alongside Johnson in 2005 on the Ecola Creek Forest Re- serve Management Plan Ad- hoc Committee, and admired his commitment to the town. “I wouldn’t want to work for anyone else. I love what this offi ce does for the com- munity,” Henderson said. He’s been a real estate bro- ker for Johnson since April. For Henderson, the most satisfying part of his job is being able to walk people through realizing their dream for a home into a reality. “I like getting to know peo- ple and their dream for their home. I try to listen to people and key on their values, then take on the challenge of con- necting the dots to help them fi nd the home they need,” he said. Personal connection is im- portant to Henderson, and not due in any small part to the fact that he was the recipient of community kindness when he fi rst moved to town and was trying to fi nd a home. When Henderson and his wife fi rst moved to town, he re- members Bob Cerelli, Cannon Beach resident and Cannon Beach Rural Fire District board member, helping him fi nd a rental. As they got settled, Hen- derson remembers appreciating the time he took to “show the ropes” of Cannon Beach. “He’s the type of guy who would offer to fi x your windows,” Henderson said. “Meeting him was a greater re- fl ection of what this communi- ty is about — a commitment to doing nice things for people.” Now, almost 18 years lat- er, he no longer surfs because of some old injuries. Instead, he said he spends time teach- ing his kids the keyboard and drums and managing his grow- ing vinyl record collection, which he said has reached to about 700 records. There are lots of reasons to live near the ocean, but work- ing in Cannon Beach is spe- cial, he said. “It’s the only town where people really care about what they do. They care about the ambiance, the quality, the service,” he said. “Everyone cares.”