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
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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.”