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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 2017)
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 • VOL. 41, ISSUE 18 WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM Longer fall sessions promise a tour of printmaking techniques COMPLIMENTARY COPY Kathy Carrier, of Arch Cape, and Terri Churdash, of Portland, work on their linoleum blocks while instructor Alisa Vernon provides advice. NANCY MCCARTHY/FOR CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Making Making Impression Impression Gallery’s workshops imprint artistic experience on participants By Nancy McCarthy For Cannon Beach Gazette t the Imprint Gallery in Cannon Beach, there’s more to do than admire the in- triguing paintings and sculptures on the main fl oor. There’s an opportunity to create art, and by doing that, to develop an appre- ciation of the artists’ prints covering the walls of the gallery’s second fl oor. Tucked upstairs is a studio where gallery visitors can drop in on week- ends or reserve time a day in advance to try their hands at linocut or drypoint printmaking. But if a 45-minute after- noon workshop isn’t enough to satisfy See Imprint, Page 10A NANCY MCCARTHY/FOR CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Instructor Alisa Vernon shows how to hold a blade and cut a line into a linoleum block. She cautioned to keep fi ngers back from the blade. RV park may be headed to Arcadia Beach area Oregon Coast Alliance raises legal, environmental concerns By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette A proposed RV park across the high- way from Arcadia Beach south of Cannon Beach is facing criticism from environ- mental groups for encroaching on an en- dangered species — the marbled murrelet — and disregard for forestry practices. A land-use compatibility statement was submitted earlier this year by James Smejkal, the owner of the 17.6-acre parcel of forested land, requesting temporary ac- cess from Highway 101 from the Oregon Department of Transportation to conduct surveys on the property. Smejkal thinks the property would be well-suited for an RV park, mostly be- cause it is one of the only types of devel- opment allowed with the land’s current zoning, he said. “Because of the high volume of camp- ers that visit the coast in the summer, I don’t think there will be a problem,” Sme- jkal said. “Planners designated it for park use because they saw it as a need.” This early on in the project, signifi cant details — such as a site plan and geohaz- ard surveys — will need to be completed before any site development or road con- struction can begin, Clatsop County Plan- ning Manager Will Caplinger said. The land was owned by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department before it was traded to Smejkal in 2002 in exchange for land he owned in Columbia County. In 2009, Smejkal attempted to develop the property as housing , which was ultimate- ly denied by the Clatsop County Planning Commission. Cameron La Follette, director of the environmental advocacy group Oregon Coast Alliance, said urbanization — whether it be houses or RVs — is not the best use for the property. La Follette argues the development lacks the infrastructure to support an ur- ban project in a rural area, and that ulti- mately, the land should be back in public hands. See RV park, Page 6A New charter school opens its doors Cannon Beach Academy welcomes the community By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE Students, their families and residents gathered for an open house Thursday, Aug. 31, to celebrate the beginning of the Cannon Beach Academy’s fi rst school year, as well as the end of the four years of work it took to make it happen. It was the fi rst public unveiling of the school after a summer’s worth of renova- tions. To the backdrop of a potluck and live music, students and their families ex- plored classrooms and met the teachers who will be welcoming on the fi rst day of school Tuesday . “We’re really happy to see this suc- ceed,” said Dania Nolazco, whose younger brother is enrolled in the fi rst- and- second-grade blended class. Nolazco still remembers the sadness she felt when she heard the news of Can- non Beach Elementary School closing, the school she attended . Going to school in Cannon Beach was a large part of her childhood, she said, and she was happy to see with the acad- emy opening that was an experience she could now share with her brother. “There were a lot of ups and downs, and we were just hoping for the best,” she said. “A lot of people put a lot of hard work into making this happen.” Because of budget issues, the Cannon Beach Academy board had to change locations for the charter school in May. That left only a few months to secure the lease for the current location at 3781 S Hemlock St. from the city and fi nish nec- essary renovations before a fall opening. Dania’s father, Rafael, said he and his family have lived in Cannon Beach for about 22 years. When they fi rst heard about the possibility of a charter school coming to town, they enrolled their son right away. See Academy, Page 10A COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP Kellye Dewey and her daughter, Rian, attend the Cannon Beach Academy open house on Th ursday, Aug. 31, to cele- brate the start of the fi rst school year. Dewey is the acade- my’s board president. Local fi refi ghters pitch in to battle blazes across state By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette SUBMITTED PHOTO Cannon Beach Firefi ghter Shaunna White helps to battle the Eagle Creek fi re. Thirteen Clatsop County fi refi ghters are battling the Chetco Fire near Brookings and 14 are in Eagle Creek. Knappa Fire Chief Paul Olheiser, who is coordi- nating Clatsop County’s volunteer effort, said fi re- fi ghters from Seaside, Olney, Lewis and Clark, War- renton and Knappa fi re districts have been deployed to fi res throughout the state. On Wednesday, Olheiser said the number of people sent and from which department is based on availability of personnel and resources. “When the state gives a resource order, you go down the list of what the state is asking for and see who has it,” he said. Among local residents, Cannon Beach Fire Chief Matt Benedict deployed with the Oregon State Fire Marshal Incident Management to the Milli Fire in Sisters for one week in August. Firefi ghter Shaunna White was on the Whitewa- ter Fire near Detroit for three weeks in August with Contract Agency Inbound, LLC, and subsequently deployed to the Eagle Creek fi re in the Columbia River National Scenic Area. White is a full-time student at Clatsop Communi- ty College studying fi re science and was highlighted by Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue as Firefi ghter for the month of September. As of midweek, more than a dozen wildfi res burned throughout Oregon. Oregon’s Offi ce of Emergency Management activated the state Emer- gency Coordination Center, Monday, Sept. 5, to monitor the fi res and provide support for local ju- risdictions. The Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia Riv- er Gorge National Scenic Area started on Sept. 2, just south of Cascade Locks. Level 3 evacuations, affecting approximately 350 people, sent area resi- dents to Red Cross shelters at Mount Hood Commu- nity College in Gresham and at the Skamania Coun- ty Fairgrounds, immediately across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Washington. As of Wednesday, I-84 remained closed from Troutdale to Hood River due to rocks, snags and other debris the roadway. The fi re is mapped at 30,929 acres. This is the third time this summer Clatsop Coun- ty has been called to provide assistance.
