VOL. 42, ISSUE 1
WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
FOLLOWING
TREASURE
Owners of Cannon
Beach Treasure Co.
headed to Florida,
hoping to maintain
local connections
Fire chief
seeks two
full-time
firefighters
Levy would fund two
full-time paramedics
By Brenna Visser
Cannon Beach Gazette
By Brenna Visser
Cannon Beach Gazette
A
fter seven years, Robert and
April Knecht are flying south
and taking their business, Can-
non Beach Treasure Co., with them.
The couple, who made a unique busi-
ness out of collecting, documenting and
selling historical artifacts as repurposed
jewelry, have closed up their shop at 148
N. Hemlock and plan to relocate at St.
Joe Beach on the Florida Panhandle by
February.
“We both grew up on the West Coast,
so coming out here was like coming
home. But life has seasons,” Robert said.
The Knechts decided while they
loved operating a store on the Oregon
coast, some changes in their personal
life and the 24/7 life of retail was taxing
them. They plan to open a studio in Flor-
ida with limited hours and expand their
online commerce.
Moving to Florida would not only pro-
vide the slower life and warmer climate
they seek, but also a chance to get back
JANUARY 12, 2018
BRENNA VISSER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Above: Robert Knecht, owner of Cannon Beach Treasure
Co., works on some final jewelry pieces as he and his wife
April prepare to move out of their Hemlock location. Below:
Owners April and Robert Knecht closed the doors to Can-
non Beach Treasure Co. this month. They plan to reopen in
Florida in February.
‘TREASURE ALWAYS
SEEMED TO FIND ME,
REGARDLESS WHERE I
WAS LIVING.’
Robert Knecht
See Treasure, Page 6A
Every five years, Cannon Beach voters
are given the choice on a levy that pays the
salary, benefits, training and other expenses
for a full-time fire chief.
For this year’s ballot, Fire Chief Matt
Benedict wants the rural fire district’s board
to consider modifying the levy to cover
funding for two full-time firefighter para-
medics.
The change would more than double
the rate to $0.35 per thousand of assessed
property, up from $0.1488. It’s a difference
between paying roughly $14 a year on a
$100,000 home versus paying $35.
The fire district would bring in about
$385,000 a year, compared to the $141,469
since voters last approved the levy in 2013.
See Levy, Page 3A
New year,
new brand
Chamber of Commerce
rolls out new branding
look for Cannon Beach
By Brenna Visser
Cannon Beach Gazette
With a new year comes a new message
from the Cannon Beach Chamber of Com-
merce, which is looking to launch a new
branding campaign for the town early this
year.
The new brand, which consists of a new
town logo and comprehensive style guide,
is all centered around one tagline that will
be featured in various advertising spots, the
visitor guide, the e-mail marketing program
and social media: There is magic here.
“If you read through what people are
posting about Cannon Beach, you’ll read
the word magic everywhere,” said Kevan
Ridgway, chair of the chamber’s marketing
committee. “Cannon Beach is an escape
from reality. It’s what people feel here.”
The project is the first formal attempt to
create a cohesive brand to attract visitors in
the off-season. Armed with recently secured
transient lodging tax revenues previously
not in the chamber’s coffers, Ridgway said
the committee could now afford to deliver
a consistent and contemporary brand to at-
tract the next generation of Cannon Beach
tourists.
“It’s all about consistency. It used to be
in marketing that it took someone would
have to interact with your brand seven
times before internalizing your call to ac-
tion,” Ridgway said. “Now research says
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
See Brand, Page 6A
Boone will not run for re-election
State House Democrat will
retire in 2019
By R.J. Marx and Edward Stratton
Cannon Beach Gazette
FILE PHOTO
State Rep. Deborah Boone, shown here at a
Memorial Day celebration in 2016, will not
run for re-election.
State Rep. Deborah Boone, a Democrat who has
represented the North Coast in Salem for 14 years,
will not run for re-election.
Boone announced Jan. 2 she will retire from House
District 32 when her seventh two-year term ends in
January 2019. Her decision comes after the death of
her husband, Bill Boone, a contractor and firefighter,
in November.
“The past two years have been very difficult for me
as I became a full-time caretaker for my husband who
was fighting brain cancer,” Boone said in a statement.
Boone, who lives in Hamlet, is known for her ad-
vocacy of emergency preparedness, the environment
and economic development.
“The safety of our citizens, and vibrancy of our
communities has been an uppermost concern and led
to the introduction of House Resolution 3, the Oregon
Resilience Plan, and follow-up legislation to imple-
ment the plan,” she said. “This legislation is vital to
ensuring the safety of our people and the survival of
our communities following disasters.”
In November 2016, Boone won a seventh term
in the state House, defeating Republican challeng-
er Bruce Bobek, a physician at Columbia Memorial
Hospital. House District 32 covers all of Clatsop,
most of Tillamook and a western portion of Washing-
ton counties.
Boone was first elected the district’s representative
in 2004, replacing Elaine Hopson. She had previous-
ly served 16 years as a legislative assistant to seven
different legislators, as well as on the Clatsop County
Board of Commissioners.
In her retirement announcement, Boone pointed to
accomplishments in ocean policy and fisheries issues,
along with seismic safety and economic development.
“It has been an honor to have assisted hundreds of
constituents over the years and to have worked collab-
oratively with colleagues on both sides of the aisle on
thousands of pieces of legislation,” Boone said. “I would
like to thank the citizens of my district for the honor and
privilege of serving as their state representative.”
See Boone, Page 3A