Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2018)
6A • June 1, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com New public works director chosen in Cannon Beach La Bonte has served as interim By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Karen La Bonte has been named the new public works director of Cannon Beach. La Bonte started with the city as assistant public works director in September, but has been serving as the interim di- rector since her predecessor, Jim Arndt, retired in March. She was chosen out of a pool of five other candidates, City Manager Bruce St. Denis said. “Karen has served as inter- im public works director with distinction and has guided the department through some diffi- cult times,” St. Denis wrote in a statement. “I have watched her BRENNA VISSER/THE DAILY ASTORIAN Karen La Bonte has been named the new public works di- rector in Cannon Beach. work with staff and citizens and am impressed with both her in- terpersonal skills and energy.” Before coming to Cannon Beach, La Bonte worked at Verizon Communications for 30 years as Engineering Direc- tor, facilitating project planning and construction across the country. After retiring in 2006, La Bonte decided to pursue winemaking and bought Trio Vintners winery in Walla Wal- la, Washington. But after facing some health issues, she closed the winery and decided to re- tire again in her favorite vaca- tion town of 22 years: Cannon Beach. “I’ve always considered it my decompression place,” she said. “It’s where I always thought I would come to re- tire.” But less than year after the move, La Bonte decided retire- ment “just didn’t fit” her, and applied for the assistant direc- tor position. “It just felt like a good fit. After meeting Jim and the rest of the staff it felt like home,” she said. La Bonte said as director she hopes to continue to build a strong network between the city, residents and business owners. “I just hope to make a posi- tive impact,” she said. Cannon Beach may add emergency manager, code enforcement officer Budget from Page 1A The $113,000 cost is offset by money the city has already budgeted for an emergency consultant and lower-level emergency part-time position, a difference of about $39,000. Code enforcement According to the budget message, the budget increase is $3.16 million. After budget adoption on May 23, that number was slightly higher. New staff po- sitions and increased water rates, wastewater and utility rates are the primary source of the increase, approved by city councilors in March to help cover infrastructure mainte- nance costs. A code enforcement officer, also a new position, is budget- ed at about $106,000. Currently, Cannon Beach staff have a hard time keeping up with the number of planning FILE PHOTO Cannon Beach City Hall. and design codes that need to be enforced, St. Denis said at a budget committee meeting. Enforcement includes manag- ing both short-term and long- term rental enforcement. “The community has high standards, but we don’t have the staff to do the follow up on maintain- ing those standards.” Funding changes between the city and the Chamber of Commerce were also resolved. In May, the city proposed a decrease in funding for the Visitors Center, only funding $40,000 of the $160,000 total it takes to operate. The city, which has fully funded the center in the past, asked the chamber to cover the remain- ing $120,000 with lodging tax dollars. Chamber officials argued the change would cut into the chamber’s promotion pro- gram, which is financed by the lodging tax. The two entities agreed to split the cost of the Visitors Center, with each pay- ing $80,000 next year. Other budget highlights: • Transient room taxes are projected to increase by $288,004 or 7 percent over 2017-18 budget amounts. • $100,000 has been set aside digitizing city hall re- cords as a back-up in the event of an emergency. • $50,000 has been set aside for a preliminary site study for a new city hall. Cannon Beach city attorney steps down By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Cannon Beach City Attor- ney Tammy Herdener has an- nounced her resignation, citing her desire for a career change and to spend more time with family. Herdener, who has worked for the city since 2007, will be leaving this July to invest more time as a professor at American Public Univer- sity, a job she has held with the online in- stitution since 2003. Living Tammy in Portland, Herdener Herdener also said balancing commutes to Cannon Beach with family time was getting more difficult. “This is a part of a larger career change I’ve wanted to do,” Herdener said. “I want to focus more on my students and my family.” During her time in Cannon Beach, Herdener oversaw tran- sitions between three city man- agers, helped navigate local marijuana ordinance changes after legalization and played an integral role in the purchase of the 800-acre Ecola Creek For- est Reserve. Herdener said she is grate- ful for her time in Cannon Beach, and looks fondly upon her memories with numerous city councilors and staff. “This job has been interest- ing and challenging. I’m leav- ing only on the most positive of terms and feelings,” she said. The city has posted the job opening and hopes to hire a new attorney by the end of June. George Vetter not seeking re-election Cannon Beach city councilor was appointed in 2012 By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette George Vetter will not run for another term on the Cannon Beach City Council. Vetter was appointed to the council in 2012 be- fore being elected in 2014. He said he is not seeking re-election because he plans to spend more time out of town, making balancing his travel and a rigid meeting schedule more difficult. “I don’t want to be com- mitted to be here if it’s not convenient,” Vetter said. He also said that “it wouldn’t hurt to have new blood on the council.” Before running for City Council, Vetter served on a number of city committees in his 40-year tenure in Can- non Beach. As a business owner, Vet- ter said one of the highlights of his term was playing a part in mending a tenuous relationship between the chamber of commerce and the city. “The re- lationship George between Vetter the city and chamber and business community has be- come much more of a part- nership — as it should be. Previously there was always this ‘us and them’ thing, and there is much more of a ‘we’ attitude now,” Vetter said. “That’s something I feel good about, and I think my approach helped make that happen.” While he plans to spend more time at his other home in Bend, Vetter said he is still invested in Cannon Beach and intends to stay involved. “Whoever is next, I hope it will be someone with a good foundation in Cannon Beach … someone who un- derstands the town,” he said. Vetter’s seat is one of three council positions that will be on the ballot in No- vember. The filing period for city candidates opens May 30. Snowy plovers spotted in Fort Stevens First sighting in decades By Katie Frankowicz The Daily Astorian Three years ago, Fort Stevens State Park desig- nated a half-mile portion of the beach as a “Western Snowy Plover Management Area” and invited the endan- gered birds to nest there. No snowy plovers took the park up on its offer. But this week snowy plover nests were spotted at Clatsop Spit — the first time since the 1980s that anyone has seen the birds there. Vanessa Blackstone, a wildlife biologist with the Oregon Parks and Recre- ation Department, says the sighting is even more excit- ing because it connects the Western Washington state and Northern Oregon snowy plover populations. The possibility for this overlap was one big reason why the department orig- inally picked the Clatsop Spit area, bordered by the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, as a manage- ment area. “Oregonians have helped plovers return to the North Coast, and Clatsop Spit is an important link between our Tillamook County birds and those that live in Washing- ton,” Blackstone said. “Plo- vers nesting at Fort Stevens is a huge step for species re- covery and people who sup- port a healthy environment. We can all be proud of this moment.” So far, the state reports seeing one nesting pair with three eggs on the river side of Clatsop Spit. Such sightings prompt special precautions within the man- agement area. Several activ- ities are restricted, including dogs (even on a leash), vehi- cles, kites, drones, camping and fires. People walking along the beach are required to stay on wet sand areas and keep to official trails. Signs on dry sand identify plover nesting areas. Snowy plovers nest in shallow san- dy scrapes. Eggs and chicks are well-camouflaged and can be accidentally crushed by people or pets. Repeated disturbances that cause par- ent birds to flee the nest — permanently or temporarily — can also be lethal for eggs. powered by North Coast benefits from international tourism Spike in foreign travel due to marketing, visa changes By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Oregon is seeing more in- ternational tourists than ever before, and recent projections don’t show any signs of the trend stopping. In 2017, the state had more than 1.1 million foreign visitors, up 11 percent from 2012. The state collected about $1.3 bil- lion in international spending, up 18 percent from five years ago, according to a report from Tourism Economics, a tourism consulting and research firm. The Oregon Coast receives about $113 million of those in- ternational tourism dollars, fall- ing third in line behind Portland and the Willamette Valley. Oregon is on track to be the sixth fastest-growing state for international tourism, with an- alysts projecting up to 23 per- cent growth in foreign visitors through 2022. So what is bringing people to Oregon? “Part of the big draw for in- ternational visitors is who we are. They hear about the beauty of this place, the amazing culi- nary scene, our fresh seafood, what’s being done with our wine and craft beer industries,” said Todd Davidson, the CEO of Travel Oregon, the state agency that promotes tourism. “What we’re doing in Or- egon is working. Yes, we’ve been more aggressive in the international market than ever before, but we couldn’t do it without all of our Oregon busi- nesses and partners.” Shifting demographics There are many factors that contribute to the boom of for- eign visitors. Over the past few years, the number of international flights into Portland has opened the door to countries that otherwise would have never had a con- venient way to visit the Pacific Northwest. Partnerships with national marketing organizations like Brand USA have allowed the state to “penetrate markets they wouldn’t have even dreamed of a decade ago,” Davidson said. But one of the biggest changes to the Oregon tour- ism landscape has been a sig- nificant shift in the number of visitors from Asian countries. Canada has historically ac- counted for about half of all international tourists and con- tributes to about one quarter of all international spending. In 2017, travelers from coun- tries like China, South Korea and Japan comprised a quarter of all of Oregon’s internation- al visitors, but brought in more than $241 million in travel reve- nue — more than 43 percent of all international spending. “We know (Oregon) is not necessarily the first destina- tion that comes to mind when people want to come to the U.S. They are going for other destinations, like California or Florida, they’ve seen in TV or movies,” Davidson said. Cannon Beach’s Best Selection of Oregon and Washington Wine! UPCOMING TASTINGS Shack Hours Sunday - Thursday 11am to 5pm Friday & Saturday 11am to 5:30pm Tasting Room Hours Daily • 1 to 5pm music fi rst SERVING LUNCH & DINNER OPEN AT 11:30 Tuesday’s Open at 4pm Delightful Beer Garden • Ocean View Deck Pool Tables • Darts Full Bar ( including Bill’s Tavern brews ) but that’s not all... June 2 • Patton Valley Vineyard June 9 • Basel Cellars June 16 • D’Anu Wines June 23 • Siltstone Winery June 30 • Sokol Blosser Smoked Pork Ribs • Steak • Seafood and much, much more! “Best Wine Shop” Located in SOUTH Cannon Beach - 2016 & 2018 Reader’s Choice Award 124 N. Hemlock, Cannon Beach - 503.436.1100 - www.thewineshack.wine 3301 S. Hemlock St. • Tolovana Park 503.436.1130 • Minors Welcome
