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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 2018)
Friday, December 28, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazetee | CannonBeachGazette.com • A1 VOL. 42, ISSUE 26 CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM December 28, 2018 High winds brought big waves to the Tillamook Lighthouse, caught by visiting photographer James W. Young a retired NASA astronomer. James W. Young/For Cannon Beach Gazette FISHERMAN RECALLS VISIT TO TERRIBLE TILLY By BRENNA VISSER Cannon Beach Gazette S cott Rekate remembers a lot about visiting the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. It was dark. Even a little spooky. But perhaps what was most memorable was the smell. “It’s a popular rest place for birds. The guano there ... the ammonia there would gag you,” he said. “To start out to the top you’d have to take a deep breath and then run up the stairs.” See Tilly, Page A7 Steep costs at South Wind Academy faces a funding shortfall City Hall estimates could reach $27M By BRENNA VISSER Cannon Beach Gazette By BRENNA VISSER Cannon Beach Gazette Geotechnical fi ndings are rais- ing new questions about develop- ing South Wind, a 55-acre, city- owned property which for years has been considered the long- term solution to moving critical services out of tsunami danger. SRG, a Portland-based archi- tecture fi rm, submitted a report to the City Council last week detail- ing the benefi ts, downsides and costs of building a new City Hall and police station. Across the board, the project is estimated to be more expensive than the city anticipated, rang- ing from $14.5 million to almost $28 million, depending on the location. A one-story building along Hemlock Street would cost about $14.5 million and would not be tsunami resistant. A two-story building south and to the east of the existing City Hall on Gower Colin MurpheyThe Daily Astorian The South Wind property in Cannon Beach. Street would be resistant to a medium-size tsunami and cost about $16 million. At South Wind, however, the estimates jump to between $27.2 million and $27.7 million, depending on whether the city chooses to build out utilities for the benefi t of future projects. The high price tag is largely because of the signifi cant work engineers believe will need to be done to offset landslide risks. The full geotechnical analy- sis is still underway and won’t be completed until January, but preliminary fi ndings suggest that addressing landslide risks could be more complicated and expen- sive than previously understood, See South Wind, Page A7 The Cannon Beach Academy could close before the end of the school year if a $75,000 shortfall is not addressed in the next few months. The public charter school’s fi nancial situation is due to low- er-than-expected enrollment and uncollected pledges. “The board of directors is com- mitted to keeping Cannon Beach Academy operating. We will make a concentrated effort to secure our pledges and, if necessary, to con- duct fundraising activities,” Kel- lye Dewey, the school board presi- dent, and Barb Knop, the treasurer, wrote in a joint statement. “The board sincerely hopes that our donors who have pledged their fi nancial support of the school through pledges are able to honor their commitments to the Cannon Beach Academy.” As of last week, the charter school had received only about $35,000 of the expected $100,000 pledged for the school year, leav- ing more than two-thirds of pledged money outstanding. Addi- tionally, about $10,000 outside of pledges will need to be raised to close the gap. “I don’t know how to impress upon the board the importance of getting our pledges,” Amy Fred- rickson, the academy director, said at a December board meeting. “I don’t know if people truly under- stand how urgent it is that we need their money.” Close by April Without the money, the school likely will be unable to pay its staff through the end of the school year and would have to close its doors by April. What that would mean for stu- dents or for teacher contracts is unclear. “I do not have answers for you,” Fredrickson said in an email. “I am See Academy, Page A7 Looking back on the year in review Bunnies, city hall, new staff make the news By BRENNA VISSER Cannon Beach Gazette As the chapter of 2018 comes to a close, the Can- non Beach Gazette takes a look back at the stories that made this year’s headlines. Water quality issues and solutions This summer, after high bacteria readings at Cannon Beach storm outfalls at Gower Street and Chisana Creek, the city revived a water test- ing program in search of a solution. According to the Surfrider Foundation, which has tested outfalls around Cannon Beach for 10 years, 25 to 50 percent of readings have exceeded state standards, depend- ing on the year. For years the cause has stumped city offi cials, who have been unable to identify a pattern or any relationship with cross-connections with the sewer system. This year an answer could be in sight. The city hired an engineer- ing fi rm to explore ways to redesign the Gower Street and Chisana Creek outfalls to reduce bacteria readings in the water. With DNA testing showing bacteria is not coming from human waste, the city believes bacteria from animal waste and fungi are building up inside the pipes, a majority of which are underground. Engineers are looking at installing ultraviolet light fi lters at the outfalls, which would kill the bac- teria before it goes out to the beach. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian See Review, Page A10 Rabbits gather near a resident’s garden in Cannon Beach.