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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2015)
October 2, 2015 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 3A Highway 420 goes from 0 to 60 with ruling from city Seaside medical dispensary gets green light on recreational pot By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal What a difference 12 hours makes. Steve Geiger, proprietor of Highway 420 in Seaside, saw angst turned into a happy ending. After a four-year quest, he received approval from the city of Seaside to sell recreational marijuana under terms reg- ulated by the Oregon Li- quor Control Commission. Twelve hours before, his business future seemed any- thing but clear. Seaside still hadn’t weighed in on a state bill allowing medical dispen- saries to sell recreational can- nabis, and with an Oct. 1 date looming, the clock was ticking. He feared a new moratorium, a second vote or further delay. “I’ve made several at- tempts to get information, to ¿nd out what’s going on,” Geiger said Monday morn- ing. “I will just say this to you — I’m in a very tenu- ous position right now.” Everything changed with a letter from Seaside Plan- ning Director Kevin Cupples granting “the temporary sale of limited marijuana retail products from licensed med- ical marijuana facilities.” “I feel elated and great — like we might be able to make it after all,” Geiger said. “They concluded what I asserted, that this early sales program works with the city’s ordinance.” Geiger, 55, moved to the area in 2012 with his wife, Evee. Their South Roosevelt Drive location met medical marijuana dispensary crite- ria and the couple applied for that status in 2013. When the city issued a moratorium on licensing medical marijuana dispen- saries, the Geigers plans were stalled. The morato- rium expired in June 2015 and in July, Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill into law allowing existing dispensa- ries to sell marijuana to all adults beginning Oct. 1. Council won’t oversee sale of rec pot Weed from Page 1A In granting the licenses, Cupples asked for “any di- rection from the council” in the city’s regulatory policy. Councilors, several of whom had recently re- turned from the League of Oregon Cities in Bend, showed little appetite for revisiting the issue. “In Bend and other cit- ies they are not doing any other action,” City Coun- cilor Randy Frank said. “It would actually take us ef- fort to say ‘no.’” Currently, Seaside pro- hibits the sale of medical marijuana in the city’s downtown core. Cannabis dispensaries are subject to state rules. City Councilor Dana Phillips, who also attended the League of Cities event, said she was concerned that the city needed to take ac- tion to prohibit dispensary zoning restrictions. “I want to make sure medical and recreation- al are not available in the downtown city core,” Phil- lips said. “The medical is but we haven’t talked about the recreational part.” City Councilor Tita Montero said she was dis- tressed by the state’s rule changes, lack of organi- zation and staff, and the potential for future rule changes that could limit local rule-making. “I want us to enact something that says we will not have rec- reational cannabis in our town until everything is pulled together in January 2017,” she said. Facing ‘the inevitable’ Councilors Jay Barber, Don Johnson and Seth Morrisey were inclined to let the law take its course. “It appears to me that we’ve been preempted by the state in terms of their action,” Barber said. “I’m thinking we use the next 15 months as a period of work to determine what we want to do in terms of where we want recreation- al marijuana to be sold, what we can do to limit that. Until then I wonder if we really have the right or privilege to say ‘no.’” “I look at the inevita- ble,” Johnson said. “It’s time for us to let the mari- juana issue go and see how it develops. If it becomes an issue, we can look again at it at a later date. The sale of recreational marijuana is coming. It’s starting Oct. 1.” While councilors ac- knowledged they “didn’t like the process,” they agreed that the law had passed overwhelmingly at the city and state level. “There’s not a con- senus, so let’s move on to the next item,” Mayor Don Larson said. Without word from the city, he feared further delay, a new moratorium or a sec- ond referendum. For the Geigers, the let- ter from Cupples changed everything. “We have con- cluded that unless Seaside adopts an ordinance prohib- iting the activity, a licensed dispensary can operate in accordance within the pro- visions established by the state,” the planner wrote. State rules haven’t been put in place, Cupples add- ed, and won’t be completed until later this week. “None of us know what those rules are until they are put out by the state.” As far as future recre- ational sales, “the City Coun- Evee Geiger is the co-owner of Highway 420, Seaside’s first legally operational dispensary since the local moratorium on such facilities was lifted. .AT+ER,NE LA&A=E SEASIDE SIGNAL cil has not taken a formal position at this point in time.” Cupples wrote that “any direction from the council” will be after an opportunity to review the OLCC rules. Geiger will now ¿le paper- work with the Oregon Health Authority. Then, on Oct. 1, he can open his doors. “It’s been an extremely long process,” he said. “It’s been very gratifying though. I can’t tell you what it’s like, man, it’s so great to come so far. It’s nice to ¿nally after these few years to get some re- spect, some acceptance and a little bit of gratitude.” 6HDVLGH*HDUKDUW¿UHFRPSDQLHV UHVSRQGWRVKRS¿UHLQ+DPOHW Three squatters were dis- placed by a structure ¿re in Hamlet on Sunday, Sept. 20. At about 7:24 p.m., the Hamlet Fire Department re- sponded to a ¿re at a large shop building at 82927 U.S. Highway 53. The call was dispatched as automatic aid. Personnel from the Seaside Fire De- partment, the Elsie-Vine- maple Rural Fire Protection District, the Clatsop Coun- ty Sheriff’s Of¿ce, Oregon State Police and Medix re- sponded as well. Gearhart Fire Department sent a water tanker. “At the point of arrival, the roof had already collapsed and approximately a third of the building,” Hamlet Fire Chief Bill Boone said. There was a Àame column rising about 80 feet, he added. Of the three adults affect- ed by the ¿re, one suffered a minor injury. They resided SUBMITTED PHOTO/SEASIDE SIGNAL for several years at the build- ing. The Red Cross provid- ed lodging, food, clothing, shoes, comfort kits and re- covery information to the victims. The owner of the proper- ty is deceased, Boone said, and the structure is not in- sured to his knowledge. The crews repressed the ¿re, but “the building was totally de- stroyed,” Boone said. A few vehicles and motorhomes located in the building also were destroyed. The last unit cleared the scene about 1:30 a.m. Mon- day. The cause of the ¿re still is under investigation, Boone said. In February, a large house on the same proper- ty was destroyed in another ¿re, which started when an individual accidentally ig- nited gasoline in a generator on the deck. The squatters were residing in the house at the time, and then moved to the shop building after the February ¿re, Boone said. Columbia Street: Caller reported verbal dispute. Officer responded and advised it was a civil dispute over a surf board. responded to sounds of loud bangs. Hood to Coast security confirmed fireworks on beach. SEASIDE POLICE LOG Aug. 26 12 a.m., Avenue A: Officers responded to report of loud whip sounds. Officers found whip and took as found property as no one around claimed it. 7:28 a.m., 400 block of South Roos- evelt Drive: Report of an unwanted person. Safeway chose to trespass said person. Person stormed off and refused to sign the trespass paperwork. 11:02 a.m., 300 block of Broad- way: Subject reported finding a missing child. Officer made con- tact with the child, father called The Seaside Signal is published every other week by EO Media Group, 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside Oregon 97138. 503-738-5561. www.seasidesignal.com PUBLISHER CIRCULATION MANAGER EDITOR SYSTEMS MANAGER REPORTER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Steve Forrester R.J. Marx Katherine Lacaze Heather Ramsdell Carl Earl ADVERTISING MANAGER Betty Smith Claire Lovell John Rahl Darren Gooch Esther Moberg PRODUCTION MANAGER ADVERTISING SALES John D. Bruijn Laura Kaim Wendy Richardson Letter policy The Seaside Signal welcomes letters to the editor. The deadline is noon Monday prior to publication. Letters must be 400 words or less and must be signed by the author and include a phone number for Yeri¿cation. :e also reTuest that submissions be limited to one letter per month. Send to 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside, OR 97138, drop them off at 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive or fax to 503-738- 9285. Or email nmccarthy@ seasidesignal.com 911 to report missing child, they were reunited. 2:43 p.m., 400 block of South Roosevelt Drive: Reporting party reports vehicle rollover in Seaside in front of Safeway. Aug. 27 7:31 a.m., North Holladay Drive: Report of trespassing. Male subject has been seen entering hotel and eating from the breakfast bar. 1:48 p.m., Seaside Skate Park: Caller reporting person smoking marijua- na in the public bathrooms. Officer was unable to locate anyone in the bathrooms. 8:31 p.m., 300 block of Broadway: 911 caller reporting a disturbance between male and female. Officer responded and advised subjects warned for disorderly conduct. 10:45 p.m., 400 block of North Hol- laday Drive: Officer responded to assist with locating suicidal subject and gave subject courtesy ride up to Providence Seaside Hospital. Subject went voluntarily. Washington County with locating suicidal subject and gave him a courtesy ride to hospital. 9:08 p.m., 300 block of South Roos- evelt Drive: Caller reporting subject intoxicated and passed out in the area. Officer on priority call and unable to respond at this time. Gear- hart officer contacted subject and advised no medical needed and subject would be moving along. 9:37 p.m., Seaside Factory Outlet: Subject warned for unlawful lodg- ing and noise complaint. 10:32 p.m., 300 block of South Co- lumbia Street: Officers responded to 911 call reporting a disturbance. Upon officer arrival, person was yelling at neighborhood animals. Aug. 29 Aug. 31 12:21 a.m., Broadway: 911 caller reported man going through his vehicle. Officers responded. Noth- ing was taken and no charges filed. 2:56 a.m., North Seaside: Officers 6:02 p.m., Spruce Drive: Caller re- ported buses going fast on Spruce. Officer advised. Buses parked at the elementary school. No infraction. 11:50 p.m., 1200 block Sixth Avenue: 911 caller reported distur- bance. Officers responded. Couple agreed to separate for the night. Aug. 28 Aug. 30 4:54 p.m., Seaside: Officer assisted 3:52 p.m., 1000 block of South Sept. 1 7:40 p.m., Columbia Street and Av- enue A: Anonymous person report- ing her friend accidentally called her and advised her boyfriend beat her up; unknown if that is the address. 4:12 p.m., 2100 block of Lewis and Clark Road: 911 caller reported disturbance in parking lot. Officer responded both parties departed before arrival, no answer at apart- ment indicated. 10:47 p.m., Seaside: Officers responded report of suicidal female who called the hotline, Officers located known female and advised all was fine; subject was upset regarding earlier arrest. DEL’S O.K. 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