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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2016)
6A • April 15, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com ‘We need this renovation,’ says civic center head Center from Page 1A “We need this renovation in order to stay competitive in order to satisfy our clients needs and maintain our contri- bution to the economic stabil- ity of our community,” Van- denberg said. Meeting the need STEELE ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS LLC Proposed renovation plans for the main floor of the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. The Necanicum Room would get 40 percent addition- al space, and room for meal functions would be up 40 per- cent. The Riverview rooms to the east would increase from 1,846 square feet to 3,408. Architect Scott Steele, who prepared the 33-page reno- vation and expansion plan, showed councilors proposed enlarged meeting rooms, addi- tional storage, administrative area, lobby and staircase alter- ations. Goals are to bump out the existing Necanicum Room, support larger events, improve meeting spaces and bring in renovations under $15 million. According to Vandenberg, “a lot of groups try to squeeze into the center and they try to maNe it ¿t, but reality is, it doesn¶t ¿t. ,t doesn¶t satisfy the needs of these groups.” Councilors upbeat Councilors proved recep- tive to the proposal. Randy Frank praised it as “very well done.” Mayor Don Larson de- scribed it as one of the best presentations brought before the council. “This is amazing,” Larson said. “Unbelievable.” Last year, a request for a 40,000-square-foot renovation from Vandenberg and the con- vention center stalled when business owners objected to tax increases to fund reno- vations. That project would have doubled the size of the convention center and added a multistory 500-space parking structure. Steele said the building would remain functional and operational during construc- tion, “a little tricky, but it can be done.” No sales tax The preliminary design es- timate stands at $14.6 million, with “healthy contingencies,” he added. He said it was “premature” to discuss how the project would be paid for. Last year’s proposal sought a combination of lodging and sales taxes, in- cluding a tax in Seaside’s Busi- ness ,mprovement District. Next steps, Vandenberg said, will be to “take the proj- ect on the road,” with residents and civic groups. “,’m not asking you to approve the project tonight,” Vandenberg said. “,’d like you to consider the project. To take it on the road, the Cham- ber of Commerce, the Rotary, the hotel owners, giving it some public opinion and hear and see. ,t’s their downtown, as well.” A workshop with the City Council and the convention center could take place in two months, at which time the cen- ter could provide a ¿nal pro- posal within 30 days. “At that point , would come back to you and ask for you to ¿nance this project,” Vandenberg said. He and the team at the Visitors Bureau hope to at- tract “generations of people to come into Seaside,” he added. DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: SUBMITTED PHOTO Proposed design of the BMX track as prepared by the North Coast Trail Alliance. Bike track coming to Cartwright Park? Track would host both young and experienced BMX riders By Nancy McCarthy For Seaside Signal For kids and adults who say there’s nothing to do in Seaside, it’s time to take the mountain bikes out of the ga- rage. A local group of bike rid- ers proposes to build a BMX pump track in Cartwright Park. The 100-foot by 200- foot track would consist of a small area for children and a larger area for adults and more experienced riders. Plans for the proposed track were outlined by local residents Chris Quackenbush, Morgan Soller and Steven Blakesley, members of the newly formed North Coast Trail Association, at the Sea- side City Council Monday, March 28. ,f approved, the North Coast Trail Association would build the track on va- cant land north of the park’s boat ramp and behind the Seaside School District Ad- ministration Building. The oblong tracks, placed outside the riparian zone, would con- sist of natural soils built up into berms and hills to chal- lenge the riders. Materials, supplies and labor to build the tracks will be donated; at least two asso- ciation members operate con- struction companies. Land- scaping will be done by the Seaside Kiwanis. Construc- tion could begin this spring. Organized last July, the North Coast Trail Associa- tion consists of 24 members, many of whom are local surf- ers. The association’s goals are to maintain area bike trails and become involved in community projects that support biking, Quackenbush said. The group “adopted” the Gnat Creek Trail, east of Astoria, through a partnership with the state Department of Forestry. Pump tracks provide something for families to do while increasing their phys- SUBMITTED PHOTO A BMX bike track in use. The proposed track in Seaside would have a similar design, proponents say. SUBMITTED PHOTO Another view of the proposed design of the BMX track as prepared by the North Coast Trail Alliance. ical activity, said Blakesley, who is the health promotion specialist for Clatsop County. Bike riding is popular among visitors to Oregon, he added: More than 4.5 million visitors rode bikes while in the state in 2014. Oregon’s mountain bikers brought in $2.3 million reve- nue in 2014, Blakesley said. Overnight biking visitors spend eight times more than day travelers, he said. Although several city councilors appeared to sup- port the track, the council won’t take formal action on the proposal until the Plan- ning Commission considers it. Councilor Tita Montero noted that the track would be easy to reach by much of the community since it would be built in an existing city park. ,n other business, the council: • Approved a recommen- dation by the city traf¿c ad- visory committee to complete the design of a new Avenue U Bridge and have it ready when funding for construction is available. ,t is estimated that replacement of the bridge could cost nearly $4 million. The replacement would add another turn lane and would bring the 59-year-old bridge up to current seismic codes. • Approved an amended intergovernmental agreement between the city, the Sun- set Empire Park and Recre- ation District and the Seaside School District involving funding for the maintenance of Broadway Field. The school district agreed to pay $10,900 annually to main- tain the ¿eld. ,n the original agreement in 2012, the rec- reation district shouldered all of the maintenance and improvement costs, but they were higher than expected, and the school district was asked to provide funds. The school district is the ¿eld’s primary user. • Heard a report about the dryer at the city’s wastewa- ter treatment plant. Although several repairs have had to be made on the dryer, which the city purchased used, the dryer is running now, said Tony Biamont, wastewater collections supervisor. Treat- ed sewage put through the dryer comes out in ¿ne par- ticles, which enables the city to reduce the yardage and weight of the material taken to a dump in McMinnville by more than 92 percent. The re- duction means the city could save thousands of dollars an- nually, Biamont said. • Heard a request by An- gela Fairless for the public to attend a screening of “Paper Tigers,” a documentary about how Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, Washington developed a program for stu- dents going through trauma. The free screening begins at 6 p.m. at the Liberty Theatre in Astoria. ,t will be followed by a panel discussion. Doors open at 5 p.m. with food and information. • Heard a proposal by John Dunzer that Paci¿c Pow- er construct a biomass-¿red electrical generation power plant near Main Line Road and an extension of Avenue F in Seaside. 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