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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2016)
6A • July 8, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com City budget approved Budget from Page 1A SUBMITTED GRAPHIC Steele Architects rendering of the Seaside Civic and Convention Center’s southeast corner. Room tax hike could pay for convention center upgrades Councilors don’t want to compete with school bond vote By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal With a Seaside School Dis- trict bond vote likely in No- vember, city oficials steered away from bringing another capital project to the voters. At a June City Council and Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission work- shop, City Manager Mark Winstanley provided options to bring a nearly $15 million convention center upgrade to fruition. By the end of the eve- ning, councilors recognized the need and appeared to be leaning for an increase in hotel room tax to fund it. “If 1 or 2 percent would cover it, and we think the hotel properties are on board with that, why would we go with anything else?” Councilor Randy Frank asked. With a land gift of 80 acres from Weyerhaeuser Co., the school district is planning a bond referendum to create a new high school campus east of South Wahanna Road in Seaside. While a previous bond vote of $128.8 million failed with voters in 2013, the district is considering a proj- ect on the donated land. Costs have not been presented. Center needs more space At this week’s convention center workshop, the center’s General Manager Russell Van- denberg said without center expansion the city risked los- SUBMITTED GRAPHIC Steele Architects rendering of the convention center’s site. ing convention trafic. “It’s not so much about bringing larger, bigger groups, as it is about keeping the groups we have,” he said. The No. 1 reason a group does not return to Seaside’s con- vention center, Vandenberg said, is because of insuficient space. He said there are groups now us- ing the facility — including the Oregon Chess Federation, Sec- tional Bridge Tournament, and American Fisheries — requir- ing more convention space. The expansion, he said, will meet the needs of 60 percent of the organizations within a 300-mile radius of Seaside.“By building this renovation, we’ll increase our market penetration by 20 percent,” Vandenberg said. The Steele Associates Archi- tects’ plan seeks to bump out the existing Necanicum Ballroom and support larger, more diverse events. Drawings also call for mid-size meeting room size increases and quality improve- ments. The renovation would be conined to the existing prop- erty. The center would remain open during construction. The project would be done in phases, Vandenberg said, to al- low operation of the facility with “the least amount of impact” to visiting groups. The ultimate price tag is $14.6 million, he said. “That would be the out-the-door facili- ty renovation.” Who will pay? Funding of the project is not only inancial, Winstanley said. “It’s also political.” Winstanley provided op- tions including a bond sale, formation of an urban renewal district, a voter referendum to raise property taxes or room tax. “There are downsides to this,” he said. “You’re telling people you’re going to raise their tax- es.” Convention center costs could raise taxes $195 per year on the cost of a $250,000 home. “You have a school dis- trict that’s going out on the ballot in November to build a new school,” Winstanley said. “You’re going to be compet- ing for tax dollars with them. It probably won’t be very popular with the school district, and you may be having some impact on the psyche of the voter at that time also. Some voters may look at that and say, ‘Jeez, ev- erybody’s looking for money for something,’ or others might say, ‘This one’s a lot cheaper than that one.’ Voters make de- cisions for all kinds of reasons.” The convention’s last expan- sion in 1991 was funded by an increase in the room tax from 5 to 6 percent, and later, 6 to 7 percent, Winstanley said. “Part of that was for the cost of ex- pansion,” he said. “Room tax is also an integral part of the con- vention center.” “I don’t see why we wouldn’t want to use an in- crease in room tax,” Councilor Dana Phillips said. “Those are people coming to use the con- vention center. Then we are not competing with the schools. Why wouldn’t it be a win-win to go after the room tax?” “I would not want to be on the ballot with the school dis- trict,” Councilor Jay Barber added. “I would be in favor of a combination of revenue bonds and a room tax increase.” A 2-percent increase would be “about the most” hotel own- ers could afford, Vandenberg said, perhaps phased in incre- mentally. A future workshop will determine the council’s inal direction. The council will re- turn in a workshop “to narrow this down,” Winstanley said. “I need you to say, ‘I like this,’ or ‘we don’t need this at all.’ I’m not sure there are many people who would say, ‘By golly, I’m not staying in Seaside because of a 2 percent room tax in- crease.’” Don’t touch the seals NOAA reminds people not to touch or pick up seal pups By PHUONG LE Associated Press SEATTLE — As harbor seals are be- ing born in the Paciic Northwest, ma- rine mammal advocates up and down the West Coast are urging people not to touch or pick up pups that come up on beaches and shorelines to rest. At least ive times this season, well-meaning people have illegally picked up seal pups in Oregon and Wash- ington thinking they were abandoned or needed help, but that interference ulti- mately resulted in two deaths, said Mi- chael Milstein, a spokesman with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration Fisheries. It’s an ongoing issue along the entire West Coast, from Alaska to California, when people who think they’re doing the right thing end up stressing or harming the animals instead, oficials say. State wildlife oficials had to eutha- nize one harbor seal pup last month after a woman picked it up on a beach in West- port, Washington, and apparently carried it back to a house in a shopping tote. The animal was unresponsive and lethargic, Milstein said. Another couple found a seal pup on the beach in Garibaldi, Oregon, and fear- ing the animal was abandoned, wrapped the seal in a beach towel, put it in their car and placed it in their shower at home, ROBERT CAIN LD, “We have very good de- partment heads,” Winstan- ley told councilors. “They all do an excellent job and we’re very lucky to have them.” “Organizations really ex- cel when all the right people are on the right seats in the bus and it’s really running smoothly,” Councilor Jay Barber added. “I give large credit to Mark for hiring the right people and supporting them, so good job.” DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: GEARHART SEASIDE CANNON BEACH NATIONALLY FAMOUS CLAM CHOWDER • FRESH OREGON SEAFOOD R E STAU R A N T S CANNON BEACH 503-436-1111 Ocean Front at Tolovana Park www.moschowder.com Discover Patty’s Wicker Cafe on the Beautiful Necanicum River BREAKFAST & LUNCH MONDAY thru FRIDAY 6AM to 2PM 600 Broadway Suite 7 & 8 • 503.717.1272 Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Great Great Great Homemade pasta, Clam Breakfast, lunch and but that’s dinner steaks & Chowder, not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! MARC MYRSELL/WESTPORT AQUARIUM VIA AP In this May 21, 2016, photo provided by the Westport Aquarium, a baby seal is seen laying across a shopping tote used to carry it of a beach in Westport, Wash. State wildlife oicials had to euthanize the harbor seal pup. said Kristin Wilkinson, a NOAA Fish- eries regional stranding coordinator. People’s impulse is to rush in and help, but it’s better to let nature run its course, Wilkinson said. powered by Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144 WANNA KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! • Lighter appetite menu • Junior Something for Everyone menu Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight All Oregon Lottery products available 1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am TWO LOCATIONS SEASIDE & HILLSBORO MAZATLAN 740 Ave H • Ste 2 • Seaside 232 NE Lincoln • Ste B • Hillsboro FREE CONSULTATION Open Wednesday and Friday • 9-4:30 • 503-738-7710 SEASIDE SIGNAL/FILE PHOTO Crews work on North Holla- day Drive in Seaside. Great Atmosphere • Great Food • Great Prices 45 Years of Experience • Dentures for all ages, New, Partials and Custom Dentures • Dentures for implants • Relines & Repairs • Denture repairs done same day! • Personal service and attention to detail schools, the city would need to provide water and sewer systems on the new site, pro- posed for an 80-acre parcel on a hillside immediately south of Seaside Heights El- ementary School. “We’re not to that point,” Winstanley said. “The school district needs to see if they can get out and get their levy passed, and if they do we will certainly be happy to work with them.” Because the city’s reve- nue sources were good, he said, ending fund balances are up, “which is a good thing. We’re not running quite as tight as we have in past years.” City personnel act as a team, councilors and staff said, in which everyone ills a particular role. M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T Phone 503-738-9678 music fi rst 1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside
