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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2016)
October 28, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A Seaside’s crumbling schools Cannon Beach charter school wins board approval Charter school could open next fall Condition of buildings in Gearhart, Seaside add to tsunami fears By Katherine Lacaze By R.J. Marx For EO Media Group Seaside Signal It’s one thing to hear about the crum- bling condition of Seaside’s high school, middle school and Gearhart Elementary School. It’s another to take a tour and see them firsthand. Even on a relatively good day there’s no masking the horizontal and vertical cracks on walls in each of the schools. It’s hard to miss the weird metal covers adhering to the Seaside High School gymnasium roofs, used to block rusted metal clips used as roof tie-downs that break off and fall onto the gymnasium floor. Administrators worry that one could pop out and strike a student. Re- placement cost is an estimated $577,000. On a rainy day, the buckets in the computer room fill not only with class- room trash but the steady drips from a ceiling where plugging holes is like playing whack-a-mole. Pine needles get stuck on scuppers and rainwater leaks through the building’s stucco walls and onto warped and uneven floors. And at Broadway Middle School, a trip to the boiler room reveals a running pond forming on the ground underneath antiquated machinery, as a sump pump churns to calm the rising flow. At the high school, head custodian Lonnie Lear maintains a Rube Gold- berg-styled boiler system built decades DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP Seaside School District Superintendent-emeritus Doug Dougherty shows the con- ditions of the boiler room at Gearhart Elementary School. ago. “Some of it I can fix, some of it is beyond me,” Lear said. “A lot of our leaks go through the walls,” Seaside School District Superin- tendent-emeritus Doug Dougherty said as he led a tour through the building, constructed in 1958. Few technicians are trained on the outdated heating components, Lear said. Voters rejected a $128.7 million bond proposal to move schools out of the tsu- nami zone in 2013. The focus of that vote was emergency preparedness. This time around, Dougherty hopes to draw attention to the condition of the three crumbling schools in addition to tsunami safety for passage of a pared- down $99.7 million proposal. Dough- erty told the Seaside City Council this month that awareness of the risks from a seismic event are well-known now in the community. With that awareness, he has shifted his focus to the condition of the schools. The bond’s success at the polls would lead to relocation of the Seaside School District’s three tsunami at-risk buildings to a new campus on 80 donated acres east of the highway near Seaside Heights Elementary School. The Cannon Beach Acad- emy saw its goal of opening for the 2017-18 school be- come more attainable Tues- day night when the Seaside School District Board of Directors approved the orga- nization’s charter application without conditions. Nearly four years after a group of residents initiated an effort to create a charter school in Cannon Beach, the organization reached a signif- icant milestone with the ap- proval of its charter. With that piece resolved, the academy’s board can move forward and begin finalizing financial de- tails, apply for grants, plan for enrollment, prepare the school building and start hir- ing staff, according to board president Kellye Dewey and board member Barb Knop. In October 2015, the dis- trict’s board approved the charter school’s application with a set of conditions, such as the school would serve at least 44 kindergarten and first-grade students in its first year. The academy’s board will continue working with the district, with the goal “to have a contract in place by the end of the year,” Knop said. Open enrollment should start by March 1, in preparation for the acade- my to be operational by the 2017-18 school year. The academy also can apply for state charter school grants. DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: Dunzer says school Bond first, design later bond numbers ‘crazy’ Architects from Page 1A Former candidate eyes ‘Plan C’ option By R. J. Marx Seaside Signal Seaside’s John Dunzer went in front of the City Council Monday night to share his opinion on the council’s recent decision to endorse the school district’s $99.7 million bond to move the school campus. Officials hope to protect student lives by moving three schools — Gearhart Elementary School, Seaside High School, and Broadway Elementary School — out of the tsunami evacuation zone. Dunzer said there are better ways to do it than the way Seaside School District is doing it. “I love the kids, and I’ve done the school bond drives — but this money is crazy,” Dunzer said. “This $100 million is crazy. You’ve got 1,500 kids. We’ve got 500 students in Seaside Heights High School, because we’re not ripping that down. That means we have about 1,000 kids we’re building the school for at $100 million — that’s $100,000 a kid.” Looking at per stu- dent construction numbers around the country, cost is “somewhere in the $30,000 range per student,” he said. A 2013 bond measure asked voters for $128.8 mil- lion to fund new schools. That number was rejected by voters. Supporters hope this year’s bond issue will find success. Along with tsu- nami safety, officials have pointed to the “crumbling schools” and say they need to be replaced. In a letter to the Signal, Dunzer proposed a “Plan C” which would accomplish the same objectives but at a cost of $50 million. “Voting for Plan C would allow funds to be available to improve the bridges, which will provide safety for students during the 71 percent of the time they are not at school and all the rest of the residents and visitors,” he wrote. Dunzer, who ran for mayor in 2014 and was on the ballot for county com- mission earlier this year, said the bond was “not do- ing the kids any favor be- cause I don’t think that $100 million number is worth diddly-squat. It’s way, way, way too high. For anyone who understands anything about division, multiplica- tion — it’s all there. When you say ‘I think it’s a great idea,’ you should do your due diligence.” the site would not be devel- oped, Olson said, and building would be off-limits within 100 feet of fish-bearing streams. There are no environmen- tal concerns with the property, Superintendent-emeritus Doug Dougherty said Tuesday. Dougherty said the district will continue to work with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Necani- cum Watershed Council on the property development. About $2 million of the bond is necessary to protect the schools against coastal condi- tions and slope of the campus, which will also be designed to shelter residents in the case of a disaster. Test borings and a geotech- nical analysis of the property were conducted in 2013, when a separate bond package failed to win voters. Engineered pier foun- dations added an additional $2.75 million to this year’s budget. “We do know that be- cause of the nature of the slope we’re going to have to do some specialized foundation work to stabilize the hillside,” Olson said. Olson said his firm has de- signed many Oregon schools and public buildings subject to the same seismic requirements. “We know what we have to do to meet the code and stand up to a seismic event,” he said. The majority of Olson’s Boone State Representative HD 32, Democrat Native Oregonian Rural homeowner in HD 32 since 1974 “ The endorsement of representative Deborah boone is the result of careful consideration by the sheriffs of oregon. We are confident Deborah will promote laws designed to better protect oregonians and their families by making law enforcement more effective.” — Sheriffs of oregon PAC “ boone’s lengthy tenure, experience and record of accomplishments make her our choice to fill the seat.” — The Daily Astorian (Oct. 14) Deborah is aLso enDorseD by: Oregon Nurseries PAC Oregon State Building & Constructions Trades Council Oregon State Firefighters Council Oregon State Council for Retired Citizens National Electrical Contractors Assn. Oregon AFSCME Council 75 Oregon Coalition of Police & Sheriffs Cultural Advocacy Coalition American Federation of Teachers–Oregon (AFT-Oregon) Sen. Ron Wyden Sen. Jeff Merkley Oregon School Employees Assn. Basic Rights Oregon Equality PAC Stand for Children Oregon Humane Oregon BooneforStateRep.org Paid for by: Boone for State Representative P.O. Box 637, Cannon Beach, OR 97110 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 Great Atmosphere • Great Food • Great Prices 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 Downtown Re-elect Deborah work is public school work in Oregon and Washington, in- cluding more than 65 public school districts in the Pacific Northwest. “Another piece that im- pressed us was that, out of 19 architectural firm proposals that were submitted, they were the only firm that had never been over budget on a proj- ect,” Dougherty said. Yumei Wang, a geotechni- cal engineer with the Depart- ment of Oregon and Geolog- ical Mineral Industries based in Portland, will consult on the project at no cost to the dis- trict, he added. Seaside School District serves 1,550 students from Yumei Wang communities across south Clatsop County. Gearhart El- ementary School, Broadway Middle School and Seaside High School are located near sea level, endangering all stu- dents and school staff in the event of a tsunami. The build- ings are rated by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries as having a high probability of catastroph- ic collapse in an earthquake. “In terms of our work, we don’t anticipate doing any more work on our part until after the election,” Olson said. “We have our fingers crossed and hopefully the bond will pass.” GEARHART SEASIDE CANNON BEACH Seaside Downtown Development Association 39 N. Holladay • PO Box 133 Seaside, OR 97138 503.717.1914 seasidedowntown.com Flower Baskets For 20 years, the flower baskets have beautified the streets of Seaside and we owe it all to the support of our generous sponsors and the City of Seaside. The Seaside Downtown Development Association appreciates your contribution to the purchase and maintenance of the flower basket program. Thank you! SPONSOR $500 or more • Holiday Inn • Kenneth & Kathy Hyde • Pig N’ Pancake • Seaside Aquarium • Seaside Carousel Mall • Seaside Chamber Ambassadors • TerHar Family PATRONS $200 or more • Bank of the Pacifi c • Caff é Latte • Finn’s Fish House • Funland Entertainment • Gearhart Dentistry • Mary Anna’s 6.99, 12.99 & 14.99 Stores • Norma’s Seafood & Steak • Pacifi c Power • Pizza Harbor Inc. • Seaside Fultano’s Pizza • • • • Sign One Signcrafters Son Wester Garden Club Tipton’s Twisted Fish Steakhouse SUPPORTERS • Cotton Club • Doug & Cheryle Barker • Flashback Malt Shoppe • Fred Loser • Gearhart Dentistry • Inn at Seaside • J. Michael & Janet Perry • JoAnne McIntyre • Julie Mespelt • Justine Hill • Karen Emmerling • Kenneth & Kathy Hyde • Lucille Summerfi eld • Moberg & Rust Attorney at Law • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Nicolle Landwehr Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Pizza Harbor Inc. Russ & JoAnn Vandenberg Randy Frank River Inn Seaside Ron Bline Sand & Sea Condominiums Shilo Inn Oceanfront Steve Wright Stuart Properties LLC Suzanne Zimmerman The Man Store The Jewelry Box Tom & Gini Dideum Tri-City Spay & Neuter Thrift Shop Wayne Poole Wexler Holladay Drive LLC White Properties Will Perkins SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE YEAR ROUND! Great Great Great Homemade Breakfast, lunch and pasta, Clam but that’s dinner steaks & Chowder, not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! 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 MAZATLAN M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T Phone 503-738-9678 1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside
