SEASIDESIGNAL.COM • COMPLIMENTARY COPY
OUR 110th YEAR • December 23, 2016
Jay Barber is named mayor of Seaside
Don Johnson steps aside
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL
Jay Barber is sworn in as Sea-
side mayor by City Manager
Mark Winstanley.
Jay Barber became mayor
Monday, Dec. 12, following
in the footsteps of former
Mayor Don Larson, who died
a day earlier.
At the council’s last meet-
ing, Barber put his name for-
ward to fi ll Larson’s unexpired
term. City Council President
Don Johnson did the same. But
before a City Council vote was
held, Johnson withdrew his
name from consideration.
“There comes a time to
step back and let others carry
the torch as Mayor Larson and
I have done for many years,”
Johnson said. “I believe it is
now time for me to pass that
torch. It pleases me to nominate
Jay Barber to fi ll the mayor’s
term.”
That nomination was sec-
onded and unanimously en-
dorsed by councilors.
Barber then took the oath
of offi ce, administered by City
Manager Mark Winstanley.
“I’m humbled to sit in this
chair,” Barber said. “Don Lar-
son served in this chair for 14
years. He not only served in
this chair, but he served in this
community in a way I don’t
think anybody in the city of
Seaside has been able to do.
I’m honored to have the oppor-
tunity to serve the community
and with this great council.”
California mayor
Barber, a retired college
president, foundation director
and ordained minister, served
as a councilor and two-term
mayor in Red Bluff, California,
a position which, he said, gave
him experience dealing with
the public.
He and his wife Jan have
lived full time in Seaside since
2006.
Barber was selected in 2009
to fi ll the unexpired council
term of the late Gary Diebolt.
Barber won election for Ward 1
in 2010 and again in 2014.
“I think we will be very
well served with Jay,” City
Councilor Tita Montero said,
a sentiment echoed by coun-
cilors Randy Frank, Seth Mor-
risey and Dana Phillips.
Among his fi rst order of
business, Barber presided over
the third and fi nal reading of
an ordinance raising Seaside’s
Who will
guide campus
project?
The Spirit of
Christ�as
School district considering leaders
for building project
By Katherine Lacaze
For Seaside Signal
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY SUNSET EMPIRE PARK & RECREATION DISTRICT
Santa pays a visit to Seaside
By Katherine Lacaze
For Seaside Signal
T
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
he spirit of the season was palpable at the Bob
Chisholm Community Center as children enjoyed a
variety of holiday crafts and visits with Santa Claus
during the annual Children’s Holiday Celebration.
lodging tax. The increase hikes
the rate from 8 percent to 10
percent and will be used to
fund renovations at the Seaside
Civic and Convention Center.
Johnson, who served his last
meeting after his loss to Tom
Horning in the November elec-
tion, was honored by council-
ors for 18 years of service with
a plaque and remembrance.
“Thank you for your excep-
tional knowledge and willing-
ness to give so much time in
making Seaside a better place
now and in the future,” Barber
said in presenting the plaque to
Johnson.
Garlands, lights and other traditional wintery deco-
rations served as a backdrop for the event, which was
put on by the Sunset Empire Park & Recreation Dis-
trict on Dec. 10.
Santa’s elves were on hand to greet approximately
350 attendees that rotated in throughout the afternoon
to partake of the festivities.
See Christmas, Page 6A
The Seaside School District intends to
hire a project manager to oversee construc-
tion of the new school campus by the end
of January.
“It’s really the fi rst big step,” Superin-
tendent Sheila Roley said during the board
of director’s meeting Dec. 16. “Once you
have the project manager, they’re the one
that really pulls the process together for us.”
On Dec. 12, the district held a required
meeting at Seaside Heights Elementary
School for any fi rms interested in submit-
ting a request for proposal for the project
manager job. Four Oregon-based fi rms at-
tended the meeting. They must have their
requests submitted by Dec. 27.
Roley described the project manager
as “our third-party agent who is really an
extension of the district and who has the
expertise of large construction projects to
oversee this for us.” The project manager
works with the city of Seaside for permit-
ting, the architects, the construction compa-
ny and other participating entities.
“It’s someone who really just runs the
show in consult with us, who is overseen by
a steering committee that we’ll put togeth-
er,” Roley said.
After the requests are submitted, the in-
formation will be reviewed by members of
an interview committee, who will meet with
potential candidates in early January. The
committee should have a recommendation
regarding the hire to present to the board for
its approval at the Jan. 17 meeting.
In addition, school board members dis-
cussed and unanimously approved two res-
olutions that also will help the new school
project move forward during the 2016-17
school year.
The fi rst resolution granted approval
for the district to issue general obligation
bonds in the amount of $99.7 million for
construction of the new school. The district
already has met with a group for counsel on
the matter, Roley said. The bonds should be
issued in late February or early March, at
which point, the funds will be available for
the project, she added.
See Campus, Page 6A
Gingerbread Tea transports guests back in time
Katherine Lacaze
For Seaside Signal
Every year, the Butterfi eld Cottage
is dressed in its holiday best to wel-
come guests for a Victorian era-in-
spired Gingerbread Tea that highlights
both the spirit of Christmas and the
history of Seaside.
The annual tea is a longstanding
holiday tradition of the Seaside Muse-
um and Historical Society.
Throughout each afternoon of the
event, the organization’s board mem-
bers and other volunteers bustle about
serving guests a selection of tea, cider
and hot cocoa and plates of ginger-
bread — or gingerbread cookies for
the children.
The interior of the historic home,
which was built in 1893, is warm and
inviting, with period table settings, an-
tique silverware and cups, traditional
decorations and an emphasis on gin-
gerbread ornaments. Local musicians
— including Linda Nielsen and the
Northcoast Ukulele Strummers — add
to the ambience with acoustic rendi-
tions of well-known Christmas tunes.
“We try to make people feel like
this is how it would have been if you
had come to Seaside at the turn of the
20th century and were welcomed into
the Butterfi eld Cottage for tea,” said
Kimberly Reef, a board member who
served as the chair for this year’s event.
The Butterfi eld Cottage was given
to the museum and moved to its pres-
ent location in the 1980s. According
to the organization, it has been inter-
pretively restored to depict a beach
cottage and rooming house of 1912.
During the Gingerbread Tea, guests
could tour the upstairs rooms, which
also were specially adorned with
Christmas decorations.
‘We try to make people feel like
this is how it would have been
if you had come to Seaside at
the turn of the 20th century
and were welcomed into the
Butterfi eld Cottage for tea.’
Kimberly Reef,
Seaside Museum and Historical Society board
Although the gingerbread tea is
tagged as a fundraising event, it more
or less pays for itself. With respect the
tradition, however, the organization
continues to host it as a sort of “com-
munity service,” Reef said.
The fi rst tea is traditionally held
the fi rst Saturday after Thanksgiving
to herald the commencement of the
Christmas season. Reef has been told
numerous times by locals that the
event is a well-loved part of helping
them get into the holiday spirit.
“The say, ‘we wouldn’t dream of
missing it,’” she added.
On average, about 45 to 50 people
attended each Gingerbread Tea this
year.
Alison Craig, of Astoria, was there
Dec. 17 with a friend and each of their
daughters. The women remarked on
the gingerbread theme and decora-
tions, describing them as “adorable.”
“It’s a very inviting place,” Craig
said. “Everyone is so friendly.”
The event, which was sponsored
by Safeway, also featured a raffl e,
with prizes donated by local business,
including a gingerbread house from
Three Little Birds Bakery. Guests
See Tea, Page 9A