6A • January 20, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Seaside ready for growth and change in 2017
H
appy New Year, Seaside!
Turning over a fresh calen-
dar always represents the
opportunity for something new to
happen. It may be minor or it could
become monumental. Often, it’s the
result of something that happened
in the past, but could also be some-
thing few, if any, saw coming. If
you’ve read my column for a while
you know that I have utilized this
January space since 2012 to look
back, while also looking ahead.
Without further ado, here’s the
2017 rendition, recapping 2016 and
looking ahead to 2017.
Changes
At the onset of 2016, we had
just unveiled a new look for our
marketing materials. We were set
to showcase a new visitor guide
and were just a month away from
unleashing a new website. We built
a branding toolkit for businesses,
SIDE RAIL
JOHN RAHL
as well as a merchandise guide
that incorporated our new colors,
iconography and photography. We
also set our sights on new town
signage that incorporates the same
color palette and branded look that
we advertise to those looking for a
vacation in Seaside.
Preparedness
In looking ahead at 2016, I sug-
gested that emergency preparedness
would become a hotter topic and
people would feel more comfort-
able talking about it. To some de-
gree, that did transpire. The annual
Oregon Governor’s Conference on
Tourism had a session dedicated
to the topic and I believe more
conversations are happening. This
isn’t just about the “big one” either.
Fires, fl ooding, and even a torna-
do — as Manzanita unfortunately
experienced — are also possibilities
that can change things in an instant.
It’s never too early to prepare.
Coming together
Feb. 5, 2016, is a day our town
and area will not soon forget. And
we shouldn’t. We lost an incredible
individual in Seaside Police Ser-
geant Jason Goodding that evening.
What I’ll also always remember
from that tragic week is how our
community came together, worked
together and shared so much com-
passion for one another. Let’s not
us forget that feeling either.
Convention Center
This was a hot topic in 2015
and 2016, but due to its magnitude,
it also makes the list in 2017. Late
in 2016, city leaders voted to offi -
cially expand the 22,000-square-
foot Seaside Convention Center.
From start to fi nish, design work
and construction, this should be a
24-month process. Things will get
going later this year and it should
be a fun process to be a part of.
Growth and change
The nation’s fi rst travel infor-
mation center opened on May 4,
1935, in New Buffalo, Michigan,
along US Highway 12. Seaside’s
current information center opened
in the early 1980s, moving from a
location near present-day Norma’s
Seafood and Steak. Clearly, much
has changed in the 80 years since
visitor centers started popping
up. I believe there is more we can
do for folks who solely rely on
information in their pockets and
phones. And part of that will be
How do we prepare for unpredictability?
I
t’s the beginning of 2017 as I write
this, a wonderful opportunity to wish
you a joyous and satisfying year. I’ll
be working for our community resilience
during this year, and I’d like to update
you.
First, there’s inescapable unpredict-
ability about what it will take to fl ourish
after a catastrophic event of whatever
kind. Come to think of it, there’s unpre-
dictability about what it takes to fl ourish
on a day-to-day basis. That means that
we’re dealing with some degree of un-
certainty, no matter what we do. Part of
the fun, the adventure of life.
An essential element in both day-
to-day and catastrophic resilience is
relationships characterized by respect and
affection. Another essential element is a
healthy curiosity about getting the full
picture, which means listening to all kinds
of people with differing points of view.
Then comes applying a creative
intelligence to the data and the emotions,
working to take effective actions, mak-
ing use of multi-disciplinary thinking to
develop mutually satisfying solutions.
Perhaps most challenging is ground-
ing in profound empathy. Empathy for
ourselves, for each other, and for the
place in which we live, work, play, and
worship glues us together in a social and
environmental context. The environment
matters a lot to all of us.
We’re blessed to live in a place
where people are passionately devoted
to protecting the environment, and there
are differing opinions on how to do that,
including people who don’t want to see
another tree cut. Part of our place is
GUEST COLUMN
LIANNE THOMPSON
‘An essential element in
both day-to-day and
catastrophic resilience is
relationships characterized
by respect and aff ection.
Another essential element
is a healthy curiosity about
getting the full picture,
which means listening to
all kinds of people with
diff ering points of view.’
people who make a living from natural
resource extraction industries, cutting
trees. How do we live in peace and
harmony with each other? How do we
create a resilient community for all?
I’m a long-term community activ-
ist. My purpose is to activate people to
think, fi nd common ground, and develop
mutually satisfying solutions. There
are community organizers, and their
goal is often different. They’re often
LETTERS
Letters from Page 4A
to take a real look at what
they are doing and support,
for these identifi ers fi t them to
a tee and reveals them as the
real haters.
Carl Yates
Seaside
Join women’s march
I guess there really is a fi rst
time for everything.
As a resident of Clatsop
County for the last six years, I
have paid my taxes, picked up
trash on the beach, volunteered
for several worthwhile orga-
nizations and paid attention to
what’s happening locally and in
the wider community. I grew up
in a white, middle class family
in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s when
it was considered very impolite
to talk about religion and politics
around the dinner table, let alone
stand on a street corner in broad
daylight with a protest sign.
Now I’m ready to march
down a city sidewalk with hun-
dreds of like-minded women
and men in support of some-
thing I thought was expected
in our society — respect. I
was wrong and naïve, so con-
sequently I will be walking in
Astoria Saturday, Jan. 21 in the
Astoria Women’s March. That
is the day that women all over
the country will be involved in
organized activities, marches
and rallies to raise awareness of
the dangerous tone and rhetoric
of the incoming administration.
But this letter is not about
what I personally believe. That
will be clear enough on Satur-
day. It is about the fact that I can
freely and without fear, express
that belief. The fact that I can
join a group of local women,
some working, others retired,
busy with families, businesses
and ordinary life who are taking
the time to organize and take
action is frankly remarkable.
Bravo ladies! Bravo to the
men, partners and families who
support them, and bravo to the
community who listens. We are
all better for this.
Please support us Saturday,
Jan. 21, at noon at 12th and Ex-
change streets, as many of your
neighbors and friends from
the Columbia/Pacifi c area will
demonstrate for the rights of
everyone to peacefully express
their opinions about the need
to protect the environment, the
safety of minorities, women
and others, health care and ed-
ucation for all, and above all,
respectful discourse.
Pat Wollner
Gearhart
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Monday, Jan. 23
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
Seaside Community Center
Commission, 10 a.m., 1225
Avenue A.
Tuesday, Jan. 24
Seaside Airport Advisory
Committee, 6 p.m. City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Seaside Improvement Com-
mission, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Thursday, Feb. 2
Seaside Parks Advisory Com-
mittee, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Seaside Library Board, 4:30
p.m., 1131 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Commission,
7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway.
Thursday, Feb. 9
Seaside Convention Center
Commission, 10 a.m., 1225
Avenue A.
Monday, Feb. 13
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
looking to motivate people to adopt a
position, voice a mantra, apply pressure
to achieve results they believe necessary
for community well-being.
Too often, we can fail to take each
other’s point of view into account, all in
service of our noble cause. Too often,
we can think that having our voices
heard means obedience to our preferred
action.
As an elected member of the govern-
ing body of Clatsop County, I’m com-
mitted to listening to all relevant points
of view on important issues. I’m asking
questions, asking the natural resource ex-
traction people how we can have a livable
planet, asking the environmental commu-
nity how we can pay the bills, on both a
family and a community-wide basis?
We must take each other into ac-
count, or we perish.
Pressing issues currently in play:
the Linn County lawsuit, ecologically
sustainable economic development
by means of manufacturing modular
housing using mass timber technology
(which can also help with our housing
shortage), and building more structures
and relationships to support emergency
response.
I’m devoted to protecting Clatsop
county’s resources in the forests and
oceans, using the best science and our
own expert legal advice, especially as
regards the Linn Co. lawsuit.
Lianne Thompson is a long-time com-
munity activist who’s currently serving
as the elected Clatsop County Commis-
sioner for District 5, the southern half of
Clatsop County.
Phone and Internet Discounts
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and provides reliable home high-speed Internet service up to 1.5Mbps
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or visit centurylink.com/lifeline with questions or to request an
application for the Lifeline program.
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Video assets
In late 2016, the Seaside
Visitors Bureau learned it would
be receiving a grant of almost
$13,000 from Clatsop County. The
money comes from county lodging
tax — 70 percent of which must be
used for tourism promotion. We’ll
use the funds to create inviting
and exciting new videos to further
promote Seaside as a fun place to
visit.
Have a thought or a question
about tourism in Seaside, or may-
be an idea for a future column?
Drop me an email at jrahl@cityof-
seaside.us. Jon Rahl is the director
of tourism for the Seaside Visitors
Bureau and assistant general
manager of the Seaside Civic &
Convention Center.
DINING
on the
NORTH COAST
Great Restaurants in:
GEARHART
SEASIDE
CANNON BEACH
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
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as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier within its service area for
universal service purposes. CenturyLink’s basic local service rates
for residential voice lines are $15.48-$17.55per month and business
services are $23.00-$28.00 per month. Specific rates will be provided
upon request.
CenturyLink participates in a government benefit program (Lifeline)
to make residential telephone or broadband service more affordable
to eligible low-income individuals and families. Eligible customers
are those that meet eligibility standards as defined by the Federal
Communications Commission and OPUC. Residents who live on
federally recognized Tribal Lands may qualify for additional Tribal
benefits if they participate in certain federal eligibility programs. The
Lifeline discount is available for only one telephone or broadband
service per household, and can be on either wireline or wireless
service. Broadband speeds must be 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps
upload or faster to qualify.
continuing to look at improved
signage (mentioned above) as a
means to building more awareness.
Excellence in family dining found
from a family that has been serving
the North Coast for the past 52 years
Great
Great
Great
Homemade
Breakfast, lunch and
pasta,
Clam
dinner steaks & Chowder,
but that’s
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
• 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
BEST
BREAKFAST
IN TOWN!
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
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