Seaside signal., April 28, 2017, Image 1

SEASIDESIGNAL.COM • COMPLIMENTARY COPY
OUR 111th YEAR • April 28, 2017
Offi cers salute the memorial wall in Salem. Jason
Goodding’s name was added to the Oregon Fallen
Law Enforcement Memorial for the May 2 ceremony.
A FINAL FAREWELL
Seaside offi cers, police
staff to honor fallen
colleague
Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham said
Monday the ceremony holds meaning for
members of the force and family. “ very
time you turn the corner, there’s someone
bringing it back up — in a good way,”
he said. “I don’t think that will ever end.
But to a certain degree I believe there’s
going to be a bit of closure.”
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Ceremony.
Council
considers
apartment
complex
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
Neighbors of a proposed
40-unit apartment complex
asked the Seaside City Coun-
cil Monday night to reconsider
the Planning Commission’s
approval of the workforce
housing plan, citing traffi c,
sewer and public safety con-
cerns.
Seaside faces a critical
need for affordable housing.
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
See Council, Page 7A
See Farewell, Page 7A
An offi cer stands to the side as Jason Goodding’s
name is engraved on the Oregon Fallen Law Enforce-
ment Memorial.
Students step up for Laundry Love
High-schoolers
volunteer for local
program
Revenues up,
district unveils
$20.6M budget
K-12 building plan is
poised to launch
By Katherine Lacaze
For Seaside Signal
What can a handful of coins,
some laundry detergent and
friendly service do for a person?
Two Seaside High School students
have spent months learning the
answer to this question by volun-
teering for the local Laundry Love
program.
“It’s a small way to make a big
difference,” senior Marysol Alca-
ntar said.
Alcantar and fellow senior
Channene Prendergast are doing
their Pacifi ca Projects with Laun-
dry Love, a nationwide charity
that has been administered at the
local level by nonprofi t At the Wa-
ter’s Gate for about four years. It
is held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
the second Saturday of each month
at The Laundromat off U.S. High-
way 101.
The students’ involvement be-
gan in October 2016, when they
helped sort clothes and set up for
the annual Winter Clothing Give-
away at the November Laundry
Love. Since then, Alcantar has
attended and assisted with each
Laundry Love event, an ongoing
experience that has made an im-
pact on her.
“To me, this was new,” she
said. “I had never really volun-
teered in any way, and I like it a
lot. I feel like I’ll probably keep
going still, even after we gradu-
ate.”
Her desire to continue helping
with the program is fueled by the
response of the people who are
served, about 20 to 25 per month.
Many of them are regulars who
come each time.
“They’re just as excited to get
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
As with any Pacifi ca Project
— a requirement for graduation
at Seaside High School — the stu-
dents must tie in their volunteer
work to the topics of their senior
papers.
Alcantar’s senior paper is fo-
cused on school bullying. At fi rst,
she said, she wasn’t sure how the
two would relate, but while gath-
ering information, she learned
how students can be bullied for
their clothing or appearance.
This connection was made more
The Seaside School District fi nds itself
on solid ground as it launches a new $99.7
million K-12 building project.
Members of the Seaside School District
budget committee, along with the school’s
board of directors and administrator re-
viewed the 2017-18 proposed $20.6 million
operating budget before Tuesday night’s
regular board meeting.
“I do feel good about it,” Roley said
about the proposed budget. “We have had
a few years in the past decade where we’ve
had to hold steady or even reduce.”
The district’s fi nancial summary includ-
ed breakdowns for general fund, debt ser-
vice, special revenue and capital projects.
Proposed general fund revenues are 9½
percent higher than the adopted 2016-17
budget.
“An improving Oregon economy, timber
revenue and excellent management will al-
low us to move forward without reductions
in staffi ng or programs and with some mod-
est additions,” Superintendent Sheila Roley
wrote in a budget message presented by
Business Manager Justine Hill.
The district plans to hire an elementary
school guidance counselor and a new high
school science and math teacher, among
other personnel additions.
The budget addresses rising student
technology costs, with districtwide licenses
for math and science software.
An additional $112 million capital bud-
get for construction of the new K-12 cam-
pus — including $4 million from the state
— was also presented for review.
The district anticipates paying out $22.5
million next year toward the project, en-
dorsed by voters in November, Hill said.
This includes costs for architects, project
See Laundry, Page 7A
See Budget, Page 7A
KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL
Seniors Marysol Alcanta and Channene Prendergast.
their clothes cleaned as they were
the month before,” she said. “It’s
nice to see how they react toward
the help they get.”
In addition to providing funds
for each individual or family to do
two loads of laundry, the program
also offers free hygienic products
— including socks, soap, deodor-
ant and toothpaste — and coffee
and snacks or a small meal. As
many of the people who attend the
Laundry Love events are homeless
or underprivileged, and don’t have
the opportunity to readily purchase
those items, “we defi nitely want to
look out for them,” Prendergast
said. The program is funded by
donations to At the Water’s Gate
from the local community, as
well as donors across Oregon and
Washington.
Prendergast, who usually
works on weekends, mostly is aid-
ing the program from behind the
scenes. She assists Shirley Yates –
who runs At the Water’s Gate with
her husband, Carl — at the offi ce.
Some of her responsibilities in-
clude organizing supplies, updat-
ing records, shopping for hygien-
ic items, contacting news outlets,
advertising the monthly events and
other administrative work.
Diving in deeper