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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2017)
May 12, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A Gearhart dune management plan misses window City to seek more information By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal Earlier this year, the city developed a plan to cut nox- ious weeds on Gearhart’s foredunes, with the goal of maintaining public safety, pro- tecting firefighters and beach habitat. But after concerns from residents that a proposed amendment to the city’s beach and dunes overlay zone was over-reaching, information incomplete and ill-timed, city councilors agreed to postpone the Wednesday, May 3, public hearing. “The city finds the opportu- nity to address the fire hazard and noxious weed growth in the subject area has passed un- til later this year,” City Plan- ner Carole Connell wrote in a report delivered to councilors. R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL The invasive plant Scotch broom proliferates in the Gearhart foredunes. Safety, habitat at issue In January, residents filled the Gearhart Fire Station for an education forum and town hall meeting on an amend- ment permitting the removal of noxious weeds. The panel of city officials, state parks representatives and other experts was orga- nized by Margaret Marino, a resident who had expressed concerns about the vegetation at city meetings and reached out to state departments and ecologists for assistance. The amendment would have permitted the “removal, destruction or uprooting” of vegetation in areas of Gear- hart’s foredunes. The amend- ment would have required re- vegetation of native plants or grasses after removal. Letters on behalf of the amendment stressed the risk of fire from overgrown vegetation. “As a child in the 1980s, I witnessed the power and speed of a large dune fire that started close to the north- ern end of Ocean Avenue and spread down the dune to nearly in front of our home,” Gearhart property owner Joe Gregoire wrote. “Had there been the high fuel-load cur- rently in place in the dunes with the added height … I be- lieve the outcome would have been much worse.” “I am in support of clearing and cleaning the safety lane for fire and police access to Little Beach,” Gearhart’s Ted Amato wrote in late-April. Fire Chief Bill Eddy pro- vided testimony that a wild- land fire in the area would be left to burn itself out because of the amount of flammable fuel load. “As the dune area now ex- ists, there is a real public safety concern, with the limited ac- cess for emergency vehicles,” Police Chief Jeff Bowman wrote in March. “We have re- sponded to incidents such as unattended campfires, unlaw- ful lodging, illegal fireworks, minors in possession, parties and other minor disturbances.” Threatened species Future council decisions will also be driven by not only public safety but on impacts to threatened or endangered wildlife. Any proposed land use ac- tion may negatively impact bird habitat in the area, Con- nell said in her staff report. Five bird species — mar- bled murrelets, northern spot- ted owl, short-tailed albatross, streaked horned lark and west- ern snowy plover are threat- ened or endangered species nesting in critical Gearhart foredune habitat, according to correspondence from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Leatherback, olive rid- ley and loggerhead sea tur- tles may also be found in the Gearhart dunes. Gearhart fire station proposal causes clash Students seek to Alternatives spread joy, happiness Gearhart from Page 1A Sprinklers from Page 1A “It’s always easy to be quiet and not say a word,” he said. “You’re just passing by or you’re busy.” Yet, he added, while at first it may seem difficult to approach those people, talk to them and ask what’s go- ing on, doing so can make a significant difference. “Just asking someone if they’re okay can save a life,” agreed fellow student Kodie Stark. Hence, Breaking the Si- lence was deemed a fitting description and title for what the students hope to accomplish by uniting with one another. Bullying has affected each of the mem- bers in one way or anoth- er. Some are the victims of bullying, some former perpetrators, and others were witnesses. A few had taken each role at one point or another. They have seen the negative ramifications of bullying, including self- harm and suicide, and want to make a difference. “In order for a change to happen, everyone has to do something about it,” group member Autumn Benthien said. “That’s kind of what we’re doing. We’re trying to make that change and get everyone to not only see what they’re doing, but also help people with their struggles.” When a tragedy occurs as a result of bullying, people often are shaken up and willing to change, but “that’s not how it should be,” Kiser said, adding people should be kind to one another “every single day without something like that happening.” “It should never have to come to that,” he said. Fellow student Lola Paser-Johnson echoed that sentiment. “It’s sad to think that someone has to take their life in order for people to see that it’s a big thing, that someone has to kill them- selves in order for people to realize, ‘Wow, bullying is a big deal,’” she said. Planting seeds of change While the students were unable to get the group established as an official club at the high school this school year, they hope to do so during the 2017-18 school year. Members, how- ever, were unwilling to wait for a club designation to get to work. They are each focusing on ways they can person- ally promote awareness, compassion and kindness at school and home. “Not a lot of people know of all the different forms of bullying and how impact- ful it is to people in gener- al,” student Gage Cain said. “You have to start some- where, and by simply letting someone that it’s happening, it’s a start to changing.” Desiring to create an even greater impact, Breaking the Silence also put together the Happiness Sprinkling and have made it into a school- wide event, encouraging all students to take part. The objective is “focusing on the kindness part, focusing on the positive, rather than the negative,” by disseminating uplifting, motivational mes- sages throughout Seaside, Kerr said. On May 2, the students left the school and marched downtown. At the memorial for fallen Seaside police Sgt. Jason Goodding, which sits outside the Pig ‘N Pancake on Broadway, the marchers lingered and conducted a moment of silence. Then, they moved on to the Turn- around and headed back to the high school. The Silence Breakers are inviting com- munity members and stu- dents from other schools to participate in the Happiness Sprinkling and march with them. They request that all participants wear yellow. For more information, contact Yates at 503-738- 5586. two-year process that evaluat- ed the merits and downfalls of nine different locations to re- place the deteriorating station on Pacific Way. After a series of geologic and economic evaluations, the fire station committee nar- rowed down the choices to ei- ther rebuilding at the current location or in the east half of the oceanfront park between Pacific Way and First Street. Building a new fire station in the park means the station would be much less vulnera- ble to a tsunami, but residents are concerned about losing a community landmark. The current fire station was built to the standards of the late-1950s, many years before anyone understood the extent or potential consequences of a Cascadia Subduction Zone event. In the event of a tsuna- mi the station, already riddled with stress fractures, could be inundated by 10 feet of water, according to the geologic re- port commissioned last year. Local geologist Tom Horning said that an earth- quake and tsunami are due sometime in the next five to 50 years, and according to modeling done by the state, waves could rise from 40 to 60 feet. But this wasn’t a part of the equation back in 2006, when the city failed to pass a $3.75 million bond to build a new fire station. In 2015, the City Council reopened dis- cussions about renovating or replacing the station, making it one of the city’s top prior- ities. With the park sitting at 48 feet above sea level compared with the 27 feet the fir station currently stands, City Admin- istrator Chad Sweet said the park was the only centrally located space that wouldn’t be inundated by water that the city could afford. Other locations that met the first two criteria are either owned privately or prohibi- tively expensive. Locations to the east were vulnerable to flooding from the Neacoxie. And if the fire station were on the hills all those services would be cut off from the town below without some form of bridge, Sweet said. Sweet said if the plan were accepted it would cost the city between $5 million to $7 million, which would cover the cost of a new building, re- placing a fire engine and ren- ovations at City Hall to retro- fit what would be the former offices of the fire and police chiefs. The lot including the building and parking would be about 54,500 square feet. Park enhancements could be part of the plan, Sweet said. “We know there’s some taking, but there would be giving back, too,” he said. Many residents expressed their discontent with the park even being considered as an option. The land has a deed re- striction that allows it only to be a park, and the city would have to ask Clatsop County’s permission to lift the restric- tion before starting any proj- ects. But for some neighbors, it wasn’t about just losing some land — it was about losing part of the character of the town. City Councilor Dan Jesse warned that almost any other site would require the com- munity to raise a considerable amount of money. “I’m not convinced that if we put out a larger bond mea- sure the community would support it,” Jesse said. Sweet said the public fo- rum on Thursday was just one of many forums the city in- tends to hold about the issue. WE START BY LENDING AN EAR. 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