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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2017)
SEASIDE HIGH SCHOOL • CLASS OF 2017 CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2017 SEA CHANGE New campus gets a go S easide School District voters said a resounding “yes” in November to a $99.7 million bond to move three schools out of the tsunami inunda- tion zone. In a 65 percent to 35 percent vote, residents endorsed the plan to replace deteriorating schools at an 80-acre lo- cation in the city’s East Hills adjacent to Seaside Heights Elementary School. “This victory belongs to our community which had the foresight to see how important high quality schools are to the future of everyone who lives in the Sea- side School District,” Superintendent-emeritus Doug Dougherty said after the bond’s passage. “New schools benefi t the entire community, strengthen our economy and, in this case, provide a safe place for all in an emer- gency. From retirees to those just starting out, employ- ees to business owners, children and families; education touches everyone and strengthens the fi ber and opportu- nity of our community.” PHOTOS BY R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL Seniors Kara Ipson, Lizzy Barnes and Emma Dutcher were among student leaders to advocate for a new school campus. Students played a key role in helping in the bond’s passage. The bond came three years after a failed $128.8 mil- lion dollar plan. The scaled-back proposal eliminated an auditorium, covered bleachers, long-term emergency shelters and a varsity playing fi eld. The bond equates to about $1.35 per thousand, a 37.5 percent total reduction in cost from the previous bond. A home with an assessed value of $200,000 would see a tax hike of about $270 and a $400,000 home about $540. Advocates of the proposal, including Vote Yes For Our Local Schools, presented a sustained campaign to promote the bond, which, they said, was necessary not only for the safety of the students but because of the condition of the schools. Gearhart Elementary School, Broadway Middle School and Seaside High School were built with an expected life span of 45 to 50 years. Each has been used beyond that span. Dougherty de- scribed the schools as unsafe, deteriorating and “very ineffi cient. With a land gift of 80 acres from Weyerhaeuser Co. in the East Hills, along with favorable interest rates and a likelihood of limited matching funds from the state, pro- ponents said “this was the best time” to pass the bond. “I couldn’t be more proud of our community for step- ping forward and making a truly historic decision that will improve the lives of children and families for gen- erations to come,” Dougherty added. Seaside Signal/Cannon Beach Gazette • 17
