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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2017)
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM • COMPLIMENTARY COPY OUR 111th YEAR • September 1, 2017 Seaside approves urban renewal plan Some racers walk, don’t run in Hood to Coast Relay CROSSING THE FINISH LINE Forestland eliminated from proposal By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal City councilors unanimously adopted the Southeast Seaside Urban Renewal Plan on Monday, with one important change — the elimination of 33 acres of Weyerhae- user-owned forestland from the 560-acre project. “We heard concerns about the particular piece of land that is included in the plan that is not in the city property and not in the ur- ban growth boundary,” City Councilor Tita Montero said. “When all is said and done, I think the right thing to do is diminish the boundar- ies and reduce the size of the urban renewal district by removing the forest land outside the city limits.” The Weyerhaeuser property had been considered a way to provide additional in- frastructure — water, sewer lines and roads — to the Seaside School District’s new campus, City Manager Mark Winstanley said. “That was the thought behind putting that piece of property in — it gave more op- tions to the agency.” Revenues fund improvements Urban renewal is a fi nancing program authorized under state law and implemented locally, allowing the use of property tax rev- enues from city and regional taxing districts to grow the economy in blighted or under- developed areas. Funding comes through increases in as- sessed values of local properties. As new development arrives and exist- ing properties are improved, assessments rise and see property tax increases. Property taxes on the growth in assessed value in the urban renewal area are frozen and increas- es are allocated to the city’s urban renewal agency and not the taxing districts. The urban renewal plan sets a limit on the amount of money which can be used to fund projects, with a maximum indebted- ness of $68.5 million. The plan has a dura- tion of 25 years. City data indicated the prior urban renew- al area’s assessed value grew at 5 percent annually from 2008 to 20 14, even during the recession, consultant Elaine Howard wrote in a report Monday . The city’s past urban renewal programs helped provide fi nancing for The Turn- around and Prom, the city’s sewage plant, 12th Avenue improvements and construc- tion of a new library. The urban renewal district could provide up to $45 million in funds for improvements to four bridges vulnerable to tsunamis, on Avenue A, G, S and U. Other projects could bring street and infrastructure improvements to the city’s south end, business assistance, property acquisition and workforce housing. Relay raises $700,000 for Providence hospitals By Brenna Visser Seaside Signal A fter two years of cloud cover and windy woes, Seaside welcomed 19,000 runners and walkers from the 36th annual Hood to Coast R elay with a clear and sunny day. Runners came from all 50 states and 43 countries Saturday to compete in the race that spans from Timberline Lodge to Seaside’s P romenade, covering 199 miles and raising $700,000 for Providence hospitals, Chief Op- erating Offi cer Dan Floyd said. After the race, thousands celebrated on the beach with beer, pop-up food stands and musi- cal performances from Radical Revolution and the Brian O’Dell Band until the sun set over the horizon. While Hood to Coast is known for featuring world-class athletes capable of Olympic-style race times, a chunk of the money raised for cancer research comes from groups like “You walkin’ to me?” — one of the 400 race walking teams who participate in the Portland To Coast Walk Relay portion of the event. See HTC, Page 10A JEFF TER HAR/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL A little splash of water needed at Hood to Coast. Sunny skies provided a backdrop for the 2017 Hood to Coast. JEFF TER HAR/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE See Renewal, Page 6A A love for wolves Divided council Author Beckie Elgin chronicles approves resolution wolf’s trek across the landscape By Rebecca Herren For Seaside Signal REBECCA HERREN/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL A fan receives her signed copy of “Journey: The Amazing Story of OR-7, the Oregon Wolf that Made History” by author Beckie Elgin at the author reading at the Seaside Public Library. The wolf called OR-7 (aka Journey) is known for his three-year, 4,000-mile trek across Oregon into Cal- ifornia to fi nd a mate. Since OR-7 was 10 months old when collared, scientists were able to document his range, and as his popularity grew, people worldwide followed his arduous journey. Medford author Beckie Elgin discussed his journey and her new book “Jour- ney: The Amazing Story of OR-7, the Oregon Wolf that Made History” during her presentation on Aug. 12 at the Seaside Public Library. Elgin’s interest in wolves began at age 12 in Des Moines, Iowa. Her father was a zoo director there and Elgin helped care for a variety of animals, including wolves. Her love for wolves never changed; however, life eventually took over. Elgin worked as a nurse and See Wolves, Page 8A Supporters disappointed by lack of unanimity By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal The City Council endorsed an inclusivity resolution Mon- day night recognizing the contributions of immigrants, but resistance by two coun- cilors led to an uneasy feeling among some in the Hispanic community . While a majority support- ed the resolution in a 5-2 vote, City Councilor Seth Morrisey said it was ambiguous and in- tentionally vague. Councilor Randy Frank called it political and unnec- essary. “I don’t understand why we have a resolution for this,” Frank said. “I’ve lived here 52 years. I went to school here. I don’t know of anybody being excluded on any basis. … I do know these inclusivity move- ments are part of a political alignment and this is what I object to.” Minerva Moulin, of La Voz de la Comunidad, an advisory committee to the Lower Co- lumbia Hispanic Council, said she was happy Seaside passed the inclusivity resolution, but would have been happier had See Council, Page 6A