SEASIDESIGNAL.COM • COMPLIMENTARY COPY
OUR 112th YEAR • January 5, 2018
Centennial celebration for Gearhart
A BIRTHDAY BASH
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
O
Sunset Empire Park
and Rec District weighs
charge on new housing
nce known as “The Town of Clatsop,” the city of Gearhart
won incorporation in 1918. With 100 years passed, Gearhart is
revving up for recognition of the landmark date.
In 1917, the local residents who worked
at the hotels, the train station, and in other
capacities decided they wanted a residen-
tial community to call their own, Mayor
Matt Brown said. “They wanted the town
to reflect the views of the families who
lived here year round and decided to form
the city of Gearhart.”
The city’s 100th anniversary committee
plans to center the celebration around four
special events for next year, birthday cele-
bration event chairwoman Melissa Eddy
said. A traditional birthday party on Jan. 28
will include speakers providing tales of days
gone by. “The variety of stories planned will
be an entertaining combination of education-
al, fascinating and humorous,” Eddy said.
A special edition of the Gearhart Fire-
man’s Ball on Memorial Day weekend will
be followed by a centennial Fourth of July
parade. A formal event in September will
cap off the celebration.
By R.J. Marx
Commemorative pin
honoring Gearhart’s
100th year.
Gearhart’s Grand Hotel,
a draw for high society.
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Boone announces plan to step down
State House
Democrat will
retire in 2019
By R.J. Marx and Edward Stratton
Seaside Signal
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
State Rep. Deborah Boone, a
Democrat who has represented the
North Coast in Salem for 14 years,
will not run for re-election.
Boone announced Tuesday she
will retire from House District 32
when her seventh two-year term
ends in January 2019. Her deci-
sion comes after the death of her
husband, Bill Boone, a contractor
and firefighter, in November.
“The past two years have been
very difficult for me as I became
a full-time caretaker for my hus-
band who was fighting brain can-
cer,” Boone said in a statement.
Boone, who lives in Hamlet, is
known for her advocacy of emer-
gency preparedness, the environ-
ment and economic development.
“The safety of our citizens, and
vibrancy of our communities has
been an uppermost concern and
led to the introduction of House
Resolution 3, the Oregon Resil-
ience Plan, and follow-up legis-
lation to implement the plan,” she
said. “This legislation is vital to
ensuring the safety of our people
and the survival of our communi-
ties following disasters.”
In November 2016, Boone won
a seventh term in the state House,
defeating Republican challenger
Bruce Bobek, a physician at Co-
lumbia Memorial Hospital. House
District 32 covers all of Clatsop,
most of Tillamook and a western
portion of Washington counties.
Boone was first elected the
district’s representative in 2004,
replacing Elaine Hopson. She had
previously served 16 years as a
legislative assistant to seven dif-
ferent legislators, as well as on the
A boon to
parks or
a blow to
housing?
Clatsop County Board of Com-
missioners.
In her retirement announce-
ment, Boone pointed to accom-
plishments in ocean policy and
fisheries issues, along with seis-
mic safety and economic devel-
opment.
“It has been an honor to have
assisted hundreds of constituents
over the years and to have worked
collaboratively with colleagues
on both sides of the aisle on thou-
sands of pieces of legislation,”
Boone said. “I would like to thank
the citizens of my district for the
See Boone, Page 5A
Seaside Signal
The Sunset Empire Park and Recreation
district faces some big expenses in years to
come, with a potential new building, facil-
ities and expansion. In May, Executive Di-
rector Skyler Archibald pointed to a need
for more indoor recreation space for fitness
participants and youth programs.
A potential funding mechanism may be
available, imposing system development
charges on new construction.
“It would be a smart fiscal move,” said
board member Mike Hinton, who brought
the matter to the agenda at the district’s
Dec. 19 meeting. “It takes a while to build
up any kind of capital in this way, but it’s
another tool in our toolbox when we come
down to financial questions of how do we
do an expansion, how do we build a gym?
This is one thing we can do.”
The question of putting new system de-
velopment charges in place first came be-
fore the district board as a discussion topic
in July with a presentation from consultant
John Ghilarducci, principal of FCS Group,
a financial consulting firm based in Seattle.
The charges are one-time fees for new
construction, remodels or redeveloped
construction to help pay for existing and
planned infrastructure to serve the devel-
opment. State law authorizes local gov-
ernments to assess system development
charges and specifies how, when, and for
what improvements they can be imposed.
Charges collected may not be used for re-
pairs or maintenance, but may be used for
new facilities or to expand the parks base.
“What the district needs to decide is
if we want to pursue this right now,” Ar-
chibald said.
The board should consider a consultant
like FCS group to “make sure all the box-
es are checked” before implementing new
charges, Archibald added, estimating it
would cost between $10,000 and $15,000
to finance a study.
Board president Alan Evans sees a po-
tential impact on efforts to provide afford-
able housing if developers pass charges to
home buyers, he said.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t listen — but
I would want to hear a little more,” Evans
said.
Hinton agreed to the need for affordable
housing, but said the district needs to get on
board with a plan.
“It doesn’t have to happen in such a way
to discourage affordable housing,” he said.
Board member Jeremy Mills asked for a
comparison of charges by cities with simi-
lar demographics to Seaside’s.
“I’m on board if it pans out or makes
sense, but I don’t want to spend money if it
doesn’t bear fruit,” Mills said. “We do need
to continue to grow in a responsible fiducia-
ry manner.”
The board agreed to proceed with further
analysis and discussion.
After Felix, how to keep your dog safe on the trails
Dog owners
reminded to
keep pets on
leashes
By Brenna Visser
Seaside Signal
HAMLET VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Drone footage of Felix as he is trapped on the mountain.
The fear associated with a
pet gone missing is a feeling
most owners never want to
experience.
Felix, a 2-year-old border
collie, made headlines after he
went missing around 3 p.m.
Christmas day while on a hike
with his owner, Sarah Strem-
ming, in Ecola State Park. He
was rescued unharmed from
a precipice 60 feet from the
crest of the Clatsop Loop trail
by the Seaside rope and res-
cue team.
Thousands of visitors and
locals bring their dogs on trails
like the ones in Ecola State
Park each year. Since Felix’s
rescue, many Daily Astorian
readers have asked why he was
not leashed. Others are con-
cerned with the risks taken by
first responders, as well as the
resources the rescue required.
So what can owners do to
keep their dogs out of this sit-
uation?
“I know people hate to
keep their dogs on a leash. But
there’s a reason we ask, and a
worst-case scenario can hap-
pen when they aren’t,” said
Richard Walkoski of Oregon
State Parks. “I would hate to
see someone have a part of
their family not with them be-
cause of it.”
Oregon State Parks re-
quires dogs be physically
restrained while hiking on
trails, unless the area is spe-
cifically designated as off-
leash. That means an owner
must be holding them, hold-
ing onto their collar, or have
them on a leash no longer
than six feet.
Aside from getting lost,
leashing dogs also prevents
them from tangling with wild
animals or other people’s
pets, getting lost, ransacking
campground garbage, damag-
ing plant life or being hit by a
car, Walkoski said.
While situations like this
are rare, staff offer many off-
leash warnings throughout all
of the state parks, and after
multiple warnings can issue a
fine of at least $110, Walkoski
said.
See Dogs, Page 2A