Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2018)
HIGH TIDES Tillamook Lighthouse from Ecola Point. See additional story and photo on page 2. NEAL MAINE/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL SEASIDESIGNAL.COM OUR 112th YEAR • February 2, 2018 Happy birthday to Gearhart! Celebrants fill firehouse By R.J. Marx DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham points to a donated plaque in memory of fallen Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding. Seaside Signal PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE Cries of “happy birthday” rang out as hundreds of resi- dents old and young filled the firehouse Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of Gearhart. The former town of Clatsop formally incorporated in 1918 after a vote. Bill Berg, the author of “Gearhart Remembered: An Informal History,” published in 1990, stood by a Victrola play- ing fox trots and tangos as visi- tors entered the ample fire hall. “This is the birthday of the city of Gearhart,” Berg said. “This is a birthday for peo- ple, not historic landmarks. It marks the moment we gained control of our own destiny as a city. … We became an autono- mous entity.” The 79-year-old Berg cel- ebrated his first birthday in Gearhart as a seasonal resident before moving here full time 45 years ago. Berg told the audience that of the many contentious issues that have divided the city over the years, none was more bit- terly fought than when Gear- hart joined the Seaside School District in 1959. Berg shared the micro- phone with 95-year-old Bob McEwan. McEwan recalled days when he worked for the opulent Gearhart Hotel, the destination location owned by the Meier & Frank department store chain. Memorial tribute to fallen officer Goodding was killed in line of duty By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal R.J. MARX ABOVE: Gearhart historian Bill Berg interviews Bob McE- wan, 95. LEFT: A cake by the Gearhart Homeowners Association pro- vided a delicious dessert. EVE MARX Jon Blissett, at 80, Gear- hart’s oldest firefighter, re- membered the days he ran a Chevron station on the corner of Pacific Way. The station closed in 1992. Nearby, a slideshow spun images of historic buildings and scenes. Visitors sipped prosecco as volunteers from the Gearhart Homeowners’ Association did a brisk business in member- ships and sweatshirts. Mayor Matt Brown was one of three mayors to attend the festivities. Former mayors Kent Smith and Dianne Wid- dop were also in attendance. “It means a lot for the whole community,” Brown said. “It’s great to see everybody cel- ebrating, unifying from the whole community. It’s really about the people of the last 100 years who have made this place special.” Survival tools for area’s homeless Nonprofit, community groups share services, information By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal R.J. MARX Vicki Howe provides a haircut for a visitor at Project Homeless Connect at the convention center. Many of the things people take for granted every day — clean clothes, a toothbrush, a pair of glasses — are out of reach for the homeless. Project Homeless Connect, a one-day event to provide services to the homeless and near-homeless, came Tues- day to Seaside. More than 40 nonprofit, governmental and faith-based agencies filled the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. Visitors could receive medical screenings, hearing tests, eye exams, immuniza- tions, haircuts, personal care items, clothing vouchers and a hot meal. Alan Evans of Helping Hands Re-entry Outreach Center distributed a basic toiletry kit, with tissue, tooth- paste, soap and more. “We give people a nice little pack- et,” Evans said. “We want to make sure they have the ne- cessities to stay clean and stay warm.” Last year, Helping Hands distributed about 400 kits. Tuesday they expected at least that many. “It’s been a steady flow since we opened the door, and it’s only been an hour,” Evans said. Sarah Mitchell and Mi- chael McNickle of the Clatsop County Department of Public See Homeless, Page 7A Seaside police will observe the second anniversary of the shooting of Sgt. Jason Goodding with a public memorial Feb. 5 at Seaside Police Department headquarters. Goodding, 39, was shot in the line of duty after serving a felony warrant on Phillip Max Ferry on Feb. 5, 2016. Fellow officer David Davidson returned the fire, resulting in Ferry’s death. The public remembrance and candle- lighting will be conducted in the police de- partment’s parking lot, 1091 S. Holladay, at 6:30 p.m. rain or shine, Police Chief Dave Ham said. After the ceremony, the depart- ment hallway will be opened to the public to view tributes to Goodding, who was a 13-year Seaside police veteran. Goodding’s death brought an outpouring of support from around the globe. In May, Goodding’s name was added to the Fallen Law Enforcement Officers’ Me- morial at the Oregon Public Safety Acade- my in Salem. He was the 183rd Oregon law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty since the 1800s. Goodding is survived by his wife, Amy, and his two daughters, Joslyn and Jayden. “Time tends to heal,” Ham said. “It’s not that I don’t remember my friend every sin- gle day — I do. But I think the main remem- brance that I have of Jason is the friendship he provided me personally, the camaraderie professionally, the way that he went about his business and the way he treated people. Still to this day I think that’s something to be commended and something for me to try to mirror. His memory is going to continue throughout the community.” DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP At last year’s first anniversary, Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham looks at a wall full of gifts from the community in remem- brance of fallen Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding.