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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2018)
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM OUR 112th YEAR • April 13, 2018 NATURE’S SCULPTURES In between storms, blue skies and sunshine illuminated nature’s driftwood sculptures. R.J. MARX Elk culling Bond likely for new rec center an option for public safety Plan holds at least $15 million price tag By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal New pilot program offers a pathway By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE A new state pilot program intended to control the urban deer population could help cities like Gearhart cull the elk herds that roam the North Coast. Cities that declare deer a public nuisance can petition the state Department of Fish and Wildlife for help to re- duce population levels start- ing next January. “It’s not specifically about elk,” Doug Cottam, the state wildlife division administra- tor, said at a Gearhart City Council meeting Wednesday, April 4. “It lays out a very good pathway for a communi- ty like this when considering something as controversial as lethally removing animals from an urban area.” The state has to adopt rules for how deer would be tak- en, but the law that created the pilot program specifies that darts or lethal injection are prohibited. Any deer har- vested would be shared to the extent feasible with local food banks or other charities. JOHN DUDLEY The Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District is readying a $15 million to $18 million bond proposal to go before voters. “Our timeline is for a No- vember election,” Skyler Ar- chibald, executive director of the district, said Monday at a board workshop. “We still have several months — but we do ourselves a disservice if we wait too long to gath- er community input, answer questions that might come, SEPRD Sunset Pool facility on Broadway in Seaside. and also hopefully develop a group that can generate a lot of support.” The district’s board of directors met to determine whether to bring an expan- sion plan to the ballot, and if so, how to finance it. If placed on the ballot, the bond would be voted on by residents of the independent taxing district, who include most residents in the Seaside School District, excluding Cannon Beach and Gearhart. Last May, district board members discussed the pos- sibility of expansion, either funded through a bond or system development charges — the fees paid by builders to the city for essential infra- structure. Over the past three years, the district has invest- ed about $60,000 to consul- tants for building expansion. The district’s base expan- sion plan would add a second level to the aquatic facility on Broadway in Seaside. The plan would create a new en- trance, more efficient office layout and a gym. Two preschool rooms, an administrative office, lobby expansion, party room and storage would also be includ- ed. See Bond, Page 6A Gearhart and other cities are concerned about elk. “In this case, it’s designed to have the cities have their own agents kill the deer in their own way or manner to have the deer salvaged for charity so they don’t go to waste,” Cottam said. City Attorney Peter Watts said the pilot program could be an “advocacy opportunity” for opponents or proponents of culling elk. Department of Fish and Wildlife officials came to Gearhart last week at the city’s request amid growing concerns about elk. “We want to get as much specific information as possi- ble to continue to educate and mitigate some of these safety See Elk, Page 7A Jon Rahl named assistant city manager Rahl to report to Mark Winstanley By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal The city of Seaside named Jon Rahl as the city’s assis- tant city manager, antici- pated to begin in July. The announcement came Friday, April 6, and was officially presented to the City Council at Monday’s meeting. Rahl will work with City Manager Mark Winstanley. “I’m extremely excited about the new opportunity and challenge this position Jon Rahl offers,” Rahl said Monday. “It’s been a privilege and pleasure to serve in the tour- ism capacity for nearly eight years. I’m grateful for the trust the city and community has placed in me and I look forward to getting started.” The job contains elements of human resources, finance and “everything that has to take place,” Winstanley said. “Jon now is responsible for all those things, but reports to me.” Rahl was named director of tourism and marketing for the Seaside Visitors Bureau in 2010. He moved to the position of assistant general manager of the visitors bu- reau and the Civic and Con- vention Center in 2013. He has served as the city’s public information officer since that time. He will continue to serve in that role, Winstanley said. Once a replacement is named as tourist director, Rahl will assume his new post at City Hall. The job was posted this week and Winstanley said he hoped the position would be filled by June. Prior to joining the city, Rahl worked for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a graduate of the University of Utah with a bachelor of science degree. Rahl is married with two children and enjoys coaching youth baseball, playing golf, softball and traveling. From Sedona to Seaside, acupuncturist offers services Acupuncturist opens clinic in downtown Seaside By Eve Marx For Seaside Signal :EVE MARX Acupuncturist Katharine Stewart. Suffering from allergy, mi- graines, eczema, PMS, sciatica, carpel tunnel, fibromyalgia? These common complaints, among oth- ers, can be effectively and pain- lessly treated by the ancient Chi- nese medicine technique known as acupuncture. Katharine Stewart is a graduate from the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine and Acupunc- ture. A founding faculty member at the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, the first accredited acupuncture college in Arizona, and a professor of Chi- nese medicine, Stewart served as clinic dean, acupuncture chair, and clinical supervisor. After years of private practice in Sedona, Stew- art recently relocated to Seaside to open her new business, Ancient Health And Healing on North Hol- laday Drive. “I missed the coast and wanted to come back to it,” Stewart said. A California native, she said that after being so long in Arizona, she had tired of the desert. Acupuncture is a modality of Eastern medicine. Although indi- vidual practitioners may use a vari- ety styles and techniques, acupunc- ture mostly consists of inserting fine needles into the body at specif- ic points. These points, called acu- points — and there are over 1,000 of them — have been mapped by the Chinese for 2,000 years. How acupuncture works is actu- ally a bit mysterious. “Traditional acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese theo- ries,” Stewart said. “It’s based on the flow of qi, a fine, essential sub- stance which nourishes and con- structs the body through distinct channels, somewhat like nerves and blood vessels.” According to these theories, acupuncture adjusts the flow of qi, leading it to areas where it is insufficient, and drain- ing it from areas where it’s stuck or superabundant. “Acupuncture restores the harmonious balance of the body and its parts,” Stewart said. “In Chinese, there is a saying, ‘If there is pain, there is no free flow; if there free flow there is no pain.’ Acupuncture promotes and reestablishes qi’s free flow.” Although Stewart offers clients private sessions, one of the goals for her clinic is group acupuncture. See Stewart, Page 7A