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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2018)
May 11, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A AMBASSADORS OF THE SEA History series hosts aquarium’s Keith Chandler SECURITY By Rebecca Herren Seaside Signal Built in 1924, Arthur and Lillian Viggers opened Sea- side Baths and Natatorium on Aug. 31 — three blocks north of the turnaround — to com- pete with the already-in-busi- ness Oates Natatorium on the Prom at Broadway. The saltwater swimming pool was filled with filtered water drawn directly from the ocean and a children’s wading pool was at the entrance. One attraction was a large foun- tain in the shallow end of the main pool where multiple peo- ple could sit or stand, Seaside Aquarium general manager Keith Chandler. Unfortunately, the natato- rium didn’t survive the Great Depression and closed in 1931. It sat vacant for several years until a few investors, including George and Greta Smith, who managed the Depot Bay Aquar- ium, decided that Seaside was a good location for an aquarium. Chandler, who has been with the aquarium since 1979, spoke at the April 26 History and Hops event presented by the Seaside Museum and Historical Society, held at Seaside Brewing Co. On the upper level of the building was an outdoor balcony view- ing area to watch people swim. The aquarium By happenstance, the Smiths and investors came upon the vacant, yet promis- ing-looking structure of the natatorium, Chandler said. The building was already piped and plumbed, and with a few renovations, the Seaside Aquarium took shape. A floor was built over the main pool, the children’s pool became the new seal tank, fish tanks were installed and the fountain was repurposed into a hexagonal fish tank in the cen- ter of the room. The aquarium opened May 25, 1937. The viewing balcony was soon re- moved to make room for the Sea Water Apartments, which opened in 1938 and remained popular rentals until 1970. The rooms are now used for stor- age and consumes any item Chandler can’t throw away. Since its first renovation in 503-738-9003 LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Residential & Commercial: Burglary & Fire Protection, Video Surveillance, Central Station Monitoring, Remote Arm/Disarm LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED Seaside, Oregon • www.CoastalAlarm.net • info@CoastalAlarm.net CCB# 201010 • Reg.# 977689-99 SEASIDE AQUARIUM FLOORING Casey, born May 25, 2014, is the youngest seal born at the Seaside Aquarium. CCB# 205283 SEASIDE AQUARIUM A circa 1924 photo of the Seaside Baths and Natatorium. 1937, the aquarium has gone through two more. In 1976, the building was resided. The apart- ment windows were removed and covered up due to constant leakage from the rain, and “to make the building structurally sound,” Chandler said. Another residing was done in 2001 and new windows were installed to give the building “the same look” as when it was first built. When the aquarium acquired the 36-foot gray whale skeleton from Fort Stevens in 1998, an alcove was built onto the south side of the building, extending out over the original sidewalk. In 2013, the aquarium added a display featuring the skeletons of a harbor seal and a harbor porpoise. That same year saw the remodel of the Discovery Center; expanding the touch tank area to allow for more space and above tank viewing, which Chandler be- lieves people get more from when they visit. “It adds a dif- ferent perspective when you look into a tank from above.” The residents The aquarium’s proximity to the ocean and its abundance of marine life has helped fill its tanks with a variety of fish, sea anemones, star fish and an octopus or two. The aquarium has also been a place of refuge for injured or beached mammals and birds. In 1967, it took in a beluga whale, one of three in transit to Port- land. Two died before arriving in Seaside and the third lived only a short while. In 1988, the aquarium received its first Orca whale from Sea World. The staff named it Feiko (pro- nounced Fake-o) because it was made of fiberglass. Feiko can be seen hanging above the ticket booth. In addition to the touch and viewing tanks, the aquarium’s main attraction is its harbor seals. Known worldwide for its successful breeding program, the aquarium was the first to breed harbor seals in captivity and currently has 11 in house — all born at the aquarium. Tubby, Jr. was the first successful birth born in 1952. Casey, the young- est, was born on the aquarium’s 77th anniversary May 25, 2014. The famed harbor seals have always been a source of global news, whether in print or on television. In the days before Facebook and Twitter, there was Paul Harvey, a well- known radio broadcaster who reported on the newsworthy activities at the aquarium. One such bit of news that caught Harvey’s attention was the abduction of Victor the lobster. Donated by Safeway, the lobster was stolen in 1994. When the thief saw Chandler chasing him, he dropped the lobster and took off. With a broken shell, the lobster died a few days later. Since the tragic incident involving Victor, the aquar- ium created an interpretive center. Staffed full time during operating hours, someone is always available to educate, provide lessons and answer questions about the aquarium, its inhabitants, and the beach. Ambassadors Chandler and his staff con- tinue the aquarium’s ambassa- dorship for education through public awareness programs and partnerships such as: • Seaside Beach Discover Program • Marine Mammal Strand- ing Network • A drop-off hub for the Wildlife Center of the North Coast • Friends with Friends of Haystack Rock • Discovery cards Program “We started the Discovery Cards to explain the different events people had questions about on the beach,” Chandler explained. The first card creat- ed was about diatoms and now includes 25 cards. 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DAY Teevin & Fischer quarry changes hands A $5 million deal By Edward Stratton The Daily Astorian The Teevin & Fischer Quarry in Seaside has been sold to North Dakota-based Knife River Corp. for $5 mil- lion. “We are excited to ex- pand into the Northwest Ore- gon market and are happy to welcome Teevin & Fischer to Knife River,” David C. Bar- ney, Knife River’s president and CEO, said in a release. “We have extensive operations in Oregon, and this acquisition is a great strategic fit for us. It also signals that Knife River is in growth mode. Our compa- ny was built on strategic ac- quisitions, and we are looking forward to completing more deals in the right markets.” Knife River, one of the largest construction material producers in the United States, THE DAILY ASTORIAN The 45-acre quarry south of Seaside has been sold to Knife River Corp. is a subsidiary of publicly traded MDU Resources Group Inc., based in North Dakota. The company has numerous locations throughout Oregon, including nearly 10 other quarries. Local timber and mining magnate Shawn Teevin and Scappoose-based construction contractor Thomas Fischer purchased the quarry from Howard E. Johnson & Sons Construction Co. in 2006 for $1.6 million. The quarry em- ploys more than 10 people and provides crushed rock and other construction aggregates to regional contractors and the state Department of Transpor- tation, along with retail land- scaping materials. The quarry recently provided more than $2 million worth of rock for the new Walmart in Warren- ton. Teevin Bros. still owns a quarry along U.S. Highway 30 near the Bradley Hill over- look. The Seaside School District will need between 50,000 and 80,000 cubic yards of gravel for its new $100 million, K-12 campus, said Jim Henry, the school district’s project man- ager. Bidding opened Thurs- day, April 26. Knife River spokesman Tony Spilde said the acqui- sition, completed Friday, has been in the works for several months and was not based on a specific project. Knife River intends to rehire the existing employees, he said. “It’s a good strategic fit for us,” Spilde said of the quarry. “This is a long-term deal.” F REE E STIMATES (503) 338-5780 Warrenton, Oregon Licensed Bonded Insured CCB# 214256 WA#QUALITR831PO CONSTRUCTION Randall Lee’s 0% FINANCING AVAILABLE Window Treatments, Fabric, Designer Wallpaper, Visit Our Counter Tops, All Flooring and Miele Vacuums Outlet! 2311 N. Roosevelt Dr., Seaside, OR 97138 • 503-738-5729 rlflooring @ yahoo.com • www.RandallLeesFlooring.com Randall Lee’s Flooring Outlet • 3579 Hwy 101 Gearhart • 503-738-6756 Warehouse pricing • Open to the Public • Hundreds of instock rolls & remnants • In House Binding TIRES/WHEELS D EL ’S O .K . D EL ’S O .K . is changing its name to Same great service YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR TIRES CUSTOM WHEELS • AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES ‘Flock’ event includes educational events, scenic rides Flock from Page 1A raising the visibility of wom- en motorcyclists while em- powering them in a classically male-dominated sport. About 100 women rode into Seaside over the weekend from all over the West Coast to attend a variety of educational classes, panels and scenic rides around the Oregon Coast. While the origin of the group name is based on Hay- stack Rock in Cannon Beach, event organizer and Glob- al Moto Adventure founder Ruth Belcher decided to move the event to the Seaside Con- BRENNA VISSER/SEASIDE SIGNAL Pat Jacques teaches conference attendees dirt biking tech- niques at “Flock to the Rock.” vention Center due to a lack of affordable space to rent in Cannon Beach, as well as to accommodate more activities and a larger crowd. “We wanted to up-level the experience from last year,” Belcher said. “We wanted to extend it, make the conference more inclusive. Education is essential to our attendees.” One of those new panels followed a project Belcher herself was a part of called “Chickastan,” where 12 wom- en from across the world came together tour through Pakistan. The trip was inspired by Liza Miller, a friend of Belcher’s, after Miller interviewed Moin Kahn on her podcast “Motor- cycles and Misfits.” Kahn, a motorcyclist himself, was dis- heartened with how his home country of Pakistan was being represented in American me- dia. So in response, Miller de- cided to gather a group of mo- torcycling friends to see it for themselves, connect with other female riders in Pakistan and film their journey to make a documentary that would por- tray a different narrative. “We’re trying to change perception one rider at a time. Honestly, most of us felt safer there than we do here,” Miller said. Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6 Sat- 8-4 503-325-2861 35359 Business Hwy 101 For emergencies 503-325-0233 Astoria, OR (miles crossing) ADVERTISING YOUR AD HERE! Our Business Directory is an inexpensive way for your business to advertise with us! ONLY $ 25 APRIL OLSEN Call 503-325-3211 to discuss new and exicting ways to promote your business on the North Coast