6A • June 8, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Downtown Development Association scales back
Dailey served
since 2016
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
The Seaside Downtown
Development Association an-
nounced a “heart-wrenching
decision” May 24, eliminating
the role of its executive direc-
tor and moving from offices
on North Holladay Drive.
Further program or event
cuts may follow for the non-
profit in its 25th year repre-
senting businesses and mer-
chants.
“We’re trying to figure out
what our path is to future sus-
tainability, to make sure we
have enough money adminis-
tratively to continue on,” said
Darren Gooch, the board pres-
ident. “We really want this or-
ganization to be viable for at
least another 25-plus years.”
Program
sponsorships
R.J. MARX
Seaside Downtown Development Association board president Darren Gooch and board
member Kristin Talamantez at Thursday’s announcement of cutbacks at the association.
have dropped steadily over
the past decade, never fully
recovering since the Great
Recession, he said.
“That puts us in a situation
now we’re relying on spon-
sorships for future events to
cover operational costs, and
that’s a place we don’t want to
get to,” he said.
The executive director’s
position has been held by
Sarah Dailey since spring
of 2016, when she took over
from Tita Montero. Dailey
had served as the associa-
tion’s administrative assistant
and interim director before
taking the helm.
The association will not
renew its lease at the office at
39 North Holladay Drive and
will share space with board
member Jeremy Mills of State
Farm Insurance in Seaside,
Gooch said.
Volunteers will step up
to handle scheduled events,
Gooch added. Other duties
will be split up among board
members. Part-time staffer
Celeste Kenneally will re-
main.
The association launched
in 1993 to promote interests
of the downtown core with
beautification and lighting.
Annual events include
spring and fall car shows,
downtown wine walks, a
charity golf dinner and Hal-
loween Happenin’s. The asso-
ciation also helps sponsor the
Shop Seaside program.
“We can only do and
bear so much,” Gooch said.
“We’ve grown those events
over the years. Every time
you add another event, you
increase your administrative
needs for those events.”
The association’s best-case
scenario would be to keep a
number of events, maintain
part-time staff and eventual-
ly move up to a model with
a leadership position, Gooch
said.
At the end of summer, the
board will hold work ses-
sions to reconsider the events
schedule, Gooch told associa-
tion members.
“But we don’t want to
make those decisions without
input from our membership,”
he said. “You guys are really
the lifeblood of this organiza-
tion and we want your feed-
back and input.”
Ham radio outreach
and field day coming
Sunset Empire Amateur
Radio Club and the city of
Gearhart present an emergen-
cy communications outreach
and field day event from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June
23, at the corner of Pacific
Way and Marion Avenue in
Gearhart.
Every attendee will have
a chance to talk on the radio
to other local and foreign am-
ateur radio operators, see op-
erational displays of different
types of emergency radio
gear and participate in events
emphasizing family and per-
sonal preparedness.
Attendees can try their
hand at tapping out their
names in Morse code. Chil-
dren will also have fun with
the Morse code scavenger
hunt.
Sponsors include the
Clatsop County Emergency
Management Division, the
Astoria Lions Club, Ham Ra-
dio Outlet, and many others.
For more information,
contact Dana Gandy at 971-
601-0283.
JOIN THE PARADE!
R.J. MARX
Jason Stegner, Russ Vandenberg, Steve Wright, Jay Barber, Randy Frank, Tita Montero, Patrick Duhachek and Tim Tolan pre-
pare to put shovels to the ground at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center.
Officials mark start of renovation
Launch from Page 1A
City councilors responded,
unanimously approving a hike
in the city’s lodging tax from
8 to 10 percent to pay for the
$15 million in 30-year bonds
for upgrades. Overall, the new
project adds about 10,000
square feet to the existing
facility, for a total of 55,000
square feet, an increase of
nearly 19 percent.
The ballroom and meet-
ing rooms will be expanded;
restrooms and staircases relo-
cated. Carpeting and lighting
will be replaced throughout.
A two-story addition on the
east side of the building will
overlook Broadway and the
Necanicum River.
Under Monday’s cloud-
less sky, members of the City
Council and the key players
of the design and construc-
tion team — including Keely
O’Brien of O’Brien and
Co. Construction in Cannon
Beach, project manager Jason
Stegner of Klosh Group LLC
and Michael Schmidt of Port-
land’s Holst Architecture —
marked the official launch of
the 15-month project.
A steady thump-thump ac-
companied the ceremony, as
crews were already at work
ripping out concrete on the
east side of the building. Bar-
ber, city councilors and build-
ing officials leaned into their
shovels as camera shutters
clicked and dirt flew.
“The city fathers showed
great wisdom in coming up
with this idea 40 years ago,”
Barber said. “It has become
the engine that has driven the
economy through the winter
months and year-round.”
FILE PHOTO
Seaside’s annual Fourth of July Parade brings out the
crowds. Sign up now to participate in this year’s event.
R.J. MARX
Convention center general
manager Russ Vandenberg
looks on as Mayor Jay Barber
addresses the audience.
Heineman may begin work this summer
Heineman from Page 1A
Heineman was selected
following interviews and a
community meet and greet
this past Wednesday that
brought three finalists from
Oregon and one from Florida.
Heineman was chosen
among four candidates.
After college, candidate
Josh Heineman worked in
communications at a San
Francisco law school. He re-
turned to Portland four years
ago, where he now works s a
community marketing manag-
er for 52 Limited in Portland.
At a city meet-and-greet
Wednesday, he described
himself as “strongest when
creating content and shaping
communication.”
Heineman is married with
three young children.
In addition to handling the
duties of leisure marketing
and advertising for Seaside,
Heineman will oversee the
Visitors Bureau’s Information
Center and a staff of two full-
time information specialists,
a part-time specialist and two
volunteers. The Visitors Bureau
shares office space with the Sea-
side Chamber of Commerce.
Heineman is expected to
begin work the final week of
June or first week of July.
Rahl, the city’s director of
tourism marketing for the past
eight years, is moving to city
hall on July 1 to become Sea-
side’s assistant city manager.
Follow the ride on Twit-
ter, @Brentleebundy1.
New York. In his travels, he’s
established a lot of friendships,
he said. “I don’t do it to raise
money, I do it to raise aware-
ness,” he said.
Follow the ride on Twitter,
@Brentleebundy1.
Registration for Sea-
side’s annual Fourth of July
Parade is now open online
at www.seasidefourthofjuly.
org. The lineup will begin
on Necanicum Drive at 12th
Avenue, rain or shine. Sig-
nup must be completed by
June 29.
Entrants must be able to
negotiate turns onto and off
Broadway. Floats cannot be
over 40 feet in length, tow-
ing vehicle and float com-
bined and no more than 8
feet wide. If a float or vehi-
cle distributes “goodies” it
must be done by someone
walking alongside the entry.
No goodies or candy can be
thrown from the float or ve-
hicle. The Oregon Crusad-
er’s Drum and Bugle Corp
will be participating again
this year.
All entrants must be
in line and ready to go by
10:45 a.m. Arriving early
is strongly suggested since
traffic can often be heavy.
Those entrants not at their
assigned position will be
put at the end of the parade
as space allows. The parade
starts at 11 a.m. and turn east
from Necanicum on 12th
Avenue, then south on Hol-
laday Drive to Broadway,
west to Columbia and east to
First Avenue to Necanicum.
Emails with additional
parade information and as-
signed position will be sent
out to registered entrants.
LEWIS & CLARK
TIMBERLANDS
Recreational Access
Seaside is starting point for cancer awareness ride Permit Public Notice
All recreational
On the road
again
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
On June 1, Keizer resident
Brent Lee Bundy launched his
bicycle ride from Seaside to
Staten Island, New York.
An amazing achievement
for anyone, but this is his sixth
coast-to-coast bike ride after
a car accident and subsequent
strokes which forced him to re-
learn how to walk, talk and eat.
This will be his sixth
cross-country bike ride he
said. With his first in 2006 to
raise awareness for breast can-
R.J. MARX
Brent Bundy will make his
sixth bicycle trip across the
country, launching from
Seasde on June 1.
cer. Gina Kosmas, a former
high school friend, who died
in 2004 at 35, inspired the ride.
The family has a Seaside
connection: Kosmas’s in-laws
have retired here.
Bundy said he likes to jog
“way more” than bike. “But I
wasn’t going to run across the
United States and carry all that
stuff.”
He will travel alone carry-
ing 80 pounds, including tents,
clothes and camping equip-
ment. “It’s just got tons of stuff
on it,” he said.
June is Bundy’s preferred
travel month. This trip, he
will bicycle through Idaho, to
Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska,
Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey and then
activities on Lewis
& Clark Timberlands
Oregon will require
a no fee recreational
permit effective
June 1, 2018
To acquire a permit (available 5/21/18): Go
online to greenwoodresources.com and click
on Recreation Access, or Scan the QR code
using your smartphone at one of our access
gate signs. Call 503.755.6655 for recorded
information.
Our goal is to provide a quality recreational
experience while improving communications
with our timberland visitors.