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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2018)
June 22, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A Gearhart approves 2018-19 budget Numbers reach almost $2 million By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal PAM BALDRIDGE Jonny Baldridge celebrates a perfect attendance record. Perfect attendance By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal Jonny Baldridge is just finishing up fifth grade and will be moving on to middle school. He has achieved perfect attendance for all six years of elementary school, kinder- garten through fifth grade, his mom, Pam Baldridge shared. “He’s never even been tardy.” He is an amazing pitch- er during baseball season as well as a lineman on the football team in the fall. Fifth-grade teacher Sarah Collins said Jonny excels and perseveres in everything he does. “If he did not like a score he received on a read- ing response, he would go back and add more details,” she said. A participant in Collins’ after-school robotics class, Jonny enjoys coding with his friends and is an excel- lent mathematician. “He presented a speech for our Genius Hour presentations on the different types of in- dustrial robots, as well as brought in his own that he had constructed,” Collins said. He is quiet and humble and a great role model for all his peers, she added. “He’s really a terrific kid and set the perfect atten- dance goal for himself at the end of his kindergarten year when he received his first attendance award,” Pam Baldridge said. “Education means a lot to him and we are so proud of him!” School project is ‘on target’ financially District from Page 1A on July 6. If costs are higher than anticipated, the district may see additional construction changes. If the project is estimat- ed under budget, the district would wait until all bids are in for the middle and high school project before adding any scope, Henry said. “Financially we’re on tar- get,” district business man- ager Justine Hill said, adding the district was possibly gain- ing “a little more interest” on bonds than anticipated. A construction pad A foundation permit pack- age was submitted to the city on June 19. A building permit from the city is expected Aug. 7, Hen- ry said. “I think with the site permit and foundation permit, we should be able to get a lot of work before the rains start in the fall, and be ready to work to get a good platform built.” At a meeting of the dis- trict’s construction oversight committee on June 12, Phil Broome of Hoffman Con- struction delivered a revised construction traffic plan in and out of the work site to complete a “working plat- form, a pad that we can work on through the winter.” The future football field will house craft parking and trailers, Broome said. A boundary fence will be in- stalled by the grade school. After the site is graded, a perimeter fence will enclose construction areas. Construction teams will notify logging companies sev- en days in advance of work about access to the roads. A gate system will be installed on the north site of the prop- erty to advise hunters they can no longer shoot there. Concrete foundation work, awarded to Coffman Excava- tion at a bid of $17.4 million, is scheduled for the summer and fall. The heavy use of logging roads will continue through September, minimiz- ing impact on Avenue S and Wahanna. Steel can be erected in February. “That’s at least something we can do in the rain,” Broome said. “The concrete we can do in the rain. But we’ve got to get the groundwork done, get that established before the rains come, basically the first of October, maybe the middle of October. After that, it’s going to rain.” Cultural survey A cultural resource survey prepared by Willamette Cul- tural Resources Associates conducted an archaeological investigation, required under the National Historic Preser- vation Act. The study found “no ar- chaeological cultural resourc- es during the field investiga- tion. In the 20th century, the land was primarily used for logging purposes. While Sea- side is in the traditional home- land of the Clatsop people, the area of construction was nev- er substantially developed. However, the report ad- vises a response plan should archaeological materials are uncovered. R.J. MARX The city of Gearhart unan- imously approved their 2018- 19 budget, with final adoption at the June 6 City Council meeting. The rate is $1.0053 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. The budget was presented in late April, with resources of $1,958,874, a $12,716 de- crease from last year’s bud- geted resources. Budget numbers have not changed since then, City Ad- Portion of the Gearhart 2018-19 budget. ministrator Chad Sweet said Thursday. The budget, largely funded by $561,000 in property tax- es, represents a decrease of al- most 2 percent from 2017-18 property tax revenue. Of the general fund, fire and police departments re- ceive the largest share, each approaching $500,000 includ- ing personnel, materials and services and capital outlay. Gearhart has a “piggy bank” of $67,000 for the po- lice car reserve fund. The city will add $15,000 to that fund this year. Police cars are esti- mated at about $38,000. The city also plans the purchase of self-contained breathing apparatus for fire- fighters, considered a necessi- ty for the safety of firefighters when facing indoor blazes. While the city has ap- plied for a grant, the city has a reserve of $183,000 for the $220,000 equipment cost. Detailed expenditures for state revenue sharing were updated to allocate funds for nonprofit and community organizations. Of a total of $29,700, the city will desig- nate $4,000 for the city’s 100- year celebration. The city’s emergency response team will see a $1,000 jump in funding, to $3,500. Helping Hands Re-entry Outreach Centers will receive city funds for the first time, with a $2,300 allo- cation. Clatsop Community Action and Clatsop Economic Development Resources each saw $500 reductions in city funding. The 2018-19 road district budget of more than $186,000 also received approval, with a taxpayer cost of 6 cents per $1,000 of property assessed value. Councilors voted twice by title in their approval to meet a June 30 deadline. Rec district mulls expansion scenarios Board leans to $16M, 20-year bond plan By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal Plans for a renovation of the Seaside aquatic facility on Broadway include expanded classrooms for early education programs, a community gym, fitness classrooms, an indoor walking track, enhanced car- dio fitness area and increased storage space for pool equip- ment. The project comes with a cost, estimated at between $15 million to $18 million. The Sunset Empire Park and Rec- reation District board of direc- tors presented four scenarios at both price estimates for a No- vember bond to pay for it. The bond will be voted on by residents of the independent taxing district, who include most residents of the Seaside School District, excluding Cannon Beach and Gearhart. “I believe in it because I can see the impact of this on the community, of the effect it’s going to have on kids, of this expansion,” Alan Evans, chairman of the district board, said Wednesday. “There’s not a whole lot of other options to make that happen.” In April, directors voted to pursue a base plan over an enhanced proposal that would have included acquiring and renovating the Broadway Mid- dle School building, which will be vacated as the Seaside School District moves to build their new campus. That mod- el would have cost more than $28 million without adding the cost of the building’s land purchase. The base plan model is es- timated between $16 million and $18 million. The board of directors reviewed two bond scenarios, with four repayment schedules for each. Bonds would be sold to investors and repaid off by Cannon Beach Library Annual Fourth of July Book Sale July 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th Wednesday—Saturday, 10 am—5pm 1000’s of Books at Bargain Prices! 131 N. Hemlock Cannon Beach 503.436.1391 info@cannonbeachlibrary.org Want a fresh look for summer? Call your local, neighborhood experts! Call now for your free In-Home Consultation! % 25 OFF Select Signature Series* We’re Budget Blinds, and we’re North America’s #1 provider of custom window coverings. We do it all for you; design, measure and install — because we think everyone, at every budget, deserves style, service, and the peace-of-mind of the best warranty in the business. Blinds • Shutters • Shades Drapes • Home Automation Oregon Coast 503-738-5242 • Lincoln City 541-994-9954 SW Washington 503-738-5242 • www.budgetblinds.com *Applies to selected window treatments from Budget Blinds. Restrictions may apply, ask for details. Valid for a limited time, not valid with any other offers, discounts, or coupons. Offer good at initial time of estimate only. At participating franchises only. ©2018 Budget Blinds, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Budget Blinds is a trademark of Budget Blinds, LLC and a Home Franchise Concepts Brand. Each franchise independently owned and operated. SUNSET EMPIRE PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT Potential bond financing scenarios presented to the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District board of directors. property taxpayers over time. Directors considered 15, 20, 25 and 25 scenarios and their impact. According to details provided by executive direc- tor Skyler Archibald, the base plan model chosen by board members is estimated to cost around $16 million to $18 mil- lion. The bond will would cost somewhere between 45 cents and 70 cents per $1,000 of as- sessed home value. Directors leaned to support of a 15- or 20-year payment schedule based on the $16 mil- lion projected cost. While costs for taxpayers would be higher on an annual basis, the bond would be paid faster and elim- inated additional interest costs, according to bond consultants Piper Jaffray. For a payoff pe- riod of 15 years, the impact of a homeowner with a $200,000 home would be about $140; the cost for a $400,000 proper- ty about double that. Interest on a 30-year issue $18 million bond would ex- ceed $21 million, more than the cost of the bond. Total debt service would be more than $39 million. In a 15-year debt service schedule on a $16 million bond, taxpayers would elect to pay about $6.6 million in interest and about $23 million in total debt service. “In the end, we have to explain why we feel this is important, why we’ve cho- sen the scenario we’ve cho- sen,” director Jeremy Mills said. “We have to get ahead of this.” Directors continued to have concerns about the bond’s potential to succeed, as Seaside School District tax- payers are repaying a $99.7 million bond approved by voters in 2015 for a new cam- pus. A proposed $23.8 million bond for county jail facilities is on the fall ballot. “There isn’t another gym that’s available for communi- ty use throughout the district,” Archibald said. “We’re trying to put something unique and special in.” Directors said they plan to select one of the bond sce- narios at their July meeting. A filing must be made with the county by Aug. 17 to en- sure the bond measure will be placed on the ballot for Elec- tion Day Nov. 6. 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