4A • July 6, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
SignalViewpoints
Man on a mission to make
the beach accessible to all
S
easide will join Manzanita and Cannon
Beach as the third coastal town with free
wheelchair access for visitors.
The program, which will offer wheelchairs
to the disabled at no cost through the Sunset
Empire Park and Recreation District, was
inspired by Seaside resident Randy Anderson.
“I would like to propose to the city of
Seaside to begin a long-needed service in a
‘free of charge’ beach wheelchair program to
help people experiencing mobility disabili-
ties to be able to safely and easily access our
beaches,” Anderson said in a June 25 City
Council presentation. “Typical wheelchairs
and sand do not mix.”
The beach wheelchairs are designed with
“fat balloon tires” to provide easy access and
mobility on the sand.
“I’ve walked down the Prom and seen
people with mobility issues looking out at the
beach wishing they could get out there,” An-
derson said. “It’s just heartbreaking to see.”
Anderson, whose daughter is a person
with a disability, said he is a “huge advocate”
for all people experiencing disabilities.
Anderson researched the Cannon Beach
wheelchair program initiated in 2017 by the
Haystack Rock Awareness Program and the
Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The chairs may be checked out at Cannon
Beach City Hall. Anderson met with outreach
coordinator Pooka Rice, who helped initiate
the program.
From Jan. 1 through June 18, Cannon
Beach has accommodated 84 requests for the
use of their wheelchairs, Anderson said.
EVE MARX
Cajun mac and cheese from Maggie’s on the
Prom.
Entertaining
an out-of-town
visitor in Seaside
O
‘Good partnership’
Anderson brought his concept to Russ
Vandenberg, general manager of the Seaside
Civic and Convention Center.
With construction underway at the
convention center, Anderson’s first choice,
storage of the wheelchairs at a city location
close to the beach, was impractical.
Vandenberg encouraged Anderson to
initiate discussions with Skyler Archibald,
executive director of the recreation district.
Archibald saw it as a “good partnership”
and brought the proposal to the district’s
board of directors for consideration.
When Patrick and Denise Duhachek, own-
ers of Wheel Fun Rentals in Seaside agreed to
donate two wheelchairs, the program got an
added boost.
The Duhacheks had provided wheelchairs
to visitors at no cost through Wheel Fun, but
will transfer storage and administration to the
district.
The wheelchairs, which run about $1,800
to $2,200 each, will be available for free from
the rec district at the Bob Chisholm Center on
Avenue A.
“I’m thrilled that they’re going to take it
over,” Denise Duhachek said. “But now that
they (the wheelchairs) are actually going to
leave, it’s kind of sad. We’ve gotten so many
letters of gratitude. We’re going to miss the
interaction.”
The audience at the June 25 City Council
meeting greeted Seaside’s new program with
applause.
“I thought it would take some time and I
was really pleased how little time it took,”
Anderson said after the meeting.
With a council endorsement, Anderson
plans to purchase and donate a third wheel-
chair, he said.
If successful, he said he will apply for
grants or solicit donations to expand the
program.
R.J. MARX
Denise Duhachek, Patrick Duhachek, Randy Anderson and Skyler Archibald demonstrate a
beach wheelchair.
SEEN FROM SEASIDE
R.J. MARX
The city of Gearhart has shown interest in
creating their own wheelchair loan program,
he added, with details to be presented at the
city’s July 13 council meeting. The effort was
also spearheaded by Anderson.
Wheelchairs become available from the
rec district this week, Archibald said. “The
only challenge we’re working through is our
proximity to the beach, which is not as great
as it could be.”
CITY OF CANNON BEACH
Window sign providing information about
beach wheelchairs in Cannon Beach.
‘I’VE WALKED DOWN THE PROM AND
SEEN PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY ISSUES
LOOKING OUT AT THE BEACH WISHING
THEY COULD GET OUT THERE.
IT’S JUST HEARTBREAKING TO SEE.’
Seaside resident Randy Anderson
MEETINGS
MONDAY, July 9
Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY, Aug. 7
Seaside Community Cen-
ter Commission, 10 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Community
Center,1225 Avenue A.
THURSDAY, July 12
Seaside Convention
Center Commission, 5
p.m., Civic and Convention
Center, 415 First Ave.
Gearhart Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., 698 Pacific
Way, Gearhart.
TUESDAY, July 17
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District, Bob
Chisholm Community Cen-
ter, 5:15 p.m., 1225 Avenue
A, Seaside.
Seaside Planning Com-
mission, work session,
7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
WEDNESDAY, July 18
Seaside Tourism Advisory
Seaside Library Board,
4:30 p.m., Seaside Library,
1131 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Com-
mission, 7 p.m., City Hall,
989 Broadway.
way.
Committee, 3 p.m., 989
Broadway.
TUESDAY, July 24
THURSDAY, July 19
Seaside Tree Board, 4
p.m., City Hall, 989 Broad-
way.
Seaside Airport Advisory
Committee, 6 p.m., City
Hall, 989 Broadway.
Seaside Transportation
Advisory Commission, 6
p.m., City Hall, 989 Broad-
way.
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1
MONDAY, July 23
THURSDAY, Aug. 2
Seaside City Council, 7
p.m., City Hall, 989 Broad-
Seaside Parks Advisory
Committee, 7 p.m., City
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kari Borgen
R.J. Marx
Seaside Improvement
Commission, 6 p.m., City
Hall, 989 Broadway.
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
Jeremy Feldman
John D. Bruijn
ADVERTISING
SALES
SYSTEMS
MANAGER
April Olsen
Carl Earl
CLASSIFIED
SALES
Danielle Fisher
THURSDAY, Aug. 9
Gearhart Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., 698 Pacific
Way, Gearhart.
MONDAY, Aug. 13
Seaside City Council, 7
p.m., City Hall, 989 Broad-
way.
TUESDAY, Aug. 14
Seaside School District
STAFF WRITER
Brenna Visser
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
Skyler Archibald
Rebecca Herren
Katherine Lacaze
Eve Marx
Esther Moberg
Jon Rahl
Board of Directors, 6 p.m.,
1801 S. Franklin.
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15
Seaside Tourism Advisory
Committee, 3 p.m., City
Hall, 989 Broadway.
THURSDAY, Aug. 16
Seaside Transportation
Advisory Commission, 6
p.m., City Hall, 989 Broad-
way.
TUESDAY, Aug. 21
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District, Bob
Chisholm Community Cen-
ter, 5:15 p.m., 1225 Avenue
A, Seaside.
Seaside Planning Com-
mission, work session,
7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
ur dear friend Carolyn came out for
a visit from our old town in New
York. This wasn’t her first visit;
she came two summers ago to Gearhart to
our rental house. Last time, we got coffee
and croissants every morning at the Pacific
Way bakery; we walked in the dunes; we
had cocktails on the terrace at Maggie’s on
the Prom;
we hit the
Astoria
VIEW FROM
Sunday
THE PORCH
Market;
EVE MARX
we strolled
Cannon
Beach.
On this visit, we repeated a lot of the same
things. And why not, Carolyn said. It was all
so great the first time.
On her last visit, after flying into PDX,
Carolyn rented a car. I’m not sure she ever
got over the shock of driving over the
mountain behind a logging truck. This time
I suggested she try taking The Point. We
picked her up in front of the Seaside Lodge
and International Hostel. She said she loved
looking out the window and being a relaxed
passenger and gave high points to The Point.
Some tourists come to the North Coast
to hike and bike. Others come for the craft
beer and recreational marijuana. (For the
record, Carolyn does not imbibe and prefers
wine.) It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say
she came to beat the heat. Temps back home
hovered at 100 degrees. Every day, there was
an excessive heat warning.
Her first day, we headed into Cannon
Beach to pay homage to Haystack Rock
before heading over to the Cannon Beach
Hardware Store aka Screw & Brew for
lunch. Because I knew the three-hour time
difference would be catching up with her,
we got a Papa Murphy’s “Cowboy” pizza to
bake at home. On her first full day, we took
a nice walk in Seaside on the beach near the
estuary. We swung by Los Tacos Locos to
pick up a light lunch. In the afternoon, we
watched surfers in the Cove. That night we
had a beautiful seafood dinner at The Pacific
Way Café.
The next morning we returned to Cannon
Beach where after coffee at Sea Level, we
took another walk. We dined that evening at
Maggie’s where I broke my diet rules to have
crab mac and cheese. Carolyn had fettucine
with prawns, and my husband had the special
of the evening, surf and turf. North Coast
Iron Chef finalist Jason Lancaster came out
of the kitchen to talk to us. Every evening we
walked out to the beach to watch the sunset.
Carolyn took a lot of pictures to share with
friends back east.
On Sunday we drove into Astoria to take
a turn around the market. Carolyn purchased
dried cranberries from Cranberry Kitchen,
based in Gearhart. We each got a cup of the
scrumptious crab chowder and then split a
crab sandwich from the Pacific Crab Co. We
walked over to the waterfront hoping to see
sea lions, but they were busy elsewhere. On
the drive home, she briefly spied her first elk.
For Carolyn’s last night, we stopped by
Josephson’s Smokehouse to pick up maple
smoked salmon which I served with aspar-
agus and scrambled eggs for dinner. As she
was catching The Point Monday morning, we
turned in early, but not before a final walk
along the painted rock beach for one more
sunset.
As I write this, I know she’s spending the
day in Portland before her red eye flight back
East. I told her she had to go to Powell’s;
her Uber driver suggested she visit the Lan
Su Chinese Garden and the Pink House
Café. It’s really something to have such an
appreciative visitor from so far away. It’s an
impressive journey to get here. I know she
loved her visit and hope she comes back to
stay.
Seaside Signal
Letter policy
Subscriptions
The Seaside Signal
is published every other week by
EO Media Group,
1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, OR 97138.
503-738-5561
seasidesignal.com
Copyright 2018 © Seaside Signal. Nothing
can be reprinted or copied without consent
of the owners.
The Seaside Signal welcomes letters to the editor. The
deadline is noon Monday prior to publication. Letters
must be 400 words or less and must be signed by the
author and include a phone number for verification. We
also request that submissions be limited to one letter
per month. Send to 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside, OR
97138, drop them off at 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive or fax to
503-738-9285, or email rmarx@seasidesignal.com
Annually: $40.50 in county • $58.00 in
and out of county • e-Edition: only $30.00
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Seaside
Signal, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103. Postage Paid at
Seaside, OR, 97138 and at additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2017 © by the Seaside Signal. No portion
of this newspaper may be reproduced without written
permission. All rights reserved.