August 17, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A
Visitor volume dips on the Coast
Tourism
spending at an
all-time high
By Brenna Visser
Seaside Signal
R.J. MARX
View from the new campus site in early July.
Permit delay leads
to schedule change
Campus from Page 1A
Jeffrey Henon, a spokes-
man for the Army Corps,
said the agency is actively
reviewing the permit appli-
cation to determine the type
and amount of “compensatory
mitigation necessary” to off-
set environmental losses.
Henry said the permit de-
lay has the school district’s
construction team “scram-
bling on a lot of fronts.”
The delay has stalled con-
struction of an access road
from Heights Elementary
School to the new campus site,
Henry said. “Ideally, we’d
be working from the bottom
up,” he said. “We have to go
through the back door another
month than we wanted.”
Henry said crews will con-
tinue to access the site via
Beerman Creek Road and
Mainline logging road until
the Army Corps signs off on
the permit application.
“Once we have convinced
the Corps of Engineers we
have appropriate mitigation,
the next day we’ll be impact-
ing the areas we plan to im-
pact on the mitigation plan,”
Henry said. “There have been
optimistic trends the past
week, but we haven’t received
final approval. We’re at the
point where we think we’re
really close.”
Pageant focuses on
character, family
Pageant from Page 1A
As a pageant mom, Ber-
ginc knew she had good in-
sight on what worked in the
pageant world, and put her
heart and soul into establish-
ing the Regal Majesty organi-
zation.
“I had two daughters who
competed in pageants and I
felt there was a lack of pag-
eants in the northwest, espe-
cially pageants that focused
on the girls’ true beauty, per-
sonality, community service
and family,” Berginc said.
What’s different about
Regal Majesty is that it is a
pageant for all ages, and it
focuses on each contestant’s
character and connection to
the community.
‘It’s not all
about pretty
dresses and
make-up. These
contestants must
be able to have
a conversation
with eye contact
and learn public
speaking skills
and learn to
carry themselves
regally, which
all of these
things are so
important today.’
Monica Berginc,
director of Regal Majesty’s
Washington, Oregon,
northern California and
Internationals divisions
It consists of four catego-
ries: Introductions, interview,
formal wear and fun fashion.
Each contestant is given a
crown, sash, trophy and a gift
because Berginc believes each
contestant should not go away
empty handed.
Like other pageantry, there
are judges. The judges are
chosen for their experience in
pageantry or in the arts. Judg-
es look for a contestant who
has a lot of personality, confi-
dence and, more importantly,
eye contact.
“It’s not all about pretty
dresses and make-up. These
contestants must be able to
have a conversation with
eye contact and learn pub-
lic speaking skills and learn
to carry themselves regally,
which all of these things are
so important today,” Berginc
added.
Berginc explained that
anyone can qualify. There are
preliminary pageants that of-
fer a fun day for beginners;
there are state pageants and
the national pageant where all
of the contestants compete for
the national title.
The organization’s website
promotes a natural pageant.
The word natural, as Berginc
said, normally means it is
without the glitz, indicating
that glitz pageants are the type
shown on Toddlers and Tiaras.
“Many times, I have held a
small preliminary pageant and
you have people walking by
saying, ‘Oh, look, “Toddlers
and Tiaras”’ just because they
see a pageant going on.” Ber-
ginc and staff are quick to ex-
plain the differences between
the two pageants.
Though there are many
differences, some involve
the look of the contestant.
“We don’t allow flippers and
big fake hair pieces, or big
cupcake-style short dresses,
which are the kind you see in
toddlers and tiaras. The mod-
eling is different, too. Glitz
modeling looks like a cho-
reographed, over-animated,
dance routine that sometimes
is very sultry and flirty,” Ber-
ginc said. “We also don’t al-
low swim suits. I have no per-
sonal issue with swim suits in
Miss or Ms. type pageants, but
I did not feel it was a good fit
for Regal Majesty.”
A big part of the organi-
zation is to promote family
events and community service.
They encourage everyone to
do community service events
and appearances, regardless
of winning or not winning the
crown. “We need to give of
ourselves and help wherever
we can,” Berginc said.
For contestants in some
glitz-style pageants, there are
no other expectations or re-
quirements after winning the
crown or sash. “Regal is not
like that, we expect the girls
to be a part of the sisters of
the sash and attend fun family
events, and group or individ-
ual community service,” Ber-
ginc said.
“I support other systems
like the Miss America organi-
zation, the Miss Outstanding
Teen organization, and the
USA or Teen USA. I feel that
pageant, like mine, is a great
stepping stone to continue
with their pageant dreams. I
have a few title holders who
have gone on and competed
at the local and national Miss
Teen USA and Miss Outstand-
ing Teen levels.”
One of many takeaways
from interviewing Berginc:
“Some people believe there
is only one winner and only
one should win the crown,
but I feel that each contestant
practiced and gave it their all
so they should have a crown
and sash — not as big as the
queen’s — but it’s a remind-
er of their time and hopefully
good memories they had at the
pageant.”
At the height of summer, it
is easy to believe every Ore-
gonian has found their way to
the Oregon Coast.
But while figures from the
2018 Oregon Travel Impact
report show tourism spending
has increased, the number of
visitors staying in hotels and
rentals dipped slightly on
the Oregon Coast, dropping
about 1.3 percent between
2016 and 2017. The decline
on the North Coast was 1.7
percent.
The pattern contrasts with
the state overall, where visitor
volume increased by 2.2 per-
cent, according to the study
by Dean Runyan Associates.
Flattening visitor volume
should not be seen as an issue
for the tourism industry, said
Leon Aliski, the company’s
project manager. Total des-
tination spending grew 2.2
percent to nearly $2 billion on
the Oregon Coast in 2017. On
the North Coast alone, visitor
spending on accommodations
increased from $190 million
to $197 million in one year.
Many local lodging op-
erators have yet to feel any
impacts from fewer visitors,
with many reporting 2017 as
an exceptional year.
So how does spending
continue to grow when the
number of people booking
rooms is stagnant?
Aliski said it indicates
higher room rates and more
expensive
transportation
costs. In the last year, room
rates increased by 4.4 percent.
“If they are spending more
because a room costs more
COLIN MURPHEY
Tony Street, far right, and Mike Parks perform for tourists walking along the Prom.
and gas costs more, and may-
be they are spending more
on restaurants, then you can
have more spending without
actually having more people
there,” Aliski said.
Ideally, the industry would
seek higher occupancy and
growth in room rates simulta-
neously, Aliski said, but sea-
sonal dips on the coast make
this a challenge. With high
demand, it is often easier to
increase room rates during
the peak season than to entice
visitors to travel during the
off-season when occupancy
rates are lower — even with
lower room rates, he said.
Higher rates for hotel
rooms could be having a dis-
couraging effect for some
visitors, said Marcus Hinz,
of the Oregon Coast Visitors
Association. But part of the
stagnation may just be a sign
new lodging is not being built
to match growth, with many
small towns, like Cannon
Beach, already built out.
“When you look at the
coast’s rate compared with
the rate of growth in Port-
land, one might think we’re
not doing well,” Hinz said.
“But Portland is building
new hotels left and right; they
have more rooms online to be
booked, which would add to a
rate of growth. On the Oregon
Coast, I can only name one
new property to come online
in the last year.”
Hinz also noted that
day-trippers contribute to
general tourism growth but
are not accounted for when
looking at room nights.
Linea Gagliano, commu-
nications director for Travel
Oregon, said the dynamic
could also point to a different
type of traveler. The growth in
spending suggests the visitors
who are here are destination
travelers, who often travel in
large groups, for longer peri-
ods of time and spend more
on accommodations and local
businesses during their stays.
The coast has also seen inter-
national visitors increase by
5.9 percent in recent years —
another group which tends to
stay longer and spend more.
“What matters to us is that
businesses are getting visitor
spending, and we are seeing
that,” Gagliano said.
Whatever the factors may
be, the numbers could be
pointing to the region reach-
ing a certain capacity during
peak summer months, Alis-
ki said. “If they are running
at a high occupancy at peak
season, then the opportunity
for growth is not going to be
during the time period when
most people are choosing to
be (on the Oregon Coast),”
Aliski said. “There’s plenty of
capacity to grow the industry,
but maybe just not in the peak
time of the year.”
This view is in line with
efforts already in motion by
Travel Oregon and the Ore-
gon Coast Visitors Associa-
tion to focus marketing dol-
lars on encouraging travelers
to visit – and pay for a room
– in the off-season.
“Any substantial growth
is going to come from the
off-season,” Hinz said.
Council approves Chisholm renovation
Chisholm from Page 1A
In December, the city re-
ceived three bids, the high-
est nearing $390,000, the
lowest at $257,000, signifi-
cantly higher than original
cost estimates of $170,000
to $190,000 quoted by archi-
tects in July 2017.
On Monday, Mayor Jay
Barber urged councilors to
accept the latest — and only
— bid, presented by Helligso
Construction Co. of Astoria.
“I have no hesitancy at all,”
Barber said. “I think we should
accept this bid and move for-
ward because I don’t believe
we’ll see any reduction in
construction costs in the next
two years. If we put it out to
bid then, it could be $340,000
and we’d be in the same place.
I think we should cut our loss-
es at this point and spend the
additional (money).”
About $52,000 toward the
cost of the project has been
raised through donations,
Community Center Commis-
sion member Lou Neubecker
said.
Fundraising will continue,
with a Fascination tourna-
ment scheduled in September.
The renovation will high-
light the center’s beams and
tongue-and-groove ceiling,
while providing much-need-
ed improvements to the
room’s acoustics and energy
efficiency, according to Com-
munity Center commission-
ers in a 2017 presentation.
Project specifications de-
tailed in the June 15 bid re-
quest consisted of demolition
Savings Rates are
Looking Up!
and updating wall coverings
in the main hall, new window
treatments, replacement of
electrical fixtures and light-
ing upgrades.
To pay for the higher
costs, funds may come from
capital improvement funds
designated for remodeling
the city’s restrooms, City
Manager Mark Winstanley
said. “They are an important
asset to our community,” he
said. “So we don’t want them
neglected either.”
Barber and councilors
Wright, Seth Morrisey, Tom
Horning and Randy unani-
mously voted to accept the
bid proposal. Councilors Tita
Montero and Dana Phillips
were absent.
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