A6 • Friday, February 1, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
District gives path to reinstatement Alan Evans steps
down at SEPRD
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
The Sunset Empire Park
and Recreation District
can taketh away, and it can
giveth.
The district adopted poli-
cies at their Jan. 15 meeting
to determine when a resident
or guest may be trespassed
from district facilities — and
how they can be reinstated.
The policy aims to provide
guidelines for district staff
when patrons violate the dis-
trict’s code of conduct.
“There have been times
when a patron has lived up
to our standards according
to our code of conduct,” the
district’s executive direc-
tor Skyler Archibald said.
“Those haven’t been that
frequent, but it has happened
and it may continue.”
According to the new
policy, submitted by the dis-
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
The new Sunset Park and Recreation Department policy sets trespassing guidelines.
trict’s executive director
Skyler Archibald, staff will
make the decision to tres-
pass an individual based on
the severity and nature of the
incident.
After being trespassed,
an individual may initiate
a review. “Trespassed indi-
viduals will be given every
opportunity to demonstrate
remorse and contrition for
the incident that occurred,”
according to the policy
document.
To be reinstated, patrons
have the option to initiate a
review. “This will give us
support as these individ-
uals seek to come back,”
Archibald said.
Review will not begin
until at least six months after
the trespass date.
Board president Alan
Evans stepped down as
president of the Sunset
Empire Park and Recre-
ation District at the board’s
January.
Evans, who served on
the board for three years,
moved out of the district
and is ineligible to serve.
“Tonight, with a heavy
heart, I have to resign my
position as board president
for Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation,” Evans said. “I
do that with a heavy heart
because I love this, I love
what we do and what we
stand for, but ethically, I
have to do what is best to
represent myself and my
family.”
As
his
last move
as director,
Evans asked
the board
to initiate a
search for
Alan Evans
a replace-
ment.
He
also volunteered to partici-
pate in candidate interviews.
District residents are
encouraged to apply for
consideration to fill Evans’
term, executive direc-
tor Skyler Archibald, said.
That term is slated to end
on June 30. However, the
selected replacement would
have the opportunity to run
for re-election in the spring
general election.
Interested district resi-
dents may contact Archibald
at sarchibald@sunsetem-
pire.com.
Gearhart Fire: Three possible locations, but which one will win public favor?
Continued from Page A1
With an elevation of
almost 65 feet, Highpoint
Station offers the greatest
height. But the land is not
owned by the city, and con-
struction costs of between $6
million and $9 million would
need to be supplemented by
costs of a land purchase,
should the property’s owners
choose to negotiate.
The current firehouse
site stands at 25 feet at the
building site, and would
likely be inundated in a
tsunami.
Development of the
property could require
added costs to replace fill,
adding to a projected $6
million to $8 million cost
at that location. Should that
site be chosen, the depart-
ment would need to find
housing in a temporary
location, possibly a pole
Jeff Ter Har/For Seaside Signal
City administrator Chad Sweet addresses audience members at the Gearhart firehouse town hall.
barn, City Administrator
Chad Sweet said. “This is
definitely one of the more
expensive places to do what
we need to do.”
Gearhart Park Station, at
the location of the Lesley
Miller Dunes Meadow Park
at the corner of Pacific Way
and North Cottage.
The park offers 50 feet
of elevation and the land
could be acquired from the
county at minimal cost. The
property comes with sta-
ble, packed sand with min-
imum prep work required.
Cost for a 13,000 square
foot single level building on
the site could be between $5
million and $7 million.
The cost on a bond
for $1,000 of home value
would be between be about
$308 per year for a home
valued at $400,000.
Transitioning a portion
of the park — about 3/10
of an acre — for a public
safety facility faced objec-
tions from the audience,
some of whom urged the
city to maintain the site as
intended by Lesley Miller,
who transferred the land to
Gearhart in 1947 to be used
as a municipal park.
Anita Barbey said she
recognized the need to
upgrade the station. “But
she (Miller) wanted this site
to be available to the pub-
lic no matter where peo-
ple lived, to come here and
enjoy the ocean.”
Architect Stuart Emmons
said a fire station in the
park is a “waste of tax-
payer money” and will only
work for a limited portion of
disaster scenarios.
“I believe that the Lesley
Miller Dune Meadow Park
is a key part of Gearhart and
losing it would be a trav-
esty,” Emmons said.
Brown concluded the
meeting asking for input on
each of the three sites, with
questionnaires asking public
to rank each location in pref-
erence. “These are not final
designs that we showed you
tonight,” he said. “These are
just idea and concepts. They
can or will be altered or
changed. We want to know
not just what you don’t like
— but what you do like.”
The purpose of the pro-
cess, Brown said, is to
spending the next three
months collecting public
input. “I want everyone to
tell me what location they
like, which one they don’t
like, and I want specific
feedback how we can make
any of these locations better
or designs better.”
Chamber: Chamber
celebrates businesses
Continued from Page A1
Volunteerism honored
Seaside’s chamber of
commerce recognizes busi-
nesses throughout the
region — from Cannon
Beach to Astoria — but no
honor more vaunted than the
Byron Meek Award, given
to the area’s top volunteer.
This award is presented
to people who have dedi-
cated their time and energy
to the city, named after the
achievements of Meek, who
epitomized the city’s com-
munity’s volunteer spirit.
The honor was voted upon
by former award winners.
The award was first deliv-
ered in 2001 to Meek;
Nancy McCune won the
award in 2017.
McCune remembered
Meek as dedicating him-
self to the well-being of the
community and its children,
developing a program for
fifth-graders to commit to
healthy living. “It’s great to
see those kids who through-
out the years, remember the
values Byron taught them.”
This year’s recipient was
Ruth Swenson, owner of
the Hillcrest Inn & Hillcrest
House, also named run-
ner-up as volunteer of the
year. “I’ve run into her at the
wine walk, at beach cleanup
— almost every activity
we have. Halloween Hap-
penings, Parade of Lights,”
McCune said in presenting
the Byron award. “She is a
top-notch manager, always
there, always helpful, mak-
ing sure that every guest is
welcome to Seaside.”
Times Theatre own-
ers Mark and Marci Utti,
newly reopened after 30
years of darkness, were also
among winners honored for
their positive impact on the
community.
Randy Anderson, owner
of Anderson Painting, won
recognition for his “excel-
lence of service for our
community,” an honor
for his efforts in bringing
beach wheelchairs to Sea-
side. Anderson donated two
chairs to the city and helped
spark a program to bring
access to the beach to those
who might otherwise be
denied. The program’s suc-
cess inspired Gearhart to
adopt a similar program.
Anderson has also been a
strong supporter of the Bob
Chisholm Community Cen-
ter, donating his time and
talents to paint the center for
its refresh.
Other
big
winners
included Westport Winery,
the rising star/new business
award winner, and Misty
Mills winning the cham-
ber’s volunteer of the year
award.
Doug and Cheryle Barker
won the chamber’s legacy
award for their longtime ser-
vice to the community.
Owen said the cham-
ber’s mission is to act as a
catalyst in the community.
“We’re looking to what we
can do to move business
forward, solve problems,
and that future leadership,”
he said.
He said the chamber’s
role is to act as a problem
solver. “That’s what we’re
here for. We may not be able
to help you solve that prob-
lem, but we can help you
connect with whoever we
can.”
Issues ahead include
employee retention, and
addressing workforce hous-
ing, wages and transporta-
tion access. “We’re working
closely with the college to
bringing more skilled work-
force there.”
The wide range of cham-
ber members was apparent,
the Cannon Beach Cham-
ber of Commerce’s Execu-
tive Director James Paino
and Clatsop County’s Small
Business Development Cen-
ter’s Kevin Leahy among
the notables in attendance.
The chamber’s mem-
bers are based throughout
the county, Owen said. “We
should really be called the
‘Seaside area’ chamber of
commerce,” he said.
R.J. Marx/Seaside Signal
Intersection of Avenue N, near the site of a proposed Grocery Outlet.
Grocery Outlet: Planning Commission to hear round 2
Continued from Page A1
Attorney Karl Anuta,
on behalf of Protect Pacific
Northwest, an organization
founded in 2017 to protect
natural resources and fight
urban sprawl, said the devel-
oper was attempting to foist
impacts of the project “off
onto the community.”
The conditions imposed
by the Planning Commission
are “very reasonable, if not
perhaps a little too lenient
considering the scope of the
expected impacts from this
development,” Anuta said.
“The problem is, the
developer is asking you, or
the state taxpayers — some-
body else other than them
— to shoulder the cost of
increase in traffic. ... That
doesn’t make any sense.”
Anuta suggested delay-
ing approval until road fund-
ing becomes available. “If
you want to build a store,
mitigate the impacts.”
Council members had the
option of accepting the Plan-
ning Commission’s recom-
mendations, reject them, or
send the application back for
further review.
Steve Wright asked for
testimony from ODOT at
the Planning Commission
level before issuing a coun-
cil decision. “My biggest
concern is not necessar-
ily traffic for residents, it’s
traffic for visitors. At some
point they’ll decide we’ll go
someplace where the traffic
is not as bad.”
Mayor Jay Barber called
it a “difficult issue,” and
asked the Planning Com-
mission to “work a lit-
tle more to come up with a
solution.”
The record will be
reopened by the Planning
Commission, limited to dis-
cussion of the turn lane.
“We ask that it be laser-fo-
cused on the proportional-
ity of the impacts,” Dover
said, a focus agreed to and
voted unanimously upon by
the council.
“We want some finality,
no doubt about it,” Dover
said after the meeting.
As for a solution, “The
city has really proposed
nothing, so we have another
chance to plead our case,”
Dover added. “It’s just trying
to figure out what will sat-
isfy the Planning Commis-
sion and the City Council.”