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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2019)
A6 • Friday, April 12, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com After review, convention center set to raise rates Seaside Signal By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Groups booking the Seaside Civic and Conven- tion Center will be paying a little bit more, but they’ll still be getting a good value, Russ Vandenberg, the center’s general man- ager, said at Monday’s City Council meeting. Vandenberg sought a facility rate hike at the cen- ter, presenting a fee sched- ule to adjust valuation of newly expanded and ren- ovated meeting rooms including additional cost of labor, supplies, utilities and maintenance expenses. The cost to rent the cen- ter is about $1,500 per day, Vandenberg said. Groups pay $600 per day and after the increase will pay about $800. The remaining portion of the cost of operations is paid by a percentage of the city’s transient occupancy tax. With new, larger rooms after the expansion, rate increase is warranted, he said. “I hear it from our cli- ents, our associates in the fi eld that our rates are most reasonably priced of all the centers through- out the state,” Vandenberg said. “They appreciate the fact that they can bring an event to Seaside and they Signal to host park and rec district candidate forum The northwest corner of the Seaside Civic and Convention Center, under renovation. can reduce the cost of their delegates to attend these functions. In turn, they get larger attendance when they come to Seaside, not only because of the loca- tion, but because of the affordability of our con- vention center.” Organizations book- ing rooms now may lock in the lower rate through 2025. Groups registered as 501(c)3s receive a 25 per- cent discount. “I feel this rate is pro- The fi nal phase of the project will be the mezza- nine and the administration offi ce, those two areas are scheduled for mid-July or August. The expansion will bring an increase from 22,000 net square feet to 28,000 square feet of usable rental space. The building’s total square footage is 45,000, but lobby areas, storage and offi ces, among other areas, are not fi gured in the net square footage. portionally correct,” Van- denberg said. “I’ve had it reviewed by my commis- sion members, and I’ve asked staff to do this and they agree that it’s the right time and appropriate.” Construction on the northwest portion of the convention center is antic- ipated to be completed by April 17. When that area is available as an entry point from the parking lot, crews will renovate the remain- der of the main lobby. The Seaside Signal and Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District will host a board candidate forum on Thursday, May 2, from 7 to 8 p.m. The event takes place at the Bob Chisholm Commu- nity Center, 1225 Avenue A, in Seaside. The event will be introduced by Rec District executive director and mod- erated by Signal editor R.J. Marx. “It’s really exciting to see so much interest in the two positions,” Rec District executive director Skyler Archibald said April 5. “The board has a lot of responsi- bility making fi duciary deci- sions for the district and the directions we go.” Signal publisher Kari Borgen said the forum will heighten civic awareness. “It’s our belief that the role of a community newspa- per includes providing for a well-informed pub- lic to keep our communi- ties strong,” Borgen said. “Working with local groups to sponsor voters forums accomplishes just that: it gives the public an opportu- nity to learn about the candi- dates and positions they rep- resent to make an informed decision in an election.” Seven candidates are on the ballot for two board seats in the May 21 Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District board election. Three candidates will vie for the Position 5 seat, held by Rodney Roberts, appointed earlier this year after district board president Alan Evans stepped down. Roberts seeks to return to the board for a full four-year term. Also fi ling for the Posi- tion 5 seat are Patrick Duhachek and Lindsey Morrison. The Position 4 seat comes vacant after current board member Edward Hassan announced plans to move outside the district. John Chapman, Katha- rine Parker, Marti Wajc and Shirley Yates have fi led to fi ll that seat. Veronica Russell, Jer- emy Mills and Michael Hin- ton fi ll the other three board seats. Each of their terms expire in 2021. The special district elec- tion will take place May 21. The last day to regis- ter for voters will be April 30. Registration cards post- marked by this date or sub- mitted online no later than 11:59 are valid. “I think it’s a great oppor- tunity for the community to hear what their interests are in running, what they want to see for SEPRD mov- ing forward and how they would change things if they were going to be re-elected,” Archibald said. Academy staff visit state legislators in Salem By KATHERINE LACAZE For Seaside Signal Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian Donations have helped save the Cannon Beach Academy. Donations keep Cannon Beach Academy open By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian Cannon Beach Acad- emy, which faced possi- ble closure before the end of the school year due to fi nancial woes, will con- tinue to operate thanks to a major donation and several pledges. Concerns about whether the public charter school could remain open past April arose three months ago after board members identifi ed a $75,000 short- fall in their budget. The fi nancial situation was due to lower-than-ex- pected enrollment and unpaid pledges. After news of the poten- tial closure broke, the acad- emy received “a surge of support,” said Amy Fred- rickson, the school’s exec- utive director. The school began receiving many of the missing pledges — including a $33,000 pledge that originally was not going to be paid until the end of the school year. A surprise $20,000 donation from Tim and Rhonda Snider, who recently moved to Cannon Beach, also helped, Fred- rickson said. The family has also pledged to match up to $20,000 in additional donations until June. The donations have helped the academy come “very, very close” to addressing the shortfall, Fredrickson said. “I’m never surprised by the support of the com- munity,” she said. “We’ve talked about overcom- ing hurdles over and over again, and I think that’s just going to be our thing, I think.” Consistent fundraising will continue to be critical to make the charter school fi nancially sustainable. With the last of the pledges from previous years being paid out this year, the academy’s top focuses will be on boosting enrollment and organiz- ing more ways to fundraise throughout the year. “Those are the two things that will keep us here,” Fredrickson said. More fundraising will be critical as the academy, which has 31 students, hopes to expand to 50 next year. It will be the fi rst year the school will offer kindergarten through fi fth grade. The school opened in 2017. “We are so grateful that (the community) sees this as an investment in the community and in the kids’ future,” Fredrickson said. Third-graders from Can- non Beach Academy got a taste of state politics with a trip to Salem on Monday, March 18, to visit with local legislators. “We wanted to get the children involved in advo- cating for their own educa- tion,” academy director Amy Fredrickson said. The charter school part- nered with the Oregon Coa- lition of Community Char- ter Schools for the trip, and participated with nearly 20 other schools and dozens of students, board member Kel- lye Dewey said during the academy’s regular board of director meeting March 14. Leading up to the trip, the academy’s third-graders drafted letters to their repre- sentatives — including State House Rep. Tiffi ny Mitch- ell, of District 32, and state Sen. Betsy Johnson, repre- senting District 16 — defi n- ing issues affecting charter schools and offering solu- tions. The in-person meet- ings at the state capitol were also to talk about “the lack of equal access that charter schools are met with,” Fred- rickson said. For example, she said, charter schools don’t have access to the state’s School Improvement Fund. “We spoke to our legis- lators about how vital that funding would be to our school in terms of improv- ing the current building and when opening a new school in the long term,” Fredrick- son said. “We also advocated for eliminating the proposed budget cuts, which will addi- tionally impact our school, as well.” Katherine Lacaze Cannon Beach Academy teacher Ryan Hull, director Amy Fredrickson, Rep. Tiffi ny Mitchell and third-grade students in Salem. In other news: The academy will partic- ipate in the city of Cannon Beach-sponsored 12 Days of Earth Day. Board mem- ber Barb Knop said the city approved for the academy kids to select two locations on campus where they can plant trees, and monitor them as they grow. On April 12, the students also will walk to the south end of Cannon Beach near the Tree City USA sign, where adult volunteers will plant trees and the kids can observe for educational pur- poses, Knop said. The board discussed details for its PTO fund- raiser, which will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. May 18 at the Cannon Beach American Legion Post 168. Great Restaurants in: GEARHART • SEASIDE CANNON BEACH Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Great Great Great Homemade Breakfast, lunch and pasta, Clam dinner steaks & Chowder, but that’s not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! MAZATLAN M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T Presenting Sponsor Celebrate the delicious bounty of the Oregon Coast April 26, 27 & 28 at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds! Friday: 4 - 9pm · $15/Adult Saturday: 10am - 8pm · $15/Adult Sunday: 11am - 4pm · $10/Adult AstoriaCrabFest.com Entertainment Sponsor NORTH COAST Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144 Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival Live music on two stages! DINING on the Visit website for more pricing info, shuttle routes, list of vendors, volunteer sign-up and more. Phone 503-738-9678 1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside WANNA KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! • Lighter appetite menu • Junior Something for Everyone menu Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight All Oregon Lottery products available 1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am