A6 • Friday, June 7, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Fireworks program gets spark from tourism grant funds
Seaside Signal
The city received a wel-
come spark from the Tour-
ism Advisory Committee
Wednesday, May 29, approv-
ing a $25,000 grant to help
fund the Seaside Chamber
of Commerce, Independence
Day fi reworks program.
According to Josh Heine-
man, director of tourism
marketing for the city of
Seaside and manager of the
Visitors Bureau, the com-
mittee met in special session
to review grant applications.
The fi reworks program was
among seven different appli-
cations to receive funds, to
be disbursed in July.
In advance of the
announcement, the chamber
of commerce presented head
pyrotechnic engineer Larry
Kriegshauser of K-Pyro Inc.
Kriegshauser, who has
been presenting the show
for 20 years in Seaside,
told members of the Sea-
side Chamber of Commerce
and the Seaside Downtown
Development Association
this year’s show will have
a theme of “patriotism,”
opening with the National
Anthem. Music is prepared
with the assistance of John
Chapman of KSWB radio.
Volunteers for the parade
are sought, the chamber’s
Brandy Stewart added.
DRIVING TOURISM
IN SEASIDE
Sunset Empire Park &
Recreation District/
Beaches & Breakers
Pickleball Classic —
$4,000
Tsunami Skippers Jump
Rope Team/2020 Oregon
Coast Classic — $3,500
Seaside Downtown
Development
Association/Halloween
Happenin’s — $4,400
Jazz Committee / Jazz
Festival 2020 — $5,000
Seaside Museum &
Historical Society/Lewis
and Clark Salt Makers —
$3,700
Northwest Trail Alliance/
Klootchy Creek Mountain
Bike Trail System —
$4,400
File photo
Fee burden should go to out-of-district users, rec board says
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District direc-
tors will review fees, with
the aim to meet rising nat-
ural gas costs, heating and
employee expenses due to a
rise in the minimum wage, to
cap off at $13.50 per hour.
At the board’s May meet-
ing, directors said the burden
of higher costs for district
programs should fall more
heavily on out-of-district
residents who use the pool
and other district programs.
“It’s my position if we’re
going to increase fees for
anybody, it’s going to be for
nonresidents, more so for
cannon beach and gearhart
folk,” board member Jeremy
Mills said. “They’re out of
district, but they put very lit-
tle into operating funds and
the burden placed on Seaside
residents.”
The last program fee
hike was in 2017, when the
district set the difference
between in-district and out-
of-district costs at about
33%.
With the goal of ensur-
ing the district remain fi nan-
cially stable in the current
economy, executive direc-
tor Skyler Archibald said,
“There’s not a lot of ways
to generate revenue without
raising participation fees or
program fees.”
Sunset Empire Park and Rec District current rate structure. An
increase could be ahead for out-of-district users.
A hike in property tax
revenues or a bond are both
off the table.
“Across the board, with
two exceptions, our prices
are less expensive than all
those other facilities, he said.
“Similar services at other
facilities are a little bit more
or substantially more at those
facilities.”
A monthly registration
in-district cost for swim les-
sons is $30 per month; out-
of-district is $39.
Cost per lesson in-net-
work is $3.75 per lesson
and $4.88 for out-of-district.
Swim lessons in other com-
munities ranged from $4.67
a lesson in-district to $9.33
a lesson for out-of-district
residents.
Similar districts, in Bea-
verton, Astoria and Portland,
the cost per district to partic-
ipants in-district is $3.75 per
lesson.
“We believe our swim
lessons to be a tremen-
dous value,” Archibald said,
with “Every other agency
we looked at a lot more,”
Archibald said.
“Our out of network cost
was also “a really good
value,” at $4.88 per lesson,
substantially less than other
districts studied.
In North Bend, Rodney
Roberts said, participants
pay $7 a lesson.
Currently out-of-district
residents pay about 33%
more than in-district resi-
dents overall, Archibald said.
“The tax burden is larger
on in-district homeowners,
Jeremy Mills said. “It’s not
that I’m averse to the idea of
increasing it, I’m averse to
the idea of increasing it for
Seaside residents.”
He suggested a three- or
four-year gradual increase,
to provide enticement for
residents of Gearhart and
Cannon Beach to join the
district in the future.
Vacasa markets in Seaside; job opportunities too
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
With 250 homes from
Manzanita to Long Beach,
Vacasa encourages home-
owners to make the most out
of their properties when they
are away from home.
North Oregon Coast Gen-
eral Manager Shannon Well-
man and local operations
manager Sondra Gomez pre-
sented options at the Cham-
ber of Commerce’s Wednes-
day, May 22, breakfast
meeting.
Owners can block it from
three weeks to three months
for themselves and rent
their property when vacant,
enabling some who may not
be able to afford it otherwise
to maintain a family home.
Vacasa founder Eric
Breon used to come out to
Seaview Washington, for the
summer, Hellman said.
They weren’t able to come
out to the Coast frequently,
but didn’t want to get rid of
the home. They found house-
keepers and maintenance
workers, but not people to
For the majority of pro-
grams, higher rates likely
won’t deter participation,
Archibald said, although
increases in out-of-district
preschool could have an
impact on users.
Mills said the district pre-
school cost is already well
below other preschools. At
$300 per month, well below
the $800 per month charged
by other schools.
“If our costs increase, our
prices can’t remain static,”
Mills said. “Someone’s
going to have to bear that
cost.”
Michael Hinton said the
board could “nitpick and fi ne
tune” to raise rates without
affecting the availability of
programs for disadvantaged
people, which could have
the unintended consequence
of a need for more scholar-
ship programs.
“There are some pro-
grams that should not have
a rate hike,” Mills said. “But
we know there are some pro-
grams that should. We really
have to be aware at the end
of the day that our programs
are sustainable.”
Archibald said he would
not raise rates for residents,
but would consider increas-
ing out-of-district rates to
“35%, 40%, maybe more.”
If other communities par-
ticipate, they’re more apt to
consider joining the district
if they are asked. “Obviously
this is a complex matter.”
Archibald will present
rate hike projections, with
the goal of a determination
prior to the preparation of the
next program guide.
DINING
on the
NORTH COAST
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1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am
MAZATLAN
M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T
Vacasa
Sand and Sea on the Prom. Thirty-fi ve of the 60 units are represented by Vacasa.
market the property or make
reservations. “They had the
idea of full service,” Wellman
said. “Because he couldn’t
fi nd someone he started his
own company. We are now
doing that in 15 countries, 30
states, 250 homes from Man-
zanita to Long Beach.”
At Sand and Sea in Seaside,
35 of the 60 units are rented
out, managed by Vacasa.
In the past, demand was
primarily in summertime,
but now, properties are
rented year-round. “Here,
particularly at Sand and Sea,
there’s not a weekend we’re
not 100% booked,” she said.
“Our real estate program
is our largest partnership,”
Wellman said. “If you have a
home for sale or want to pur-
chase a home, we can part-
ner with you. If you want to
live there six months, we’ll
rent the other six months.”
Job opportunities begins
at $17.25 an hour for house-
keepers, she added, with 40
positions available this sum-
mer “all over the Oregon
Coast.”
Wellman said she wants
Vacasa to be part of the
community.
“I know a lot of people
don’t like vacation rentals,
we’re trying really hard to
comply to city and county
rules and give back to the
community: how can we
actually help. We really
do want to be part of the
community.”
Phone 503-738-9678
1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside
Excellence in family dining found
from a family that has been serving
the North Coast for the past 52 years
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Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days)
Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily)
Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144