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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2019)
OUR 112th Year August 16, 2019 $1.00 SEASIDESIGNAL.COM Gearhart OKs tsunami overlay zone Amendments won’t impact firehouse location plans By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal R.J. Marx photos Chuck Miner, Brandy Stewart, Reita Fackerell, Sandy MacDowall and Bob Perkel provide visitor information and souvenirs for volleyball weekend. THE LOCALS Gearhart officials unanimously approved the second reading of the tsunami hazard overlay zone ordinance, legislative amend- ments to increase community land use and human resiliency in the event of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami occurrence in Gearhart. The city’s decision comes after a state legislative session in which lawmakers overturned a 1995 prohibition on construct- ing new public facilities within the tsunami zone. The ordinance will amend the city’s com- prehensive plan and zoning ordinance to update tsunami hazard background, policies and development hazards through creating a tsunami hazard overlay zone. The ordinance goes into effect in 30 days from its reading at the Aug. 7 City Council meeting. The designation will address future zon- ing decisions and reflect the community’s risk tolerance and its application of miti- gation measures, according to the city staff report delivered at the ordinance’s first read- ing in July. See Tsunami zone, Page A7 who help make Seaside volleyball a success By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal W hether grading the sand, setting up volley- ball standards, provid- ing visitor information or emceeing the event from courtside, local residents, vol- unteers and businesses converged for the world’s largest beach volleyball event. On Saturday morning as players began arriving for what would cul- minate in the men’s and women’s final matches, the Seaside Chamber of Commerce’s Brandy Stewart and volunteers Bob Perkel, Chuck Minor, Reita Fackerell and Sandy MacDow- all sat near the entrance to the courts providing player booklets, visitors guides and local up-to-date informa- tion, including where to find an avail- able hotel room as more than 1,600 volleyball teams came to Seaside. Nearby, Jason Johnson of Ton- quin Trading Co. offered players Oofo Recovery Shoes, designed to absorb the aches and pains likely to reveal themselves after a strenuous workout. Seaside firefighter Dave Rankin stood by to handle emergencies, and to keep the sand packed and combed. Lauren Yokum, a Seaside High School grad and Astoria resident, offered discounts to local dispensa- Sau Utley, Jeff Dunn and Ro King of Seaside’s Brew 22 provide refreshments for volleyball players and fans. ries — including Seaside’s Cannabis Nation — on behalf of Cura Canna- bis Solutions. In the main court, Seaside Visi- tors Information Specialist drew on decades of radio experience to emcee the event, ably assisted on stage by Dave Shaw, Adam Israel and Derek Stewart, a Seaside High School stu- dent whose participation in the vol- leyball event is part of his Pacifica Project for senior year. Jeff Dunn — owner of Brew 22, the chamber’s “Business of the Year” of 2018, served Americanos and more, assisted by Sau Utley and Ro King. Jason Johnson of Tonquin Trading Co. and Division Chief David Rankin of the Seaside Fire Department. City to raze North Holladay property By KATHERINE LACAZE For Seaside Signal More than a year and half after a sin- gle-family home on Holladay Drive burnt down, the city has decided to declare the property a public nuisance and move for- ward to have it abated. The demolition cost of $13,700 will be filed as a lien to the homeowner. “The property owner at this point has basically walked away from this property,” City Manager Mark Winstanley said during the Seaside City Council meeting Aug. 12. “That is the concern expressed by the neigh- boring property owners.” In light of the lack of response from the owner, neighbors have requested the city to “solve this problem,” Winstanley added. The house, at 412 N. Holladay Drive, was destroyed by a fire in early February 2018. Nearby residents were evacuated, but firefighters extinguished the blaze before it spread to other houses in the area. At the time, fire personnel considered the house uninhabitable and estimated damage to be more than $100,000. During a City Council meeting July 22, Linda Trexler, a community member who resides on Fourth Avenue by the decrepit property, gave testimony about the ways in which it has become a nuisance to the sur- rounding neighborhood. About six months after the house burned down, Trexler said, she and other neighbors requested action See Demolition, Page A7 Beach wheelchair storage lockers unveiled By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Seaside just made it easier for residents and visitors to use beach wheelchairs for those experiencing mobility disabilities. After a $9,000 grant from Travel Ore- gon, the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District purchased and installed the weath- erproof beach wheelchair lockers in down- town Seaside, which debuted Wednesday, Aug. 7. The beach wheelchair program offers wheelchairs to the disabled at no cost. “This is one big step for accessibility for everyone at the beach,” Mayor Jay Barber said as he wielded the ceremonial scissors, unveiling three new storage lockers in the city parking lot near Oceanway, designed to hold three beach wheelchairs. Users can stow their own wheelchairs when using the specially adapted models with fat balloon tires to provide easy access and mobility on the sand, The program, inspired by a similar pro- gram initiated in 2017 in Cannon Beach, came to the district via Seaside’s Randy Anderson, who began discussions with the district. Patrick Duhachek, owner of Wheel Fun Rentals agreed to donate two wheelchairs. In addition, Anderson gave the district a heavy-duty beach wheelchair designed to carry weight of up to 350 pounds. “Wheel Fun had two beach wheelchairs that they had been renting out for visi- tors,” said Sunset Empire Park and Recre- ation District’s Darren Gooch at Wednes- day’s ribbon-cutting. “Randy’s vision was to somehow make those free and available to folks who come to town, or even our own residents.” The beach wheelchairs had been stored R.J. Marx See Wheelchairs, Page A7 The new storage lockers enable easy access to the nearby Seaside beach.
