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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2019)
A2 • Friday, August 23, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com New school activity bus will debut in Seaside Some relief for student-athletes By LUCY KLEINER The Astorian A new activity bus will join Seaside’s fl eet of school bus es this school year. With extended leg room and overhead storage, “it’s like an airplane,” Michelle Wunderlich, a school board member who head’s the transportation committee, said with a laugh. “Except it doesn’t take off.” On Tuesday evening, the school board unanimously approved the $187,343 pur- chase of the bus . “It’s still a gigantic school bus,” Wunderlich said . “But the seats are wider and there is more space in between them.” The hope is the extra space will allow students to get more rest on their way home after sporting events, specifi cally on school nights. League games regu- larly require student-athletes to ride for more than an hour Lucy Kleiner/The Astorian The school board on Tuesday approved the purchase of a new student activity bus. each way. During the play- offs , students can ride up to fi ve hours . Though school board members clarifi ed the bus is not “fancy,” it will have air conditioning, and instead of continuous bench-like seats, each seat is separate from its neighbor. From the outside, Seaside Police to step up enforcement on seat belts Seaside Signal FOR MORE INFO From Aug. 19 through Sept. 1, Seaside Police Department will conduct a high-visibility enforcement period regarding the proper use of a seat belt. They will also educate the public on the importance of child car safety. In 2017, there were 10,076 unbuckled passen- ger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. To help prevent crash fatalities, offi cers need to step up enforce- ment and crack down on those who don’t wear their seat belts. Seat belt use is required by law for a reason: In 2017, seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives of occupants 5 and older. From 2013 to 2017, seat belts saved nearly 69,000 lives. If all passenger vehi- cle occupants 5 and older involved in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts, an additional 2,549 lives RESPONDER REPORTS PUBLIC SAFETY LOGS Seaside Police log Aug. 9 12:03 p.m., Beach, Avenue E: A missing person is reported. Aug. 10 12:01 a.m., The Cove: Subjects are warned of unlawful lodg- ing. 12:51 p.m., Avenue I and Irvine: Police respond to a report of a man lying in the grass. Police say subject has mental health issues but is not doing any- thing illegal. 2:02 p.m., 2300 block N. Roo- sevelt: Police respond to a re- port of a man walking on the road carrying a rifl e. It was not a rifl e. 4:06 p.m., Turnaround: A child reported missing is reunited with parents. Aug. 11 12:37 a.m., Turnaround: A sub- ject is arrested on a warrant. 3:31 p.m., Broadway: Police re- spond to a report of a person alleged to be taking pictures of people’s body parts using a large camera. Police are unable to locate described subject. Aug. 12 4:55 a.m., 100 block Forest Drive: A deceased person is re- ported. 8:17 p.m., 500 block Broadway: An assault is reported. Aug. 13 11:28 p.m., E Street and N. Cot- tage, Gearhart: Police assist Gearhart police on a call. For more information on the proper selec- tion and use of a child safety seat, go to the Seaside Police Depart- ment, or look on the web at nhtsa.gov/ campaign/right-seat. could have been saved in 2017 alone. The national seat belt use rate in 2017 was 89.7 percent, which is good-but we can do better. The other 10.3 percent still need to be reminded that seat belts save lives. Among young adults 18 to 34 killed in crashes in 2017, more than half (57%) were completely unre- strained — one of the high- est percentages for all age groups. Men make up the major- ity of those killed in motor vehicle traffi c crashes. In 2017, 65 percent of the 23,551 passenger vehicle Aug. 14 10:54 p.m., 1400 block S. Hem- lock, Cannon Beach: Assist other agency with an investi- gation. Aug. 15 2:21 p.m., 1000 block S. Down- ing: Caller reports people look- ing in her windows; offi cer can- vassing the area determines no one is around. Caller advised how to safe safe. 5:19 p.m., 400 block S. Roos- evelt: A person is arrested on a warrant. Aug. 16 12:40 a.m., Library: Subject warned of unlawful lodging. 6:39 a.m., 1800 block S. Frank- lin: Subjects sleeping under the stairs are warned of unlaw- ful lodging. 10:49 p.m., 400 block Holladay Drive: A disturbance is report- ed. Seaside Fire log Aug. 9 occupants who were killed were men. It comes as no surprise that men wear their seat belts at a lower rate than women do — 51% of men killed in crashes were unrestrained, compared to 39 percent of women. High-visibility seat belt enforcement is important 24 hours a day, but night- time is especially deadly for unbuckled occupants. In 2017, 55 percent of pas- senger vehicle occupants killed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts. Also, every 32 seconds in 2017, one child under the age of 13 in a passen- ger vehicle was involved in a crash. Many times, inju- ries and deaths can be pre- vented by proper use of car seats, boosters, and seat belts. Go to the Seaside Police Department, or go to nhtsa.gov/campaign/right- seat, for more informa- tion regarding the proper selection and use of a child safety seat. 5:31 p.m., 100 block Broadway: Fire investigation Aug. 12 3:17 p.m., 10th and Beach: Wa- ter rescue. New technology makes fl agging safer Seaside Signal Every year fl aggers and other highway workers are injured and killed on high- ways in Oregon and across the nation. The Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation has begun deploying new fl ag- ging technology — auto fl aggers — that takes work zone fl aggers out of the line of traffi c making them safer. An auto fl agger is a device with lights and a fl agging arm. Auto fl aggers are more visible to drivers than traditional fl aggers and allow a person to operate the device at a safe distance from traffi c. A fl agger still operates the auto fl agger. They’re just outside the line of traffi c and away from the hazards of oncoming vehi- cles approaching the work zone. What to do when you see an auto fl agger: Stop when the light is red and the arm is down. Proceed with caution when the light fl ashes yel- low and the arm is up. Know that there IS some- one nearby, operating the device. See how the auto fl aggers work “Everyone knows what the red light means,” Rolon Williams, ODOT Transpor- tation Maintenance Man- ager. “In every country in the world, red means stop.” Distracted drivers endan- ger themselves, highway workers and others. Ninety percent of Oregon work zone crashes are caused by bad driving such as drivers following too close, driv- ing too fast, not yielding or driving under the infl uence. Please be patient and remember, highway crews are working to create a safer, more effi cient trans- portation system for all of us. Pay attention to work zone signs. Slow down in work zones and obey all fl aggers. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 3:29 p.m., 2300 block Ocean Vista: Emergency medical re- sponse. Medix on scene. for only $40.50 a year Aug. 14 12:16 a.m. 8500 block Highway 101: Emergency medical re- sponse. Medix on scene. 2:25 a.m., 900 block Fourth Avenue: Emergency medical response. 4:35 p.m., Ocean and Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach: Water rescue. Local News • Seagull Sports • Community Calendar & Much More Call 800-781-3214 to Subscribe or sign up at: seasidesignal.com/subscribe-now 7:20 p.m., 300 block Sixth Ave- nue: Fire investigation. 8:15 p.m., Highway 101: Fire in- vestigation. 9:59 p.m., S. Lincoln: Emergen- cy medical response. 7:09 p.m., The Cove: Fire inves- tigation. 6:35 p.m., 3300 block Beerman Creek: Emergency medical re- sponse. Deceased person re- ported. 11:55 p.m., 300 block Fourth Avenue: Emergency medical response. 8:05 a.m., N. Wahanna: Emer- gency medical response. Aug. 16 12:16 a.m., 1000 block Avenue I: Emergency medical response. 9:22 a.m., 300 block Hillside Loop: Emergency medical re- sponse. 12:24 a.m., Avenue T and Ocean: Water rescue; on arriv- al it was determined children reported in the water safely returned to shore on their own. 2:03 p.m., 300 block S. Colum- bia: Structure fi re. 6:21 p.m., Avenue G, beach: Grass fi re. Aug. 11 Finalized contract doc- uments for the middle and high school’s max- imum price were set in July. One of the next goals is to complete the parking lots, bus loop and sidewalk pavement . “This summer has been really busy,” he said. “Everyone is working really hard to get the Heights but- toned up and ready for school to start.” Roley also presented the school district’s a nnual s tra- tegic p lan, which was unan- imously adopted by the school board. The plan specifi es two strategic goals that focus on preparing K-12 stu- dents with the emotional and academic skills to suc- ceed in the community . Roley listed a number of performance indicators the district will work toward this school year, including increasing the number of students attending at least 95% of school days. “We’re going to do a lot more than hope this year,” Roley said. “We’re pretty darn excited.” 2:40 p.m., Beach and Sema- phore 6: Water rescue. Aug. 15 5:57 p.m., 300 block Avenue K: Emergency medical response. campus, that did not cause the leak , according to Super- intendent Sheila Roley. “It was just an old system that failed,” she said. “It was a 40-year-old pipe.” Insurance was able to cover some of the expense , including the cost of new carpet, linoleum, paint, sheetrock and more. How- ever, the school district was left with a $46,617 bill . “They won’t cover what they consider ‘wear and tear’ on the pipe,” Justine Hill, the school district’s business manager, said of the insurance company. “It was scary,” Hill said. “With water dam- age and other things, we just weren’t sure” if school would resume on time. B ut she said the situation was resolved quickly and will not impact the school’s start date or the construction of the building. Jim Henry, of the consult- ing fi rm hired by the school district to manage the con- struction of the new campus in the Southeast Hills, also updated the school board on the progress. Get the Seaside Signal mailed to your home or business address Aug. 13 8:13 a.m., 1500 block N. Wah- anna: Emergency medical re- sponse. Aug. 10 however, it will resemble a regular yellow school bus. “The kids, who are very much our size, are riding on the bus,” Wunderlich said. “They are adult-sized kids. It will be nice for those two to fi ve hour bus rides that they often take.” The bus also has the potential to be used on morning routes within the school district for non ath- letic events. It is expected to arrive in December. In other business on Tuesday, the school board approved a $46,617 emer- gency procurement for a leak at Seaside Heights Ele- mentary. Susan Penrod, the assistant superintendent, responded to the leak when a construction crew at the campus called and alerted her that the school hallways were covered with about 3 inches of water. Fire Systems West Inc., a fi re protection contractor, responded immediately and repaired the damage. The same contractor originally installed the system. Though construction was already taking place on the Name: Mailing Address: Phone Number: Email Address: Please mail with $40.50 payment to: Seaside Signal, 949 Exchange St., Astoria, OR 97103