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.
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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
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