OUR 112th Year October 25, 2019 SEASIDESIGNAL.COM $1.00 Surprise resignation leaves new Sunset Rec board vacancy By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Lindsey Morrison Sunset Empire Park and Recre- ation District Position 5 board member Lindsey Morrison tendered her imme- diate resignation as of Sept. 20 for per- sonal reasons. Now the board of direc- tors is seeking to fill that seat. Position 5 went vacant earlier this year when board member Alan Evans moved out of the district. Morrison won Position 5 on the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District’s board in May, assuming the vacant seat of Alan Evans, who moved out of the district. Morrison garnered 42% of the vote in the three-person race, beating out Patrick Duhachek and Rodney Roberts. After Veronica Russell stepped down in June, board members appointed Roberts, one of three candi- dates interviewed, along with Patrick Duhachek and Katharine Parker, to fill the vacant Position 1 seat. The rec district’s executive direc- tor Skyler Archibald told the board at Tuesday’s meeting district staff has “received interest or had conversa- tions with several candidates that have a desire to serve on the board.” Archibald recommended the post be open for applicants from now through Nov. 1. Hops for Teachers What’s brewing at The Heights By KATHERINE LACAZE For Seaside Signal T Photos by Katherine Lacaze ABOVE John Meyer, a fifth-grade teacher at The Heights Elementary School, and Dr. Alex Gloria provided live music at Seaside Brewery from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, during a fundraiser around a pale ale called Hops for Teacher, created using hops homegrown by Meyer. BELOW Harriet Walker, 4, and Alma Kujala, 5, dance to the music during the Hops for Teacher fundraiser at Seaside Brewery. he upstairs section of Seaside Brewery was hopping the eve- ning of Oct. 16 as local educators, their families, and other commu- nity members came together to eat, drink, and raise money for outdoor trails at the new Seaside school campus on the hill. While live music and impromptu danc- ing took place throughout the fundraiser, the star of the show was a pale ale called Hops for Teachers, created with roughly 35 pounds of hops provided by John Meyer, Directors will have the opportunity to interview interested candidates at a board workshop, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 12. The selected candidate can be appointed at the November board meeting, scheduled for Nov. 19. Board president Jeremy Mills and board members Roberts, Chapman and Michael Hinton unanimously approved the selection timeline. The board member selected will serve until June 30, 2021. GEARHART ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Sale presents ‘tough road to hoe’ By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Buyers are taking a hard look at the Seaside School District’s three proper- ties — Gearhart Elementary School, Broadway Middle School and Sea- side High School — each built with an expected lifespan of 45 to 50 years. In a tour of Gearhart Elementary before the bond vote in 2016, Doug Dougherty, an advocate of a new cam- pus and Seaside school superintendent at the time, pointed out water pipes in narrow, unlit tunnels. Maintenance workers holding flashlights needed to shimmy or crawl as far as 250 feet to locate leaks and then hammer through concrete to reach encased pipes. Sections have not been replaced since the elementary school was built in 1949. The three schools are each about equal in disrepair, Dougherty said, but Gearhart students have no way to evac- uate to high ground. Since that time, maintenance crews have done routine maintenance — pol- ishing floors, painting and doing exte- rior work to keep pests at bay — but have not focused any major repairs in the buildings. “We did not focus on any major repairs in any of the buildings, or any improvements or anything like that,” Chuck Loesch, the school district’s head of maintenance, said in 2017. “With an up-and-coming new school, we are just maintaining what we have.” There has been ongoing mainte- nance on building systems — boiler and water heater work are the most recent, building project manager for the district Jim Henry said Friday. “Admittedly I’m not that familiar with Gearhart Elementary School, but the ‘crumbling schools’ titles have my attention,” Henry said in reference to 2016 news stories. “Given the age of the schools and coastal location it’s not surprising. It’s not unusual for pre- bond articles — these are September and October 2016 — to highlight the worst-case scenarios to bolster voter support.” Henry said ongoing maintenance to keep the school operational has occurred, with no replacement of major systems following the successful vote on the bond measure. See Hops, Page A7 See School, Page A7 Spooky swim, fall fest draws a crowd By KATHERINE LACAZE Seaside Signal The Bob Chisholm Com- munity Center was burst- ing with revelers Saturday during the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation Dis- trict’s annual Fall Fun Fest, featuring Halloween-in- spired décor, treats, and cos- tumes galore. More than 300 com- munity members filtered through the festival during the evening, playing car- nival-style games, getting their faces painted, decorat- ing pumpkins, and partici- pating in a cupcake walk. “I really love seeing the kids have fun,” special events coordinator Grace Lee said, adding her main priority is for the district to offer “a safe environment for kids to just enjoy them- selves and play games and get treats and be around other community members.” District employee Angi Wildt, who assists in putting on special events, agreed she loves “seeing the commu- nity come together.” “It’s really good for par- ents to have a place to take the kids and spend time together,” she said, add- ing the festival is relatively inexpensive and centrally located, which makes it more accessible to local families. Additionally, Wildt said, district staff often interacts with many of the same locals at their events throughout the year, giving them the ability to foster relationships while seeing the fruits of their labor pay off. “It’s kind of fun because you see these families out taking advantage of the things happening in town,” Wildt said. “It’s really healthy for everyone.” See Fall Fun Fest, Page A7 Katherine Lacaze Festivalgoers at the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District’s Fall Fun Fest were invited to draw on pumpkins during the event or take one home to carve. The Fall Fun Fest, followed by the Spooky Swim, were held Saturday, Oct. 19.