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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2020)
Friday, February 14, 2020 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5 Fire station: City could put bond measure on ballot in May Continued from Page A1 through the process we are talking about and we have a signature that confirms this is accurate. We’re doing a triple-check, to make sure our costs are in line.” A $3.75 million bond to replace the firehouse failed in 2006, with the added components of a new city hall and police department. The cost estimates for the new firehouse come after more than three years of outreach and research to replace the current fire sta- tion on Pacific Way, a cin- derblock building con- structed in 1958 and considered vulnerable in a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami. In 2018, after consid- ering nine locations, the fire station committee rec- ommended three concepts and locations to the pub- lic to help guide the deci- sion-making process. Estimated costs for a fire- house project, not includ- ing land purchase, reach about $5 million, of which $3.4 million would go to a 12,800-square-foot public safety building. With an elevation of between 62 feet and 65 feet at the building site, cost is estimated at between $6 mil- lion and $9 million. The cost per $1,000 of home value would be $0.66-$0.99. A $400,000 home would be assessed $264-$396 per year if a bond were to pass. Three sites presented in a survey to Gearhart residents. “C,” the High Point site, was the favorite. Along with cost reviews, the city must complete nego- tiations for purchase of the property before bringing the bond to voters. Officials feel confident this could be the year voters support a new fire station. “We have over 1,000 pages of data and feedback, on top of all the citizens that have come to the councilors and myself with all sorts of great ideas, the amount of time and people who have been involved in the pro- cess is a really good thing,” Brown said. “Through our survey system, registered voters in Gearhart, 82.5% supported a station and 79.4% sup- ported a bond. The majority of voters support the high- est location, High Point sta- tion, because it would sur- vive about 95% of major tsunami threats.” High Point includes three separate parcels, two owned by Gearhart’s Mur- phy family, and one owned by the Palisades Pipe- line Co., represented by the Palisades Homeowners Association. A right of way owned by the Palisades homeowners would also need to be nego- tiated and purchased by the city, in order to provide space for the new station. The right of way is unde- veloped and reserved for potential access to the two parcels owned by the Mur- phy family. If the estimates receive City Council approval, and agreements are in place with property owners, coun- cilors could schedule a spe- cial session to approve the bond vote, Sweet said. If the council meets the dead- line of Feb. 28, that vote could take place in May. “If it doesn’t get on in May, it doesn’t go till November,” Sweet said. “It’s all coming together nicely, but it’s the council’s decision when it will go to the ballot.” Fascination: Popular game drives Chisholm refresh Continued from Page A1 As the same teams seem to consistently rank near the top in the annual tour- nament, which took place this year Feb. 5 at Funland Arcade, there may be some technique that aids their suc- cess, Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District marketing manager Darren Gooch said. “What it is, I have not figured out,” he said, adding he’s jokingly “threatened” to make a diagram of the Fasci- nation tables at the arcade to see if any are more inclined toward success. The fundraiser was estab- lished four years ago, led by Piper O’Brien, who has been on the Community Cen- ter Commission for more than three decades, and Marla Olstedt, who used to work with the company that owned Funland and Ful- tano’s Pizza. Along with other commission members, they developed and imple- mented the idea of turning the arcade game Fascina- tion into a tournament. The arcade donates the space and staff for serving a pizza dinner and helping run the tournament. “Funland and Fultano’s are amazing partners in this,” Gooch said. Local businesses and community members donate additional items for tour- nament prizes and a raffle drawing. At this year’s fundraiser, two teams fought for the win during a sudden-death overtime, with Dawn Fuji- wara-Pavlik’s team beating Carnegie Weise’s team to come out on top. The event raised nearly $4,000 to go toward Phase II renovation projects at the community center, which was built in the 1950s and is currently owned by the city of Seaside and managed by the recreation district. The R.J. Marx Heritage Building plans to divide this 13th Avenue parcel into two single-family home lots. A neighboring 12th Avenue parcel will also be divided. Land: Heritage Homes wins five new partitions Continued from Page A1 Katherine Lacaze The fourth annual Fascination Tournament, held Feb. 5, raised about $4,000 to help with Phase II projects for the Bob Chisholm Community Center refresh. center is named after Bob Chisholm, a former public works employee and fire- fighter who died trying to save a drowning victim. Sprucing up The community cen- ter renovation has been an ongoing project for several years. After extensive fund- raising, the Main Hall under- went a $326,000 refresh project from the fall of 2018 to March 2019. The renova- tion addressed the room’s acoustics with the addition of engineered wall cover- ings, while also encompass- ing new flooring, paint, LED lighting and roller-shades on the windows. In the next few weeks, a donor tree, by Clatskanie artist Jeremy Furnish, will be finished and installed. The tree, sculpted from black walnut, will include metal branches and cop- per leaves engraved with donors’ names. Looking ahead to Phase II of the refresh, “a lot of things are on the table,” Gooch said. “We’re trying to narrow it down and create a project that fits into a little smaller monetary range than the original Phase I.” For Phase I, the com- mission raised more than $50,000, while the city con- tributed additional funds as “they want to see this center thrive,” Gooch said. For Phase II, commission members want to keep costs below $100,000. Some ideas mulled by the commission include remod- eling the bathrooms, install- ing new carpet, or touching up the exterior. They also are considering ways to tie design elements from the main hall into the other half. High Life Adventures, which is adding a new loca- tion in Seaside, offered to donate a live-edge wood slab to replace the serving counter in the main hall. “That’s a theme I think I’d like to see move through- out the rest of the building,” Gooch said. The center is used for community activities, spe- cial events, parties and pro- gramming, especially for seniors. Gooch estimates that since the main hall refresh, they’ve seen about five to 10 more rentals for the build- ing than usual, with the hope rentals will continue increas- ing. What is more noticeable at this point, he said, is the reaction from potential rent- ers when they visit the space. In the past, staff got com- ments from prospective renters along the lines of, “We can probably do some- thing with this,” especially in light of affordable rental fees, Gooch said. Those haven’t increased, he added, “but now reac- tions tend toward, ‘Wow, this is really nice.’ It’s much easier for them to see how their wedding would look or their event would look when they walk into that space.” Schorr also expressed concern that visitors to the property might use Good- man Park as an extra park- ing area. He sought sig- nage that would deter overnight parking. Resident Joyce Hunt sought assurances that sidewalks would not be installed on 13th Avenue. “I really don’t think a side- walk would be appropriate on 13th Avenue,” she said. Right now it’s work- ing as a bioswale, filter- ing runoff through the sand as it enters the river rather than being “dumped into the river real quick,” she said. “I’m concerned about increasing that flooding.” Sidewalks could be ordered by the city’s Pub- lic Works Director Dale McDowell, but are not required as a condition of approval, Planning Direc- tor Kevin Cupples said. Among conditions requested by the Planning Department for the parti- tions, the applicant must establish a private road maintenance agreement that will identify the par- ties responsible for their maintenance. An engineered plan must be submitted for pub- lic works and fire marshal review, and a lot-size vari- ance for two of the parcels approved. The two proposed 13th Avenue parcels must meet the same conditional crite- ria, with a 25-foot riparian vegetation setback along the riverbank. Properties are above the 100-year flood plain based on home site plans, Cup- ples said. Planning commis- sion chairman Chris Hoth, vice-chairman David Pos- alski, and commissioners Robin Montero, Bill Car- penter and Teri Carpen- ter unanimously voted for the partitions. Jon Wicker- sham was absent. After the meeting, Johnson said the Asto- ria-based Heritage Homes will design and build the homes. “We have a pretty rough idea of what they are,” Johnson said. “Fairly simple: about 1,400-to- 1,500 square feet, two sto- ries, price point around $400,000.” Cleanup: Community effort collects as much trash as July Fourth event Continued from Page A1 Anderson launched the Seaside Community Cleanup in late Jan- uary after walking his dog near the Tillamook Boat Launch on the Necanicum River south of the city when he found used hypoder- mic needles littered amidst piles of trash. In days to come, Anderson worked through high winds and storms to collect up to 12 yards of garbage a day. Anderson’s efforts drew the attention of others, including Brady Chandler of the local Facebook group Rolling Fortress, a commu- nity which prides itself in building all-in-one contained campers and caring for the environment. Together, Anderson, Chandler, the city and volunteers focused on the Mill Ponds, the 26.5-acre park which goes from the Mill Pond to Neawanna Point at the north end of Seaside. Chandler said Rolling Fortress will address other cleanups needed in the area. “All Clatsop County is our goal for now,” Chandler said. “We will use our resources to schedule and coordinate volun- teers wherever they are needed.” “If Jesse or anyone else needs help, we would gladly help,” McDowell added. Susan Williams LEFT Garbage collected at the Mill Ponds cleanup. RIGHT Volunteers at the Saturday, Feb. 8, Mill Ponds cleanup.
