OUR 113th Year
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM
Stelson to leave
school board
October 30, 2020
$1.00
Fall Fun Fest!
By KATHERINE LACAZE
Seaside Signal
After serving on the Sea-
side School Board for nearly
two terms, Hugh Stelson
resigned Oct. 21 to accom-
modate his increasing out-
of-state travel and pass the
seat to another, more acces-
sible community member.
“When I ran for my sec-
ond term, I really didn’t
know I would be leaving
the community on a regular
basis,” Stelson said.
In retirement, he added,
he’s been spending several
months at a time in Arizona.
“If we could fi nd someone
whose eyes and ears are in
the community, that would
be preferable.”
Stelson started his board
position more than seven
years ago. A couple of the
district’s major accom-
plishments during that time
include getting the new cam-
Hugh Stelson
pus built on Spruce Drive
and hiring Susan Penrod to
serve as assistant superin-
tendent for the 2019-2020
school year and take over as
superintendent this school
year. Stelson described hir-
ing a superintendent as
“the most important thing a
school board can do.”
“I think we made a good
choice,” he added.
This year has presented
an unprecedented challenge
See Stelson, Page A5
‘Rules of decorum’
approved as board
addresses policies
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Three minutes to speak,
once during a meeting.
Speakers shall use civil
and courteous language.
Insults, profanity or vulgar
language are not allowed.
Comments, questions or
jeering from the audience
are not allowed.
These are among the new
guidelines for those speak-
ing during public comment
periods at meetings of the
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District.
Last Tuesday, the board
of directors approved the
public rules of decorum,
along with a community
commitment improving the
board’s self-governance and
to provide transparency in
board policies and practices.
The public comment
rules were developed after
a series of board work ses-
sions designed to consider
public and staff complaints
and to analyze how feed-
back is delivered.
At a work session ear-
lier this month, board mem-
bers said while the district
welcomed public com-
ment, there had been some
“serious issues” involv-
ing personal attacks, threats
directed the members of the
board, park district staff or
members of the public.
The public comment
rules of decorum are
See Policies, Page A3
Photos by Katherine Lacaze/For Seaside Signal
During Fall Fun Fest on Oct. 24, participants young and old took part in the cake walk, one of the long-standing
traditions of the event.
By KATHERINE
LACAZE
For Seaside Signal
Sunset Empire Park
and Recreation Dis-
trict’s Fall Fun Fest
looked a little differ-
ent this year. Instead of
taking place at the Bob
Chisholm Community
Center, it was held Sat-
urday at the Seaside
Civic and Convention
Center, which gave
families “the space to
have some fun safely,”
according to Direc-
tor of Marketing Pro-
motions and Special
Events Melissa Ousley.
Face masks were
mixed in among cos-
tume masks and each
person had their tem-
perature taken before
being admitted to the
event. Booth attendants
used gloves and grab-
bers shaped like skel-
eton arms to distribute
candy and prizes from
a distance.
These various pre-
cautions enabled the
recreation district to
still offer one of its
most beloved annual
traditions despite the
ongoing
COVID-19
pandemic.
“It’s a very special
event,” Ousley said,
recalling how she used
to attend with her chil-
dren who are now in
their teens. “We’ve got
some very nice feed-
Entrance was staggered throughout the afternoon during the Fall Fun Fest to
make sure the Seaside Civic and Convention Center’s 100-person capacity wasn’t
breached and to allow for better social distancing.
back, folks saying they
were happy to have a
seasonal event.”
This year’s festi-
val included many of
the staples, including
a cake walk and carni-
val games run by staff
members and a few
volunteers from Sea-
side High School’s
Key Club. Addition-
ally, the Seaside Pub-
lic Library and Wild-
life Center of the North
Coast had booths for
handing out books and
informational coloring
pages about spooky sea
creatures, in addition
to candy.
“I have a lot of pas-
sion for both those
groups,” Ousley said.
See Fest, Page A5
Children dressed up and took part in a variety of
carnival-style games during Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District’s Fall Fun Fest on Oct. 24.
Pacifi c Ridge librarian receives state honor
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
R.J. Marx
John Huismann, at lectern, and Patrick Duhachek, both object
to the purchase of Broadway Middle School by the Sunset
Empire Park and Recreation District.
Pushback as critics oppose
middle school purchase
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
A small but vocal group
of residents came to the Bob
Chisholm Community Cen-
ter last Tuesday to show
opposition to a purchase of
Broadway Middle School.
Speakers reacted to the
Sunset Empire Park and Rec-
reation District’s purchase
of the property, vacant after
the school district moved the
campus to a new location on
Spruce Drive outside the tsu-
nami inundation zone. Board
members approved the pro-
cess after a previous board
had rejected a potential pur-
chase in June.
“Why are people just now
receiving information on the
survey for their opinions if
the purchase is already in
the works?” Lindsey Morri-
son, a former member of the
See Pushback, Page A3
More than 12,000 books
and library materials made
the move from Gearhart Ele-
mentary School to the new
Pacifi c Ridge Elementary
School on Spruce Drive,
part of the district’s efforts to
relocate students to a campus
outside of the tsunami inun-
dation zone.
Librarian Laura Stewart
guided the library’s effort,
and this month, she won a
state award for her work,
earning the Oregon Asso-
ciation of School Librar-
ies award, Library Parapro-
fessional of the Year 2020
award.
As full-time librarians in
the state are cut from city
and school payrolls, parapro-
fessionals like Stewart are
asked to step up into posi-
tions left vacant.
“I was surprised and very
honored to receive this rec-
ognition in a year that has
been fi lled with challenges
every day, in every facet
of our lives,” Stewart said.
“It was a bright surprise to
receive this news.”
Stewart and her husband,
Jay Stewart, owned a potter
gift shop, House of the Potter
Inc., in Cannon Beach, for
34 years. Her husband died
in 2011. She closed the store
in 2013, deciding it was time
to make changes in her life.
Stewart considered leav-
ing the North Coast to live
closer to her children, but
in October 2013 a posi-
tion opened up at Seaside
Heights Elementary as a
Title 1 aide.
“My plan was to sell my
house and decide what I
wanted to do with the rest of
my life,” Stewart said. “But
Chapter FE, PEO Astoria
See Librarian, Page A5
Pacifi c Ridge Elementary School librarian Laura Stewart.