Friday, March 12, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Station: ‘Anything and everything is very possible’
Continued from Page A1
as their fi rst choice.
In early 2020, city offi -
cials estimated construction
cost at the High Point site
between $6 million and $9
million.
The city may conduct
another resident survey,
Cockrum said.
“A re-survey is just to
double-check with our vot-
ers that they still support
this option,” she said. “It
has been several years since
the council was given direc-
tion by the voters to pursue a
location outside the tsunami
zone, but not at the Dune
Meadows Park.”
The High Point structure
will also be used as an emer-
gency operations center in a
major weather or geological
event, City Administrator
Chad Sweet said. “It’s more
than just a fi re station,” he
said.
In early 2020, city
councilors
unanimously
approved a request for up
to $25,000 from the build-
ing reserve fund to coordi-
nate work, review materials
and prepare a cost estimate
for a bond.
Offi cials had hoped to put
a fi rehouse bond before vot-
ers last year, but delays in
negotiations as a result of
the coronavirus pandemic
stalled discussions. Part of
the ongoing delay includes
discussions between the city
and the Palisades Home-
owners Association for an
undeveloped right of way.
Talks have picked up,
City Attorney Peter Watts
said. He said he had been in
contact with John Crawford,
the board president of the
homeowners association.
The Gearhart fi rehouse, built in 1958, is considered at risk in
an earthquake and tsunami.
“We’ve got a lot of com-
munity education that we
will need to do so people
understand the issue,” Watts
said. “I’ve been able to
explain some of these con-
cepts to him and gotten him
up to speed and make sure
his group receives accu-
rate information. Hopefully,
we have a plan they can get
behind.”
Crawford confi rmed dis-
cussions with the city were
ongoing. “It’s at our board
level and no decisions have
been made,” he said.
Watts said negotiations
will come down to trust.
“We’re going to need them
to trust us and we’re going
to need to trust them,” he
said. “Assuming we can get
there, we’ll have an outcome
where we have a poten-
tially great facility that will
be attractive to current and
future volunteers that is at a
safe elevation so that in an
event of a tsunami our fi rst
responders can get there.
I’m cautiously optimistic.”
City staff will present the
costs of property acquisition
and building construction to
the City Council at a work
session on March 30, Sweet
said.
After the council is pre-
sented with the information
they may decide to move
forward with a Novem-
ber election to approve the
bond, ask for more informa-
tion, or instruct staff to fi nd
an alternative to the High
Point site.
Costs are being fi nalized,
Sweet said.
Fire Chief Bill Eddy,
who has guided the depart-
ment as chief since 2000,
watched a nearly $4 million
bond for a new fi re station
and city hall fail with vot-
ers in 2006. “The citizens
of Gearhart are going to
have to make that decision,
what they feel is right, what
their pocketbooks feel are
right,” he said. “Anything
and everything is very pos-
sible. Something needs to
be done. Gearhart has fi re-
fi ghters. They need a fi re
station.”
Fireman’s ball canceled in Eddy to serve as interim Gearhart
Gearhart for second year fi re chief during search process
ing the next chief for the city
of Gearhart,” Sweet said.
“They’ll have big shoes to
fi ll.”
Gearhart will begin a
search process that includes
staff, the chief, residents and
fi refi ghters, Sweet said.
The agreement begins
April 1 and ends July 1,
and may be renewed for up
to three additional months.
As interim fi re chief, Eddy
will “initiate, administer
and supervise all fi re depart-
ment services,” according
to his interim employment
contract.
The chief’s base salary
will be $45 per hour, and he
is expected to work about
30 hours a week. Among his
tasks will be to cover City
Council and district board
meetings, drills and training,
fi re department meetings
and fi re department incident
response.
Along with Eddy, Sea-
side Fire Chief Joey Daniels
and other fi re professionals
will provide assistance in the
process.
“We’ll be looking at
advertising
throughout
the area and whittle things
down,” Sweet said.
descent, borscht became
a favorite rustic soup she
enjoyed making.
She had many friendships
and continued her long dis-
tance phone calls to every
relative or friend she could.
She was proud of her accom-
plishments in homemaking,
and of all of her grandchil-
dren and great-grandchil-
dren, with pictures lining the
walls and halls of her home.
Louise, in her young
life, went through many
hardships, which made her
strong and confi dent, lov-
ing and enduring to all she
knew.
Louise was preceded in
death by her husband, Rob-
ert Earl Gilbert; sons, James
(Jim) and Robert (Bob) Gil-
bert; her brothers, Robert,
Vincent and Laudie; and sis-
ter, Eleanor.
Louise is survived by
her family, Ludwig, Edith,
Verna, Ray and Janet; her
sons, Jon and Chuck; and
daughter, Wavia.
The funeral is at 11 a.m.
Saturday at Our Lady of Vic-
tory Catholic Church, 120
Oceanway St. in Seaside.
Hughes-Ransom Mor-
tuary is in charge of the
arrangements. Please sign
the online guest book at
hughesransom.com.
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Seaside Signal
HOW TO SUPPORT FIRE ASSOCIATION
This would have been
the 60th annual fi reman’s
ball in Gearhart, but like
the 59th, it will be can-
celed due to the coronavi-
rus pandemic.
The fundraiser is high-
lighted by gaming, live
music and dancing.
The ball raises funds for
necessary equipment for
the fi re department.
“Unfortunately the Vol-
unteer Fire Association has
decided that the May fi re-
fi ghters ball will be a lit-
tle bit too early because of
COVID,” City Administra-
tor Chad Sweet said at last
The Gearhart Fire Association’s online store should be up
and running within the next week, Fire Chief Bill Eddy said.
Information will be updated on gearhartfi re.com. Clothing
will be available to purchase from the fi re station weekdays
and possibly the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
Wednesday’s City Council
meeting.
“We don’t have a clue
what state restrictions on
COVID are going to be,”
Fire Chief Bill Eddy said.
“There’s too much money
to getting the process going
to be able to the plug on it.”
Between
donations,
clothing sales, the actual
fundraiser and the Gear-
hart Golf Links Tournament
generate between $17,000
to $20,000.
Residents and supporters
can make donations online
or purchase sweatshirts,
T-shirts and other merchan-
dise at the Gearhart fi re hall.
“They’re still doing
everything other than the
fundraiser itself,” Eddy
said.
Gearhart Fire Chief Bill
Eddy will stay on as interim
fi re chief until a new one is
hired.
City Administrator Chad
Sweet announced Eddy’s
retirement earlier this year.
City councilors unani-
mously approved retain-
ing Eddy as interim chief at
a meeting last Wednesday.
Eddy has been with the fi re
department since 1981 and
served as chief since 2000.
“Chief Eddy has done a
fantastic job working for the
city of Gearhart and I look
forward to working with
him in the process of fi nd-
Bill Eddy
OBITUARY
Louise Marie Gilbert
Warrenton
Sept. 26, 1935 — March 4, 2021
Louise Marie Gilbert, 85,
of Warrenton, died March 4,
2021.
Louise Marie Chorne
was born in her home, on
the family farm, in Dickin-
son, North Dakota, to Agnes
and John Chorne, on Sept.
26, 1935.
When Louise was 14
months old, her mom
became ill and passed away
a the age of 35. Eleanor, her
eldest sister, helped take
care of Louise through the
next 15 years. Louise grew
up with four brothers and
two sisters. Louise’s dad
passed away when she was
15 years old.
Louise attended Mary-
cliff High School in Spo-
kane, Washington, from
1947 to 1951 and graduated
from Williston High School
in Williston, North Dakota,
in May 1956.
During her high school
years she enjoyed play-
ing basketball which her
nephew, Wayne Brown,
never knew until later years.
She was challenged by her
nephew to a similar bas-
ketball game of “horse.”
During that game he learned
not to try to challenge Aunt
Louise ever again — as she
made every basket!
Louise met her husband,
Robert Earl Gilbert (Bob),
while she was waitressing
in Williston. Louise paid for
Bob’s dinner one night when
he stopped by the restaurant.
That is how this marriage of
over 45-plus years started.
During the early start
of their marriage, they had
four boys and one daughter.
In birth order, Robert, Jon,
Wavia (Guy Mulholland),
Jim and Chuck (Jeannie Fer-
ron). Louise enjoyed raising
her children, and became
a Cub Scout den mother to
help her boys learn and suc-
ceed in various skills and
crafts.
She enjoyed family out-
ings to Fort Peck, what
seemed to be almost every
weekend of the summer, and
her annual trip to see her sis-
ter on her farm in Bonners
Ferry, Idaho.
Louise and Bob packed
up their family and moved
from North Dakota to Mon-
tana, where they lived in
Glasgow, and then Great
Falls and back to Glasgow
until 1972, when they
decided to move to Seaside,
where Ken Karge and Sam
Kirkaldie, with her husband,
Bob, purchased the infa-
mous KSWB radio station
(Ken, Sam with Bob) which
broadcasted from Seaside.
While the radio business
kicked off, Louise started a
waitress job at the Premier
Restaurant (where the Beach
Club stands today). She then
started hostessing at the Pig
St. Patricks
Day
Happy
.
Seaside High School
ALA Scholarship
Fundraiser
Wednesday
March 17th
Corned Beef & Cabbage
Served Hot from
5-7pm
$12
Social distancing in place
Seaside
American Legion
1315 Broadway
503-738-5111
Everyone Welcome!
‘N Pancake until her retire-
ment in the late 1990s.
Louise looked forward to
being a grandma. Wavia and
Guy had Tyler and McK-
enzie; Chuck and Jeannie
had Jeff, Desiree, Shaina
and Joshua. The total com-
bined: six grandchildren,
and later giving her seven
great-grandchildren
and
one more on the way, due in
May.
She was a fantastic cook
and always had a great
fl ower garden! She made
wine, candies, cookies and
always baked a cake to cel-
ebrate someone’s birthday.
Being of Czechoslovakian
Fre
e
Est Fast
ima
tes
Call me
ti
Any
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