Friday, March 19, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
Batter up at hitting facility BUSINESS
Directory
SKY BOX
SKYLER
ARCHIBALD
It was more than four
years ago when I was
approached by some repre-
sentatives of Seaside Kids
Inc., and the Seaside School
District with a request: Will
you help us fi nd a way to
build an indoor baseball and
softball facility at Broadway
Park?
The question was a sim-
ple one and my answer was
even simpler: Yes. I believe
wholeheartedly in work-
ing collaboratively within
our community to maximize
opportunities for healthy
activities. In my experience,
starting with a yes and work-
ing with the partners to cre-
atively fi nd solutions and
get projects completed is a
much more fulfi lling and
appropriate course of action
than the alternatives.
The project took every bit
of that time frame to come
to completion but over the
past month or two, the Her-
che Family Training Facility
became a completed reality.
Already, it is serving hun-
dreds of local children and
helping give them an out-
let for their time and energy,
while preparing them for
upcoming seasons.
I wanted to share some
of the important milestones
that occurred along the path
of this project from its incep-
tion to completion.
First, the project got a
head start in funding from
the Oregon Community
Foundation. The foundation
has long supported our com-
munity through grants and
been a partner of SEPRD’s
in many ways. Through the
Lester and Sarah Louise
Raw Seaside Youth Fund,
the project was kickstarted
by a sizable grant.
Second, the project had
a number of key support-
ers from our community.
Chris Corder, a local coach
and business owner, volun-
teered to serve as project
manager and coordinated
the undertaking. Along the
path to completion, he likely
gave hundreds of hours of
his time and knowledge.
Other individuals including
the Seaside Kids Inc. Board,
SEPRD staff and Sunset
Park & Recreation Foun-
dation board have also vol-
unteered time or resources
along the way. Now that
the project has been com-
pleted and opened, Chris
gets to coach his children in
the facility but the benefi ts
will outlast the current ath-
letes’ time in competition —
this will be a great thing for
decades to come!
Third, the project got
generous funding from
many individuals and busi-
nesses within the commu-
nity. Countless contractors
donated their time, knowl-
edge and expertise includ-
ing AMJ Insulation, Borland
Electric, Coastal Resto-
ration, Ryan Osburn Plumb-
ing and White’s Heating.
Daily during the construc-
tion process, a diff erent con-
tractor pulled in, often off er-
ing help and support.
Included in this process
were connections to the Aut-
zen Foundation and a won-
derful donation from the
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Skyler Archibald
Kaden enjoys the new batting facility.
Mary and Tom Herche Fam-
ily. Both of those supporters
provided an incredible lift
in the process. The Herche
Family earned the naming
rights to the facility.
Fourth, the project gained
approval from the City of
Seaside and the SEPRD
board. These were import-
ant steps to share the land
that the facility is built on
and establish responsibility
for supervision and main-
tenance to the district and
S.K.I., with support from the
Sunset Park & Recreation
Foundation.
As the facility neared
completion, the timing was
unfortunate with the spread
of COVID-19 and due to
the guidance from state and
local health authorities, the
opening was delayed. How-
ever, I’m happy to share that
over the past few weeks the
facility has been open and
heavily utilized with revi-
sions to keep participants
safe.
It’s been an amazing lift
to many of our young ath-
letes in our community to
have a space to recreate and
be active and the facility has
been utilized by children and
youth ages 7 to 18. Those
rentals have come through
the good work of Seaside
Kids and their formed teams
but it’s also available for the
public to utilize.
It has been so inspiring to
be a small part in this pro-
cess and I’m in awe of the
good people and hard work-
ers in this community.
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Park district: ‘We want to do this in the right way’
Continued from Page A1
than mid-April. He antic-
ipates completion within
four-to-six months.
The park district pur-
chased the former Broad-
way Middle School for
$2.15 million in January
with the sale closing in Jan-
uary. The middle school was
among Seaside School Dis-
trict properties relocated to
the new Spruce Drive loca-
tion outside of the tsunami
inundation zone. Three
acres of the 5.4-acre prop-
erty at 1120 Broadway are
zoned medium-density res-
idential and the remaining
portion general commercial.
The Klosh Group, which
acts as owner’s representa-
tive, signed a contract with
the park district in Novem-
ber during due diligence
prior to purchase.
So far, investments at
the Sunset Recreation Cen-
ter have been the district’s
investment with the Klosh
Group, landscaping equip-
ment, replacing a scoreboard
in one of the gyms and rekey-
ing of the building, Archibald
said. The cost of the score-
board replacement will be
shared by the Sunset Empire
Park & Recreation Founda-
tion and the Pacifi c Basket-
ball League Youth Basketball
Program.
“We have some decisions
to make upcoming regard-
ing how much investment we
want to make into the build-
ing right now,” Archibald
said.
The park district has addi-
tional funds available from
the building addition fund
and purchase fi nancing.
“We’re in kind of a pre-
carious situation because we
don’t want to use too much
of that money right now
because of what opportuni-
ties are ahead where invest-
ment might be needed,”
Archibald said. “At the same
time, some aspects of the
building are in need of atten-
tion sooner rather than later.”
He said the park district is
taking a pause on any further
investment.
“I’d like to work with the
board and the people that are
working with us on the RFP
to fi gure out what the use of
the funds will be,” Archibald
said. “We want to do this in
the right way.”
For now, events are lim-
ited to youth basketball pro-
grams. While spectator
events are limited, partici-
pation is exceeding expec-
tations, Archibald said. “We
also have hosted a little bit
of softball practice — just
pitching and catching —
and are close to providing
space for indoor soccer and
pickleball.”
The park district has not
made any decisions about
potential partnerships or
sales at the center, but board
and staff have heard from
interested parties, Archibald
said.
The park district plans
on relocating pre-kindergar-
ten and kindergarten classes
from the Sunset Pool build-
ing during spring break,
March 22 to March 26. The
program will be closed for all
youth programming during
the move. The closure will
last one week and the normal
schedule will resume March
29.
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BRIEFS
CONSTRUCTION
too long, or too often, eggs or
chicks can die from exposure,
predators or people.
OPRD
Western snowy plover
Nesting season for
the western snowy
plover is underway
Beachgoers are urged to
help recovery eff orts of the
threatened western snowy
plover by staying on the wet
sand at snowy plover beaches
during nesting season, start-
ing Monday and running
through Sept. 15. Signs and
ropes that identify sensi-
tive plover nesting areas and
list restrictions to protect the
small shorebirds during this
period.
Plover beaches remain
open to foot and equestrian
traffi c on wet, packed sand
throughout nesting season.
All other recreation on plover
beaches is off limits on both
wet and dry sand, include
walking your dog, even on a
leash, driving a vehicle, rid-
ing a bicycle, camping, fi res
and fl ying kites or drones.
These small birds nest on
open sand along Oregon’s
beaches. Nests, and espe-
cially chicks, are well-cam-
oufl aged. During nesting sea-
son, human disturbances can
fl ush adult plovers away from
their nests as they attempt to
defend their young from the
perceived predator. Left alone
Native wildfl owers
The public is invited to join
the North Coast Land Con-
servancy in Surf Pines this
spring for nine small, socially
distanced volunteer parties to
plant native wildfl owers.
The nine events run from
Tuesday to April 1. Each
planting party is limited to
six volunteers. Masks are
required while working on
the land.
During the outings, the
organization will be planting
3,000 plugs of dune tansy and
edible thistle. These native
wildfl owers — not to be con-
fused with invasive tansy rag-
wort or Canada thistle — are
important nectar species for
pollinators, including the fed-
erally threatened Oregon sil-
verspot butterfl y that once
occupied the Clatsop Plains.
The conservancy is working
with U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to improve habitat at
the organization’s Surf Pines
Prairie Habitat Reserve so
these rare butterfl ies may one
day be reintroduced.
To register for a work
party, visit nclctrust.org.
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