OUR 114th Year
June 18, 2021 $1.00
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM
Gearhart moves
closer to new
firehouse site
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
An ideal elevation, a
more convenient loca-
tion and cost savings of up
to $4 million are selling
points for a new firehouse
and police station at High-
lands Lane in Gearhart.
Officials hope to bring
a portion of a 36-acre lot
on Highlands Lane owned
by Cottages at Gearhart
LLC into the city’s urban
growth boundary.
The
City
Council
approved up to $80,000
from the building reserve
fund for due diligence in
planning, architecture and
geotechnical engineering
services at the site. This
will provide residents, the
Planning Commission and
City Council with infor-
mation to decide whether
to move forward with a
bond vote in November.
“I would like nothing
more than to be on the bal-
lot in November,” Mayor
Paulina Cockrum said.
After six or seven years
of research and prepara-
tion to move the fire sta-
tion to higher ground, “it
feels like it’s in alignment”
this year, the mayor said.
If approved, the city
will save an estimated $3
million to $3.5 million
on what would have been
required for purchase of
land on North Marion,
City Attorney Peter Watts
said, and the project would
be significantly simpli-
fied without potential emi-
nent domain issues associ-
ated with the High Point
location.
In March, costs at High
Point were estimated at
$13.5 million, includ-
ing construction and land
acquisition.
Zoned within Clat-
sop County, after a poten-
tial urban growth bound-
ary exchange, Cottages at
Gearhart developers would
benefit from increased
housing density under city
zoning code.
The Cottages at Gear-
hart purchased the prop-
See Firehouse, Page A3
Park district,
education group close
in on rec center lease
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
The Sunset Empire Park
and Recreation District
moved closer to a deal with
the Northwest Regional
Education Service District
to lease a portion of Sunset
Recreation Center.
The service district is in
the process of selling their
29,000-square-foot Clat-
sop Service Center in Asto-
ria. They hope to lease a
7,600-square-foot
space
in the Sunset Recreation
Center. The service district
brings additional school
resources to students and
school districts in Clatsop,
Tillamook,
Washington
and Columbia counties.
The proposed two-
year lease at Sunset Rec-
reation Center includes an
annual rental amount pay-
able in quarterly install-
ments. It also includes a
small percentage increase
each year of 1.5% to the
agreed upon amount set,
said Skyler Archibald, the
park district’s executive
director. The cost includes
reimbursement for utilities
based on the square footage
of the building.
The service district
requested leasing three
classrooms along the south-
west corner of the building,
computer lab adjacent to
the library, administrative
office space and counseling
rooms, Archibald said. The
square footage is around
7,600 square feet, with
additional square footage
for consideration in the
larger men’s and women’s
bathrooms.
“They are comfort-
able with the computer lab
being potentially shared
space that the park district
could have access to as
well, especially for evening
meetings,” Archibald said
at last Tuesday’s park dis-
trict board meeting. “They
will probably outfit one of
the classrooms or maybe
two of the classrooms with
working areas for their
staff. And then one of the
classrooms will probably
be like a workroom break
room with coffee machine
and that kind of thing.”
The service district
would have their own
custodial
or
cleaning
See Rec Center, Page A3
R.J. Marx
Public Works Director Dale McDowell alongside a boat discarded alongside the river at Cartwright Park.
In Seaside, trash creates
headache for public works
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
A moth-eaten, mois-
ture-drenched couch and
loveseat. Wooden pal-
let boards with nails. A
refrigerator door. A sink-
ing boat.
“In the last year, the
city of Seaside had some
real issues with our res-
idents actually leav-
ing furniture, appli-
ances and anything else
in town,” Public Works
Director Dale McDow-
ell said. “Where we could
be doing improvements
in the parks, we’re tak-
ing care of somebody’s
trash.”
McDowell has a
rogue’s gallery of photos.
“That’s at the beach,”
he said, showing a picture
of overflowing garbage
bags in a pile of sand.
“Someone was done for
the day visiting the beach
and they just brought their
garbage. They dumped it
by one of the restrooms,
their chairs included.”
A discarded couch
and loveseat had signs
marked “free” in Cart-
wright Park underneath
the picnic shelter.
“We have to haul them
to the dump,” McDowell
said. “Unfortunately, all
those charges get charged
to the parks.”
Another photo showed
a boat filled with fishing
floats, the seat upholstery
ripped, hull damaged,
engine in disrepair.
“This one gentleman
got the boat off of Craig-
slist, and the boat, natu-
rally, was free,” McDow-
ell said. “He tried to
launch it at Quatat Park
— it immediately sank.
Our crews got called in
after hours to pick this
thing up. We still have
it to this day because he
doesn’t have any money
to get it out of so-called
impound and do anything
with it.”
Right now, the boat is
parked behind the pub-
lic works building. “This
has to get cut up and then
put into a container and
See Trash, Page A3
Seaside grads dream big at ceremony
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Wesley Corliss
Tatum La Plante on the way to get her diploma at the end of
the Turnaround.
Adapt and change. Don’t
be afraid to follow a path.
Dream big, and be kind.
That was the advice of
teacher Jeff Corliss to the
Seaside High School Class of
2021 last Thursday evening.
Corliss addressed students,
families and a YouTube audi-
ence from the Seaside Civic
and Convention Center park-
ing lot in downtown Seaside.
“Be open to new ideas,
new experiences, and new
ways of doing things,” Cor-
liss said. “This pandemic
has definitely given you a
leg up on that. And you’ve
shown that you can adapt
and change.”
A Broadway Street clo-
sure launched a day to con-
clude the school year, com-
ing after a year of masks,
distance learning and a new
high school building — not
to mention classes, sports
and extracurriculars.
Graduates gathered at the
high school at 4 p.m., and
one hour later their motor-
cade headed down Broad-
way to the Turnaround to
receive their diplomas. Each
car competed with the next
for the most creative way
to celebrate their graduates,
decorated with flags, pom-
poms and balloons.
Members of the school
board greeted each student
and delivered their diplomas
accompanied by the sounds
of horns and cheers. Tassels
blew in the wind as students
held onto their signature red
graduation hats, taking sel-
fies and photos of besties at
See Graduation, Page A5
Seaside Museum celebrates reopening
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
A new look and new
exhibits marked the reopen-
ing of the Seaside Museum &
Historical Society and Butter-
field Cottage.
Closed for a year as a
result of the pandemic, the
board of directors kept work-
ing, preparing new exhib-
its and upgrades at the cen-
ter and neighboring cottage,
board president and City
Councilor Steve Wright said
at a reopening ceremony and
ribbon-cutting last Thurs-
day presented by the Seaside
Chamber of Commerce.
“I read a phrase about
a year ago that I felt really
described our status and that
was we were in ‘an arrested
state of decay,’” Wright said.
“We had good things. And
they were nice a number of
years ago. People did great
jobs. And we just kind of
stayed stagnant for a while.
So last fall we got started and
we figured, OK, a good way
to start is to start tearing stuff
out. And that’s what we did.”
Grant money and dona-
tions brought a new electrical
system, lighting, blinds, fresh
drywall and an open look to
the lobby and colorful new
displays, premiering with the
Oregon Historical Society’s
traveling version of their per-
manent exhibition on mod-
ern state history, “Oregon
Voices.” On entering, visitors
are greeted by three-sided
pop-up kiosks that explore
some of the important peo-
ple, events and ideas that
have shaped the state from
the end of World War II to the
present.
An exhibit curated by
board member Rachael Wol-
See Museum, Page A4
R.J. Marx
Ribbon-cutting at the Seaside Museum presented by the Seaside Chamber of Commerce. The
museum and neighboring cottage reopened after a year of renovations during the pandemic
closure.