A4 • Friday, June 18, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com SignalViewpoints Photos by R.J. Marx LEFT: In September 1958 George and Marion Roberts purchased the Butterfield Cottage, located at 21 N. Columbia in Seaside where Marion, a skilled milliner, opened the House of Roberts custom design millinery and hat shop. RIGHT: Designer Robin Montero, fondly referred to a “Mrs. Butterfield,” for her involvement in the historic Butterfield Cottage. Museum: Exhibits highlight basketmaker, hat shop and more Continued from Page A1 ford recalls Jenny Michel, a basketmaker who was known as “The last Clatsop.” Michel’s 1900 interview with the Oregon Historical Society brings memories of Seaside from the 19th century. “This is her story,” Wol- ford said. “And she tells it. She became quite well known in this little commu- nity here as it was growing up, and very well respected.” “Lulu’s,” curated by board member and City Councilor Tita Montero, pays tribute to an iconic, giant advertising image that hung in Harrison’s Bakery at 608 Broadway for many years. Along with new exhibits, visitors will see familiar gal- leries featuring the Seaside Fire Department, the Sea- side Signal’s original printing press and a diorama depicting Seaside as it was in 1899. Board members anticipate future exhibits could expand on coverage of the 1912 Sea- side fire that destroyed much of the city, and a look back at the city’s place in the 1960s rock ‘n’ roll scene, when the Pypo Club hosted groups like The Kingsmen and Paul Revere and the Raiders. On Dec. 5, 1984, neigh- boring Butterfield Cottage, located at 21 N. Colum- bia, was given to the Sea- side Museum and Histori- cal Society and moved to its present location at 570 Neca- nicum Drive. It has been CLOCKWISE: Mural for the museum’s fundraising drive. Tickets are available for the raffle at $20 each. • The museum’s exhibit recreates early Seaside Signal printing operation. • Switchboard at the Seaside Hotel. • Seaside Museum board president and City Councilor Steve Wright at the ribbon-cutting. interpretively restored to be used as a museum depicting a beach cottage and room- ing house in 1912, inspired by consultants en’s magazines The cottage is hosting annual and wom- of the time. famous for gingerbread teas every holiday season for more than 30 years. In a new exhibit, designer Robin Montero lovingly rec- reates the “House of Rob- erts,” the custom design milli- nery and hat shop that opened in the building in 1958. “Thank you, Steve, your board and all of you volun- teers for your work,” Mayor Jay Barber said before cut- ting the ribbon at the cham- ber event. “You have not been idle while you’ve been closed.” ments to house his own employees. Those are things being promised by Khan and the community should hold him accountable. The people who work here and provide the labor to keep the businesses in Seaside and the northern Oregon Coast open and serving the tourists whose dollars make these towns financially flush every year deserve to be able to live here, too, in real housing. There are a lot of help wanted signs and a lot of employers complaining they can’t find anyone to work for them. It is up to the business owners and the community leaders to use their collec- tive economic and politi- cal power to create a path- way to having a labor force that is available and able to thrive within the com- munities they work. This includes affordable housing and livable wages. Tourists spent $2.2 bil- lion on the Oregon coast in 2018 (that’s $57 million in taxes paid). If the Ore- gon coast wants to truly thrive and be able to meet the needs of the people who come here to spend their money, it needs to invest in its workforce. The problem has been ignored for far too long and it can be ignored no longer. Christina Buck Seaside THURSDAY, JULY 8 mittee, 6 p.m., 989 Broadway. Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m., 415 First Ave. MONDAY, JULY 12 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Think again before putting fire station at Highlands Lane Regarding all the Gear- hart City councilors enthu- siasm for a new fire station on Highlands Lane, have you thought through the traffic and safety aspect? Currently there is the Blue Heron, Teal Road, Surf Pines, The Reserve at Gearhart and The High- lands developments, not to mention the Highlands Golf Club and the Del Rey Beach public access. Now there is the purposed devel- opment of 30 acres on Highlands Lane. If this goes into the Gear- hart urban growth bound- ary there is the potential for another 120 houses (four per acre). If you conceiv- ably take away 10 acres for a fire station and par, that is still 80 houses with possi- bly two cars per house that is an additional 160 vehicles trying to get out onto High- way 101. Now you add a fire station with fire trucks trying to get out during an emergency. Will there be a signal light at 101 and Highlands Lane to deal with this? Not just a signal light that fire trucks can control. Your cre- ating a bigger problem for everyone living off of High- lands Lane. Have any Gear- hart City Council members ever tried getting out onto 101 from Highlands Lane, especially in the summer. It is already an unsafe nightmare. I understand 101 is a state highway but if Gearhart wants this land to become part of the Gearhart urban growth boundary then Gearhart needs to make sure it is a safe plan. Sharon Davis-Robinson Gearhart Workforce housing cannot be ignored I was happy to read this in the Seaside Signal: “Masudur Khan owns five hotels in Seaside — and could build more. But the hotelier is turning his sights to developing two apartment complexes with more than 80 units aimed at stemming a lack of afford- able housing.” Finally someone is tak- ing some action to do some- thing. A real solution to the lack of affordable housing, unlike the workforce dormi- tory other business owners want to put in the currently not fit for living, asbestos and mold riddled, Broad- way Middle School. It is unlikely that this will solve the problem, but it is a start. I would like to see the housing Khan builds be truly affordable to those who work here. I hope that he does use a significant percentage of the apart- PUBLIC MEETINGS Contact local agencies for latest meeting information and atten- dance guidelines. MONDAY, JUNE 28 Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway, cityofseaside.us. TUESDAY, JULY 6 TUESDAY, JUNE 29 Seaside Community Center Commission, 10 a.m., 1225 Avenue A. Gearhart City Council, work session, 6:30 p.m., cityofgear- hart.com. CIRCULATION MANAGER Jeremy Feldman ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Sarah Silver- Tecza PUBLISHER EDITOR Kari Borgen R.J. Marx Seaside Library Board of PRODUCTION MANAGER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John D. Bruijn Skyler Archibald Darren Gooch Joshua Heineman Rain Jordan Katherine Lacaze Esther Moberg SYSTEMS MANAGER Carl Earl Directors, 4:30 p.m., 1131 Broadway St. WEDNESDAY, JULY 7 Seaside Improvement Com- mission, 6 p.m., 989 Broadway. Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., cityofseaside.us. Seaside Parks Advisory Com- Seaside Signal Letter policy Subscriptions The Seaside Signal is published every other week by EO Media Group, 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, OR 97138. 503-738-5561 seasidesignal.com Copyright © 2021 Seaside Signal. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. The Seaside Signal welcomes letters to the editor. The deadline is noon Monday prior to publication. Letters must be 400 words or less and must be signed by the author and include a phone number for verification. We also request that submissions be limited to one letter per month. Send to 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside, OR 97138, drop them off at 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive or fax to 503-738-9285, or email rmarx@seasidesignal.com Annually: $51.00, monthly autopay is $4.25 e-Edition only: $4 a month POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Seaside Signal, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103. Postage Paid at Seaside, OR, 97138 and at additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2021 by the Seaside Signal. No portion of this newspaper may be reproduced without written permission. All rights reserved.