Friday, July 16, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
An exceptional man, lifelong legacy
SKY BOX
SKYLER
ARCHIBALD
The year was 1998. I was
a sophomore at Seaside High
School. It was August and it was
warm. I was engaged in the annual
tradition of “daily doubles,” pre-
season football practices that were
held twice a day for two weeks.
I knew that my role that year
would be to play on the junior-var-
sity team and I was enjoying my
time in that role. But during one of
the afternoon practices, multiple
injuries created a hole in the depth
chart at the position that I played. I
was called over from the JV end of
the fi eld to join the varsity practice.
It was an intimidating experi-
ence and I remember my nerves
trembling as I jogged to join their
practice. The players were stron-
ger, bigger and generally, just nas-
tier than I was prepared for. My
older brother Josh was a stalwart
player on the team and I recall
being comforted by his presence,
until he politely told me to not
screw this up.
My nervousness would com-
pound signifi cantly when head
coach Stubby Lyons joined our
part of the practice. He was ever
aware of all that was occurring on
the fi eld and, like the other terrifi c
coaches of that sport, seemed to
be everywhere all the time, leav-
ing his imprint and impressions
throughout.
He watched several plays and
then called me over. His words left
an unforgettable mark: “You can
do this, but only if you give it your
best. Mistakes made at less than
full speed will not be acceptable.”
It was Stubby’s last year of
coaching and I felt honored to play
under his direction. He was and
will always be a legendary fi gure.
His impact on me began years
before the experience on the prac-
tice fi eld at Seaside High School
— he coached both my brothers,
was a neighbor and a dedicated
teacher and he became a family
friend shortly after we moved here
in 1993.
There were many coaches,
teachers and adults that helped
shape my life as a young man,
but Stubby Lyons was special. It
became clear to all around him
that he was fulfi lling several roles
that he was uniquely qualifi ed for
— it was like he was predestined
to serve in the capacities he did
and he reached every ounce of his
potential.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
A Celebration of Life for Stubby
Lyons takes place on Broadway
Field, Saturday at 11 a.m.
Stubby was always a fi gure
in the community, even after he
retired (the fi rst time) from coach-
ing. He served for 14 years as a
city councilor in Seaside among
many other civic, educational and
athletic volunteer avocations.
Years after I concluded high
school, when we would see each
other, his personal touch was
inspiring. He remembered all of
my siblings’ names, our spouses,
children and what we were up to.
He off ered wisdom on life, football
and often shared one or more of his
timeless expressions.
Stubby passed away on Decem-
ber 25, 2020 at the age of 86.
I’ve been fortunate to work
with his lovely wife Sharee as
well as two of Stubby’s coaching
Stubby Lyons’ competitive spirit embodied Seaside athletics.
and teaching peers in Jim Auld
and Wally Hamer over the past
few months to plan a Celebration
of Life for Stubby. That event will
take place on Broadway Field on
Saturday, July 17, at 11 a.m.
If you are fortunate to attend the
event and look towards the score-
board, you’ll see the fi nal score
from the Seaside State Champi-
onship Football game, from 1994,
27-14.
That game was perhaps the
defi ning moment of Stubby’s
coaching career, at least in Seaside.
But the impression and impact that
he had on the thousands of stu-
dents and athletes that were proud
to be Seaside Seagulls certainly
crafted his legacy as being one of
the most exceptional people I have
ever met.
Jeff TerHar
Members and coaches of the state championship-winning 1994 Gulls
football team, reunited at the Times Theatre.
Development: Study says complex would use existing site access
Continued from Page A1
R.J. Marx
The proposed site of the 72-unit Cross Creek development in Seaside.
access and sidewalk con-
fi guration provides effi -
cient access and circulation
for anticipated pedestrians,
bicycles and vehicles.
“The Lancaster Mobley
traffi c study has determined
the project will be well inte-
grated with the surrounding
transportation
facilities,”
Adam Dailey, of A.M. Engi-
neering, said on behalf of the
owners. “They have deter-
mined the additional traffi c
generated by this develop-
ment will not require addi-
tional access or modifi ca-
tion to the existing access is
not necessary.”
In conjunction with the
conditional use permit, the
developers submitted a high-
way overlay zone request
and a preliminary subdivi-
sion plat that would create a
separate lot for each of the
housing units and common
ownership of the access and
off -street parking areas.
Discussion will con-
tinue at the Planning Com-
mission’s next meeting in
August as commissioners
sought a proposal for condi-
tional items and further dis-
cussion of a pedestrian and
bicycle safety plan.
“There are many drive-
way access points along
U.S. 101 through Sea-
side — which the section
is — in the urban areas so
there’s greater likelihood of
local people biking,” Klec-
zek said. “I think it’s super
important, and it’s part of
our job as the Planning
Commission to start to set
those standards for devel-
opments to be built for peo-
ple moving, not just cars
moving.”
Gallery: Space would bring residents and artists together
Continued from Page A1
its history well,” he said.
“All the infrastructure is in
place to support any artis-
tic endeavor. It features a
spacious showroom, ideally
suited for displaying art and
meeting clients. It also fea-
tures a large workroom with
concrete fl oor.”
The Speakmans antic-
ipate the business will be
open to the public, three to
fi ve days a week, including
weekends.
Plans submitted to the
Planning Commission show
a 700-square-foot gallery,
workroom and living space.
The site is designated com-
mercial by the city’s compre-
hensive plan and designated
general commercial by the
city’s zoning ordinance. The
Speakmans’ request is for
approval of a conditional use
permit to modify the exist-
ing interior space to accom-
modate an artist’s residence,
within about a quarter of the
existing building footprint.
Code requires a condi-
tional use permit for the gal-
lery and use of the home as a
residence.
The project was sent to
each city department and
there were no objections,
City Planner Carole Connell
said.
Commissioners unani-
mously approved the appli-
cation with conditions,
including a 5-foot-wide
walkway constructed in the
Pacifi c Way frontage.
Owners must fi le a sign
permit request with the city
prior to installation of any
signs. They are encouraged
to provide a bicycle rack in
the entrance area.
Prior to issuance of a
building or occupancy per-
mit the Speakmans must pro-
vide the city with a copy of
the septic system approval
from the Department of
Environmental
Quality
and Clatsop County Public
Health Department.
“This is one of the most
positive land use applica-
tions I’ve ever had the priv-
ilege of working on, in so
many ways,” Connell said.
“It’s a perfectly suited use to
put the residents and gallery
together in a very attractive
space. It’s really a win-win
for everybody.”
Fireworks: Ban may come ‘because of just a few careless individuals’
Continued from Page A1
Jeff TerHar
July Fourth fi reworks on the beach in Gearhart.
week’s City Council meet-
ing. “And it isn’t just that it
happens the Fourth of July,”
he said. “It starts before the
Fourth of July and carries
on through late July or early
August.”
Fireworks that meet the
state’s legal criteria are
allowed in Gearhart, accord-
ing to guidance sent to res-
ident before the holiday.
Fireworks purchased from
a licensed retailer or stand
in Oregon are legal. Illegal
fi reworks are defi ned as any
fi rework that explodes, trav-
els more than 12 inches into
the air or more than 6 feet
along the ground. These may
be sold legally in neighbor-
ing states.
“The ones that are mak-
ing all the noise, my sense
would be, they’re from
Washington,” Mayor Pau-
lina Cockrum said.
The beach is the juris-
diction of the Oregon State
Police as a state highway
and Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation Department, Cock-
rum said. This includes the
beach in front of Gearhart,
which does not allow cars.
Explosives, fi reworks or
other substances that could
cause harm are not allowed
in state parks or the beach.
With fi re season under-
way, fi re in grasses, trees and
vegetation is a concern.
In 2018, three boys
were hospitalized after fi re-
works exploded in separate
incidents in Gearhart and
Seaside.
In 2020, with traffi c about
three-quarters the previ-
ous year, while there were
no fi reworks-related inci-
dents reported on the Fourth
of July, police responded
to numerous calls for
assistance.
This year, the fi re depart-
ment responded to 25 calls
on the Fourth, a fi re in a pit
on the beach, an atrium fi re
and a mutual aid call to Sea-
side, according to acting Fire
Chief Josh Como.
“Future prohibitive pol-
icies involving fi reworks
may be enacted because of
just a few careless individ-
uals,” Cockrum wrote in a
letter to homeowners before
the holiday.
A fi reworks ban or mor-
atorium is “defi nitely within
our purview,” City Attor-
ney Peter Watts said. “We
can regulate them being dis-
charged in the city as well
as the sale within the city
boundaries.”
The City Council wants to
have more discussion related
to fi reworks, Cockrum said.
The biggest concerns are
noise, how it aff ects wildlife
and some pets, waste and
increased fi re danger.
The city isn’t sure
whether to ban all fi reworks
or how much to tighten the
ordinance, she said. “Staff
will draft and we will review
and make adjustments if
desired by the council,” the
mayor said.