Friday, September 3, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Continued from Page A2
Aug. 19
7:13 a.m., 700 block Avenue
S: A caller reports someone
illegally entered their vehicle.
2:15 p.m., Police headquarters:
A person came into the station
to update their registry as a sex
off ender.
10:08 p.m., 1200 block Avenue
A: Police responding for a noise
disturbance learn someone is
just trying to get their dog back
inside the house.
Aug. 20
7:14 a.m., 2400 block S. Roos-
evelt: Fire investigation. Subject
warned not to have a fi re in the
woods.
AKS Engineering and Forestry
Caretaker quarters proposed for the Gearhart Community Center.
Owners of former school
pull caretaker dwelling plans
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Owners of the former
elementary school have
pulled an application for a
caretaker dwelling in the
building.
Prior to this month’s
Planning
Commission
meeting, Scofi Gearhart
LLC withdrew its condi-
tional use permit applica-
tion after owners disputed
comments presented in a
staff report prior to this
month’s Planning Com-
mission meeting, includ-
ing the need for a property
zone change to add the pro-
posed caretaker apartments
in the building, now known
as the Gearhart Recreation
Center.
“After careful review of
the staff report, it is clear to
us that the nature and scope
of our goals for the school
site and need for a caretaker
dwelling are misunder-
stood,” wrote Bob and Timi
Morey of Scofi Gearhart
LLC to the Planning Com-
mission. “Consequently,
we are going to take a step
back and try to better frame
our narrative about what we
hope to accomplish on the
site in collaboration with
the city and broader public.
That said, we will continue
our eff orts to work with the
city administration to cre-
ate almost 3 acres of pub-
licly accessible park land.”
A prime example, he
said, was a member of the
Planning Commission who
suggested that the develop-
er’s conversations with the
city regarding a lease of
land for a park was some-
how a “backdoor” plan to
get consent for 45 to 50
apartment units, Morey
said.
“The general confusion
in the community about
what we are thinking about
and some inaccuracies in
the staff report raised con-
cern that the narrow focus
of our CUP application
would morph into unre-
lated territory,” Bob Morey
said.
“To suggest at the care-
taker dwelling phase we
are trying to ‘backdoor’ our
12:46 p.m., OceanWay
restrooms: A transient male
blocking access to the men’s
restroom is told to move along.
1:23 p.m., U.S.Highway26,
milepost 1: A person is arrested
and charged with DUI.
9:02 p.m., Tenth and Neca-
nicum: Crabbers suspected
of being transients camping
are advised there have been
complaints.
Aug. 21
6:40 p.m., 300 block Broadway:
Caller reports a man yelling
at his daughter to stop crying
and pushing her against a wall.
Police are unable to locate.
11:33 p.m., Avenue I and the
Prom: Police take a complaint
of an SUV and a trailer possibly
camping in the area. The sub-
jects are located and advised to
leave the area.
Aug. 22
1:37 p.m., Broadway: Police
responded to reports of a man
breaking things in front of a
store. The store owner said he
did not wish to press charges
and just wants the person to
leave the area.
3:09 p.m., Quatat Park: Subject
reported smoking marijuana is
contacted; he’s smoking tobac-
co out of a pipe. Subject says
he is leaving the park shortly.
No further action was taken.
R.J. Marc
Owner Bob Morey considers future uses for the former
elementary school classrooms.
way into 45 to 50 apart-
ment units is to spin fantasy
rather than fact. We have
no intent to backdoor any
required consent let alone
one for 45 to 50 apartment
units on a site that our pre-
liminary septic and hydrol-
ogy work indicates has a
maximum capacity of 18 to
22 units.”
If owners elect to include
housing in their fi nal plan,
they envision it being sin-
gle-story one- and two-bed-
room long-term rental cot-
tages that will be designed
to be in keeping with the
character of Gearhart.
The original school
building was constructed
in 1948 and added on to
in 1968. The Moreys pur-
chased the 8.5-acre prop-
erty in 2020. The school
is zoned public/semi-pub-
lic, with outright uses as
government facility, public
meeting space or school.
“We bought the elemen-
tary school understand-
ing the rezoning risk,” Bob
Morey said. “Nonetheless
we proceeded with the pur-
chase because we did not
want to see the entrance
to our city continue to be
one of poorly maintained
and deteriorating public
buildings. We are pleased
with what we have accom-
plished to date in preserv-
ing and protecting the for-
mer school building and
while removing four no
longer functional portable
classrooms.”
The Department of
Environmental
Quality
evaluated 10 test pits on
the school site early this
month. The owners will be
monitoring groundwater
conditions throughout from
Nov. 1 to April 30. A dryer
winter could bring another
year of monitoring.
“Only after we have
DEQ’s next report based
upon acceptable winter
groundwater testing results
will be able to start fi nal-
izing how we envision the
property being used,” Bob
Morey said. “Facts will
guide our site plans.”
In the best case scenario,
the Moreys hope to process
a zone change and start
construction by summer
2023. They intend to refi le
for a conditional use permit
for a caretaker dwelling at a
later date.
8:56 p.m., 300 block Sixteenth
Street: Caller reports people ar-
guing at a house; police investi-
gating fi nd a party in progress.
The occupants of the house are
advised of the complaint and
said they will quiet down.
Aug. 23
1:20 a.m. 1300 block 12th
Avenue: Caller reports activity
outside her bedroom window.
Police say an elk herd was in
the area and that was what
caused the sound.
10:09 a.m., Alderhill Road: A
person is arrested on a warrant.
6:11 p.m., Police headquarters:
A person came in to register as
a sex off ender.
Continued from Page A1
“We prefer the ballot lan-
guage be precise as to the
station location and as to the
need for extensive further
investigation with fi nal cost-
ing demonstrated by signed
formal contracts subject to
bond approval,” Zimmerman
wrote in response to ques-
tions from the newspaper.
The City Council turned to
Highlands Lane after poten-
tial obstacles for the project at
the High Point location.
The city is working with
planners to bring the 30-acre
Cottages at Gearhart subdivi-
sion off Highlands Lane into
the city’s urban growth bound-
ary in a land swap for acreage
in the city’s “no-build” zone
near the ocean.
The developers, Cottages
at Gearhart LLC, must also
receive city approval for a
subdivision containing four
units per acre, twice as many
as permitted by the county.
THE BONDS
WOULD COST
PROPERTY
OWNERS
$1.052 PER $1,000
OF ASSESSED
HOME VALUE.
If the 20-year bond mea-
sure is approved by voters, the
fi rehouse could see a four- to
six-month design process in
2022 with construction start-
ing in 2023. The city estimates
the bonds would cost property
owners $1.052 per $1,000 of
assessed value per year.
At this point in the process,
a city likely wouldn’t have
fi nal architectural drawings,
geotechnical data or other
details for such a project, City
Attorney Peter Watts said.
“All of that work would
only occur after voters have
authorized the bonds necessary
to build the building,” he said.
“I have never seen the kind of
information they are request-
ing included in a ballot title.”
Normally in a ballot title
challenge, Watts said, the
challengers provide an alter-
nate ballot title to the court
that they want the court to
adopt. The judge can confi rm
the city’s ballot title, order the
alternate to be used or a com-
bination of the two.
Because of the word limit of
the ballot summary, it is impos-
sible for the city to address
every possible issue, Watts said.
The idea is to inform vot-
ers of what the bonds are
going to be used for and how
much is authorized.
“Those are the items that
would inform a voter so they
could decide whether to vote
‘yes’ or ‘no,’” Watts said.
“My goal as the city attorney
is simply to inform the voters
so they can make an informed
decision on the question.”
3:35 a.m., 300 block Fifth Ave-
nue: EMS call.
Shawna Marie Hatchell, 29, of
Gearhart, was arrested Aug.
8 at 7:34 p.m., on Bailey Lane
in Gearhart after state police
received a report of a blue
Ford Fusion being driven in
a dangerous manner on U.S.
Highway 101. Clatsop depu-
ties located the car and state
police arrived on scene after
it was determined Hatchell
was earlier involved in a minor
motor vehicle accident and
appeared impaired. She was
charged with driving while
under the infl uence and had
a blood alcohol count of .25%
after being tested.
2:29 p.m., Tillamook Head Trail:
EMS call.
Stolen backpack
PUBLIC SAFETY
LOG
Aug. 6
3:42 p.m., 600 block S.
Edgewood: EMS call. Another
agency is assisted.
Aug. 8
3:51 p.m. 600 block S. Edge-
wood: EMS call.
Aug. 9
6:06 p.m., 1400 block N. Wah-
anna: EMS call, another agency
is assisted.
Aug. 10
12:03 a.m., 1400 block N. Wah-
anna: Fire investigation.
Aug. 12
11:11 a.m., 1400 block N. Wah-
anna: Structure fi re.
12:14 p.m., 400 block Avenue
U: EMS call.
1:51 p.m., Haystack Rock, Can-
non Beach: Water rescue.
3:22 p.m., 3200 block Stillwater
Court: Fire investigation.
Aug. 13
4:52 p.m., 600 block S. Edge-
wood: EMS call.
8:19 p.m., 2200 block S. Colum-
bia: Firefi ghters respond to a
backyard burn; they say the fi re
is fi ne.
Aug. 14
6:09 p.m., Hug Point: Water
rescue.
Aug. 15
9:32 p.m., 2400 block Ocean
Vista Drive: EMS call.
3:02 a.m., 600 block S. Edge-
wood: EMS call; another agency
is assisted.
Aug. 18
6:03 p.m., 400 block S. Roos-
evelt: EMS call.
7:20 p.m., Avenue G Bridge:
Fire investigation.
6:49 p.m., East end of Avenue
E: Fire investigation.
Aug. 20
6:15 p.m., Frontage Road: Fire
investigation.
Aug. 21
1:58 p.m., Community Garden:
EMS call.
Aug. 22
5:48 a.m., N. Wahanna: EMS
call.
4:59 p.m. Avenue T RV Park:
Caller reports someone drop-
ping off a motorhome in the
middle of the roadway. Subject
is advised the home must be
moved by a certain time; when
that time was up and the mo-
torhome was still there, police
arranged to have it towed.
7:22 p.m., Seaside: Caller
reports losing their iPhone and
credit cards while riding a bike
around Seaside.
Two-car collision
State police went to U.S. High-
way 101 near milepost 23.5
Aug. 11 at 3:35 p.m., for a report
of a two-car, rear-end collision.
On arrival they saw a Buick
rear-ended a Corolla during
stop-and-go traffi c in Seaside.
The female passenger of the Co-
rolla was transported to Seaside
Providence Hospital after report-
ing neck pain and the driver of
the Buick, a Washington woman,
was given a citation.
Resisting arrest
Cherilee Mcanelly, 47 of Sea-
side, was taken into custody
after resisting arrest Aug. 11 at
3:44 p.m. in Warrenton. State
police assisted another agency.
A trooper stood by as she was
interviewed and a video of the
incident was forwarded to the
district attorney’s offi ce.
Aug. 19
Aug. 24
5:54 a.m., Police headquarters:
A person came in to register as
a sex off ender.
A 40-year-old Gearhart man
told state police Aug. 15 at
8:44 p.m. he was attempting
to help someone who got
their vehicle stuck in the sand
between the Del Rey Beach and
Sunset Beach access points; as
he was helping them extricate
their car, one of the occupants
of the stuck vehicle went inside
his car and stole his backpack.
He described the occupants
as a male and a female in their
20s driving a gray Dodge pick
up with an extended cab with
Oregon plates. He’s certain
the female took his bag. The
contents of the bag were not
included in this report.
Aug. 17
4:24 a.m., 300 block S. Prom:
EMS call
12:57 a.m. Avenue D and Lin-
coln: Suspicious circumstances
are reported.
bicycles back to the couple’s car
located a short distance away.
Dangerous driving
SEASIDE FIRE & RESCUE
9:46 p.m., 1200 block S. Holla-
day: A disturbance is reported.
9:21 p.m., Avenue U: Caller
Firehouse: Vote set for the November ballot
reports someone setting off
loud fi reworks and taking off
running.
OREGON STATE
POLICE
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Cyclist injured
A 65-year-old female cyclist
who crashed her ride Aug. 3 at
5:18 p.m., on U.S. Highway 101
and Hillila Road briefl y lost con-
sciousness; she was transported
via Medix to Columbia Memo-
rial Hospital. Police say she was
riding with her husband when
she swerved to avoid broken
glass. ODOT workers trans-
ported her husband and both
Criminal chase
Seaside police assisted Oregon
State Police and Warrenton
police Aug. 17 at 6:32 p.m.
pursuing a criminal in a chase
that started in Warrenton and
ended in a crash in Seaside on
Wahanna Road. Dustin Forsman
drove his car into the shallow
river after Seaside Police spiked
his tires. He was arrested on
scene after being captured.
Stolen Durango
Timothy Joseph Butcher, 61,
from Ventura, CA was arrested
Aug. 17 at 8:24 p.m. on U.S.
Highway 101 in Warrenton
after Seaside Dispatch notifi ed
Oregon State Police of a Dodge
Durango reported stolen
from Brookings now entering
Seaside. Due to a traffi c delay,
Seaside police asked assistance
locating the car which an
Oregon trooper and a Clat-
sop County deputy located
traveling northbound on U.S.
Highway 101. A traffi c stop was
initiated. Butcher eventually
yielded and surrendered and
was arrested by deputies. The
vehicle was secured by War-
renton police. The Brookings
Police Department is the lead
investigating agency.