Friday, September 3, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
Cannon Beach food On the North Coast, child care
tax money could aid remains a barrier for many families
fi refi ghter housing
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
Despite a national conver-
sation about the importance
of child care, an infusion
of federal dollars, checks to
families and a resurgence
of local discussions about
how to better support and
enhance care options, Clat-
sop County’s child care des-
ert is as desolate as ever.
Eva Manderson, the direc-
tor of Northwest Regional
Child Care Resource and
Referral, can point to a few
positives that emerged from
the chaos of the coronavi-
rus pandemic: Some facil-
ities that closed last sum-
mer or operated at limited
capacity have reopened or
expanded. New providers
have entered the market,
with many beginning oper-
ations with key foundational
business practices already in
place. The number of child
care slots is near pre-pan-
demic levels.
But the county still has
more children in need of care
than there are slots available.
Child care providers struggle
to keep prices aff ordable for
families, attract quality staff
and turn a profi t.
There are still few choices
for lower-income families.
There are few places that
off er evening or weekend
care for parents who work
nontraditional hours — for
example, people in tour-
ism-related jobs that increas-
ingly power the region’s
economy.
Most facilities have a
waitlist — very long wait-
lists in some cases.
“The problem hasn’t gone
away and child care hasn’t
become sustainable all of a
sudden,” Manderson said.
In 2020, the county had
more than 5,000 children
under 13 but only 780 slots
in child care centers and
home care situations, an
imbalance that has varied lit-
tle in recent years, according
to data gathered by Oregon
State University researchers.
The researchers also
found that the median annual
price of child care was
around $9,840 — slightly
higher than the price of
tuition at Oregon public
universities.
Lil’ Sprouts
In mid-August, Asto-
ria leaders started to discuss
what to do about the city-
run day care program at Lil’
Sprouts Academy. The cen-
ter, opened nearly a decade
ago because of the need for
child care in the community,
serves around 30 children. It
is one of the few centers of
its size on the North Coast to
also provide care for infants.
The next day the city
announced Lil’ Sprouts
would close until September
after an employee tested pos-
itive for the coronavirus.
The center relies heav-
ily on lower-paid, part-time
labor and operates at an
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
A child’s at Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District puts on his mask at summer camp.
THE COUNTY STILL HAS MORE
CHILDREN IN NEED OF CARE THAN
THERE ARE SLOTS AVAILABLE.
CHILD CARE PROVIDERS STRUGGLE
TO KEEP PRICES AFFORDABLE FOR
FAMILIES, ATTRACT QUALITY STAFF
AND TURN A PROFIT.
unsustainable loss — to the
tune of around $25,000 a
month.
Lil’ Sprouts maintains a
waitlist of around 150 chil-
dren. City staff fi eld new
inquiries about child care
— and the waitlist — every
week. The center could
accommodate up to 70 chil-
dren, possibly more if the
city were to build out more
classrooms.
Jonah Dart-McLean, the
city’s parks director, would
need to hire 10 to 15 more
part-time staff ers for such
an expansion, a particularly
challenging lift in a labor
market where demand for
workers is high and supply is
at an all-time low.
Switching to a full-time
labor model with the addi-
tional cost of providing ben-
efi ts would require major
city investment.
In the coming months,
Astoria leaders plan to con-
sider several options to
reconfi gure how Lil’ Sprouts
functions. One possibility is
to seek out a public-private
partnership to free up Parks
and Recreation Depart-
ment resources for the Asto-
ria Aquatic Center, another
costly city program reliant
on part-time workers.
The city may also exam-
ine grant packages to expand
care off erings for lower-in-
come families. City Coun-
cilor Roger Rocka has advo-
cated for a co-op model,
where parents volunteer
for a set amount of hours in
exchange for reduced rates.
City
councilors
are
closely following child care
discussions at the county
level. The county, in turn, is
paying close attention to the
city.
Along with Tillamook
and Columbia counties, Clat-
sop County formed a child
care task force to investi-
gate how to funnel resources
and collaborate with pro-
viders to off er more child
care, as well as fund training
for child care workers. The
Board of Commissioners set
aside a portion of the coun-
ty’s American Rescue Plan
dollars to go to this work, but
there are no concrete propos-
als yet, said Mark Kujala, the
board’s chairman.
Child care is increasingly
an issue in the county, Kujala
said. He and his wife have
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NEWS IN BRIEF
The Seaside Museum, assisted by a
grant from the city of Seaside Tourism
Advisory Committee, sponsors Lewis
and Clark Salt Makers on Sept. 11 and
Sept. 12.
Members of the Pacifi c North-
west Living Historians will create and
share the experience of that exploration
group, bringing to life the salt camp
which those explorers established more
than 200 years ago. The program will
be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Satur-
day and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday on
the Seaside beach west of the Avenue
U and Prom intersection.
Visitors to the program will enter
the camp and fi nd members of the liv-
ing historians busy making salt, as they
boil sea water over a fi re just as the
men of the Lewis and Clark expedition
did in 1806. The interpreters will also
share the history and stories of the leg-
endary expedition with everyone who
comes to the beach.
Lewis and Clark Salt Makers is a
free interactive learning opportunity
for the whole family. This event is
sponsored by the Seaside Museum and
presented by the the living historians.
A portion of this project was made
possible through a grant from the City
of Seaside Tourism Advisory Commit-
Great
Breakfast,
but that’s
not all...
institution located at 570 Necanicum
Drive, Seaside and is open Friday and
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Salt Makers return
to the Cove
•
Great
lunch and
dinner
menu,too!
Cannon Beach
Chocolate Cafe
10% OFF your purchase
through 9/30/21
“Salt Makers,” by Mark Kenny.
tee, funded by room tax dollars. The
program is also supported by the Ore-
gon Parks and Recreation Department,
Seaside Public Works Department and
Sandy Cove Inn.
Current guidelines regarding face
coverings and open fi res will be
followed.
For more information, call the Sea-
side Museum at 503-738-7065.
Preserving Seaside’s History since
1974, the Seaside Museum and Histor-
ical Society is a non-profi t educational
SOLVE beach cleanup
comes to Gearhart
SOLVE will hold a beach cleanup in
Gearhart on Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to
1 p.m.
Participants are to meet at the Gear-
hart Beach access off of 10th Street.
The beach cleanup is fami-
ly-friendly. Be prepared by dressing
for any weather and wear sturdy shoes.
Bring a reusable bucket or bag,
gloves and water bottle. SOLVE will
also provide bags and gloves.
Keep dogs on a leash and steer clear
of roped off snowy plover nesting
areas.
•
Great
pasta,
steaks &
seafood!
•
Homemade
Clam
Chowder,
Salads!
Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days)
Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily)
Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144
Elks’ grant helps support
needy families
Thanks to a grant from Elks National
Foundation Seaside Elks Offi cers pre-
sented a $2,000 check to the South
County Food Bank on Aug. 24. The
grant will help purchase needed food
items to feed our local needy families.
Seaside Elks Lodge 1748 supports the
community.
two young children, though
fi nding child care was not an
issue for his family. His wife
took time off from work to be
home with their daughters.
“A lot of folks don’t have
the luxury to do that,” he
said. “They have to work —
both parents have to work.”
Kujala and other com-
missioners say they want
to collaborate with Astoria
and Seaside, where the Sun-
set Empire Park and Recre-
ation District is in the pro-
cess of expanding child care
off erings after purchasing
the former Broadway Mid-
dle School.
At the local government
level, however, there has
been little urgency to take
action since the county —
like all counties in Oregon
— was declared a child care
desert in 2019. The problem
came into even sharper focus
in early 2020, when Shoot-
ing Stars Child Development
Center in Astoria, one of the
region’s larger providers,
scaled back services.
S
CANNON BEACH —
If voters pass a controver-
sial tax on prepared food
in November, Fire Chief
Marc Reckmann hopes to
use some of the money
on housing for volunteer
fi refi ghters.
Even as the fi re district
responds to an increasing
number of calls, it is los-
ing or in danger of losing
volunteers as home prices
soar on the coast and rental
options are often expen-
sive and scarce, Reck-
mann told The Astorian.
The proposed 5%
food tax was pitched as
a way to spread the costs
of running the Cannon
Beach Rural Fire Protec-
tion District and funding
city infrastructure proj-
ects between visitors and
residents.
Proponents argue the
tax would have little
impact on businesses and
be a boon to the city over-
all. The service industry
has pushed back, saying
the tax could hurt busi-
nesses as they continue
to weather restrictions
and challenges tied to the
coronavirus pandemic.
The City Council con-
sidered passing the mea-
sure themselves, but
decided to put the matter
to voters. If the measure
passes, Reckmann expects
the fi re district will see
around $800,000 annually
from the tax.
Housing for volunteer
fi refi ghters is not the fi rst
priority if the tax passes.
The fi re district would
look to hire a fi re mar-
shal and fi nalize a con-
tract with Medix for local
ambulance services. But
it’s up near the top.
Volunteers are the
backbone of the fi re dis-
trict, which only has three
paid employees. A num-
ber of them are in precari-
ous living situations. Only
three own homes in Can-
non Beach.
“Everyone else rents
and those rentals are being
sold,” Reckmann said.
He has one volunteer
who is between housing
and is temporarily liv-
ing at the station. Another
volunteer was living in an
attic until recently.
Housing has been a
dominant policy issue on
the North Coast for the
past several years.
The housing market
picked up last year despite
the pandemic. It has yet to
slow, both in urban places
like Portland and on the
North Coast, where the
market value for some
homes has more than dou-
bled. In Astoria, a house
that sold last year for
$145,000 was listed for
more than half a million
dollars this year. In Can-
non Beach, where housing
has often been especially
expensive, buying a home
is out of reach for many
who work in the town.
Across
Clatsop
County, workforce-priced
and aff ordable housing
remains limited.
Reckmann
himself
bought a house in Seaside
because he couldn’t aff ord
to buy in Cannon Beach.
He’s on the south side of
Seaside, within 15 min-
utes from Cannon Beach,
but it’s a situation that
hampers response time
and, in his opinion, sends
a bad message.
The fact that some of
the food tax revenue could
go to housing for volun-
teer fi refi ghters has not
been widely known. City
Councilor Robin Risley
asked for more informa-
tion at a city work session
Wednesday.
Reckmann said that
while it is a priority, it is
not something that would
happen immediately.
In the fi rst year, much
of the fi re district’s share
of the tax revenue would
likely go to paying for the
fi re marshal and the con-
tract with Medix. A por-
tion would also go back to
businesses to help cover
the initial costs of imple-
menting the tax.
But, by the second or
third year, Reckmann
would hope to have a con-
versation about the fi re
district buying or renting
housing in Cannon Beach
for volunteers.
He hopes to continue
to rent a small home the
district had reserved for
the fi re chief and off er it
to volunteers instead. The
house proved too small
for Reckmann, his wife
and their three children,
but the money for the
house has already been
budgeted.
The fi re district needs
to retain volunteers, Reck-
mann told the City Coun-
cil — a challenge as call
levels remain high and
volunteers face burnout.
Since September 2020,
the fi re district has bro-
ken call records every
month with the exception
of December and March,
when the call load hit aver-
age levels. At the same
time, a labor shortage seen
across multiple industries
nationwide is also aff ect-
ing Cannon Beach’s vol-
unteer fi refi ghters.
All of Reckmann’s vol-
unteers have other jobs or
own their own businesses.
With the labor shortage,
many are working longer
hours or more frequent
hours and have less time
to give. On recent calls,
some volunteers were
stuck at work.
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