OUR 114th Year
October 8, 2021
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM
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Judge denies
Gearhart fi rehouse
ballot challenge
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
A Circuit Court judge has
denied a challenge by Gear-
hart residents to the ballot
title for a $13 million fi re-
house bond.
Jack Zimmerman and
Harold Gable had claimed
the ballot title and text were
insuffi cient and vague and
did not refl ect the fi nal costs
for a new fi rehouse off High-
lands Lane.
“I cannot fi nd that the bal-
lot title as written is insuffi -
cient, not concise or unfair,”
Judge Beau Peterson ruled
last Thursday. “The peti-
tioner’s request to have the
court edit the ballot title is
denied.”
The city had questioned
the validity of the complaint
when it was fi led in late
August. But since the court
was unable to hold a hearing
and issue a ruling before the
deadline to have ballot mea-
sures ready for the Novem-
ber election, the bond mea-
sure was pulled from the
ballot.
The city hopes to put the
bond measure before voters
in the spring.
“I appreciate Judge Peter-
son’s ruling,” City Attor-
ney Peter Watts said. “The
opponents realized that they
couldn’t make the false
claims in a court of law, and
that is why their arguments
Homecoming
Photos by Jeff TerHar
Homecoming
was
truly special as the Gulls
took the fi eld last Fri-
day night. They moved
their record to 3-1 as they
decisively shut out Valley
Catholic.
See Homecoming,
Page A8
seemed so thin.”
Gearhart is working
with planners to bring the
30-acre Cottages at Gear-
hart subdivision off High-
lands Lane into the city’s
urban growth boundary in a
land swap for acreage in the
city’s “no-build” zone near
the ocean. The land would
be used for a fi rehouse and
police station to replace an
aging facility on Pacifi c
Way.
Given the 175-word
limit, Peterson said the pro-
posed ballot summary suf-
fi ciently identifi ed the pur-
pose of the bond.
“Any voter interested in
more details will be able to
fi nd them,” the judge wrote.
“The same is true for the tsu-
nami rating, the preliminary
nature of the cost estimates
and the other complaints
the petitioners have with the
ballot title.”
Watts described the legal
challenge and other obsta-
cles as “kind of a perfect
storm” that kept the bond
measure off the November
ballot.
“It is frustrating that vot-
ers will not be able to vote
on the question in Novem-
ber,” he said. “I hope that
bond interest rates don’t go
up.”
Gearhart Mayor Pau-
lina Cockrum said she was
See Firehouse,
Page A6
Park district
presents employee
vaccination
policy
Park district mulls rec center’s future
TOP: Jarred White on the run. MIDDLE: Lily Taylor, Nicole Blankenhorn, Tara Lair, Gracie Klemp and Emma Arden.
ABOVE: Gulls raise their helmets at homecoming.
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
The Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation Dis-
trict is still “getting its
feet wet” in programming
at the Sunset Recreation
Center, board member
Michael Hinton said last
Tuesday.
The park district pur-
chased the former Broad-
way Middle School for
$2.15 million in January.
The school, along with
Gearhart Elementary and
Seaside High School, was
among Seaside School
District properties relo-
cated to the new Spruce
Drive location outside of
the tsunami inundation
zone.
The team that will
help set the Sunset Rec-
reation Center’s course
convened over the sum-
mer with the goal to estab-
lish a clear vision and key
objectives for the proj-
ect. Sports Facilities Advi-
sory and Scott Edwards
Architecture, a Port-
land-based architectural
fi rm, were chosen based
on fi rm size and struc-
ture, project understand-
ing, fi rm experience, work
plan, proposed staff and
fee proposal. That report
is expected in three to
four weeks, park district
executive director Skyler
Archibald said.
At the board meeting,
board member Celeste
Bodner suggested a study
to determine which pro-
grams at the center best
align with the district’s
goals. “I would propose
that staff actually develop
some sort of proposal
matrix of what straight
rental space would run
versus a hosted or spon-
sored program space.”
Since the purchase, the
park district has hosted
the Pacifi c Basketball
League, child care pro-
grams and leased a portion
of the space to the North-
west Regional Education
Service District, which
moved in early August.
The district rents space
to Seaside Rotary for their
weekly meetings, although
they haven’t been meet-
ing in person, Archibald
said. “We are also leas-
ing the locker rooms to the
Seaside School District
for their fall sports team
usage.”
Clatsop County 4-H,
which seeks rental space
in the center, is one
among several organiza-
tions seeking classroom,
gym and offi ce space,
Archibald said.
Drop-in basketball will
return in the mornings
from 6 to 7 a.m., he said,
and the center will host
four hours of pickleball
activity in one gym. Pick-
leball play is expected to
expand to a second gym,
he said.
The
district
has
received grants from the
state and the Oregon Com-
munity Foundation for
child care programs and
summer camp improve-
ments, including replace-
ment of the refrigera-
tor-freezer, equipment for
the youth programs, tech-
nology improvements and
paint for a small portion
the interior. “We still have
some funds to spend and
we have till the end of the
year,” he said.
About 200 people came
out to the center for surplus
items, including desks and
school supplies left behind
See Future, Page A6
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
The Sunset Empire Park
and Recreation District pre-
sented its vaccination policy
last Tuesday.
The policy aims to com-
bat the risks associated with
COVID-19 and is in com-
pliance with all federal,
state and local laws, the dis-
trict’s executive director
Skyler Archibald said.
“You did an excellent
job writing it,” board pres-
ident Katharine Parker said.
“Why it’s important, hopes
for the board, and then the
expectations and the exemp-
tions are all included. I per-
sonally thought it was very
thorough and well written.”
In August, the district
board voted to require all
district employees to be
fully vaccinated. The policy
was guided by Special Dis-
tricts of Oregon legal coun-
sel Eileen Eakins, he said,
and applies to all employees
and volunteers, who will be
expected to be vaccinated
by Oct. 18. It does not apply
to patrons or visitors.
An employee is consid-
ered fully vaccinated two
weeks after receiving the
second dose of a two-dose
vaccine — Pfi zer or Mod-
erna — or one single-dose
vaccination.
Employees
who do not fulfi ll one of
these two requirements will
be placed on unpaid leave
and their employment will
be subject to termination.
The district also reserves
the right to require booster
vaccinations that come
available as time progresses.
Those who are not seek-
ing a religious or medi-
cal exemption can submit
a weekly negative test to
the district, an option avail-
able until Dec. 1. After that
See Vaccines, Page A6
Seaside postmaster Sims retires
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
After 36 years with the
United States Postal Service
and fi ve as postmaster at the
Seaside Post Offi ce, Seaside
postmaster Anthony “Tony”
Sims announced his retire-
ment this week.
“It was one of those
things,” he said in an inter-
view at the Seaside Library.
“I have enough time and I
could do it.”
The Southern Califor-
nia-raised Sims, 56, began
his career in Escondido,
before moving with his fam-
ily to Washington state in
1993. Sims was in Spokane,
Colfax, Colville, Othello
and Pullman among Pacifi c
Northwest stops big and
small.
He started in Seaside in
October 2016.
“When I fi rst got there,
there were only two clerks,”
he said. “It took me over a
year to get two more clerks
hired and start getting them
trained. I’ve had 100% turn-
over on the clerks in fi ve
years.”
There are nine carri-
ers, two more than when he
arrived, with only Janel Hig-
gins and Chris Plampin left
of that original group.
He’s clerked, delivered,
delivered packages, changed
tires and fan belts, among
countless tasks.
He counts as an accom-
plishment working with and
training new people, some
who went on to be pro-
moted. “I worked as much
and more than others to lead
by example,” Sims said.
“I was always hopeful this
would rub off .”
R.J. Marx
See Sims, Page A6
Tony Sims retired this month from the U.S. Postal Service.