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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 2021)
OUR 114th Year November 5, 2021 SEASIDESIGNAL.COM $1.00 Hotelier buys historic Gilbert Block Building Festive fall Khan is planning a second fl oor hotel By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal PUMPKIN SPLASH, PET PARADE AND TRUNK OR TREAT DRAW CROWDS • SEE STORY AND MORE PHOTOS ON A4 R.J. Marx The 1,300-pound pumpkin ready to drop. R.J. Marx All cameras on the pumpkin. Hotelier Masudur Khan has purchased the Gilbert Block Building downtown and plans to renovate its second fl oor into a hotel. The two-story b uilding, on a little more than three-quarters of an acre , sold to Sea- side LLC in October for $3.1 million. The sale includes the 38,000-square-foot build- ing, including riverfront property, and a parking lot on the east side of North Holl- aday Drive. The ground fl oor will continue to be rented as stores. Khan helms Seaside Lodging and owns and manages hotels and restaurants in the Pacifi c Northwest, including the Inn at Sea- side, the River Inn, the Coast River Inn and the 65-room Saltline Hotel. His wife oper- ates the Gilbert Inn and the Inn at Haystack Rock. Khan is the past chairman for the Ore- gon Restaurant and Lodging Association. “I’m happy to get the building in my portfolio,” Khan said. “I think it has huge potential.” Other investors in the building include engineer Mark Mead, hotel builder Ryan Keck, of Pine Ridge Global, and Rhanman Tahmidur, of Gilbert Hospitality LLC. In the fi rst year, Khan plans to make needed utility and roof repairs and develop a more uniform, symmetrical design style. “Our goal is to fulfi ll the building’s his- torical value to create an experience for the city, to bring customers and to enjoy the building,” Khan said. “We will keep the vibe — there’s no question about it.” See Hotelier, Page A6 Employees comply with park district’s vaccine policy Jeff TerHar This little guys went fl owing when the pumpkin dropped. By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal R.J. Marx Jeff TerHar LEFT: Boomer Barbosa, the voice of 94.9 FM, acted as emcee. RIGHT: Water, ducks and beavers fl y as the pumpkin hits the pool. Ninety percent of the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District’s 57 employees have received COVID-19 vaccines, and the rest are complying with the park district’s policy, which provides exemptions for religious or medical rea- sons. Employees who don’t comply will be placed on unpaid leave and subject to termination. No park district employees have left as a result of the vaccine policy, Skyler Archibald, the park district’s executive director, said after last Tuesday’s board of directors meeting. “We have experi- enced normal turnover but no departing employees have indicated that it was due to the vaccine policy,” he said. Photos by Jeff TerHar LEFT: Pumpkin after landing in the pool. RIGHT: Keith Chandler measures the distance of the ducks and beavers after the pumpkin drop. Burly and the Bean introduces ‘roast your own’ By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Hood to Coast polishes message he said of his encounter in Italy. “We’re pretty lucky to have it here.” City Councilor Tita Montero said she had a similar experience while trav- By R.J. MARX eling in London. Seaside Signal Closer to home, though, the annual relay has a bit of an image problem. Several residents took to City Manager Mark Winstan- social media after the event returned ley was at a country inn in Tus- from a pandemic hiatus in August to cany when he met a family from complain about rude runners and a Dan Floyd lack of virus protocols. Oregon who had run Hood to At a City Council meeting last Coast. “Even when you’re on vacation, you Monday, Dan Floyd, Hood to Coast’s can run into people who have been to the chief operating offi cer, presented a check same event you have been to two weeks for almost $29,000 to the city from the ago. It’s really pretty amazing, the impact See Hood to Coast, Page A3 that Hood to Coast has around the world,” Approaching the last year of a contract with Seaside For a coff ee connoisseur, the raw, unroasted bean are where it all begins. Justin and Vanessa Boone, owners of Burly and the Bean in Seaside, know that. They’re opening up a “roast your own” shop on Avenue S, in the former site of Mimi’s Flowers. See Coff ee, Page A6 R.J. Marx Justin Boone, owner of Burly and the Bean, at his new coff ee roasting establishment. See Mandate, Page A3