A6 • Friday, February 11, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com Bond vote: Firehouse project called ‘a multigenerational investment’ Continued from Page A1 BOUNDARY SWAP ALSO REMAINS assessed at $300,000, the estimated property tax increase would be $364 per year; at $500,000, just over $600 per year. The Gearhart Volunteer Fire Department provides fi re protection and emer- gency medical services to nearly 28 square miles, the city wrote in a staff report. The station at 670 Pacifi c Way, built in 1958 and added onto in 1966, is con- crete block construction. The building has one toilet and lacks showers, hanging areas and storage space. At an elevation of 27 feet, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Indus- tries has provided estimates that the building will be inundated in all but a small- or medium-sized tsunami. If the May vote is approved, the bond would be used for capital construc- tion costs to construct, equip and furnish the estimated 13,000-square-foot station, compliant with seismic and safety standards. Jonas Biery, an invest- ment banker with D.A. Davidson & Co., manages the fi nancing team. The bond vote comes after a multiyear process, including recommendations from a fi rehouse committee, public surveys on preferred sites and open houses. Last Septem- ber, the city made a contingent land transfer agreement with the property owner and developer, The Cottages at Gearhart LLC, to bring 34 acres into the city’s urban growth boundary. The city must receive approval from the Department of Land Conservation and Development to bring the site into the city’s urban growth boundary. As terms of the agree- ment, two lots part of the parcel — a 2.14-acre lot for the fi re station and 2.4-acre lot for park property — would be transferred to the city. Developers of The Cottages at Gear- hart LLC, would benefi t from rezoning at a higher residential density. City of Gearhart Gearhart fi re station at the time of its completion in 1958. debt service. While infl ation and cost of waiting did increase the bond from what was pro- posed last fall, Biery said it is “a very, very, very favor- able” time to borrow. “We’re back to kind of where we were maybe two years ago when rates were still really low,” Biery said. “It’s really great that we happen to get the refi nanc- ing of the city done at just about the perfect time.” Federal grants may be available for the project, City Attorney Peter Watts added, because the diff erence in elevation between the cur- rent fi re station and the new site meets tsunami resiliency criteria recognized by the The city must exchange the same amount of similarly zoned land. The city has more than 70 acres west of the state’s no- build line that are inside the city’s urban growth boundary and zoned residential. There are two areas available for the swap including about 50 acres of oceanfront land with setback rules prohibiting development. The idea would be to carve off a 34-acre piece to make up for the 34 acres in the north for the fi rehouse. Budgeted last fall at $13 million, this year’s $14.5 million bond fi gure allows for costs that come along with the “fi nancial fi tting” of the 20-year bond, Biery said. “We know rates are going to change,” he said. “The one thing I can guarantee you for you today is that they won’t be exactly what they are at this point in time. So we typically want to err on the side of caution.” The city will pursue any outside funding that comes available, according to the bond proposal. In the current market, the project is antic- ipated to generate a bond premium, lowering the total bond par amount and total federal government. “We’re going to do our best in order to spend as lit- tle as possible,” Watts said. “But we also need to make sure that there’s suffi cient funds in the event that we don’t get those things.” Councilor Brent Warren asked if consultants would classify the project as “being oversized, unneeded or opulent.” Larry Banks of PIVOT Architecture said he was aware that some public proj- ects can be viewed “as kind of Taj Mahal or excessive.” “In our experience, you have really essential func- tions here to provide the ser- vice and the training that you need to have, and the abil- ity to endure for another 50 years,” Banks said. “This is a multigenerational invest- ment that you are making in your public safety. I would add that we also are build- ing a facility that will be of incredible utility when you do experience a tsunami incident and its associated seismic activity. It’s a facil- ity that will serve the com- munity well if that horrible happenstance does occur.” Mayor Paulina Cock- rum, and councilors Warren, Reita Fackerell, Kerry Smith and Austin Tomlinson voted to bring the bond measure to a vote in May. To meet fi ling deadlines, the City Council must sub- mit the bond measure to the elections offi cial no later than Feb. 25. If the 20-year bond is approved by vot- ers, the fi rehouse could see a four- to six-month design process in 2022 with con- struction starting in 2023. “This is our best oppor- tunity to do something that will last for some time,” Sweet said. “It’s not huge. It’s not really the biggest fi re station in the county. But we think it’s going to be an ade- quate enough space to meet future needs.” Gearhart: Tomlinson named to City Council Continued from Page A1 managing forest and estuary restoration projects, as well as maintaining and monitor- ing the ecological integrity of Columbia Land Trust’s lands,” he said after the meeting. The appointment to fi ll the remainder of the Posi- tion 4 term was unanimously approved by Cockrum and councilors Reita Fackerell, Brent Warren and Kerry Smith. Tomlinson thanked the council for the appointment. “I look forward to work- ing with all you guys on our agenda and fi lling Dan Jes- se’s position,” he said. Business Directory R.J. Marx Cat-lovers and exhibitors at the Cat Fanciers’ Association Cat Show. Cats: Event draws crowd Continued from Page A1 People are glad to be back, he said. “Oh my good- ness, yes. They’re having a good time. Today, we’ve had more spectators here than we’ve had in years.” This year’s show was titled “Cats, Koalas and Kangaroos,” Heidt said. “There are no kangaroo or koalas here, obviously, but the ribbons that we have in the rings refl ect that theme.” Deana Zittel of Seat- tle brought “Miss Fortune,” a Cornish Rex, a breed of domesticated cat that emerged from Cornwall in the United Kingdom, noted for its marcel wave crest coat. “They’re very refi ned,” Zittel said. “They have long legs. She has an egg-shaped head and a double Roman nose, with oval paws and oval eyes. Ears high up on the head. The curl actually even goes to their whiskers.” Clatsop Animal volun- teers were on-hand to pres- ent adoptable cats from the Clatsop County Animal Shelter. Not a dog was to be seen. CONSTRUCTION REAL ESTATE B oB M c E wan c onstruction , inc . 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The contract stated that if the business sold and the new owners didn’t want it, or if there was another need for the space, the Trantler sculp- ture could be removed by the artist. Last October Williams sold the property to Pen Pen Industries LLC, of Port- land, which lists Grammy Award winner Anjos as the registered agent. The Port- land-based musician, known by his stage name, RAC, won a Grammy in 2017 for his remix of Bob Moses’ “Tearing Me Up.” Rosebraugh said she is working with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association to re-home the piece. Several sites, includ- ing public land in Gearhart, have been considered for the sculpture’s relocation, but nothing formally decided. Meanwhile, Anjos and Baldwin have yet to announce plans for the store. “We’re still shooting for a late spring/early summer reopen,” Anjos said. “But we’re still very much in the design phase. 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