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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2022)
Friday, March 11, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3 Jewell School District hires acting superintendent Gardner retired from Central Linn By ETHAN MYERS The Astorian JEWELL — The Jew- ell School District has hired an acting replace- ment for Superintendent Steve Phillips, who was placed on administrative leave last month pending an investigation. Following an executive session on Monday night, the school board voted unani- mously to make Brian Gard- ner, a former superintendent at Central Linn School Dis- trict in Linn County, the act- ing superintendent for the rural school district. The appointment was eff ective immediately. “We’re very excited,” Mike Stahly, the school board’s chairman, told The Astorian. “He is starting in the morning — he is actually starting right now. I hope everybody has a chance to stop in and meet him.” Gardner served as super- The Jewell School District has named an acting superintendent. intendent in Linn County for a decade before retiring from the position last year. He also has past experience as a principal and teacher. He will fi ll in through the end of June, or until an earlier date is given by the school board with 30 days advance notice, according to his contract. The appointment of Gardner comes as Jewell has faced leadership uncertainty and turnover in recent years. “My interest in Jewell is because I think that my basic background and skills can come in and hopefully calm the waters a little bit, and do some things to help the dis- trict set up for long term and permanent success,” Gard- ner said to the school board and attendees of the meeting on Monday. “My basic feel- ing is you do that by focus- ing on the kids and focusing on the staff . The rest of it is noise. “So I see it as – my job is to try to get that focus back to where it needs to be … Hopefully, I can help with that. I am looking forward to it.” With only a few months remaining in the school year, Gardner said he plans to meet individually with school board members and administrators to get himself up to speed. The acting superinten- dent’s duties will feature a combination of remote and in-person work. Gardner, who is based in Nevada, plans to make weekly com- mutes to the school district, spending a few days at a time in Jewell. In his contract, Gardner will be paid based on days worked, with his weekly earnings prorated at $800 per day. With the exception of spring break, his contract requires a weekly in-person presence. After the conclusion of the school board meeting on Monday, Gardner held a discussion with parents and attendees, addressing con- cerns and answering ques- tions. Topics touched on his availability, communi- cation and the lack of sta- bility in the superintendent role. Parents expressed frus- tration with the inability to fi nd a long-term solution at superintendent. Phillips was appointed superintendent in 2019. “Right now, we are on this every three, four-year cycle of superintendents get- ting turned around,” a par- ent, who also works at Jew- ell School, said. “ ... It’s like a hamster in a wheel, you keep on running, you keep on working hard, but you are going nowhere.” Gardner said he could potentially discuss the issue with the school board. He indicated that he would not pursue a permanent role. Phillips was put on paid administrative leave during a Feb. 15 special session, which followed an execu- tive session. An independent investigation was initiated shortly after. The school board has not disclosed the reason for the investigation. Clatsop County looks to strengthen emergency management By ERICK BENGEL The Astorian Clatsop County is look- ing to strengthen emergency management. The work of responding to natural hazards and disas- ters — from fi res and fl oods to a megaquake and tsunami — would belong to a new county department instead of the emergency manage- ment offi ce. Along with the restruc- ture, the county will recruit a full-time department direc- tor, who will report to the county manager. Tiff any Brown, the county’s emer- gency manager and direc- tor of the Emergency Oper- ations Center, will report to the new director. The position will be funded by money reallo- cated from an emergency management coordinator role, which has been vacant since last year. At a recent county Board of Commissioners meeting, Lydia Ely/The Astorian Rain and high tides caused fl ooding in Seaside in January. County Manager Don Bohn said he hopes to have some- one in place within three to four months. “There’s no doubt that the risk towards Clatsop County regarding earthquakes, tsu- namis and windstorms, and any other form of natural disaster, is high,” he said, “and I think that it’s import- ant as we move forward that the emergency management function be elevated to a department level.” Commissioners will hold a second reading on an ordi- nance to remove from the county manager’s assigned duties the direction of the emergency management offi ce. The move has been con- sidered for more than a Circuit Court dismisses election challenge on Cannon Beach food tax By NICOLE BALES The Astorian opposed the ballot measure ahead of the election, could not be reached for comment. The county declined to comment. Measure 4-210 was approved in a 380-374 vote. The city expects to begin collecting the tax in July. City Manager Bruce St. Denis has defended the opening of the drop box in front of City Hall. He said people had shoved several ballots into the side of the box and city staff wanted to make sure the ballots were protected from the rain. He and Karen LaBonte, the city’s public works director, unlocked the box and put the ballots inside. County elections staff have said St. Denis and LaBonte did not violate any rules. Meanwhile, the drop box in Seaside was not consid- ered an offi cial drop-off location. Krevanko picked up two ballots in the Seaside drop box after the election, but they were considered too late to count and never opened. The tax is estimated to generate $1.7 million annu- ally, which will be split between the city and Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District. The city will use its por- tion to help fund a new City Hall and police station, while the fi re district plans to use its share for operations as calls for emergency service continue to rise. New legal twist in fi ght over oceanfront home By NICOLE BALES The Astorian The city and a couple seeking to build a controver- sial beach house overlook- ing Haystack Rock are now being sued by a neighboring property owner. Stanley and Rebecca Roberts submitted an appli- cation last year to construct a 2,712-square-foot ocean- front home on a steep hill- side off of Hemlock Street. The proposal, however, did not advance because it did not meet the city’s ocean- front setback standard, which, if applied, would sig- nifi cantly reduce the possi- ble footprint for any build- ing on the property. The couple was unsuc- cessful before the state Land Use Board of Appeals and the Oregon Court of Appeals and is now appealing to the Oregon Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Roberts have applied for a second building permit for a smaller house that would meet the oceanfront setback standard. The City Council held a public hearing last week for a driveway access easement — a requirement before the building permit is consid- ered — but held off making a decision pending the out- come of the legal challenges and other information. Prior to the hearing, Hay- stack Rock LLC, which owns land to the north of the Roberts’ property, fi led a claim for declaratory relief in Circuit Court to determine the rights and obligations of the city and the Roberts. The court fi ling claims the Roberts do not have the right to build a driveway on an unimproved public right of way. The city, the fi ling claims, has the authority to deny the easement request for failure to adequately demonstrate safety, code compliance or that it is in the public’s interest. Haystack Rock LLC also argued that the city may not grant the proposed private easement, and that the right of way cannot be used for anything other than a public thoroughfare. DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: GEARHART • SEASIDE CANNON BEACH WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Junior Menu RESTAURANT & LOUNGE • Lighter appetite menu E RIL Y’ S An appeal for a new elec- tion on a controversial food tax has failed. The 5% tax, which applies to prepared food sold at restaurants and sim- ilar businesses, was nar- rowly approved by voters in November and survived a recount in December. The money raised will support emergency services and city infrastructure. Opponents of the tax questioned the integrity of the election and expressed concerns about ballot drop boxes and how ballots were counted. In an election contest fi led in Circuit Court in Decem- ber against the Clatsop County Elections Division and County Clerk Tracie Krevanko, Megan Miller and Josh Tuckman, the owners of Castaways Global Cuisine & Wine Bar, alleged violations of election law and fraud. The legal challenge alleged a ballot drop box at City Hall was improperly and prematurely opened and that ballots from a drop box in Seaside were improperly rejected. Some votes, the court fi lings said, were not properly counted or counted at all. The court dismissed the case in February. Miller and Tuckman, who were among the many restaurant owners who decade.In 2010, emergency and should be for the whole management — a statuto- community, that the county rily required agency — was manager, and the board in shifted from the sheriff ’s turn, has decided to make offi ce to the county manag- this investment,” Brown said. er’s offi ce. T h e In 2015, ‘THERE’S NO s t a t e , the county m a n a g e r DOUBT THAT THE m e a n - w h i l e , at the time RISK TOWARDS is doing considered converting CLATSOP COUNTY something s i m i l a r. emergency REGARDING By law, manage- ment into EARTHQUAKES, the state Offi ce of a direc- TSUNAMIS AND E m e r - tor-led g e n c y depart- WINDSTORMS, Manage- ment, but ment, long ended up AND ANY under the absorbing OTHER FORM umbrella the duties of the himself. OF NATURAL Oregon This is Military the fi rst DISASTER, IS Depart- time a full- HIGH.’ ment, is time direc- slated to tor will County Manager Don Bohn become lead the t h e c o u n t y ’s emergency management Department of Emergency Management, and report functions. “It’s exciting for me, directly to the governor. BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! 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