Friday, March 18, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Ridge Path: Council eyes bike ban on Ridge Path after tree is cut down
Continued from Page A1
she found that the ordi-
nance had included horses
and vehicles, but never
updated to include bicy-
cles, a measure, she said,
she favored to educate
Gearhart’s newest residents
and visitors and to provide
a way to enforce such a rule
when necessary.
At the March City Coun-
cil meeting, councilors
agreed and asked staff to
prepare an ordinance to ban
bikes on Gearhart’s his-
toric walking path, a former
Native American trail run-
ning between Cottage Ave-
nue and Neacoxie Creek,
extending from F Street on
the south to 10th Street on
the north.
The proposed ordinance
comes as the city’s parks
and master plan nears com-
pletion. Among goals are to
preserve and enhance the
Ridge Path as a recreational
asset for the city and a seg-
ment of the Oregon Coast
Trail by establishing con-
nections to the path, requir-
ing appropriate access ease-
ments, and maintaining the
path surface.
While horseback riding
was banned on the Ridge
Path when ordinances were
updated in 1994, Cockrum
said, the ordinance covers
only horses and signage.
Pat Wollner
Tom Horning and Sandy Duncan on the Ridge Path in January,
before the tree shown was cut.
The tree after it was cut.
“It’s all we have to have
as a basis for some deliber-
ations on whether or not we
want to have bicycles on
the Ridge Path,” she said.
Carol Lucas, who lives
along the Ridge Path, said
bicyclists pose a danger to
pedestrians.
“Now they’re driv-
ing faster and the bicycles
shoot across the intersec-
tions without looking right
said he had concerns about
allowing bicycles.
“One is, when we solic-
ited donations for volunteers
time and funds for this proj-
ect, it was that it be a pedes-
trian path for walking,” he
said. “And then the second
one, which gives me more
pause because it’s more of a
legal liability.”
It creates a dangerous
condition for both bicyclist
or left,” Lucas said.
She said she had wit-
nessed numerous near
misses.
“I’ve been almost mowed
over a number of times and
I have seen so many wrecks
out on the street here. It’s not
a good situation. They’re so
dangerous both to the riders
and to the people walking
the path.”
City Attorney Peter Watts
City of Gearhart
and pedestrian, and compro-
mises the trail in a way that
makes it more diffi cult for
pedestrians to utilize it.
“I understand enforce-
ability could be an issue
going forward because we
have limited resources,”
Watts said. “But again, part
of this is providing every-
one with notice, even if
there aren’t a ton of cita-
tions because our police
don’t have the capacity. My
understanding is that hav-
ing an actual ordinance, as
opposed to just what’s in
now plan does help with
enforcement.”
Councilor Austin Tomlin-
son opposed the proposal.
“Kids were defi nitely on
my mind,” he said after the
meeting. “I grew up running
around and biking through-
out Gearhart and would take
the Ridge Path every day to
school.
“I have a 4-month-old,”
he continued. “I would hate
to see him not be able to ride
his bike down to the future
playground at Centennial
Park from our house along
the Ridge Path instead of
having to ride along a busy
street like Cottage. I was
also concerned we were cre-
ating an issue out of nothing
and restricting something
that doesn’t seem to be an
issue.”
Ridge Path safety could
come by brushing back
some of the vegetation
along the path and placing
crosswalk markers where it
crosses the road to improve
the line of sight, Tomlinson
said.
The vote to ask staff to
prepare an ordinance was 4-1,
with Tomlinson voting no.
The proposed ordinance
will return to the council at
their next meeting.
Homeless: Task force seeks solutions, considers regulations on camping, RVs
Continued from Page A1
Community Service Offi -
cer Paul Knoch have been
researching suitable spots,
Barber said, and fi nalizing
an area where tents may be
located.
According to the pro-
posed ordinance, a work in
progress discussed at last
week’s task force meet-
ing, property owners may
allow campers, including
private residences, organi-
zations and city lands with
the owner’s OK. The prop-
erty owner must provide
access to sanitation, gar-
bage disposal and storage.
Camps would be limited to
the backyard areas and sub-
ject to neighboring setback
rules.
A free permit process
would “essentially be a
From left, clockwise, City Councilor Tita Montero, Seamus McVey, Police Chief Dave Ham, Community Resource Offi cer Paul
Knoch, Mayor Jay Barber and Kathleen MacDonald of the homeless task force.
registration, just to let us
know who you are, where
you’re at and how do we
get a hold of you in case
there’s a problem,” Ham
said. “It could be as easy as
a fi re permit.”
The new ordinance could
make it easier for police
to enforce existing laws
against tent or RV camping,
Ham said.
Conversations are ongo-
ing with landowners for
properties that could be
used for an RV/car park
somewhere in the city,
Mayor Jay Barber said after
the meeting.
Ham said the new ordi-
nance will provide clarity
for both law enforcement
and those seeking camping
or RV facilities.
“When you’re creating
your ordinance, you get to
be objectively reasonable
with your guidelines,” Ham
said. “You can’t just make
your tent camp and create
a hazard. We’ve designated
an area for you to camp —
but this isn’t the appropriate
spot for it.”
A section of the ordi-
nance, designed to create
locations where it is OK to
park or camp overnight on
city streets or public land,
is the topic of a March 23
workshop, Barber said.
Plans include conver-
sations with the county as
well as other cities in the
county regarding the pos-
sibility of a micro-home
development.
“Of course, all of these
are long-range possibili-
ties,” he said.
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
From Page 2A
11:37 p.m., Chambers Re-
stroom: Police check on a per-
son reported slumped over
and possibly in need of assis-
tance. On contact, the person
says they are fi ne. No further
action was taken.
OREGON STATE
POLICE
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Illegal fi shing
Illegal angling was reported
March 6 at 11:35 a.m. within
the marine reserve at Falcon
Cove. Investigation revealed
the anglers were not in a
closed area but a surveillance
operation led to citations
for discarding trash into the
ocean and failing to immedi-
ately release fi sh unharmed.
The anglers were a 62-year-old
man from Aloha; a 67-year-old
man from Portland; a 69-year-
old woman from Portland; and
a 57-year-old woman from
Portland.
Impaired driver
A possibly impaired driver was
reported March 6 a 8:36 p.m.,
on U.S. Highway 26 near mile-
post 9. A trooper located the
subject in a GMC pickup and
observed very dangerous
driving. The driver, identifi ed
as William Robert Romine, 70,
of Cornelius, OR was stopped
and ultimately arrested for
driving while under the infl u-
ence of intoxicants. He had a
dog with him. Troopers took
the dog and brought it to the
Clatsop shelter. As the driver
was extremely impaired, he
was transported to Columbia
Memorial Hospital where he
submitted to a breath test
showing a 0.18% B.A.C. four
hours after the traffi c stop.
Fatality on Highway 26
A fatal crash happened on
U.S. Highway 26 at 9:13 a.m.
March 10 near milepost 8. Or-
egon State Police and emer-
gency personnel on arrival
saw a white Peterbilt CMV
that had been traveling west
towing a fl atbed trailer. The
operator, Joseph Arient, 46
from Longview, Washington,
crossed over the eastbound
lanes and went off the road-
way. The truck struck a tree
and rolled on its side. Arient
suff ered fatal injuries and
was pronounced dead at the
scene. The truck is owned by
Builders Supply and the fl at-
bed was loaded with trusses.
The highway was reduced to
one lane for six hours. Troop-
ers were assisted by Hamlet
fi refi ghters and Oregon De-
partment of Transportation.
Asleep at the wheel
bilt CMV towing a fl atbed trail-
er. He crossed the eastbound
lane, traveled off the shoulder,
and struck a tree. Oregon state
police and the medical examin-
er arrived on scene. One lane of
traffi c was closed for six hours
while police investigated.
GEARHART
FIRE DEPT.
FIRE LOG
Feb. 1
1:34 p.m., medical assist, War-
renton.
Feb. 2
9:26 a.m., chemical spill or leak,
Warrenton.
3:15 p.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, Bailey.
Feb. 4
• Orthopedic surgery
11:22 p.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, Sandy Ridge.
• Hand surgery
10:22 a.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, U.S. Highway
101, Gearhart.
Rear-ended on bridge
1:14 a.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, Wakeman.
Longview man killed
A
46-year-old
Longview,
Washington man March 10 at
9:13 a.m. was deceased at the
scene of a one-vehicle crash on
U.S. Highway 26 near milepost
8. He was driving a 2015 Peter-
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An 83-year-old man told po-
lice he fell asleep at the wheel
March 7 at 5:10 p.m. on U.S.
Highway 101 near milepost
23. He crashed his Toyota
pick-up while traveling north,
drifting into the southbound
lane before winding up in
a ditch and foliage. He sus-
tained a minor injury and was
not transported to the hospi-
tal. His vehicle was towed by
Gary’s Towing.
A 70-year-old Seaside man
was involved in a two-car
collision March 9 at 3:44 p.m.
on the Megler Bridge; by the
time troopers arrived, both
drivers had relocated their
vehicles to the ODOT parking
area adjacent. They said when
the fi rst car was stopped for
ODOT construction being
done on the bridge, it was
rear-ended by the driver be-
hind it. No injuries were re-
ported and both parties ex-
changed information. Both
cars were able to drive away
from the scene.
Surgical care, close to home
Feb. 3
Feb. 5
Feb. 6
11:41 a.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, U.S. Highway
101, Warrenton.
4:55 p.m., water and ice-relat-
ed rescue, Ocean Shores, Sea-
side.
5:34 p.m., smoke detector ac-
tivation, unintentional, no fi re,
North Marion.
Feb. 7
10:42 a.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, Blue Heron, War-
renton.
11:01 a.m., building fi re, South
Columbia, Seaside.
Feb. 9
12:00 a.m., alarm system acti-
vation, unintentional, no fi re,
South Holladay, Seaside.
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