OUR 115th Year City approves rules for homeless Residents air worries on safety, health, location By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal The City Council has voted to advance a new ordinance that would map out places where vans or motor homes could be permit- ted to stay overnight. The ordinance is designed to protect the safety of all residents — housed and homeless — and regulate the use of public and pri- vate property by establishing time, place and manner guidelines for homeless camping. “While I do not hold myself out as any constitutional lawyer, it seems that this ordinance com- ports with the two cases, one out of Boise, Idaho, and the other out of Grants Pass,” City Attorney Dan Van Thiel said of court rul- ings related to homeless camping. “That is not to say that some inno- See Ordinance, Page A6 April 15, 2022 SEASIDESIGNAL.COM $1.00 Ospreys return to Seaside Seaside Signal Look up. That “cell tower” in the northeast corner of Broadway Park is home to two osprey, Seaside residents who return every summer to build their nest and hatch their fledglings. They returned this month, and are available for all to see at the Necanicum Watershed Council’s osprey cam. Ospreys lay one to four eggs per brood and only have one brood per season, accord- ing to the Necanicum Water- shed Council, so more eggs are expected over the coming days. Eggs incubate for 36 to 42 days before they hatch, so the first chick could hatch as early as Memorial Day. The return of the osprey to Seaside comes after careful efforts. The raptor, a cousin of the eagle, nested on a light pole on Broadway Park field. The pole came down after artificial turf was installed in 2011, dis- placing the osprey. The nest later was placed on the trunk of a 60-foot hemlock tree donated by a local timber company. However, the trunk rotted, and a windstorm broke it in two places. In 2013 the nest was relocated to its present location. That same year, a partner- Necanicum Watershed Council Osprey in their nest at Broadway Park. ship between the Necanicum Watershed Council and the city brought a webcam to the nest, enabling viewers worldwide to study the raptors. The pole snapped in hurri- cane-force winds in 2016, spill- ing the nest on top of the pole and the camera. Once again donors provided funds for repairs. Protected under the Migra- tory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, the osprey is not endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, according to the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geolog- ical Survey. An average-sized nest in Oregon weighs more than 260 pounds and exceeds 40 inches in diameter. As far as this year’s brood, it’s too early to tell if they are returnees to Seaside, accord- ing to the watershed coun- cil. Ospreys can live up to 25 years, according to the water- shed council. Adults mate for life and return to the same nest each year. Once the female has laid eggs she will be on the nest for the next 28 or 29 days. The 24-7 live feed is at youtube.com; search Seaside osprey cam. Bike ban on Ridge Path CYBORG Seagulls score at robotics competition loses tread By KATHERINE LACAZE For Seaside Signal By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal In March, the City Council voted 4 to 1 to consider a ban on bicycles on the Ridge Path. But last week, the council took a step back, indicating that rather than ban, the city could add warning signs and pedestrian crossings. “Where I personally would choose not to ride bikes on the Ridge Path and have not actually myself, I understand the need for parents to have their kids be able to ride safely to town,” Mayor Paulina Cockrum said. “I also understand that there can be some safety hazards for walkers if the bicycles don’t take care in passing. I hope that we can find a solution that will balance these key issues — perhaps without an ordinance.” The former Native American trail runs between privately owned residential properties within the blocks between Cottage Ave- nue and Neacoxie Creek, extend- ing from F Street on the south to 10th Street on the north. The first 11 blocks were established by See Ridge Path, Page A6 Seaside High School’s robot- ics team wrapped up its season in late March with a trip to the Oregon State Fairgrounds for a district competition against other teams from the Pacific Northwest. While the CYBORG Seagulls did not quite reach their goal of attending the Pacific North- west FIRST District Champion- ship in early April, head coach Toni Vandershule said she is “extremely proud of all the team’s hard work that they’ve put in this season.” “I have been a STEM mentor/ advisor for a number of years, and this group of students has been a real highlight in my career here,” she said. “I know they will all go out into this world and do great things.” This spring was the first time the team traveled for competition since their season was cut short in 2020 because of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Fortunately, they were able to retain a handful of students who could lead the 12-member team as seniors this year, while also bringing on some promising Katherine Lacaze Members of Seaside High School’s Robotics team, the CYBORG Seagulls, attended the district event at the end of March, in hopes of achieving a spot at the district championship. Back row, from left, Toni Vandershule, assistant coach Jack Walker, Jonathan Krizo, Lea Stich, Elliot Ousley and assistant coach Tracy Flaigg-Fairless. Front row, Zach Fukuda, Jonathan Granillo and Oswaldo Acuna. recruits. That’s been a challeng- ing objective to meet during and even after the pandemic. “I think people are still get- ting used to the fact that we are in-person and can do things,” Vandershule said. However, both she and senior Oswaldo Acuna, team captain, spoke highly of the students who they assembled this season. “I love that we have a fantas- tic team,” Acuna said. Typically, students will take on various roles depending on their skillsets, from designing the robot to engineering it and pro- gramming its functions. The goal is to give each participant some- thing to do and optimize every- one’s talents. “There is this middle ground where it fits, it works,” Acuna said. In early January each year, teams across the Pacific North- west District receive informa- tion from FIRST Robotics about the upcoming season, the rules of the game, and what tasks their robots must perform during competition. For example, this year, the robots had to be able to put a ball through a hoop at one of two lev- els and then climb, or at least hang from, an apparatus. See Robotics, Page A6 Brothers Cannabis opens up shop at Seaside Outlet Mall By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal R.J. Marx Bo Sea, owner of Brothers Cannabis Dispensary, in the Seaside store. In the world of cannabis, more than a decade of experience in the business is a remarkable achieve- ment. Peou “Bo” Sea (pronounced “Say”) founded and opened the Brothers Cannabis Club in April 2010. The new Seaside Outlet Mall location at 1111 N. Roosevelt Drive, at the site of the former CBD store, is the fourth statewide. Brothers Cannabis serves three Portland locations — in the Sell- wood, Richmond and Buckman areas — to both medical patients and recreational consumers. Sea, 42, grew up in southeast Portland. He went to school in Seattle before returning to Port- land, working primarily in the restaurant industry. When he saw medical cannabis dispensaries opening up, “we opened up too.” It was a time when the fed- eral government sent cease-and- desist letters to dispensary own- ers. Despite federal pressure, with backing from state and local authorities, he remained confident in success. “There were no real dispensa- ries,” he said. “Washington had medical like us — they didn’t have stores. It was on the down-low.” There was little advertising or promotion, “just a community of medical patients,” he said. The market expanded with the legalization of recreational canna- bis sales six years later. “The advantage we had was we started around 2010 and it didn’t get legal till 2016,” he said. “I had about five or six years of just hav- ing my name there. I wasn’t mak- ing money at all — just my name being there for five, six years. Once we opened, I had a long line.” Sea is no stranger to Seaside; he has been coming here for vaca- tions since he was a kid. He said he hopes to find a house here for him- self and his family. While he doesn’t know the owners of the other local dispensa- ries, he said people in the business help each other out. “We’re not really cutthroat,” he said. “With almost any owner that I meet, I can almost connect with them right away. We already almost got this kind of vibe. We’re See Brothers, Page A6