A4 • Friday, April 15, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
SignalViewpoints
Container housing pitched at housing task force
W
hat will workforce housing
look like in Seaside in the
future?
The Seaside Housing Task Force,
an ongoing committee chaired by City
Councilor Steve Wright, met Mon-
day with Joanne Blackler, of Joanee
Blackler Equipment Consulting LLC,
based in Madras.
exploration industry in South Amer-
ica, Bill Blackler said.
“The term I like to use they’re
they’re built like ‘a prison toilet,’’ he
said.
“They’re tough, as opposed to a
tiny home or RV. You’re going to get
something that lasts signifi cantly lon-
ger, that is a better investment for your
money in that regard.’’
The containers can be delivered
empty
or fully furnished. A 40-foot
SEEN FROM SEASIDE
container can off er 310 square feet,
R.J. MARX
she said. Costs begin at $80,000
for a 20-foot container, with $9,500
added for shipping. Forty-foot units
She and her father, Bill Black-
start at $9,600. Modifi cations could
ler, appeared before the task force on
bring down that price, and units may
Monday with a proposal for housing
be available at a multiple discount.
containers similar to those in use at
It’s a concept that we’re not really
work sites outside the U.S.
used to here in the U.S.,” Wright
They may be of use in communities said. “You’re trying to get on the
in the Northwest, especially areas with ground fl oor getting this going. I
a large population of seasonal, agri-
think it’s defi nitely an interesting
cultural cannery or logging workers.
idea. Particularly because you can
“It’s a simple container concept,
do it so fast with everything else
with quick transport and installa-
nowadays.”
tion on-site,” Joanne Blackler said.
Whether Seaside zoning would
“If you have budget constraints,
accommodate the unvits remains an
this may be your way to go espe-
open question, Jeff Flory, the active
cially with the price of lumber now-
planning director said.
adays and a timely manner. It’s a
“It’s diff erent from a manufactured
lot faster than having anything built
home,” Flory said. “It’s diff erent from
nowadays.”
an RV and diff erent from a stick-frame
Delivery takes two to three months. house. First we would need to fi g-
The containers can be set directly
ure out how to classify these and what
on the ground or on cement blocks,
building codes would be allowed by
she said. Footings are available to
the state of Oregon to set these up as
raise them off the ground. The con-
permanent dwellings you could set up
tainers are more durable than an RV,
on a property. ... What it would look
with its 20-year expected life.
like, I don’t know.”
Inside is “plug-and-play,” with
Revisions to the city’s comprehen-
lighting, electrical and plumbing. ‘We sive plan may be necessary to take
could do commissary kitchens or little advantage of options like this, Wright
kitchenettes in them as well,” she said. said.
These originally were designed
While the containers may not be the
and built to serve the oil and mineral
city’s answer, Wright also presented
Joanee Blackler Equipment Consulting
Containers like these are proposed for workforce housing.
potential modular solutions like those
elsewhere.
“For us in particular in Seaside the
biggest issue is where on how much
space it’s going to take because we
just don’t have much land, period,”
Wright said. “We just need to fi nd
the owners of the places that do have
it and fi gure out where we go.”
In late May, the county will con-
vene elected offi cials and planning
directors to talk about housing, Wright
said.
“There’s lots of us around that
want to do something about hous-
ing,” Wright said. “No matter what it
is, I think every idea is worth talking
about.”
Joanee Blackler Equipment Consulting
Layout of a living container proposed to meet
workforce housing needs.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fire station meets the
needs of the future
Like all of you, I am not excited to
pay additional taxes. But in the case of
the proposed fi re station, I am in willing
to pay them. We support our volunteer
fi remen and obviously we and they need
a facility that meets the needs of the 21st
century. I plan to vote yes on bond Mea-
sure 4-213 and hope you will as well.
Karen Emmerling
Gearhart
Stop selling candy
cigarettes in Seaside
In the United States approximately
1600 youth smoke their fi rst cigarette
each day. We all know how detrimental
smoking is to our health.
Yet here in Seaside, two local candy
stores (Phillips and Schwietert’s) con-
tinue to market gum and chocolate in the
form of candy cigarettes.
What are they thinking? Do they
really make such a profi t on them to war-
rant making cigarettes attractive to chil-
dren? I have asked both stores to stop
selling them but have been met with
resistance. As a retired Public Health
Nurse, mother and grandmother, I
respectfully request both Phillips and
Schwietert’s stop marketing cigarettes to
children.
Sally Gardner
Portland
When considering the
bond, set emotions aside
Gearhart’s fi re station bond are full
of emotional pleas about the volunteers
needing a new station. The Gearhart Vol-
unteer Fire Department does need a new
station. No one disputes that. However,
when considering a $14.5 million bond,
set emotions aside, facts take precedence.
The preliminary geological report
indicates the proposed site sits atop a
large sand dune. Extensive ground work
will have to occur to stabilize any struc-
ture. The survey was conducted July of
2021, the driest time of the year. The
report mentions wetlands bordering the
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kari Borgen
R.J. Marx
PUBLIC MEETINGS
proposed location but gives no guidance
to the impact on them.
Moving the station from the town cen-
ter increases response times for everyone
in Gearhart. Even a minute or two makes
a diff erence.
Gearhart already purchases a large
portion of their water from Warrenton
and only +/- 50% of the residents live
here full-time. Warrenton intends to place
a moratorium on selling more water.
The “aquifer” Gearhart residents rely on
isn’t an aquifer but rather treated ground
water. In a dry year, available ground
water will be less. Clatsop County
intends to place a 1-acre restriction on
building sites involving septic systems.
Where will the all the extra needed water
come from?
Gearhart doesn’t have enough build-
able land, water, or economic develop-
ment for the size and scoop of the pro-
posed project. Without grants, the cost of
this bond falls to property owners.
Please, emotion aside, look at the
facts. The proposed location and price
tag do not make fi scal sense.
Beth Cameron
Gearhart
Firefi ghters earn your
support every day
The evidence of growth is all around
us these days. An empty cul-de-sac close
to me, long unbuilt on, no longer hosts
the elk herd’s overnight stays.
Instead, it’s growing new houses!
I miss seeing the Gearhart volun-
teer fi refi ghters practicing drills there of
an evening. My gosh, they work hard! I
am very proud of our group of fi refi ght-
ers. They deserve the best support we can
give them. They earn it every day with
their commitment to their mission and to
the continuing education that they need
to do it well.
The current fi rehouse was built 64
years ago, in 1958, and I don’t think any-
one seriously argues that it is adequate
today.
Sixty-four years is a long time; our
new facility for fi re and police will also
need to serve for many years. Deci-
sions we make now will reverberate for
decades. I fi nd it diffi cult to imagine what
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
Shannon Arlint
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER
Sarah Silver-
Tecza
ADVERTISING
REPRESENTATIVE
Haley Werst
Gearhart will be like in the year 2072,
50 years from now, but I hope right now
that we plan well and optimistically. The
investment in our town that we decide to
make now will provide benefi ts through-
out the lifetime of the facility. And his-
tory suggests that lifetime may be quite
long! Let’s make the best investment we
can in the future of Gearhart.
Please vote yes on Measure 4-213.
Janet Elliott
Gearhart
Seaside Planning Commission, work session,
7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
Seaside School District, 6 p.m., https://www.
seaside.k12.or.us/.
Gearhart City Council, special meeting, 6 p.m.,
cityofgearhart.com.
Tourism Advisory Committee, 3 p.m., 989 Broad-
way.
I have been reading many good
and heartfelt letters to your newspaper
regarding the need (or not) of the pro-
posed fi re station for Gearhart. I would
like to write this one from a diff erent
perspective.
Responding to a current critical
event is not the only reason to vote yes
for this station. As one of the origi-
nal members of the Gearhart Commu-
nity Emergency Response Team, I stud-
ied, trained and remain ready to act in
case of an emergency whether it be some
kind of weather event, a tsunami or any
other local emergency of any size or
complexity.
We need ongoing training with profes-
sional trainers, many of whom are vol-
unteer fi refi ghters or locally hired staff of
the Gearhart Volunteer Fire Department.
As many of us are also ham radio opera-
tors we are available to facilitate commu-
nications when all else fails, and practice
regularly with our local fi re department,
county offi cials and other volunteer ham
radio operators.
The lack of space, amenities and other
conditions of the current fi re station for
training purposes hampers our ability to
be prepared and resilient in the case of an
emergency.
When an emergency situation occurs,
that is no time to be wishing that your
CERT is not trained and available to
assist the fi refi ghters and the residents of
our town.
Please vote yes for the fi re station
bond measure.
Pat Wollner
Gearhart
Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
John D. Bruijn
Skyler Archibald
Joshua Heineman
Katherine Lacaze
Esther Moberg
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jeff TerHar
Community Emergency Response Team, 5 p.m.,
989 Broadway.
Facility would play critical
role in fi refi ghter training
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
Carl Earl
TUESDAY, April 19
WEDNESDAY, April 20
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
SYSTEMS
MANAGER
Contact local agencies for latest meeting infor-
mation and attendance guidelines.
THURSDAY, April 21
MONDAY, April 25
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY, April 26
Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District
Board of Directors, 5:15 p.m., 1225 Avenue A.
MONDAY, May 2
Seaside City Council, special meeting, executive
session, 6 p.m., 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY, May 3
Seaside Community Center Commission, 10 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A.
Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m, 1131 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., 989 Broad-
way.
WEDNESDAY, May 4
Seaside Improvement Commission, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
Gearhart City Council, 7 p.m., www.cityofgearhart.
com.
THURSDAY, May 5
Seaside Parks Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
MONDAY, May 9
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
THURSDAY, May 12
Seaside Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m.,
415 First Ave., Seaside.
TUESDAY, May 17
Community Emergency Response Team, 5 p.m.,
989 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Commission, work session,
6 p.m., 989 Broadway.
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