A6 • Friday, April 15, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Ordinance: Approved locations for camping await
Continued from Page A1
vative constitutional attor-
ney cannot challenge thls
ordinance, but I am of the
opinion that it should be
implemented.”
As a makeshift RV camp
on 10th Avenue and Neca-
nicum Drive continues to
cause concern for residents
and visitors alike, Sandra
Sheets, a resident who lives
nearby, said the ordinance
would make the city safer.
“We’ve been concerned
about the increase in activ-
ity at the park and I do think
2022-04 is a good start,” he
said.
City Councilor Randy
Frank said the ordinance
would give Police Chief
Dave Ham a “starting spot”
to enable police to regulate
illegal. “It will be nice to
have something to give your
staff the ability to go out and
deal with people,” he said.
The city’s Houseless
Task Force, an outgrowth of
a year of public forums on
housing and homelessness,
aimed to produce guide-
lines that will clear over-
night camping on city prop-
erty by creating permitted
alternatives.
The measure puts in
place a program for tem-
porary overnight camp-
ing on both residential and
nonresidential properties.
Vehicles, including vans or
motor homes, would need
to be registered in compli-
ance with vehicle insurance
responsibilities.
Permits would be valid
for three weeks, at which
time they could be renewed.
While individual park-
ing or camping locations
were not designated, pro-
posed locations for limited
numbers of permitted vehi-
cles include parts of Shore
Terrace, Necanicum Drive,
Cartwright Park, Avenue G
and Mill Ponds Park.
Camping would be pro-
hibited at all public park
areas, public parking lots,
restrooms or publicly owned
properties within residen-
tial zoning districts, along
with U.S. Highway 101,
Avenue U, Wahanna Drive,
First Avenue to Avenue A,
Necanicum Drive and other
locations.
Some residents asked
the City Council for more
details on the proposed
Continued from Page A1
Carrying forward
R.J. Marx
Offi cials hope a new ordinance will help clear this RV encampment at 10th and Necanicum Drive.
‘GIVEN THE TENDENCY FOR THE
CAMPERS TO CREATE MESSES,
THAT COULD BE A MAJOR BLOW
TO THE PARKS PROGRAM.’
City Councilor Tom Horning
camping sites before mov-
ing forward with the
ordinance.
“As a parent, I fi nd some
of the proposed locations
that were discussed very
concerning,” said Susie
James, a resident. “I would
like to see some specifi c
verbiage saying it cannot be
at public parks. As a parent
and as a person who works
in the hospitality industry. I
understand that tourists are
what drive this town. But if
you’re making it impossible
for people to raise their fam-
ily safely, we’re not going
to have people to work in
the hotels and restaurants
because everyone’s going to
move away.”
Tenth Avenue resident
Russ Mead objected that
the city would be endorsing
a place without electricity,
water or sewer.
“This seems absolutely
unacceptable to me in a
town like Seaside or a city
like Seaside,” Mead said.
“It’s disrespectful to the
property owners. It’s disre-
spectful to the people who
are living in these campers.”
Mead suggested the city
abandon the proposal alto-
gether and focus eff orts
on an emergency home-
less shelter with electric-
ity, showers and bathroom
facilities.
“All of us deserve better
than this,” Mead said.
Sunset Boulevard res-
ident Stephanie Millman
echoed the need to provide
alternative services to the
homeless population.
“It is better to spend that
money enabling communi-
ty-based connected services
to help the homeless get off
the streets and work on their
situation — whether fi nan-
cial or mental health,” she
wrote in a letter to the City
Council.
Mayor Jay Barber, City
Councilor Steve Wright,
City Councilor Randy
Frank and City Councilor
Dana Phillips voted in favor
of the ordinance on Monday
in fi rst and second readings.
City Councilor Tita
Montero voted “no” to both
readings.
City Councilor Tom
Horning approved the ordi-
nance in the fi rst reading,
but not in the second. City
Councilor David Posalski
was absent.
“I wanted the process
to take its time, rather than
accelerating the approval
process, mostly so every-
one in the city could have
a say, if needed,” Horn-
ing said after the meeting.
“I don’t have any problems
with the ordinance in par-
ticular. The rest of the pro-
cess will be in the policy of
where we will allow camp-
ers to spend the night. I am
not keen on Cartwright Park
or the Mill Ponds being
allowed.
“Given the tendency
for the campers to cre-
ate messes, that could be
a major blow to the parks
program.”
The ordinance will return
to the City Council for a
third and fi nal reading on
April 25. If passed, it would
become law within 30 days.
“We really worked hard
to try to recognize all of
the concerns about defend-
ing the rights of people who
live in Seaside, the housed
people, but also at the same
time defending the rights of
people who are houseless
and also to do it legally so
that we will not be in court
over our decisions,” Bar-
ber said. “There’s still more
work to be done. And we’ll
continue to work on that.
But I think we made a good
step forward.”
still carries CBD products,
and he recommends them to
people who want the eff ects
without the euphoric high of
THC, the active ingredient
in cannabis.
Sea has three employees,
all of whom worked at the
CBD hemp store.
They
are
getting
hands-on training, he said.
“They’ve been selling CBD
so they’re pretty good. Right
now I’m just fortunate to
have them as my employees.
They know what to do and
they’re ready pretty much
from CBD to dispensary. So
it’s pretty easy for them to
transition.”
Brothers will sell a “lot
of high-end fl ower,” he said,
featuring premium fl ower
buds from Portland.
“Our customers are the
connoisseurs as well as the
budget shoppers, people
that need it every day, peo-
ple that smoke weed once
in a while,” he said. “We
have specialty products we
try to get in not a lot peo-
ple may not have. We prob-
ably have the best price on
glass in town, our smoking
apparatus.”
Pricing is very important,
he added. “Older stores like
mine may have better pric-
ing just because we’ve been
around so long working with
these farms. That’s the big
advantage we will have over
a lot of new stores is: No. 1,
customer service, No. 2, our
products. We’ve got our cus-
tomer service down really
well and we only keep the
best products.”
Business hours are Mon-
day through Friday 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m. and Saturday and
Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
503-739-7217.
In 2020, Seaside’s team
— along with others across
the country — completed
their robots and had the
chance to attend a scrim-
mage before COVID hit.
All competitions were can-
celed for the season.
During the following
period of distance learn-
ing, Vandershule and the
other coaches found ways
to continue carrying the
program forward. They
met with students virtually
and assigned projects that
they could complete indi-
vidually, such as building
a robotic arm and a small,
mobile robot from kits.
In summer 2021, they
reconvened
for
mini
classes and workshops on
programming, engineer-
ing, using power tools
and other skills needed to
participate.
The
CYBORG
Seagulls’ fi rst in-person
event was a district event
in Wilsonville from March
10 to 12. They made it to
the semifi nals with their
alliance, which combines
the teams of three diff erent
high schools.
“It was awesome to
be back in person, even
though we were masked,”
Vandershule said. “It
was really great to see
everybody.”
Many of the coaches
and students have been
involved in the program
multiple years, and they
appreciated the chance to
the original plat of Gear-
hart Park, as laid out and
recorded by M.J. Kinney in
1890.
In March, after hear-
ing safety and environmen-
tal concerns, city councilors
suggested adding language
to the city’s parks master
plan to ban bicycles along
the path.
At that meeting, City
Attorney Peter Watts said
when donations were solic-
ited for the Ridge Path, it
was presented as a walking
path. He also said bicycles
could create a legal liability
for the city.
But in correspondence,
residents pointed to the tra-
dition of bikes on the path
and their health advantages,
urging the City Council to
drop the ban.
Skyler Archibald, a res-
ident who serves as execu-
tive director of the Sunset
R.J. Marx
Gearhart Ridge Path.
Empire Park and Recre-
ation District in Seaside,
said development of recre-
ation opportunities is one of
the characteristics that make
a community livable and
inclusive.
“I strongly object to the
notion of banning bicy-
cles on the Ridge Path,” he
said. “Limiting recreation
opportunities for the citi-
zens of Gearhart, particu-
larly young people, is an
injustice to those that need
less barriers to participation,
not more.”
Penny Sabol, a resident,
said her parents bought a
cottage on the Ridge Path
when she was a child.
“One of the most won-
derful memories in my life
is traveling that path to Lit-
tle Beach on our bikes to
spend the day playing with
our friends,” she said. “We
would travel the path, once
again on our bikes, to Cut-
ler’s Grocery to buy penny
candy and then just tool
around town.
“Now, I have young
grandchildren just entering
the age to enjoy the Ridge
Path. I want them to have
the happy memories I have
enjoyed. I urge you to please
not pass this ordinance.”
Rather than an ordi-
nance, Cockrum said she
would work with staff on
some improved signs, par-
ticularly on Third Street.
The topic will return at
a City Council work ses-
sion in May, at which time
the mayor will seek an alter-
native. For now, the word-
ing “footpath” will remain
in the parks master plan for
historical purposes.
Beyond the enjoyment
and challenge of competi-
tion, Acuna believes there
are other benefi ts that come
from participating in the
high school’s robotics pro-
gram. He joined his fresh-
man and was immediately
impressed. That led him to
staying all four years.
He appreciates that
he’s learned diff erent fac-
ets of engineering and pro-
gramming, as well as fund-
raising and how to use
power tools and specialty
machines, like the school’s
3D printer. Those are life
skills he anticipates using
in the future, regardless of
his career.
For other students, par-
ticipation in robotics has
helped them achieve place-
ment at secondary institu-
tions they wanted to attend
and scholarships.
The school’s website
adds that the skills learned
in robotics “build upon the
course content that stu-
dents learn in their classes
while helping them see
the possibilities that skills
in STEM (science, tech-
nology, engineering and
math) could lead them to
a satisfying and rewarding
career.”
DINING
on the
NORTH COAST
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Ridge Path: Bicycles recalled as childhood tradition
Continued from Page A1
Learning life skills
S
happy to help each other
out.”
Sea operated the Sea-
side location as CBD Hemp
Store Outlet before open-
ing as a cannabis dispensary.
“When I fi rst had the CBD
store, it did pretty well,” he
said.
But when the pan-
demic hit and with grocery
and variety stores carrying
CBD products, Sea sought
to pivot, becoming the fi rst
cannabis dispensary in the
outlet mall. The dispensary
get back in touch with one
another.
At the district event in
Salem, the Seaside team
was in top form. They
were picked for the fi rst
alliance after qualifying
matches. However, one of
the three alliance robots
broke down during com-
petition, and the alliance
ended up losing in the
semifi nals.
Additionally, because
of COVID, the district
championship organizers
decided to cut the fi eld of
teams able to attend.
Teams then have six
weeks to complete their
robot. At that point, they
are allowed to fi x broken
parts or functions between
competitions, but they
can’t improve or rebuild
the robots in any way.
Brothers: Pricing is very important
Continued from Page A1
Robotics: Seagulls
form team alliances
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