OUR 115th Year
July 1, 2022
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM
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INDEPENDENCE DAY FESTIVITIES
Parades,
fi reworks,
all-terrain
wheelchairs
John Dudley
Planes in formation
over Seaside Municipal
Airport on Sunday.
Up in the
air, lunch
in Seaside
Seaside Signal
Parade, fi reworks and beach wheel-
chairs for those who cannot walk on the
sand are among the Fourth of July holi-
day events ahead in Seaside.
The lineup begins on Necanicum
Drive at 9:45 a.m. The parade runs from
10 to 11 a.m. The route is shortened this
year with the start being at the south end
of Necanicum. From Necanicum it will
turn east on First Avenue, then south on
Holladay Drive to Broadway, west to
Columbia, east to First Avenue back to
Necanicum.
Organizers expect about 40 entrants in
the parade.
Seaside’s July Fourth fi reworks cele-
bration, funded by donations, begins at
10 p.m. on the Prom. Western Display
Fireworks is producer of the 20-minute
show, as they have been for “decades and
decades,” Heather Gobet, president of
Western Display, said.
The show, with planning and purchas-
ing of fi reworks, starts almost a year in
advance, she said. Fireworks are com-
puter choreographed and fi red using the
Starfi re system. “It’s put together like a
puzzle that has to be put together a certain
way to have the desired eff ect,” Gobet
said.
Fireworks will be fi red from multiple
See Fourth, Page A6
Fly-in brings visitors to Seaside
Seaside Signal
M
ore than 100 visitors and 30 air-
craft came to Seaside Sunday
for an airport fl y-in and appre-
ciation day. The event, spon-
sored by the Seaside Visitors Bureau,
saw planes from around Oregon and
the Northwest touch down for snacks,
beverages and a day with pilots and air
afi cionados.
Airport Advisory Committee chair-
man Randall Henderson said he had
met fl yers from Hillsboro, Twin Oaks
and Eugene, among other cities, some
of whom were also participating in a
poker run to fi ve airports around the
state.
Overhead, fi ve planes fl ew in close
formation, dancing in the sky for the
audience below. Henderson, a former
member of the group, said pilots train
in military protocol formation for cer-
tifi cation at air shows. “There’s a high
bar,” he said. “These guys have all
taken those steps.”
The airport raises the visibility of
City signs
agreement
with Kyle
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
R.J. Marx
Dan Benua fl ies into Seaside Municipal Airport Sunday.
the city, Mayor Jay Barber said, and is
essential in an emergency situation.
“It’s a real asset,” he said. “Our pub-
lic works people really maintain this
well and our airport commission really
does a good job looking forward.”
Visitors enjoyed coff ee, doughnuts,
hot dogs, burgers and soft drinks. A
few pilots borrowed bikes — courtesy
of the airport — or cabbed it over to
the beach on the day which spiked near
100 degrees.
“It’s just a typical day at the air-
port,” Henderson said.
The City Council approved an employ-
ment agreement with Spencer Kyle. Kyle
replaces Mark Winstanley, who has held
the city manager job since 2001.
The city manager is responsible for
overseeing the day-to-day operations
of all city departments, and advises the
council on matters of policy, procedure
and business.
“Basically, it has the typical language
that you would see in an employment
agreement,” Mayor Jay Barber said at
Monday’s meeting. “It includes a com-
mitment to an annual performance evalu-
ation, which we’ve done with our current
city manager. There are provisions in the
agreement for termination and severance
pay. And we worked through that in terms
of how that would be handled.”
See Agreement, Page A3
Armitage off ers
legislative insights
at Seaside forum
Students share city’s
inner workings in
eight-part podcast
Concern for rural constituents
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
State
Sen.
Rachel
Armitage came to Sea-
side on Saturday for an
informal open forum with
constituents.
“Obviously we are liv-
ing in unprecedentedly
Pacifi ca Project wins
business award
divided times politically,”
she said. “I do legitimately
feel like the Legislature
leaves rural concerns out
and starts with what needs
to happen in Portland,
Salem and Eugene. We
have to make legislation
that’s good for the whole
state.”
Armitage fi lled the seat
vacated by Betsy Johnson
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
R.J. Marx
See Armitage, Page A3
Aiden Ousley and Mary Roberto discuss their podcast project.
Seaside High School
graduates Aiden Ousley and
Mary Roberto partnered to
present an eight-hour pod-
cast off ering profi les and
insights on city government.
Under the direction of busi-
ness teacher Mike Verhulst,
the students teamed with
Assistant City Manager Jon
Rahl for the Pacifi ca Project,
which placed second at the
Oregon High School Future
Business Leaders of Amer-
ica State Conference and
Competition.
“We hope that this proj-
ect will help to continue to
improve participation within
our community,” Roberto
said in a City Council
presentation.
See Podcast, Page A3