Use other spaces

To the editor,

As a local Seaside homeowner, I have seen and witnessed a lot, and around town, the initial knee-jerk reaction was to oppose the expansion of the convention center. It uses the classic “field of dreams” logic: “If you build it they will come.” We should be prepared by reinvesting not only in the downtown core but utilizing existing spaces.

The facility is ready — maybe even due — for an expansion, but it should stop and rethink its marketing and sales strategy to the community and public at large. Websites matter, and our local sites reek of fragmentation and cumbersome event calendars.

A sales tax is likely beyond just a poor idea, and frankly un-Oregonian. Local small businesses already struggle enough, especially in the rainy season, just to find staff, let alone another barrier to a sale. Tax increment financing is a possibility, but, realistically, lodging and parking fees are more practical.

We also need to raise prices on the services our patrons use the most. The corporation of Worldmark should pay way more in taxes. Every timeshare bought and sold in our town should be taxed. The conventions and events themselves need to pay more.

We need to raise the cover charge the city of Seaside charges to finish here; Hood To Coast needs to settle and pay up its huge bar tab. H2C is a self-contained party at the beach. H2C literally uses, abuses and pukes upon our community. Yes, it fills up the hotels, but at what cost? It fills the town with unsupportive and intoxicated guests who have violated minimum stays and occupancy requirements.

Their self-contained party supports its corporate sponsors, not the local community. It leaves a whole town with a hangover, leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth from locals to those who drank too much. Tax the events and tourists more and not the local community. A county-wide lodging tax increase makes the most financial sense.

The convention center cannot stand on its own nor should the local small businesses. We need to galvanize Clatsop County, utilizing our small local spaces better from the Cannon Beach boardrooms and to the Seaside schools’ gyms and churches, all the way north to the Astoria coffee shops and all the restaurants in between.

Our community goal should be to foster better, smaller micro-conventions that make use of our already existing localized spaces and even vacant spaces amongst the community. Lease out and pay to use underutilized spaces as mini-convention space downtown and literally spread out the community reach dollars and cars.

Until the numbers come back and the City Council votes, it’s to be determined, but as citizens of the Seaside community, we should plan for a better town and be willing to be flexible to fund the growing future. So expansion of the convention center maybe, but only time will tell. Continue to cast the vision Seaside, we are the stakeholders.

Sean William McKendry

Seaside