I am a full-time Gearhart resident living on a fixed income. I am a fiscal conservative, which is a nice way of saying I am cheap and suspicious of new taxes.

I am a retired law enforcement veteran of 30 years. Throughout my career I managed projects to remodel and build emergency response facilities. I was also a commander of a small fire camp. I share my background to illustrate my training and experience in order to qualify my opinion that a yes vote on measure 4-213, the Gearhart Police and Fire Bond, is the best way to limit my tax exposure.

Gearhart’s fire and police stations do not meet modern industry standards in either profession, and it is obvious to even a layman, a new facility is required. The costs associated with the project have grown significantly since its conceptualization, and will continue to increase the longer we delay.

There are some who are justifying a no vote with the misguided belief that the proposed structure is too large. In my professional opinion it is not.

It is also my opinion that eliminating proposed space will not significantly reduce the overall cost of the project, and certainly not enough to negate the overall increase a delay will cause. Meeting current OSHA, EPA, ADA, and critical infrastructure building regulations, as well as studies and permits, will absorb much of the budget.

This project is unavoidable, and a delay will only increase our taxes. Please vote yes on Measure 4-213.

Dana Gould

Gearhart