Welcome to the Seaside Signal.

— No guns at City Hall —

Heightened tensions and social media chatter have ratcheted tensions in Gearhart.

On Wednesday, the City Council moved forward with an ordinance to prohibit weapons at city meetings and to post a police officer at city meetings to address potential threats. The measure comes after what the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office deemed a false gun threat in June, when conversations from private Facebook groups administered by local residents led to reports of potential gun use at a council meeting.

The uniformed presence will send a message that there are rules and we’re going to enforce them, Councilor Dana Gould, a former law enforcement officer said at the meeting. “People tend to act better when the uniform is present.”

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— Affordable housing —

Affordable housing continues to bedevil the region. Clatsop County and the city of Seaside are taking steps to use county land for affordable and workplace housing — possibly as many as 24 units. The county would transfer the land at no cost.

The sites are north of the “North 40,” former school district land owned by the city and used as sports fields. The housing task force brought voices from the county and regional level to City Hall on Aug. 1 with Elissa Gertler, the executive director of the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority and Pamela Wev, a Clatsop County commissioner who represents the county on the housing authority board.

 — Mutual aid —

When they’re needed, they answer the call. Clatsop County firefighters responded after Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the Miller Road Fire in Wasco County.

Seaside Fire sent two vehicles out and four personnel.

“As always, when we send out crews, the No. 1 priority of all of the fire departments in the county is to ensure we keep a response to our normal day-to-day business,” Seaside Div. Chief David Rankin said. “As soon as the task force left, the phones started ringing among the chiefs and everyone coordinated to see what each other needed or provide mutual aid options. Seaside, Clatsop County and the state of Oregon fire service don’t work without mutual aid. When our neighbors need us we go, because it won’t be very long before we are calling for help.”

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