Hello from the Seaside Signal, and thank you for all the comments and responses we’ve received for “From the Editor’s Desk.” 

A helping hand

If you’re not familiar with Alan Evans, the founder of Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers has played a big role in the way the state responds to homelessness. We have a Q&A with Evans where he zeroes in on efforts to meet the crisis in Seaside with the addition of a year-round homeless shelter. The shelter is one of many new projects coming to the area as part of a memorandum of understanding that establishes the Clatsop Behavioral Health Resource Network, bringing more than $6 million for county services. Helping Hands will receive $1.8 million.

“It’s going to give us the ability to offer basic services to our homeless community, our homeless population in the city of Seaside,” Evans says. “It’s going to allow us to assist people in navigating resources and services that are provided, plus allow us to collect the data we need to make good, logical decisions based on what we know.”

Relay

The annual Hood to Coast running and walking relays begin Aug. 26 at the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood and end in Seaside.

At a City Council meeting last fall, the event’s chief operations officer Dan Floyd presented a check for almost $29,000 to the city from the 197-mile event. The economic impact for the city overall from visitors is estimated between $1.2 million and $7.8 million. In 2021, the relay raised $600,000 for cancer services.

The Providence Cancer Institute has received more than $6 million to support cancer research, treatment and support services. This year’s goal is to raise $650,000 for the institute.

We’ll be there as runners and walking teams, clad in costumes, colors, each vying for the most creative entry — cross the finish.

Ridgeline Trail

A former Seaside School District teacher, John Meyer, went before the board of directors on Tuesday to propose the “Ridgeline Trail” north of Seaside High School and Middle School on Spruce Drive. The plans include for widening the path and keeping it clear for students, runners, hikers and community members looking for an outdoor recreation experience. Proponents see it as a great opportunity to expand the city’s recreation options. “It’s using what we have to impact the most people and good and the idea with a trail around our high school and middle school,” Meyer said. “We’re looking at a kind of a blank canvas of raw dirt.”

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