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– Chief selection

In Gearhart, police chief candidate finalists are preparing for a meet-and-greet at City Hall on Monday night.

The City Council will choose a successor to Jeff Bowman, who retired last month. Bowman had served with the department since 1983, and was named chief in 1986.

In February, recruiters from GMP Consultants organized a listening session to assist the city with the job search.

Finalists Joshua Gregory and John Walker will go before the public at City Hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Read more here.

– Good causes

Representatives from 13 nonprofits went before the city’s budget committee in mid-April seeking city funds to be delivered to local nonprofit organizations. The donations aim to provide an added layer of support for social services and community development.

The city gave more than $137,500 to 11 local nonprofit organizations in 2022-23, out of a requested $152,000.

For the 2023-24 budget, a total of $181,000 was requested by the Clatsop County-based nonprofits.

On April 28, the committee tentatively awarded $124,000, of which $38,000 of that amount is contingent on future conversations with the City Council.

Stay tuned as councilors consider money designed to be well spent. 

– Zone change denied

The former elementary school at the entrance to town continues to tantalize with opportunities. What those will be remains to be seen, as a property owner has withdrawn an application to rezone the former Gearhart Elementary School for an 8.5-acre project that would have included housing.

At a Planning Commission meeting in April, owners said they hoped to preserve the school, provide needed housing and create an attractive entrance to the city from U.S. Highway 101.

Owners proposed a zone change that could have brought up to 30 new housing units on the property.

The plan would have converted the former 24,000-square-foot school into a single-family residence to accommodate medium-density residential housing.

Commissioners and residents urged the owners to drop the application and turn to public input for future plans. Read more here. 

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