Inventory gives much-needed exposure to city improvementsSEASIDE – Major parking improvements, a new bridge and museum support should be included on a list of projects seeking grant assistance, city officials determined this week.

City councilors discussed what should be added to a local needs and issues inventory Monday. Every year the city submits the list to the Clatsop County Economic Development Council, and the items are ranked after being combined with lists from other towns and agencies in the county.

“Ultimately, the overall list is exposed to state and federal agencies that may be able to provide assistance,” whether with money or in other ways, according to Kevin Cupples, Seaside planning director.

The discussion prompted residents to reiterate a need to address limited parking space in downtown Seaside. In particular, they referred to a long-discussed concept of a multi-level parking structure in the public lot west of the Seaside Civic and Convention Center, 415 First Ave.

A feasibility study for such a structure is a possible item on the needs list to be submitted by the Sunset Empire Transportation District, said Mayor Rosemary Baker-Monaghan, who serves on the executive board of the economic development council. Concepts discussed in the past envisioned the ground level as a center for buses while cars would be parked on one or two higher levels.

Cupples suggested the city could indicate its support of that study and projects from other entities that seek to be on the list independently, including the Seaside Museum and Historical Society.

State officials have indicated the needs and issues inventory exposes projects to a variety of potential sources for assistance, but they need to be on the list to be considered, he said.

Ken Meiser, executive director for the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, added that grants can come from unexpected places. “Sometimes funding sources come out of nowhere.”

As an example, he cited how the National Forest Service provided an $18,000 grant two years ago for Seaside to conduct a feasibility study for a performing arts center. That study was conducted earlier this year, and a design for such a center tops Seaside’s current needs list in the “community facilities” category.

A project to make public restrooms near the Chamber building compliant with standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act also is high on the list.

In Seaside’s infrastructure category, the finished East Broadway Bridge listing will be replaced with the proposed west 12th Avenue Bridge replacement. That work would help another city bridge to meet earthquake and tsunami safety standards, Cupples said.

Other infrastructure items include replacement of a municipal water pump and installation of a gauging station at Peterson Point.

Seaside’s “community readiness” category includes a park facility plan for the former mill ponds south of town and continued work on the Neawanna Natural History Park, as well as a municipal watershed plan for the south fork of the Necanicum River.

Among additions to the list this year are development of the “north gateway” area near the mouth of the Necanicum, a skateboarding facility addition to Broadway Park, land acquisition for the Seaside Public Library, and parking improvements at the west end of Avenue U. Various public works, sewer treatment plant projects, and utility relocation work stemming from the Pacific Way to Dooley Bridge highway widening project also made their way onto the list.

Councilors unanimously agreed with Cupples, who urged the city to “continue to build upon this same list in order to provide long-term exposure of these projects to agencies that may be able to assist us.”

In other activity this week, councilors postponed bids for roof replacement work at restrooms for Broadway and Quatat Park to ensure the specifications and constraints are consistent. They scheduled Nov. 11 for dedication of the East Broadway Bridge as Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The mayor also read a proclamation of October as “Disability Employment Awareness Month,” calling upon residents to learn about people with disabilities, their strengths, abilities, and the programs which serve their needs.