By Scott D. Johnston

About 40 area residents braved a cold, steady rain Sunday afternoon to attend a Town Hall “Soapbox” meeting put together by the Ocean Shores Block Watch group and held at the Lions Club.

Most who came stayed for all of the two hours of discussion that took place. Many commented on various aspects of the city’s finances and the need and possible means to foster growth. That topic brought comments and questions on tourism and its roles in generating revenue and enticing future residents, the possible Pt. Brown Avenue makeover project, fresh waterways, and beach vending.

Local activists Randy Peck and Susan Conniry, who have organized several town hall meetings over the past year, said the idea was to have an open forum for people to express their concerns, discuss local priorities, ask questions and offer suggestions and solutions. Peck commented afterwards that a broad purpose was to encourage more citizen involvement and interaction with local government, and offer folks the experience of speaking in front of a group in an informal, friendly setting.

Conniry, who has announced her candidacy for Ocean Shores City Council, led the discussion and asked repeatedly for attendees to share their concerns and comments.

One perspective came from Dennis Irby, an Ocean Shores homeowner and part-time resident whose Puget Sound Trade Shows and Events has been trying for three years to bring a professional beach volleyball tour event here. Irby explained what he said is the necessity of limited beach vending in this type of event.

Others spoke in favor of some forms of beach vending and decried what one described as “a lot of protectionism with businesses in this town.” Licensing of event vendors was also brought up with some complaining that it is a requirement that is not being effectively enforced.

Another topic was homelessness, with Ocean Shores resident and North Beach School Board member Doreen Cato saying there are “80 or more homeless students in our school district,” and, “We don’t talk about that… we need to start taking notice of the invisible.”

Another topic was fire and ambulance services and the need to find funding to retain seven firefighters/EMTs who were added to the Ocean Shores Fire Department early last year via a $1.4 million grant that runs through this year. Grants for equipment and the concept of a regional fire authority were brought up.

City Council member Holly Plackett told the group about her experiences in Redmond, where she said local government worked effectively with neighborhood associations to “bring neighborhood decisions down to the neighborhood level.”

Other topics brought up by those in attendance included street and preventive maintenance, public safety, availability of medical services, beach erosion, code enforcement, trash cleanup, street lights, youth civic involvement, and finding new revenue sources without raising taxes.

Richard Wills, who has offered comments at City Council meetings since moving here last year, provided a PA system for the event. He weighed in on several topics, and commended the City Council and Mayor Crystal Dingler for successfully guiding the city back from what he understood as “the brink of bankruptcy” in the last few years.

Council member Jackie Farra thanked those who attended and said, “We have many things that we want done for us, but I haven’t heard many solutions yet.” She suggested “each of us go home and think about a couple of these issues,” then send some suggestions to the City Council.

Conniry said comments from the meeting will be compiled and shared with city leaders. Participants agreed with her that meetings like this should be held somewhat regularly. She and Peck said they will start organizing another Town Hall with public safety as the topic, and they will invite new Ocean Shores Police Chief Neccie Logan to speak and take questions.