Cannon Beach nixes grant for bike trails on timberland

CANNON BEACH, Ore. – The Cannon Beach City Council has taken the rare step of pulling grant money that the city’s Tourism and Arts Commission had recommended for a project.

The Northwest Trail Alliance wanted the grant for a network of bicycle trails on private timberland off U.S. Highway 26.

But city councillors before the 3-2 vote expressed concern that the request for more than $12,000 was not related to the arts, was not within city limits and had no measurable benefit to the local lodging community.

The Daily Astorian reports the controversy surrounding the project points to a larger disagreement about the purpose of the grant money generated through a lodging tax. An emphasis on the arts has been shifting, with recent awards going to a bike festival and promotional videos for the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce.

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Information from: The Daily Astorian, http://www.dailyastorian.com