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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2015)
8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015 Nemlowill: Zetty has been in immersion mode Continued from Page 1A The former president of the Planning Commission is more sensitive when talking about the Bridge Vista phase of the city’s Riverfront Vision Plan, having gone through the sometimes contentious debate over the Civic Greenway, the ¿UVW VHJPHQW RI WKH IRXUOHJ plan. “There’s been a lot of dis cussion right now about pre serving views or the ability to have commerce in the future,” she said. “So I think that we need to maybe look at development that would occur without de stroying people’s views or ways of life.” Nemlowill, like the other new councilor,Cindy Price, JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian City Councilor Zetty Nemlowill hopes to engage with young parents and families on issues such as the Astoria library renovation and a better trail system. is still unsure about the city’s land swap with the American plan to renovate the library. Legion that could bring the li Like Price, she was inter brary to Heritage Square. HVWHGLQWKHRQHWLPHWDONRID Nemlowill tentatively sup ports expanding the library into the old Waldorf Hotel, also known as the Merwyn — the plan new Mayor Arline LaMear favors — but wants to see a structural assessment of the Waldorf and hear from the public before making up her mind. She has heard from pres ervationists who are pleading with the city not to tear down the Waldorf, a long vacant, yet authentic, slice of the city’s past. “I have heard feedback from the public concerned with demolishing the former Merwyn Hotel, so I need more information,” she said. Perspective Matt Van Ess, a habitat restoration coordinator for the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, who sup ported Nemlowill’s election campaign, said she brings a valuable perspective to the City Council. Many younger people, Van Ess said, have taken a “watch, but not participate” approach to the city’s policy debates. “So it’s great to see some one step up and be willing to serve who has a young family and is active in the communi ty,” he said. Nemlowill, who said she has been in immersion mode getting familiar with city is sues and council procedures VLQFHWDNLQJRI¿FHHDUOLHUWKLV month, can sometimes strug JOHWR¿QGWKHULJKWEDODQFH After watching LaMear DQG 3ULFH KROG SXEOLF PHHW DQGJUHHW HYHQWV WKLV PRQWK she hastily arranged a “Coffee with Zetty” Thursday morn ing at the Blue Scorcher Bak ery & Cafe. “We’re busy business peo ple and really dedicated to our family as well,” she said. “It’s important to me to cook dinner and make healthy foods for my family. It’s im portant that the kids get to go to activities such as dance class and swimming lessons and soccer. “And I get all that done and then I — after the kids go to bed or during nap time or on weekends — I get caught up on talking to constituents or doing my reading for City Council. “I just squeeze it in wher ever I can.” Trial: ‘This case is not much of a whodunnit’ Continued from Page 1A Clatsop County Dis trict Attorney Josh Marquis claimed in court and in writ ing that an earlier trial date ZRXOG EHQH¿W WKH VXUYLYLQJ child, Alana Smith, and her father, Gregory Smith, who have both expressed a desire to have the case tried as soon as possible. “Time goes by much slow er when you are 12 or 13,” Marquis said. Smith’s defense attorneys William Falls and Lynne Mor gan claimed they would not be ready to defend a possible death penalty case by July, mainly because they are both scheduled in other aggravated murder cases in Clackamas and Multnomah counties this year. Falls did indicate at Thurs day’s hearing that he antic LSDWHV ¿OLQJ D PRWLRQ FRQ cerning mental health issues, a possible defense for Smith. The defense also revealed it would be open to resolving the case before trial or go for ward without the death penal ty. Smith of Goldendale, Wash., pleaded not guilty Aug. 12 to aggravated mur der and attempted aggravat ed murder. Smith is accused RI GURZQLQJ KHU \HDUROG daughter Isabella Smith and cutting the throat of daugh ter Alana Smith July 31 in Room 3302 at the Surfsand Resort. Marquis said he has not ‘There are not a lot of red herrings. It is what it is.’ — Josh Marquis Clatsop County District Attorney decided whether or not to pur sue the death penalty, mostly due to the fact that he has re ceived zero evidence from the defense. The defense’s deadline for discovery, or evidence, is April 7 and the prosecution’s deadline is Jan. 30. Marquis told the court moving the trial back six or seven months would be ac ceptable, but two years is ri diculous. “This case is not much of a whodunnit,” Marquis said. “There are not a lot of red her rings. It is what it is.” The defense said it sug gested a summer 2016 date, in part, as a courtesy to Al ana Smith, who will be on summer break from school. The defense did compromise by saying an earlier trial date around April 2016 would be possible. Greg Smith, who spoke over the phone at the hearing Thursday, said he would rath er have the trial in summer 2016 than the spring when Al ana is in school. Alana Smith never attend ed school in her life until en JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Jessica Smith, appears with her attorneys William Falls, back, and Lynne Morgan, foreground at the Clatsop County Courthouse for a status hearing. Smith is accused of drugging and murdering her 2-year-old daughter and attempting to kill her 13-year-old daughter in a Cannon Beach hotel last summer. rolling this year. She remains in the custody of her father in Washington. “I think it would be prefer able to wait,” he said. Before setting the trial date, Judge Cindee Matyas asked Jessica Smith if she was OK with waiting two years from the time of her arrest for trial. “Yes, I am your honor,” Jessica Smith said. Jessica Smith then waived her right to a speedy trial. She appeared in court Thurs day wearing makeup, a yel low jumpsuit and her hair in a loose bun. She remains in Tillamook County Jail with out the possibility of posting bail. The next scheduled court hearing is set for May 12. JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis speaks with prosecuting attorney Dawn Buzzard after the Jessica Smith status hearing at the Clatsop County Courthouse. Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis rubs his forehead during the Jessica Smith status hearing at the Clatsop County Courthouse. Defense attorney William Falls makes a statement during a status hearing for Jessica Smith at the Clatsop County Courthouse Thursday. Wreck: Ship remnants likely to remain buried in the sand tifact be from one ship rather than another? Trying to nail The tests being performed that down to one particular will not account for age, ZUHFNWKDWFDQEHYHU\GLI¿ though Christopher Dewey, cult.” a volunteer at the Columbia That is, in part, because River Maritime Museum, ex where a ship was known to amined the site and estimated sink and where it may wash that the ship was built in the up can be vastly different. 20th century. “We’ve known boats to “It’s really a process of hit a sandbar off the Colum HOLPLQDWLRQ´ *ULI¿Q VDLG bia but found the wrecks had “You look at reported wrecks ÀRDWHG GRZQ VRPH PLOHV in the area and try to deter RU VR WR $UFK &DSH´ *ULI¿Q mine would this size of an ar said. Historically, lost ships Continued from Page 1A Photos by JEFF TER HAR — For The Daily Astorian Part of a ship’s keel was discovered last November by are more likely not to be found, he said. “Over 3,000 wrecks are known to be off the coast of Oregon,” he said. “We have the locations of a little over 300 in our database.” Regardless of whether or not the wreck beneath the GXQHVLQ6HDVLGHLVLGHQWL¿HG it’s likely to remain where it is — buried in the sand. “Once a piece of a ship WKDW¶VEHHQLQDZDWHUORJJHG state leaves the beach, or leaves that environment, it will dry and fall apart,” Grif fin said. “It would need to be placed in a tank — in a plastic solution — that pro tects it. I don’t know of any place on the West Coast that has a tank large enough to hold that piece. This piece of wood is huge. It would cost WHQVXSRQWHQVRIWKRXVDQGV of dollars to protect that wood.” “The best environment it could be in is right where it is The wood found two months ago by two Seaside resi- dents comes from a ship, according to the state archaeol- now,” he said. “It’s being pre served right there.” 7KH ZRUWK RI WKH ¿QG KH added, is purely information al. “We place the value, ar chaeologywise, on the his torical value,” he said. “What those sites have is a potential to tell us more about our past.” “Shipwrecks tie us more into the land that we now live in,” he added. “Whether it’s the logging industry, whether LW¶V FRPPHUFLDO WUDGH RU ¿VK ing trade, whatever it was, it’s all important.” “The wreck itself might be important because, perhaps, LW ZDV D ¿VKLQJ WUDZOHU WKDW sunk in a storm in the 1930s,” *ULI¿QVDLG³,IVRLWWHOOVXV more about the expanse of people going out there to har YHVW¿VKWRIHHGWKHJURZLQJ cities.” “So it’s about historical value,” he said. “We don’t place monetary value on these sites.” The best environment to preserve a ship recently discov- ered buried in sand on the Seaside beach is under the sand, says the state’s archaeologist.