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
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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.
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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
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month, can sometimes strug
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After watching LaMear
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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
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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
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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
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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
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it’s likely to remain where it
is — buried in the sand.
“Once a piece of a ship
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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
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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.”
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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
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ing trade, whatever it was, it’s
all important.”
“The wreck itself might be
important because, perhaps,
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sunk in a storm in the 1930s,”
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more about the expanse of
people going out there to har
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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.