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NORTH COAST THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015 3A College discusses possible South Tongue Point sale Land is near the MERTS property By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian The appraisal for possi- ble auction of 55 acres at South Tongue Point by the Oregon Department of State Lands is one of the topics of the Clatsop Community College Board of Directors’ Tuesday meeting. The ap- praisal came more than two years after Warrenton Fiber Company’s application to buy the land, and a year af- ter it came before the State Land Board. On Feb. 11, 2014, DSL initiated a review of the possible sale or exchange of three tax lots equaling 55 acres on the bottom two-thirds of South Tongue Point. Warrenton Fiber had applied to buy it Dec. 6, 2012, triggering the review of the land for a possible competitive sale. The State Land Board, which decides whether the property would be put up for auction, won’t make a decision until December, said Assistant Director Jim Paul of the Common School Fund Property Program. The soonest it could be auc- tioned, he said, is the spring 2016. The DSL manages lands statewide for the benefit of the state’s Common School Fund and for preservation. South Tongue Point, said Paul, is one of 85 reviews the DSL is undertaking statewide. South Tongue Point was created between the mid- 1940s through the ’70s by dredge spoils along a deep- water channel of the Colum- bia River. Two-thirds of the way up, it is dissected by Liberty Lane, coming down from U.S. Highway 30. To the north of the road sits CCC’s 7-acre Marine and Environmental Re- search and Training Sta- tion (MERTS) campus, along with a dock for the college’s training vessel Forerunner. The U.S. Coast Guard owns a dock and office on the property, ac- cording to DSL, and salm- on net pens next to the dock are on leased land for the Clatsop County Economic Development Council. The west side of the property is bounded by the COLLEGE BOARD MEETING: The CCC Board of Directors meets at 6:30 p.m. Tues- day in Columbia Hall, Room 219, on the main campus at 1651 Lexington Ave. railroad, and on the bottom two-thirds are three tax lots comprising the 55 acres un- der review. The land was originally transferred from federal to state ownership in the mid- 1990s with the intent of it being developed as a port, Paul said at the Feb. 11, 2014, meeting of the land board. State Lands had de- termined it improbable that an industrial tenant would want to develop the land while only leasing it. Dave Nygaard, a co-own- er of Warrenton Fiber, came before the land board to say the company’s immediate interest in the property was for log storage and a possi- ble dock site. The compa- ny has been looking at the state property for years and would prefer to own the land rather than lease it, he said. Warrenton Fiber, which mostly produces wood chips for paper mills, leas- es 43 acres of Tansy Point, which it’s been trying to acquire from the city of Warrenton in exchange for 20 acres and a new Public Works facility on Dolphin Avenue. The DSL review of prop- erties for potential sale in- cludes an appraisal of the tax parcels, surveys of po- tentially endangered plants and animals and analysis of wetlands on the prop- erty. DSL sends letters to adjacent landowners and lessees; notifies local, state and federal agencies and tribal interests to provide information; and evaluates their concerns. One thing to keep in con- sideration is the approxi- mately $600,000 in wetland restoration Denise Löfman of the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) said has been done on the property. The work was primarily financed by the Bonneville Power Ad- ministration, with some help from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. “Our interest is just in making sure that restoration project is protected,” said Löfman, who will speak about South Tongue Point Tuesday at Tuesday’s col- lege meeting. Seaside electronics store unfazed by Radio Shack bankruptcy By MIKE WILLIAMS EO Media Group SEASIDE — It’s busi- ness as usual at Kennell’s Electronics in Seaside, de- spite Radio Shack’s decision to file for bankruptcy protec- tion. The Radio Shack fran- chise store will continue to have everyday electronics needs, said Nate Keck, assis- tant manager. Radio Shack filed Chap- ter 11 in bankruptcy court Wednesday. The Seaside store was fielding calls from concerned customers Thurs- day. The folks at Kennell said the writing was on the wall long before the bankruptcy filing. The store is owned by Dan Kennell and operated with help from Keck; his mother, retired school teach- er Nancy Kennell; and his father, Van Kennell. They’ve been ordering some merchandise from third-party vendors for years. They’re not alone. “Most franchises have been getting third-party be- cause the margin’s better,” Nancy Kennell said. The Kennells have a laun- dry list of complaints with Radio Shack’s operations, including its insistence that they carry certain products when they first bought the store nine years ago. The merchandise just didn’t fit the community, Nancy Ken- nell said. “We’re not Portland; we’re not a big city,” she said. “We match our prod- ucts to our community. We’re going to stock what our community needs.” She declined to say ex- actly what products Radio Shack pushed on the store, but said the upscale items didn’t fit in with what the community wanted. “I finally put my foot down,” she said. Over the next few weeks the familiar Radio Shack logo will start disappearing from the store at 1219 S. Roosevelt Drive as signs are replaced and Radio Shack merchandise sells out. The store is having an Early Spring Cleaning Sale to move out the Radio Shack branded products. They’ll be replaced with merchandise from other vendors, Keck said. As for the diodes, tran- sistors and other small elec- tronic parts that built Ra- dio Shack’s brand decades ago, Kennell’s has plenty in stock, and Dan Kennell is confident he’s found a sup- plier to keep the parts draw- ers full. Regular customers will notice very little, Keck said. Most of it will be behind- Nate Keck, as- sistant manag- er at Kennell’s Electronics in Seaside, helps custom- ers Thursday. The store is making the transition from Radio Shack franchise to electronics store. Mike Williams EO Media Group the-scenes issues of chang- ing the business license, ordering and other things customers don’t see. “It’s going to be a very smooth transition.” The store will continue to be a full-service Verizon Wireless store. They’re also happy to offer assistance with electronics from other service providers. Nancy Kennell said they can help with gadgets need- ing new batteries as well. She recently replaced the batteries in a Montgomery Ward garage door opener for a 100-year-old customer. Montgomery Ward closed its doors in 2000. Business in the store Thursday was brisk, with customers seeking cellphone accessories, small electron- ics parts and other supplies. The Kennells are already making the transition to the new brand. Nancy Kennell was strug- gling a little to remember to answer the phone, “Ken- nell’s Electronics,” instead TO ATTE N D : F or M em bers: D in n er & L ecture:$30 ea . L ecture on ly: n o ch a rge F or Non -M em bers: D in n er & L ecture: $40 ea . L ecture on ly: $15 ea . Alameda Avenue closed for sewer work Portions of Alameda Av- enue will be closed today through Feb. 20 for sewer work. A contractor for the U.S. Coast Guard will be work- ing on a sanitary sewer ex- Talk with Councilor Cindy Price The February Salonical (political salon) to exchange ideas and information, ask questions and express con- cerns about city politics with Astoria Ward 3 City Coun- cilor Cindy Price, is from 4 to 5:45 p.m. Thursday in the Flag Room of the Astoria Library, 450 10th St. All are welcome to attend. tension on Alameda Avenue from Hyten Court/Waldorf Circle to West Klaskanine Avenue. Additional work by the contractor — Integrity Struc- tures, LLC. — from Feb. 21 W A NTED N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 W ith this sw eetheart of a deal, now m ight be the tim e to m ove to Suzanne Elise A ssisted Living Call Suzanne for details and a tour 14 FOR THE MONTH (plus services) $3000 IN SAVINGS February 12th Glen Lamb Appetizers w ill be a va ila ble a t 6 p.m . D in n er w ill be served a t 6:30 p.m . T h e spea ker w ill begin a fter th e din n er service is com plete a n d n on - din n er m em bers a n d guests of th e a udien ce ta ke th eir sea ts. F orum to be h eld a t th e CM H Com m un ity Cen ter a t 2021 E xch a n ge St., Astoria . LIM ITE SEATIN D G RE SE R VE SPACE TO Y D O U R AY ! Columbia Fo r um FEBRUARY SPECIAL $ www.dailyastorian.com Conserving the Natural Heritage of the Columbia River Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber ONLY Visit us online at to Feb. 27 will involve in- termittent daytime closures only, according to the city. Residents with questions can call the Astoria Engi- neering Division at 503-338- 5173. of “Radio Shack.” It’s worth it, she said. “At first I was thinking, ‘What are we going to do?’’ she said. “Now I’m thinking we’ll do better.” 503-738-0307 101 F OREST D RIVE S EASIDE WWW . SUZANNE - ELISE . COM FOR RESERVATION OR TO JOIN COLUMBIA FORUM CONTACT: H olly L a rk in s a t 503.325.3211 ext. 227 or foru m @ d a ilya storia n .com by F eb.9th, 2015 Columbia Forum is sponsored by: The D a ily Asto ria n • Cra ft3 • O SU Sea fo o d L a b o ra to ry • K M U N -F M Ca n n ery Pier H o tel & Sp a