THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
NORTH COAST
3A
County Commission agrees to third-party review of Somers
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
The Clatsop County Board
of Commissioners — scheduled
to complete County Manager
Scott Somers’ annual perfor-
mance review in July — agreed
Wednesday to have a state in-
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consultant to conduct a separate
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Somers encouraged the
Board of Commissioners to
pursue a third-party review last
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Somers became county man-
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On Wednesday, the board
unanimously entered into an
agreement with Local Gov-
ernment Personnel Institute, a
state group tasked with helping
local governments with per-
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At the board’s last meeting,
Association of Oregon Coun-
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McArthur recommended the
board consider LGPI’s ser-
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AOC offered to help in the
process since Commissioner
Dirk Rohne was concerned
Somers was going to bias the
process by hand-picking his
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Rohne made a motion last
month to appoint an ad-hoc
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The committee would have
been made up of seven people,
including a commissioner, the
sheriff, the district attorney, a
union representative, a former
county employee and two area
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seconded Rohne’s motion and
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Rohne expressed support
Wednesday of having LGPI
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“Our last evaluation didn’t
involve any third-party, so I
don’t think it would be redun-
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advantageous to move for-
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LGPI would develop a list
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commission to choose from
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process could take up to two
months once a consultant is
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AOC plans to make its
own recommendation for one
Scott Somers
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The selected consultant could
offer a variety of review styles,
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view,” that collects input from
people who surround the re-
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An initial estimate for the
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project hours and travel — is
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The cost includes the selected
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The board agreed Wednes-
day to become an LGPI mem-
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pay a prorated membership fee
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Chairman Scott Lee sug-
gested Wednesday that the
third-party review and Board
of Commissioner’s review be
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The board agreed to consider
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LGPI’s services include:
• Researching and compil-
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• Presenting a list of qual-
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PHQGDWLRQWRWKHFRPPLVVLRQ
• Working with the selected
consultant, board and coun-
ty management to develop a
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• Scheduling and coordi-
nating interviews for the con-
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• Assisting the consultant in
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• Responding to media in-
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• Coordinating any fol-
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Somers
admits
the
third-party review is an extra
cost since the traditional re-
view by the board is essential-
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it is necessary and also in his
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Somers has been the focus
of complaints in anonymous
letters sent to the Board of
Commissioners and The Dai-
ly Astorian that question his
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He has admitted a large
number of changes have oc-
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six department heads have left
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County Clerk Maeve Ken-
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December after errors were
discovered on the general elec-
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county staff were moved to
higher deductible health plans
and the Juvenile Detention
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Somers believes a third-par-
ty review may put some con-
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ployment contract has stated
the county must perform a “fa-
cilitated review” or third-par-
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experiences in other jurisdic-
tions, Somers decided to opt
out of that requirement and just
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“I’m kicking myself now
for not having a facilitated
review done before,” Somers
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would have a document in the
form of a performance review
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In other business:
• The board approved a letter
of intent allowing the coun-
ty to enter into good-faith
discussions with Providence
Seaside Hospital, Colum-
bia Memorial Hospital and
Greater Oregon Behavioral
Health on the development of
a freestanding Respite Crisis
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respite center will be opened
as soon as this spring in the
former Coryell’s Crossing
child care and preschool cen-
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• The board agreed to is-
sue a letter of support to the
state Legislature in support of
a state transportation funding
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will show support for the
state’s pursuit of increased
funding for transportation in-
frastructure, according to the
county’s Public Works De-
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By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Astoria School Board
decided Wednesday night to
take a comprehensive look
at the district’s food service
program, voting unanimously
to have Superintendent Craig
Hoppes form a food service
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The committee will not
make a recommendation on
whether the district should
handle its own food, said Hop-
pes, but rather provide insight
into food service operations
and their future, to help inform
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Heading the committee
will be Business Manager
Louise Kallstrom, who pre-
sented to the board in Decem-
ber on the basics and costs of
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Astoria, Warrenton-Ham-
mond and Seaside are in a
three-district contract with
Chartwells, which started in
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state allows the contract to be
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renewals, the school districts
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The district is looking at
programs that lose money, and
Kallstrom’s report showed
an average loss of more than
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driven in large part by a con-
tinual drop in daily food sales,
which decreased from a high
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Kallstrom said it was due to
declining enrollment and low-
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She said the costs of the
district operating its own food
service program would likely
be similar, but that it might be
able to save money because it
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“At the end of this year,
we’re up for renewal,” said
Kallstrom in December, add-
ing that Astoria would have to
let Chartwells know by April
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When Astoria was previous-
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and went out for bid, she said,
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Warrenton said it would be
interested in buying food in
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The food team
As currently thought of, it
will include Kallstrom, one
or two school board mem-
bers, two district cooks, four
parents, one or two adminis-
trators, a student from Astoria
Middle School and a student
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Board member Jeanette
Sampson recommended creat-
ing an application process for
the food service committee,
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“I think it might create a
biased opinion,” responded
Board Member Grace Laman,
also an adjunct nutrition in-
structor at Clatsop Commu-
nity College, adding that the
committee needs the perspec-
tive of parents currently utiliz-
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Hoppes concurred that
some people not using the
system might have a biased
opinion, adding that he would
work to make the committee
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members Shawn Helligso and
Martin Dursse supported hav-
ing Hoppes decide appoint-
ments, and the school board
decided to use his draft report
on membership as a guideline
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Hoppes said the food ser-
vice committee will form
and start meeting monthly by
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now, the committee will re-
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WDFW OKs razor clam dig starting Sunday
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Under state law, diggers are
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clams must be kept in a separate
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Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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Long Beach, Twin Harbors,
Mocrocks
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Long Beach, Twin Harbors,
Mocrocks, Copalis
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Long Beach, Twin Harbors,
Mocrocks
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announced a new schedule of
proposed digs through March,
which includes an opening ten-
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“We’re announcing these
dates so people can make plans
for digging in March,” Ayres
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clude an opening for the Ocean
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Below is the list of proposed
razor clam digs, along with low
tides and beaches:
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Har-
bors, Copalis, Mocrocks
Seasonal switch to morning
tides
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
Copalis, Mocrocks
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
Copalis, Mocrocks
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
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ranging from a three-day ra-
zor clam license to an annual
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available on WDFW’s website at
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from license vendors around the
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WDFW has razor clam reci-
pes as well as advice on digging
and cleaning clams on its web-
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n o f
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P R IM E
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D IN N E R
2 for
$ 25
D in n er a t 6 pm
K a ra ok e & D a n cin g
503-325-2806
Plea se m a k e reserva tion s
H e
a r
t h e
V alentine’s D inner
Live Ban d
“ N orth Coast
Cou n try M u sic”
t s ”
OLYMPIA — Razor clam
diggers can count on an eight-
day opener beginning Sunday
and start planning trips to Wash-
ington’s beaches in March, state
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The Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
approved the upcoming dig,
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marine toxin tests showed the
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Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal
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digging typically occurs one to
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digging is allowed at any beach
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“We’re expecting a good
turnout this upcoming Presi-
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“Tides will be early enough the
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Astoria E lk s
L od ge #180
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w ith Trim m in g s
S atu rd ay,
Febru ary 14 th
5 PM
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Sunday Feb 15
10 to 5
Antiques • Nautical Items
Glassware • Vintage Decor
892 Marine D rive , Asto ria
(50 3) 338-0 10 1
Tickets $15 each
@ Post 12 Ba r
Ou r “Queen of Hearts”
w ill receive Flowers and
a Box of Chocolates
Vendors are ready to
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VAL E N TIN E ’S D AY • F E B. 14
11AM -10PM
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1132 Exchange Street • 503-325-5771
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Muffy Cinderella Rice
07-04-98 - 02-06-15
Muffy you have the kindest of souls.
Your passing leaves the lives you touched left with gaping holes.
Muffy you forged a close bond with us all.
You remained just as youthful & bright-eyed as when you were small.
Muffy you were a loyal & loving friend.
The one of a kind friendship you shared with your Schyler will never end.
Muffy we will hold onto our memory of you.
& the memories of the endearing things you would do.
Muffy, like checking the weather & leaping to Schy Pie’s bed.
Where faithfully you would lie by her head.
Muffy you had such a pleasant meow.
& a soft purr we wish we could hear now.
M uffy w e know w here you are today.
Muffy; sweet, fuzzy & gray.
You’ll alw ays be at your Schyler’s side no m atter
how far from hom e she m ay travel aw ay.
An angel before & after your final day.
Muffy we love you infini-much.
We can still visualize you gently extending your paw to touch.
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1004 Com m ercia l St • 503-325-4400
Your spirit lives on w ith each of us, each day.
M uffy... Forever in our hearts you w ill stay.
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Astoria’s Premier Bed & Bath Store