NORTH COAST
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015
3A
Cannon Beach to be
annexed into OSU
Extension Service
Corcoran approached the
Cannon Beach City Council
last year, and asked the coun-
Cannon Beach, the only cil to consider joining the
entity in Clatsop County not a district. The council left it up
part of the Oregon State Uni- to local voters in November,
versity Extension Service Dis- who passed the ballot measure
trict, will soon be added to the 384-307.
service district.
The Board of Commis-
The Clatsop County Board sioners needed to take action
of Commissioners — acting as Monday, so the extension
the 4-H and Extension Service service could meet a state De-
District Board — met for a partment of Revenue deadline
special meeting Monday to ap- of March 31 to allow the ex-
prove the annexation of Can- tension service to collect from
non Beach into the 4-H and the Cannon Beach tax base by
Extension Service District.
November.
The Board of Commission-
The 4-H and Extension
ers then set a public hearing on Service District will have an
the annexation for March 25, increased tax base of about
during its regular board meet- $44,000 based on 2014 assess-
ing. After the public hearing, ments.
With the annexation, Can-
WKH ERDUG FDQ RI¿FLDOO\ DS-
non Beach property owners
prove the annexation.
Patrick Corcoran, the coun- will pay property taxes of 5.34
ty leader of Clatsop County cents per $1,000 of assessed
OSU Extension, said the ad- value. For a Cannon Beach
dition of Cannon Beach will home assessed at $250,000,
allow South County residents the total annual tax would be
direct opportunities with the $13.35 to become part of the
extension service, including service district.
From the 1930s until 1986,
participation in 4-H and Mas-
the Clatsop County extension
ter Gardener programs.
Clatsop County’s exten- RI¿FH ZDV IXQGHG WKURXJK D
VLRQVHUYLFHZLWKDQRI¿FHLQ line item in the county gener-
Astoria, is a partnership be- al fund. But in 1986, the 4-H
tween the county and Oregon and Extension Service Dis-
State University. The service trict was formed as an alter-
offers research-based pro- native source of funding. The
grams to residents of the ex- measure passed in all voting
tension service district, which districts — except Cannon
Beach.
will include Cannon Beach.
Cannon Beach residents
The funding for OSU
FRXQW\H[WHQVLRQRI¿FHVFRPH were able to participate in ex-
from federal, state and local tension service programs, but
they needed to travel to Sea-
partnerships.
³7KLV ZLOO EH WHUUL¿F WR side and elsewhere to do so.
have consistency throughout Once the annexation is likely
the county,” Corcoran said. approved March 25, the clubs
“For Cannon Beach residents, and programs can be held in
primarily for families wanting Cannon Beach.
EO Media Group reporter
local 4-H programs, they can
have those in the city without Erick Bengel contributed to
this report.
having to go to Seaside.”
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
LOUIE OPATZ — EO Media Group File
The Necanicum Estuary creeps toward Seaside’s wastewater treatment plant as the land has eroded over time. This
photo was taken in 2013.
Seaside: ‘The city is spending money
like crazy and they don’t have any’
Continued from Page 1A
approved these days.
a local contractor is
BioEngineering,
handling it. They’re
Work on the project began a the company we’re
doing the work out
few weeks ago after BioEngi- working with, it’s
there.”
neering subcontracted with Big not just that they’ve
Not only have
River Construction, of Astoria, developed a niche.
McDowell and Ker-
for construction services and These guys are lead-
anen raised concerns
materials. Because of the nice HUV LQ D QHZ ¿HOG
about the project not
weather, Public Works Director They’re at the fore-
going out for bid, but
Neal Wallace said he anticipates front of bioengineer-
also the overall cost,
WKH SURMHFW ZLOO WDNH DERXW ¿YH ing.”
which McDowell
Neal Wallace
weeks, instead of the originally
“There’s no one
said go hand in hand.
estimated six to seven weeks.
else around here that has the
“Just follow the law and you’ll
Dale McDowell, of TFT ability to get this project put save money,” he said. How so?
Construction and a member of together and to get it permit- “You get competitive bids. That’s
the city’s Transportation Advi- ted,” he said, adding the city’s the key word — ‘competitive.’”
sory Commission and Budget engineering department doesn’t
When
BioEngineering
Committee, and Keith Keranen, have the capability to design this emailed several construction
of Keith Keranen Excavating, sort of project.
companies in mid-January about
said both of their companies,
Winstanley agreed.
providing a few laborers and op-
and likely other local contrac-
“We needed the expertise as erators, along with equipment,
tors, could have done the overall far as a permitting, as well as to work alongside the BioEngi-
project for cheaper, including working in working in environ- neering crew to build the wall,
obtaining rock, with a plan from mental areas,” he said.
McDowell’s company put in
a local engineer.
The U.S. Army Corps of a bid of $20,536 per week, or
No other offers were accept- Engineers authorized a general $123,216 for six weeks. BioEn-
ed for the project, though, as the permit for bank stabilization for gineering instead subcontracted
city never put the project up for the city’s project Jan. 16. The with Big River, which provided
bid, as required by the Oregon UHPRYDO¿OOSHUPLWIURPWKH2U- a lower weekly quote.
Revised Statutes.
egon Department of State Lands
“The thing is it should have
Winstanley and Wallace said also was authorized Jan. 16.
come out to bid as the whole
the statutes allow for an exemp-
McDowell didn’t agree with project and not just a piece of
tion when it comes to “the cost Wallace and Winstanley’s as- it,” McDowell said.
and availability of specialized sessment.
He posed the question — if
expertise that is necessary for
“It’s not hard to get permits, the raw materials cost an esti-
the public improvement,” which it takes time to get permits,” he mated $36,000 and construc-
they believe applied in this case said.
tion costs about $123,216, why
DQGMXVWL¿HGWKHGHFLVLRQWRVLQ-
He believes there are several did the city sign a contract
gle-source the project.
local engineers and design com- with BioEngineering for nearly
“Regardless of what some panies that could have drawn $800,000 that now has induced
of the local contractors claim of a design and gone through the the need for the city to get a loan
their ability to do this work, the permitting process and then put from the state?
truth is this was an extremely the project up for bid.
“The city is spending money
GLI¿FXOW SURMHFW WR JHW SHUPLW-
“For them to say no local like crazy and they don’t have
ted,” Wallace said. “For various contractor could handle it is
environmental reasons, it’s very hogwash,” he said. “We’ve
ELECTROLUX
GLI¿FXOW WR JHW D URFN SURMHFW worked on the jetty before. And
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concerns about Astoria.
For online updates:
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any,” Keranen said.
The city has not provided a
detailed budget for the project.
The project’s general budget as
approved for the loan from the
Oregon Infrastructure Finance
Authority includes $603,000 for
construction; $67,000 for con-
struction contingency; $72,000
for construction management;
and $58,000 for pre-award ex-
SHQVHVVXFKDV¿QDOGHVLJQDQG
permitting. In September 2014,
the City Council approved a res-
olution to repay the loan using
city sewer fees and revenue.
Now that the project has
been contracted out to BioEn-
gineering, both McDowell and
Keranen said it was right for the
city to approve the loan, since
the project has to be paid for
somehow, and they’re glad Bio-
Engineering is subcontracting
with Big River.
Their hope, though, is that
proper procedures will be fol-
lowed in the future in the best
interest of the community.
BioEngineering Associates
did not respond to multiple re-
quests for comment.
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