NORTH COAST
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
3A
Warrenton
signature drive
falls short
Residents will
still try to make
September ballot
By DERRICK
DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — Res-
idents who want to restrict
the Warrenton’s ability to
transfer assets such as Tan-
sy Point have so far fall-
en short in their signature
drive for the September
ballot.
The proposed charter
amendment would require
double majority voter ap-
proval before the city trans-
fers or disposes of assets
worth $100,000 or more.
The Warrenton Property
Protection Committee filed
450 signatures of registered
voters in February to qual-
ify for the September bal-
lot. But the Clatsop Coun-
ty Clerk has found that the
committee failed to meet
the threshold — 411 signa-
tures — because 101 of the
signatures are invalid.
Ken Yuill, who is lead-
ing the committee’s effort,
said the committee would
attempt to gather the neces-
sary signatures by the June
deadline to make the Sep-
tember ballot.
“We are going to pro-
ceed until we get enough,”
said Yuill, a senior utility
technician in Astoria who
serves on the Warrenton
Planning Commission.
Mayor Mark Kujala and
others have opposed the
charter amendment, arguing
that the City Commission
should have discretion over
city assets.
While the ballot question
grew out of a debate last year
on Tansy Point, the charter
amendment would also apply
to city assets such as garbage
WUXFNV ¿UH WUXFNV RU HTXLS-
ment for water systems.
Double majority voter ap-
proval means that more than
50 percent of eligible voters
would have to participate in
the election and that a major-
ity would have to vote in fa-
vor of the asset transfer — a
steep hurdle.
Last year, the City Com-
mission considered a land
swap with Warrenton Fiber
involving 43 acres the com-
pany leases from the city at
Tansy Point. The company
offered 20 acres off Dolphin
Avenue and a promise to
build the city a new Public
Works facility.
Yuill and Gil Gramson,
a former Warrenton may-
or and city manager, were
among several residents who
objected to the land swap,
contending that the land —
donated by the Carruthers
family in the 1970s to avoid
condemnation by the Port of
Astoria — is valuable and
should remain in city hands.
The City Commission de-
clined to move forward with
the trade, but Kujala has said
the city might be open to a
proposal for Tansy Point in
the future.
Crafard hired as new
Clatsop County clerk
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
Valerie Crafard, former
clerk of the Clatsop Coun-
ty Board of Commissioners,
was hired as Clatsop County
clerk Monday.
Crafard replaces former
Clatsop County Clerk Maeve
Kennedy Grimes, who was
¿UHG LQ 'HFHPEHU DIWHU VKH
was placed on paid adminis-
trative leave Oct. 20 follow-
ing two errors on the general
election ballot.
Crafard has served as in-
terim county clerk since Oc-
tober.
“I have every confidence
in Valerie’s ability to lead
and manage the County
Clerk Department,” County
Manager Scott Somers said
in a news release. “She has
performed at a commend-
able level during her interim
appointment as county clerk.
The county is very fortunate
to have attracted and re-
tained someone of Valerie’s
caliber.”
Crafard joined the county
in June 2006 and has worked
as clerk of the Board of Com-
missioners and as a human
resources assistant. Previous-
ly, she worked in human re-
On the record
Criminal mischief
• At 7:05 p.m. Sunday,
Astoria Police arrested
Katherine Ann Marzolo, 46,
Los Angeles, for third-de-
gree criminal mischief and
second-degree
criminal
trespass at 1188 Harrison
Ave.
DUII arrests
• At 7:25 p.m. Friday, As-
toria Police arrested Leroy
Peter Adolphson, 66, Astoria,
IRU GULYLQJ XQGHU WKH LQÀX-
ence on the 300 block of Al-
ameda Avenue.
• At 1:15 a.m. Sunday,
Clatsop County Sheriff’s
Office arrested Mary Mar-
tha Foust, 46, for DUII
at U.S. Highway 101 and
East Pines Drive in Gear-
hart.
• At 11:24 p.m. Sunday,
Clatsop County Sheriff’s Of-
¿FH DUUHVWHG *UHJRU\ 6LPRQ
Cisneros, 37, for DUII at
U.S. Highway 101 and Ave-
nue S in Seaside.
Valerie Crafard
sources management and ad-
ministrative support positions
ZLWKYDULRXVSULYDWH¿UPV
She has a bachelor’s de-
gree in management and or-
ganizational leadership from
George Fox University.
Somers said last month
10 people applied for the po-
sition, and four were inter-
viewed last week.
The county clerk is the
record keeper for the county
and administers public re-
cords, archives, legal record-
ings, passports and marriage
OLFHQVHV7KHRI¿FHDOVRRYHU-
sees elections and voter regis-
tration, and coordinates prop-
erty tax appeals, according to
the county.
ERICK BENGEL — EO Media Group
An excavator prepares to drop felled trees and brush from the east side of U.S. Highway 101 into the back of a truck.
The equipment belongs to Trails End Recovery, a Warrenton-based company.
ODOT fells up to 55 trees in Cannon Beach
Project intended to improve
highway safety, neighbors upset
ager for the Warrenton Sec-
tion of District 1.
A year ago, the department
CANNON BEACH — The marked for removal approx-
Oregon Department of Trans- imately 200 dead and dying
portation cut down and hauled trees in danger of collaps-
away about 55 trees from U.S. ing onto the highway. When
Highway 101, between Can- 2'27 LGHQWL¿HV ³KD]DUG
non Beach’s north entrance and trees,” “we’re obligated to take
Sunset Boulevard, on Monday. care of it,” Werst said.
Most of these trees had begun to
“We have a responsibility to
lean perilously over the highway maintain the right of way,” he
and, ODOT argued, may pose a said. “And some people don’t
threat to drivers.
want it maintained to the level
Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., that we would like to have it
¿YH2'27HPSOR\HHVDQGWKUHH maintained.”
contractors from Trails End
Given that ODOT has little
Recovery, a Warrenton-based choice but to eliminate the wor-
timber recycling company, re- risome trees — and could be
moved about 30 trees, 8 or more held legally liable for accidents
inches in diameter. About two- that occur by leaving them alone
thirds of those trees came from — Steidel said he hopes ODOT
the highway’s east side. Another approaches the ongoing project
20 to 25 smaller “brush” trees as “an annual maintenance pro-
were also cleared.
gram” rather than an all-at-once
7KHVWXPSVZHUH³ÀXVKFXW´ endeavor.
to make them even with the
Costs
ground and then covered with
Originally, the department
forest material to disguise them.
The roadway was “groomed planned to remove 70 trees this
clean,” Public Works Director month, Jablonski, Werst said.
But with a maximum of
Dan Grassick wrote in an email.
“If you didn’t know the work $10,000 to spend on stage No.
was done today, you would be 1 of the project, ODOT decided
challenged to know any trees to reduce the number of trees
removed this year, Grassick and
were actually removed.”
Eventually, ODOT may Mayor Sam Steidel explained.
The entire project cost
plant new trees in that stretch of
highway corridor, where about $7,300, Werst said, adding that
5,000 trees currently stand, Bill the combined crew cost about
Jablonski, manager of ODOT $760 per hour.
Trails End Recovery will
District 1, said previously.
sell the 40 to 60 tons of felled
‘Hazard trees’
WLPEHUIRUDSUR¿WKHVDLG7KH
Because the trees were in a company will then give ODOT
state right of way, ODOT could a $400 to $600 discount on the
legally remove them without ¿QDOELOO
¿UVWREWDLQLQJDFLW\SHUPLWDF-
Whether ODOT still intends
cording to state law.
to remove all 200 trees, even if
,W ZDV WKH ¿UVW URXQG RI it happens over a longer time
a tree-thinning project ex- frame than expected, Werst
pected to take several years. could not say.
However, ODOT will not re-
Former Mayor Mike Morgan
turn for further thinning until said he hopes ODOT is “willing
next year, according to Kevin to only take out the trees that are
Werst, the department’s trans- absolutely needed, and not work
portation maintenance man- toward a goal of any sort.”
By ERICK BENGEL
EO Media Group
ERICK BENGEL — EO Media Group
Kevin Werst, right, ODOT’s transportation maintenance
manager for the Warrenton Section of District No. 1, and
Don Miller, left, transportation maintenance specialist
with ODOT, eyeball how they’re going to eliminate certain
trees on the west side of U.S. Highway 101.
“We’re trying to keep clean-
up and damage to a minimum.
We know that the folks around
here are real sensitive to the
project,” Werst said. “I under-
stand the sensitivity.”
Jablonski could not be
reached for comment.
‘Wait a minute’
Watching the trees come
down in front of his home, Ed
Johnson, who lives on Elkland
Court, said, “I’m not very happy
about how this has played out.”
Though the loss of more
than 50 trees is preferable to
losing 70, Johnson said he had
expected Will Caplinger, the
city’s arborist, to weigh in on
the issue before the thinning
took place.
Last year, when ODOT in-
formed Cannon Beach of its
tree-thinning plan during a public
meeting, the city said they would
pay Caplinger to independently
review the targeted trees. But
when it appeared that ODOT
would not follow through with
the plan, the city chose to save its
money and dropped the indepen-
dent review idea.
Johnson said that, if ODOT
wanted to spend its limited
funds on a project that would
EHQH¿W &DQQRQ %HDFK WKH GH-
partment should have invested
in seismically upgrading the
woodpile bridge over Ecola
Creek. Ideally, the bridge should
have taken precedence over tree
thinning, he said.
And, as long as trees were
getting cut, the raw timber, he
argued, should have been placed
in the creek as “woody debris” to
help restore salmon habitat, rather
than given to Trails End Recov-
ery to sell on the timber market.
Above all, Johnson said he
wished there had been more
opportunities for public partici-
pation and citizen involvement.
“Yeah, this is (ODOT’s) high-
way. (These are) their trees, in a
sense. But this is a public issue
that some people are very con-
cerned about,” he said. “Anytime
you start cutting down trees in
Cannon Beach, somebody should
be saying, ‘Hey, wait a minute —
do we need to do that?’”
A ‘real drag’
With some of their buffer
now gone, Johnson’s neighbors
Kirsten Massebeau and her hus-
band, Phillip Massebeau, said
they are concerned about loud-
er highway noise and stronger
winds hitting the mature trees
that surround their property. “Not
to mention the road is not as pret-
ty when you’re coming down
through Cannon Beach any-
more,” Phillip Massebeau said.
“We know there was noth-
ing we could do about it, but it
would have been nice to at least
have some say,” he added. “It’s
a real drag.”
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
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
M a rch 24 th
CONCEAL CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
Oregon –
Utah - Valid 34 States
1p m o r 6 p m
Early Childhood
Health & Education Clinic For
Clatsop County Kids
SIGN UP TODAY!
FREE For all 3-5 year olds, regardless of income
April 14, 2015
The Astoria Armory
1636 Exchange St., Astoria
April 22, 2015
Seaside Convention Center
415 First Avenue, Seaside
Best W estern : 5 5 5 Ha m b urg Ave, Asto ria
O OR/Utah–valid
R/U ta h— va lid in in WA
W A $80
$80 or o r Oregon
O reg o n only
o n ly
$4 5
$45
| Firea rm Tra in in gN W @ gm a il.com
w w shauncurtain.com
w .Firea rm Tra in in gN W .com
~ shauncurtain@gmail.com
36 0-921-2071
360-921-2071
Don’t Miss CAA’s St.
Catrick’s Day Open House
HUMPHREY
Early screening is an important step to successful learning.
Your child will receive the following exams and screenings:
~ Physical ~ Hearing ~ School Readiness ~Speech
~ Nutrition ~Vision ~Dental ~Immunization
Call your local elementary school or Head Start center for an appointment by April 7 for the
Astoria clinic or April 15 for the Seaside clinic.
Limited transportation help is available upon request. se habla espanol.
Sponsors are NW Early Learning Council, NW Educational Service District
and Clatsop Kinder Ready. Major health & education groups of
Clatsop County are partnering to make this clinic possible.
Noon to 4 pm