THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015
NORTH COAST
3A
Woman robbed on Astoria Riverwalk No break for Elks from
maintenance assessment
By The Daily Astorian
A 32-year-old woman was
robbed at knifepoint on the As-
toria Riverwalk Monday morn-
ing, according to the Astoria
Police Department.
The woman reported that she
was walking her two dogs on the
elevated area between Astoria
Warehousing and the Holiday
Inn Express when she was ap-
proached by a 40- to 50-year-old
man about 6 feet tall, wearing a
brown hat, blue jeans and a red
and blue plaid shirt.
The man pointed a knife at
the woman and demanded her
purse, police said.
The purse contained some
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pain medicine, she told police.
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the woman returned to her car at
the Maritime Memorial to call
police on the phone she left in
her car. Astoria Police respond-
ed to the area, but were unable
to locate anyone matching the
description of the suspect.
By KATHERINE
LACAZE
EO Media Group
The woman reported that she was walking her two dogs on the elevated area between
Astoria Warehousing and the Holiday Inn Express when she was approached by a 40- to
50-year-old man about 6 feet tall, wearing a brown hat, blue jeans and a red and blue
plaid shirt.
Police are searching for
anyone who may have seen
the incident on the Riverwalk
that occurred at about 9:55 a.m.
Monday. Anyone with infor-
mation is asked to contact As-
toria Police at 503-325-4411
RU2I¿FHU/DQFH6KHSKHUGDW
lshepherd@astoria.or.us
Creative classes spring up at CCC
Clatsop Community Col-
lege offers a selection of class-
es to teach new and interesting
skills for the start of spring.
Classes, held at the CCC’s
main campus in Astoria unless
otherwise stated, include:
• “Cartooning.” Learn to
draw caricatures of the human
form from local artist David
Poole. The class takes place
3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays,
March 31 to May 5, at the col-
lege’s South County Center,
1455 N. Roosevelt Drive in
Seaside. Cost is $35.
• “Digital Photography:
More Techniques for Camera
& Computer.” Explore your
digital camera in this eight-
week class taught by photog-
rapher Dwight Caswell. Focus
on areas of photography that in-
terest you and learn the use and
value of your camera features.
Be familiar with your camera
manual and come prepared for
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what you have learned. Class
is held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesdays, March 31 to May 19.
• “Jewelry Metalsmithing.”
Make your own silver, brass or
copper jewelry by using hand
tools and precious metals to
create cut-work of your own
design. Bring safety glass-
es and contact the instructor
at 503-325-0998 for a list of
needed supplies. The class is
taught by Virginia Hall from 6
to 8:20 p.m. Thursdays, April
2 to June 4. Cost is $75.
• “Nature Journaling.” Man-
age stress, and develop the
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the region. Learn to observe the
world in a whole new way by
keeping a nature journal. Class
is taught by Julie Tennis from
5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays,
April 1 to May 6. It includes
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practice from 9 a.m. to noon on
Saturdays. Cost is $55.
• “Cast on & Knit.” Learn
the stitches, how to cast on,
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and more. Come away with
a completed project and the
skills to do more. Class is
taught by Evy Berger from
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays,
April 4 to May 23. Cost is $49
and includes all supplies need-
ed to complete a swatch. Bring
scissors and a measuring tape.
• “Meditation.” Explore
ways to clear your mind, still
your thoughts and increase con-
centration through this non-re-
ligious practice. Led by Ron
Maxted, class is held from 6
to 7 p.m. Thursdays, April 2 to
June 3. Cost is $29.
• “Tai Chi for Health.” An
ancient form of moving med-
itation, the movements of Tai
Chi are slow, gentle and round.
Practiced about 10 minutes a
day on a consistent basis can
increase health and mental ben-
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Arthritis Foundation, this class
is generally practiced standing
up but can also be done sitting
down. No experience required.
It’s taught by Ron Graham from
noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays,
April 1 to June 3.
Serial burglar arrested in Astoria
Notary
seminar set
The six burglary charges change Street and West Grand
relate to incidents reported on Avenue.
the 100 block of West Duane
In November, Police found
The Astoria man suspect- Street, the 200 block of West Pitts in an attic at a vacant res-
ed in several burglaries in the Exchange Street and 4000 idence on the 100 block of
south slope neighborhoods was block of Irving Avenue and Hume Avenue. He was arrested
arrested last week after a two the 3800 block of Kensington and booked without incident
month search.
Avenue.
for a felony warrant and the two
Astoria Police found Jes-
Police Chief Brad John- counts of burglary.
se Allan Pitts, 32, at about 1 ston said Pitts could face more
Prior to Pitts’ arrest in No-
p.m. Wednesday in the densely charges, upon further investi- vember, police received reports
wooded area off of the 3800 gation.
from part-time residents who
block of Kensington Avenue in
“We believe we have found evidence that someone
$VWRULD$Q RI¿FHU UHVSRQGHG enough tying him to other bur- had been living inside their res-
to a report of someone outside glaries in the south slope area,” idence. In one case, police said,
a home who ran off into the Johnston said.
Pitts had broken through an
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3ROLFH ¿UVW DUUHVWHG 3LWWV LQ interior wall. In another case, a
found Pitts by a campsite he November for two counts of resident came face to face with
VHWXSZLWKDFDPRXÀDJHWDUS ¿UVWGHJUHH EXUJODU\ DIWHU KH Pitts in their basement.
over the top of it.
was seen in houses and porch-
Pitts stole mostly perishable
It is unknown how long es around the 200 block of food items from the homes, ac-
Pitts had been living at the West Duane Street, West Ex- cording to police.
campsite.
After a short foot pursuit,
Pitts was arrested and charged
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burglary. He was also arrest-
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
ed on a warrant for failing to
appear in court for previous
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
charges.
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — A free Sec-
retary of State Notary Public
Seminar is being held from
9 a.m. to noon March 26 at
the South County branch of
Clatsop Community Col-
lege, Room 2, 1455 N. Roo-
sevelt Drive in Seaside.
The information pre-
sented covers the rules, reg-
ulations and best practices
for Oregon notaries public,
including how to properly
identify the signer, what to
record in the journal and
the requirements of an Ore-
JRQQRWDULDOFHUWL¿FDWH7KLV
training meets the educa-
tion requirements for those
applying for a commission.
Current notaries are also en-
couraged to attend to refresh
their memories and learn
new content.
To register, go to http://
notsem.sos.state.or.us or call
503-986-2200.
W A NTED
P resc h o o l a n d ea rl y c h i l d h o o d
R ESO U R CE R EFER R A L FA IR
Warrenton Grade School
820 SW Cedar Warrenton
P arents of soon-to-be preschoolers
e
r
’
u
o
Y ited!
Inv
• “Beginning Conversation-
al Finnish.” Learn the language
and experience the culture of the
far north; watch Finnish videos;
and sample Finnish food. The
class is taught by Helen Pit-
kanen from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Mondays, March 30 to June 1.
Cost is $75. The required books
are available at the CCC book-
store.
• “Travel Tips.” Learn ev-
erything about planning an
international trip, from the
equipment needed to han-
dling cultural differences.
Learn about packing light, nec-
essary documentation, traveling
with medical considerations,
prescriptions and diet restric-
tions, handling money and cred-
it cards and more. Facilitated by
LaRee Johnson with a variety of
experienced travelers from 6:30
to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, April 2
to May 7. Cost is $35.
Register now at www.clat-
sopcc.edu/schedule and search
under the course title, or call
503-325-2402.
Saturday
April 11 TH
10 AM -1 PM
Come meet the local preschools
and early childhood providers –
learn about their curriculum,
philosophies, tuition and more!
SEASIDE — The Sea-
side Elks will get no re-
lief from the mandatory
Downtown Maintenance
District Assessment in
2015-16, but Seaside
City Council promised to
re-evaluate all properties
included in the assessment
during the summer.
At a meeting earli-
er this month, Christian
Zupancic, a local lawyer
who spoke on behalf of the
Elks, asked the City Coun-
cil for a reduced rate or to-
tal relief from the assess-
ment fee for the nonprofit.
At Monday’s meeting, the
council voted unanimous-
ly to keep the status quo
for fiscal year 2015-16 but
to further explore the topic
at an August meeting.
The Downtown Main-
tenance District includes
businesses from Roos-
evelt Drive to the Prome-
nade that are located along
Broadway, Avenue A, Av-
enue B, Columbia Street
and Franklin Street. Busi-
nesses are charged a fee
based on the number of
frontage feet possessed by
their property lots.
The dollar per front
foot rate, according to
the city’s Administrative
Assistant Kim Jordan, is
based on two contracts the
city pays for downtown
landscaping and litter re-
moval.
“These
contractors
keep the downtown land-
scape looking beautiful
and the litter picked up in
the downtown area,” she
said.
For 2014-15, nearly
170 lots were assessed
at a rate of about $8.84
per front foot to generate
$92,051. The Seaside Elks
Lodge, which has two
large parking lots along
Avenue A, was required
to pay $1,038.19 for 117.4
feet of frontage for one lot
and $1,436.12 for 162.4
feet of frontage for anoth-
er lot.
After it’s completed,
the assessment is sent to
the county, which adds the
fees to the property own-
ers’ Clatsop County taxes
for the year.
The assessment for
the upcoming fiscal year
will start later this month
when the city sends let-
ters to property owners.
They will have 30 days
to provide comment or
feedback before the City
Council is presented with
an ordinance for first and
second reading at its April
27 meeting. The ordinance
likely will come back be-
fore council for a third and
final reading, and adop-
tion, at its May 11 meet-
ing.
Earlier this month,
when speaking on behalf
of the Elks, Zupancic ex-
plained how the Elks is
a nonprofit organization
and typically exempt from
property taxes. The orga-
nization donates more than
$35,000 per year in schol-
arships for high school se-
niors and other community
programs and events, such
as eye clinics for children,
camps for speech- or hear-
ing-impaired children and
more.
“The more money you
have to pay in assess-
ments, the less is going to
go back into the communi-
ty,” Zupancic said
Meanwhile, he added,
the Elks’ parking lots are
generally open for public
use free of charge, because
they “can’t really charge
for the use of their parking
without losing their non-
profit status in certain re-
spects.” The organization
can only charge for use of
its parking lots a few days
each year, and it does so
during events such as the
Hood to Coast Relay.
“They get stuck be-
tween not being able to
charge and having to
pay maintenance fees,”
Zupancic said.
He said members were
grateful the council consid-
ered the request for relief
or some kind of reduction
but the organization didn’t
have any expectations.
The motion at Mon-
day’s City Council meeting
was to keep the Elks as part
of the 2015-16 assessment.
If the organization’s lots
were removed from con-
sideration, it would require
an approximately 2.7 per-
cent rate increase per lot
for other property owners,
according to city staff.
In August, the council
will meet to discuss the
assessment and look at
what businesses and or-
ganizations are included
and what they’re charged.
A few new businesses in
the maintenance district,
which hasn’t changed
since 1983, are not cur-
rently included in the as-
sessment, Jordan said.
“I think it’s a really
good idea for us to look at
the whole thing, not just
the Elks,” City Counselor
Tita Montero said.
A heartfelt thank-you
to the Warrenton Christian Church and
to the friends and family who came to
share in the celebration of life for Vernon
Hart. It was a beautiful day to share
heartfelt memories with everyone who he
knew and loved so much. Thank you!
Sincerely, the family of Vernon Hart
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
Early screening is an important step to successful learning.
Your child will receive the following exams and screenings:
Free!
and
Activity area
provided
for kids
Sponsored by: MOMS Club of
Astoria, Clatsop kinder ready,
NW Parenting
momsclubofastoria.org
C LATSOP K INDER R EADY , NW P ARENTING ,
AND OTHER LOCAL RESOURCES WILL BE
ATTENDING TO PROVIDE INFO TO PARENTS
~ 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.