THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
Help River Song
A
fter you’ve sent a check
for the hungry people
of Clatsop Emergency Food
Bank in the basement of the
Presbyterian Church, if you
have any extra to donate,
there is the River Song Foun-
dation (http://riversongfoun-
dation.org). Rita Smith and a
few friends are overwhelmed
now with hungry, abandoned
cats on the Riverwalk. And,
she reports kitten season has
arrived with a bang.
Their address is River
Song Foundation, P.O. Box
44, Hammond, OR 97121
— $2 or $10 or $20 would
always be well used and ap-
preciated.
Makes one wonder why
people heartlessly drop off
unwanted pets where there
may be plenty of water but no
food or shelter. Of course, the
best answer is spay or neuter
before the problem develops.
Our own orange-striped
Jake has reappeared after
Christmas and shows up faith-
fully two days out of three. He
arrived back to us with what
looked like a gunshot wound
in the chest, and no longer
stood on his hind legs to be
petted. But he has cleaned
the wound himself so it looks
much better, and he is begin-
ning to stand on his hind feet
again to have his head rubbed.
We have not found his al-
ternate family yet, but we are
always so glad to see him —
he has become very dear to us.
Would that all stray cats could
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PAT MILLER
Astoria
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
I
T
Out of place
T
McClure Park may get new life
F
amiliar with McClure
Park? Just up Eighth Street
from the Flavel House, be-
tween Franklin and Grand av-
enues, the park was the site of
WKH¿UVWKLJKVFKRROLQ$VWRULD
closing in 1919. The site later
became known as McClure
Park.
Years ago, McClure Park
had a merry-go-round, func-
WLRQDO EDOO¿HOG D FODVVLF VWHHO
swing set, a picnic table and
a great steel slide. It continues
to be a wonderful green-space
very close to downtown Asto-
ria. The park is a great place to
HDWOXQFKZDWFKWKHULYHUÀRZ
by with all of its activity, and a
popular site to view Fourth of
-XO\¿UHZRUNV
Currently, the park has a
picnic table, a small replace-
ment swing set, and a worn
EDOO¿HOG %XW QHLJKERUV EH-
lieve that is all about to change.
Submitted photo
Pictured, with the new ballfield bases at McClure Park,
back row, from left, Allie Evans, Gigi Crowley, Dave McEl-
roy, Beth LaFleur and Jonah Dart-McLean, maintenance
supervisor, Astoria Parks and Recreation Department.
Front row, Maya Evans, Eva Espelien, Oreck Evans, with
bat, and Ethan and Max Van Ess.
Friends of McClure Park, neighbors in the area, and in
D QRQSUR¿W JURXS IRUPHG E\ partnership with the Astoria
Parks and Recreation Depart-
ment and Foundation, has a
goal to breathe new life into
the park. This includes re-
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natural playground equipment,
river view benches and a fun-
for-all hillside slide.
Two new handmade
benches are being crafted by
Austin Adams as part of his
senior project, and new ball-
¿HOGEDVHVKDYHEHHQVHFXUHG
through a Thrivent Financial
grant and neighborhood resi-
dent contributions.
To learn more, please
check out the Facebook page,
“Friends of McClure Park,”
and to help support their ef-
fort click on their GoFundMe
page, www.gofundme.com/
onc88g
DAVID AND JUDI
MCELROY
Astoria
here is a place for adult
entertainment, but featur-
ing same on the front page of
a family newspaper is not one
of them (“What a drag,” The
Daily Astorian, March 30).
The entertainers’ stage names
no doubt titillated readers, age
12 or so, and wouldn’t raise an
H\HEURZLQ+LS¿VKEXWUDLVH
my ire when printed here.
If this is the entertainment
necessary to raise funds for
the Astoria Downtown His-
toric District Association, so
be it, but the organizers, par-
ticipants and The Daily Asto-
rian would have done well to
recognize that not all inhabi-
tants of these environs see a
crazy, open-minded town as
inspirational.
Has it ever occurred to
those who want to revive
downtown that being calm
and constrained might actu-
ally be better for business?
JON CHAMBREAU
Ilwaco, Wash.
Studying Oregon
suggestion is the petitioners
should personally have to pay
this cost.
Perhaps, next time they
might want to wait until
whomever it is they don’t like
comes up for re-election, and
mount their own campaign to
replace them. This is the true
American way.
In the meantime, let’s all
try to play well with others.
PRESTON DEVEREAUX
Gearhart
Thanks to lifeguards
N
ot too long ago, I had
the opportunity to take
would like everyone to the Ellis & Associates Life-
know that we have until guard Class at the Astoria
Aug. 15, 2016, to gather the Aquatic Center. As a parent
required amount of registered of three young children liv-
voter signatures to be able to ing in an area surrounded by
have the question placed on a major bodies of water, I felt
ballot as to whether Warren- compelled to take the class.
ton voter approval is needed I wanted to be able to un-
for the sale of public assets derstand the precautions and
over $100,000.
risks I should look for while
Our committee, the War- in the water, but to also expe-
renton Property Protection rience the role of a lifeguard;
Committee, has submitted the very person in whom I
VLJQDWXUHV IRU YHUL¿FD- trust my children and myself
tion. One hundred one of when I utilize the pool.
those signatures, for one rea-
The class was taught by
son or another, were invalid.
the Aquatic Center manager,
While gathering signa- Pam Pearce. I found the class
tures, so many of the people I to be fun, informative, and
spoke with were very support- very eye-opening. Aside from
ive, with only one person dis- WKH EDVLF ¿UVW DLG DQG FDU-
agreeing. This individual told diopulmonary resuscitation
me he thought we all needed (CPR) instruction, I learned:
to support our elected com- ZDWHU ZLQJV DQG ÀRDWLHV DUH
missioners. The truth of the QRW SURSHU ÀRDWDWLRQ GHYLFHV
matter is, this is about the only for young children, children
issue where I have disagreed can still drown while wear-
with the City Commission.
ing a life vest and that many
Our committee wants the drownings of young children
voters to decide this matter. occur with their guardian just
When we obtain the remain- a few feet away from them.
der of the signatures needed
7KHGD\,¿QLVKHGWKHOLIH-
and this is submitted to the guard class, I took the time to
commission, they will have observe the lifeguards at the
30 days to write a competing Aquatic Center. We often take
initiative, if they choose to do for granted that these young
so.
lifeguards have our lives and
If this happens, the voters our children’s lives in their
will have a choice of three dif- hands while we utilize the
ferent options: They may pick pool. They remained vigilant
either the committee’s initia- and alert as the pool became
tive, the City Commission’s crowded with spring break
competing initiative, or vote recreationists. Within a cou-
no on both initiatives, which ple of hours, the lifeguards
would result in no changes.
blew their whistle and jumped
If you would like to sign into the pool to rescue young
the petition, please call me children who, despite being
at 503-861-3887 and leave a arms’ distance away from
message. Your call will be re- their guardians, struggled in
turned as soon as possible.
the water, and were guided to
KEN YUILL safety by the young lifeguard,
Warrenton preventing major catastro-
phes.
I want to thank Pam Pearce
Play nice
for her true dedication in mak-
o Harold Gable, Dan ing the Astoria Aquatic Cen-
Jesse and the rest of the ter a safe place for families
Gearhart dissidents: I would and citizens to recreate, and
like to thank them, as one of for her vigilance in training
the silent majority, for raking the lifeguards on deck to be
my town through their muck. “rescue ready” at all times. I
I realize it is their right as would also like to extend huge
American citizens to be able kudos to the lifeguards at the
to protest the way any gov- Aquatic Center. They truly
ernment body is handling the understand the risks involved
events of the time, but for a with water safety, and do a
personal vendetta, it is wrong. great job in preventing fatal
If Jesse thinks it is so dis- injuries and drownings.
heartening to have one person
I encourage all parents and
on the council, with whom citizens to partake in the Ellis
he cannot agree, perhaps it & Associates Lifeguard Class
should be he who resigns. I to learn about water safety
did not vote for a bunch of and risk management. After
children who cannot get along all, we live by the amazing
with one another, and embar- and powerful Columbia Riv-
rass my town, where our fam- HUDQG3DFL¿F2FHDQDQGLWLV
ily has had a presence since of vital importance to under-
the 1800s. This goes for the stand what to do in drowning
entire council.
situations. I would also like to
As for the dissidents, this encourage citizens to donate
recall is going to cost the tax- to the Astoria Parks Founda-
payers of Gearhart, according tion and support scholarships,
WR RI¿FLDOV DERXW so that others have the oppor-
,¶P VXUH WKH FLW\ FRXOG ¿QG tunity to take the lifeguard
better use of these funds. My class and fund continuing ed-
Sign the petition
5A
ucation. Thanks, Team Asto-
ria Aquatic Center.
JANICE O’MALLEY
GALIZIO
Warrenton
Dangerous crossing
O
n March 25 at about 3
p.m., I was involved in an
incident, which would likely
have been fatal (for me), save
for the fact I was stopped, as
I always am, at the notorious
Eighth Street and Irving Ave-
nue intersection, regardless of
which way anyone is driving.
The driver coming south
of Eighth did, indeed, obey the
stop sign, and appeared to see
me intending to make a left on
Irving, but then another driver
screamed through the Irving
yield sign, nearly colliding with
my driver’s side windshield.
I laid on my horn, and she
stopped long enough for me to
get her license number, which
I called to police dispatch, for
what it’s worth.
It was one of the 10 closest
calls I’ve had at the intersection.
Close calls are commonplace
at there. Anyone who drives it
much has witnessed them. If it
were not for the drivers like me,
who know to stop irrespective of
signage, there would be crashes
there frequently. People tend
to believe the intersection is a
four-way stop — but it is not,
and that’s confusing, even for
residents.
The intersection, notorious
for decades for its confusing
VLJQDJH DQG FRQ¿JXUDWLRQ DQG
lack of stop signs on either
north-bound Eighth or Irving, is
a major corridor through town,
through which, I’ve heard tell,
a driver can speed through the
whole of Astoria, without ever
hitting a stop sign.
And the city is apparently
proud of this, and intends to see
it continue. What an interesting
claim to fame — to have a road
where speeders can reach max
speeds by not having to deal
with annoying impediments
like stop signs. Astoria’s Bal-
kanized attitude, refusal to lis-
ten to the concerns of citizens,
DQGIDLOXUHWRFRUUHFWLGHQWL¿HG
danger areas, confuses me, and
others.
City Engineer Jeff Har-
rington and the police chief
have asserted on several occa-
VLRQVWKDW$VWRULDKDVQRWUDI¿F
signage problems, “just bad
drivers,” and recently refused
to discuss the Eighth and Irving
intersection, again. They also
blew off Coast Guard parents,
concerned drivers on Alameda
Avenue will hit their children.
Why? Curious reasoning
... seems that “bad drivers”
would require more signage,
rather than less, and what if a
“bad driver” hits someone at
WKHVH LGHQWL¿HG GDQJHU DUHDV"
Does the city carry any respon-
sibility, given these trouble
spots have been brought to the
attention of the city countless
times?
What justice is there for
injured drivers, or families, if
someone is killed? Why can’t
our tax dollars head these prob-
lems off before they become
endless nightmares? Remember,
when you are involved in a colli-
sion in these well-known danger
zones, that these events are not
“accidents,” or “tragedies,” but
the result of gross negligence on
the part of the city of Astoria.
SUE SKINNER
Astoria
H
ello, my name is
Emmanuel. I am a
¿IWKJUDGHU DW 1DSD 9DOOH\
Language Academy in Napa,
Calif. The reason that I chose
your tremendous state was
because my class is doing a
state report, and I think your
state is interesting. I would
really like if you posted my
letter in the newspaper so that
I can get all the help I need
for my state report.
What I need for my state
report is material related to
sports. I also need models of
WKH VWDWH ÀDJ VWDWH ELUG ULY-
er, plains, state animal, etc.
I will be writing about your
state’s agriculture, history,
economy, events, historical
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will be doing an oral report
DQGDVWDWHÀRDW
Thank you for your sup-
port and help in making me
a great researcher of your as-
tounding state.
EMMANUEL CHANGO
Napa Valley Language
Academy
Mr. Allred’s Class
2700 Kilburn Ave.,
Napa, CA 94558
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