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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 NORTH COAST 3A New tourism promotion, capital ADHDA to host improvement fund money backed downtown cleanup Concern raised about grant to religious mission that helps the homeless City Councilor Cindy Price, want to have a broader philo- sophical discussion about city spending on the Chamber of Commerce. The city’s contract with the chamber is a decade old. The City Council might consider whether to require annual or biennial contracts that detail the terms of the relationship. Price, who could not get an assurance that the council would take up the issue, vot- ed against the extra money for the chamber. Mayor Arline LaMear said the City Council might require the Astoria Rescue Mission to provide a letter assuring the Recognizing the growth city that it does not discrim- of tourism in Astoria, a city inate in order to receive the budget committee Wednesday $4,000. The mission received night agreed to direct slightly WKLV¿VFDO\HDUPRQH\ more hotel-room tax money approved before the council to the Astoria-Warrenton Area adopted the nondiscrimina- Chamber of Commerce and tion policy. the Astoria Downtown His- Hurley, who reviewed the toric District Association. mission’s funding request for The $1.2 million proposed the budget committee, said budget for the Promote Astoria he has concerns about public fund would provide $125,000 money going to a religious QH[W¿VFDO\HDUWRWKHFKDPEHU organization but determined Catch-all fund for visitor services, up from that the mission provides The budget committee an essential service for the $115,000, and $180,750 for the chamber’s Lower Colum- supported a capital improve- homeless. bia Tourism Committee, up PHQWIXQGRXWOD\WKDWUHÀHFWV “They perform an import- from $170,750. the City Council’s recent ant service for the city,” Hur- The budget would direct backing of a $500,000 down ley said afterward. $35,000 to the historic district payment on a new $880,000 Herzig said he has heard association, up from $20,000. ladder truck for the Astoria the mission does not allow But the budget committee Fire Department. the women it serves to attend declined a request by Richard A $2.1 million catch-all women’s studies classes at Hurley, a licensed tax consul- fund that covers a range of city Clatsop Community College tant who serves on the com- functions includes $46,050 to or let same-sex couples into mittee, to expand the $30,000 encourage the work of com- its family program. designated for arts and cultur- munity groups. “For my conscience, I’d al promotion to $50,000. City Councilor Drew Her- have to say, I could not go Increasing the arts and cul- zig voted against the spending along with even a tentative tural promotion budget, other recommendation because of adoption of a budget that budget committee members his opposition to the $4,000 gives money to an agency said, would likely have to that would go to the Astoria that discriminates,” Herzig ZDLWXQWLOWKHIROORZLQJ¿VFDO Rescue Mission, a Christian said. year. mission that helps the home- less. Spending guidelines Herzig said he has infor- Under state guidelines, mation that the mission dis- 46.1 percent of the city’s ho- criminates against women tel-room tax collections go and same-sex couples. Last into the Promote Astoria fund, year, the City Council adopt- a policy that links visitor ed a nondiscrimination pol- growth to tourism promotion. icy that prohibits the denial Friday M ay 1 st While the budget commit- RI EHQH¿WV RU GLVFULPLQDWLRQ tee acknowledged the suc- in city-funded services based cess in advertising Astoria on sex or sexual orientation, 4 pm to tourists, some, including DPRQJRWKHUFODVVL¿FDWLRQV ‘til gone By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian David Newman, the exec- utive director of the Astoria Rescue Mission, said today that he was taken aback by Herzig’s claims. While the mission is un- abashedly Christian, and while Newman encourages women to read the Bible, he said he does not tell women not to attend women’s stud- ies classes at the college. He said that while he opposes same-sex marriage, he does not turn away gay people or couples. The mission has not yet launched a planned family shelter. “We do everything accord- ing to what the word says,” Newman said. “We’re Chris- tians, and it’s a Christian pro- gram, and we’re very up front about that.” The budget committee will meet again next Thursday night and is expected to make D¿QDOUHFRPPHQGDWLRQWRWKH City Council on spending for WKH QH[W ¿VFDO \HDU ZKLFK starts in July. The Astoria Downtown Historic District Association (ADHDA) is organizing its annual Spring Cleanup of downtown from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday to get the downtown shopping area clean and attractive for lo- cals and visitors. The clean- up crews are meeting at 10 a.m. at the Columbia Bank parking lot (at the corner of 11th and Duane streets) to hand out materials and assign jobs, such as pick- ing up trash, cleaning lamp posts and trash cans, and clearing moss. Volunteers should bring their own work gloves and tools to remove weeds and moss. ADHDA is providing garbage bags and other cleaning materials, as Head Start open for applications Applications are being ac- cepted for Head Start, a free program for children ages 3 and 4 that provides a pre- school classroom, nutritious meals, home visits and more. SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015 AAA Travel 135 S. Hwy. 101, Warrenton 2:30 PM (refreshments served 30 minutes prior) RSVP: 503-861-3118 All events are open to the public and free to attend, but space is limited. Please RSVP. 8 Special AAA booking incentives will be available May 4 th -18 th at all AAA Travel locations. “K araok e D ave” at 6 pm 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 Join us for a vacation planning event with Disney guest Katrinka Allred. Be prepared to be dazzled by Disneyland® Resort’s 60 th Diamond Celebration and other Disney vacation promotions. $ .0 0 W A NTED For information or an ap- plication, call the Seaside Head Start at 503-738-0873 or the Warrenton-Astoria Head Start at 503-861-9681, or go to www.nworheadstart.org DISNEY DAYS Taco Salad With All The Trimmings well as a free barbecue hot dog lunch for all volunteers. Along with the regular cleanup activities, some vol- unteers will walk throughout town delivering membership brochures. Membership in the ADHDA is open to in- dividuals and businesses, regardless of their location. ADHDA strives to encour- age community involve- ment, and to continue to work and partner together to enhance and strengthen the downtown area. Those interested in par- ticipating can sign up online at www.astoriadowntown. com. For questions, contact Alana Garner at alana@as- toriadowntown.com or 503- 791-7940. 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