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
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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
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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.
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Along with the regular
cleanup activities, some vol-
unteers will walk throughout
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dividuals and businesses,
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