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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 2015)
NORTH COAST THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015 3A Smoking ban approved in county parks By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian Starting next month, smoking and tobacco use will be banned in county parks. The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed Wednesday to add parks to the county’s existing no tobacco policy, created in 2011 and enforced outside county department build- ings. The Board of Commissioners opened a public hearing on the issue at its April 22 meeting and kept the hearing open to its meeting Wednes- day. No public testimony was given Wednesday. Steven Blakesley, Clatsop Coun- ty health promotion specialist , ex- plained to the Board of Commis- sioners the ban is meant for public health reasons and for the comfort of all park visitors. Blakesley said the new policy includes bans on marijuana and electronic cigarette use, which have been approved statewide in recent years since the policy was created . “A lot has changed since then,” he said. The ban also includes chew- ing tobacco, which creates public health concerns and maintenance issues for county staff, according to the county’s parks department. At at Recreational Lands Plan- ning Advisory Committee meeting last fall, Blakesley presented infor- mation about the policy. Supports of the ban, he said, point to environ- mental concerns and health reasons such as decreasing exposure to sec- ondhand smoke, encouraging more smokers to quit and discouraging children to start smoking. In addition, supporters cite a safety concern about smoking ma- terials causing sparks that lead to XQFRQWUROOHG¿UHV Parks impacted by the proposed policy include Big Creek, Carnah- an, Cullaby Lake, LeeWooden/Fish Hawk Falls, Klootchy Creek, North Fork Nehalem, Sigfridson, John Day and Westport boat ramp. The Clatsop County Recre- ational Lands Planning Advisory Committee recommended the ban in November. Although the rec- ommendation passed, some on the committee expressed concerns about people’s personal rights, how the policy would be enforced and the need for such a policy since parks are outdoors. Board of Commissioners Chair- man Scott Lee believes the county is leading the way across the state by approving the ban. Lee said he can understand concerns with bans on beaches, since beaches are often considered public highways and people can smoke in their vehicles. Parks are different, he said. On a personal note, Lee said, he has seen family members struggle with tobacco use. He sees the county’s ban as a way of supporting families and future generations. “There is not a family not touched by these issues,” Lee said. In other business: • The Board of Commissioners amended to the county’s labor coun- VHOVHUYLFHVDJUHHPHQWZLWK¿UP%XO lard, Smith, Jernstedt and Wilson for WKLV¿VFDO\HDU7KHFRXQW\¶VDJUHH PHQWZLWKWKH¿UPZDVQRWWRH[FHHG $30,000 annually. Due to schedule contract negotiations and four un- foreseen personal issues, which have been resolved, the county said, an ad- ditional $149,000 was needed to pay IRUWKHVHUYLFHVLQWKLV¿VFDO\HDU7KH largest additional cost was $113,000 for a labor dispute in the Sheriff’s 2I¿FH Seniors labor for community, and a diploma By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Brianna Crews helped build a ramp at the home of a veteran who lost his legs to bomb shrapnel and sur- gery. Tucker Johnson or- ganized a campus blood drive. Michael Peden paint- ed props for a traffic safety event for kindergartners. While the Astoria High School seniors each had their own reasons for choosing the community service projects, they were also meeting a graduation requirement. Senior projects can help students understand the value of civic engagement and how to manage work and meet deadlines. Jennifer Newton, a se- nior transitions and lead- ership teacher at Astoria High School, said some students spend multiple weeks immersed in the projects, from building houses in Mexico and Tan- zania to camping in the North Cascades to learn about the effects of climate change. “Some that I thought were hard was working with hospice patients,” Newton said. “I think that took bravery and courage. There were also kids that volunteering was brand new. I want to honor that, too.” Seniors have to explain their projects in eight- to 10-minute presentations before panels of adult vol- unteers. Crews, who said her proj- ect was to help local veter- ans like her brother, Scott, went before a panel stacked with community leaders. Paul Mitchell, the spokes- man for Columbia Memori- al Hospital, sat next to Lo- ran Matthews, the director of the Astoria Midsummer Scandinavian Festival. Ni- cole Williams, the CEO of the Clatsop Care Center, sat next to Joanne Nelson, Crews’ former sixth-grade teacher. Crews’ project, which included painting two rooms at Clatsop Care Center, was one of about 120 senior projects this year. Other projects included: • Cathryn Roe organized a staff vs. student volley- ball tournament as part of a Substance and Alcohol Free Environment (SAFE) Night, along with a re- search paper on alcoholism. • Josh Cuifici helped www.dailyastorian.com EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian For her senior project, Astoria High School student Cathryn Roe organized a Sub- stance and Alcohol Free Environment (SAFE) Night, including a staff vs. student volleyball tournament. Jennifer Newton, a senior transitions and leader- ship teacher at Astoria High School, organized the senior project pre- sentations of upward of 120 students this year. EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian build wooden railings and straighten a wood- en walkway along a trail at Lewis and Clark Na- tional Historical Park and worked on metal railings at the Salt Works in Sea- side, while writing his research paper on the fed- eral endangered species list. • Adrianna Long helped coordinate an art show and wrote a research pa- per about the effects of art. Seniors often work with parks and other public agen- cies on community service, Newton said, and some projects continue each year. Newton said she keeps a list of “instant senior projects: just add seniors.” Contact Newton at jnew- ton@astoria.k12.or.us for more information. M eat Loaf D inner Friday M ay 15 th $ .0 0 8 4 pm ‘til gone Yo u’re invited to join us at a GILENYA ® Go Program ™ Event “K araok e D ave” at 6 pm ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Sponsored by Unit 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 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 DISNEY DAYS A n opportunity to m eet K iren K resa-Reahl, M D learn about prescription GILENYA ® , and connect w ith people in your com m unity. T ELL O R B R IN G A FR IEN D ! Accessible to people w ith disabilities. Light m eal served. 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. Join us for a vacation planning event with Disney guest Katrinka Allred. Be prepared th to be dazzled by Disneyland® Resort’s 60 Diamond Celebration and other Disney vacation promotions. Special AAA booking incentives will be available May 4 th -18 th at all AAA Travel locations. Disney artwork, logos and properties ©Disney. Special booking rate applies May 4-18, 2015 at all AAA Travel locations in Oregon and the Southern 34 counties of Idaho. Parking w ill be validated. S pace is lim ited. Presented by You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FD A . Visit w w w .fda.gov/m edw atch, or call 1-800-FD A-1088. 5/20/15 6:30 pm B aked A laska 12th Street #1 A storia, O R Please RSVP 1-866-682-7491