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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2015)
OPINION 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015 Communities need ‘skin in the game’ Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager We need to address quake realities in our coast schools O ne aspect of the tsunami threat is undeniable. Kids in our schools are at risk. The Oregon Coast can anticipate an earthquake offshore will generate a tsu- nami similar to the March 2011 earth- quake in Japan. C ANNON S HOTS B Y R.J. M ARX could replace Seaside’s schools without The Oregon Department of Geol- breaking taxpayers’ backs. ogy and Mineral Industries — DOG- “We need to move our high school AMI, rhymes with “tsunami” — offers and middle school up to a safer location,” inundation maps that show whole Johnson said. “On the face, it seems so “downtown areas of Cannon Beach and simple: Get our kids out of danger. But it Seaside as being prone to complete in- is actually a very complex question. undation.” “Part of the problem is, it’s not as easy Last month, Seaside School District as ‘let’s move the school,’” Johnson said. Superintendent Doug Dougherty said “Seaside has a two-part whammy. When the district is considering a new bond your last bond failed so dramatically, to move Seaside schools — Broadway you didn’t have property or site control, Middle School, Seaside High School and the site you chose created additional and Gearheart Elementary School — to costs in the architectural requirements safer ground. It was tried in 2013 to the because it was odd terrain. You have to he cover of today’s Coast Weekend is priceless. A father hangs tune of $128.8 million, and soundly de- figure out how to get ownership of the land.” RQWRKLVVRQZKRLVH[WHQGHG²¿VKLQJQHWLQKDQG²RYHUD feated by voters. The physical threat remains the cat- Land-use architecture, urban-growth Seaside pond. The image captured by Josh Bessex is the antithesis alyst: “There are four boundaries and site lo- schools along the Ore- cation are critical to pro- of an era in which technology devours some children. Same gon Coast in the inunda- vide options for school Much has been written about ecosystem. But it does not treat tion zone, and we have siting, Johnson said, all of issue, the detriment of children missing these properties like a museum or WKUHHRIWKRVH´'RXJK- which require a “breath- erty said. “Our goal is to amount of mon- the outdoor experience. One writ- solely as a land bank. It uses these new bond, taking have students out of ev- ey. ” er has dubbed this phenomenon a parcels to help the rest of us con- ery one of these schools only three Johnson has been ³QDWXUH GH¿FLW GLVRUGHU´ 7KLV LV nect with nature. The CW article DVVRRQDVSRVVLEOH´ through this process years the season for reconnecting with contains a schedule of the conser- Dougherty said he before, after flooding expects a bond to be in 2007 destroyed three nature. No region makes it easier vancy’s seasonal programs. presented within a year later? Sell schools in Vernonia. than ours. America’s long affection for and a half or later, be- “A lesson I learned that to McKinley Smith’s Tuesday the land has been evoked by a suc- cause the economy here from rebuilding three schools in Vernonia after feature on Clatsop Community FHVVLRQ RI ZULWHUV +HQU\ 'DYLG “has not fully bounced voters. back. ” In addition, the a natural disaster: The College’s Upward Bound Summer Thoreau is the icon of nature district still has to pass a community has to have Academy is all about nature’s writing. The transcendentalism local option levy in November to main- skin in the game,” Johnson said. “It can’t teaching power. Lee Cain, who that Thoreau and Ralph Waldo tain staffing levels. just be, ‘Let’s go to the state and get them Since two initiatives, one to replace to pay for it.’ First, we can’t. It cost us $40 leads the project said: “I don’t Emerson fostered in the 19th cen- have to do much. Nature does the tury resonates today. In his recent school buildings and one to maintain million to rebuild three schools in Ver- staffing, are unlikely to pass in one year, nonia. The costs are so dramatic.” WHDFKLQJ´'XULQJWKHVFKRRO\HDU encyclical — a plea for the Earth the clock will have to wait on needed The urgency is growing, and will Cain teaches a renowned salm- — Pope Francis made reference safety measures, or “physical retrofits,” shape policy in Salem not just in terms of natural disaster funding in our region, on biology class at Astoria High to society’s unhealthy diversion as government officials call them. Same issue, new bond, only three but through every future capital project. School. away from the environment. years later? Sell that to voters. Many “It was actually the presence of Sea- The Coast Weekend cover fea- Another way of looking at Cannon Beach residents are still miffed side and some other coastal schools in ture is about the North Coast Land Francis’ teaching document is that at the way Cannon Beach Elementary the tsunami zone that caused me to be so adamantly opposed to the Senate presi- Conservancy’s nature-based pro- if we do not rediscover the Earth School was shuttered. Before all the horses and all the dent’s pet project of rebuilding the Capi- grams for children and adults. The and treat it better, our successors king’s men have to put Humpty-Dump- tol building, to the tune of $350 million,” NCLC is devoted to preserving will suffer badly. We are the ulti- ty together again, citizens, civic leaders Johnson said. and government officials of good faith “When he was in trying to break our coherent elements of the coastal mate endangered species. must work together so the next bond arms to get us to vote for that, I said, ‘I won’t be a failure. Planning should be- cannot, Mr. President, go back to my gin now. coastal communities with any modi- At a breakfast meeting of the Sea- cum of integrity and look parents in the side Downtown Development Associ- eye and say, “I took care of a box full of ation July 9, state Sen. Betsy Johnson, politicians before I took care of a box full D-Scapoose, responded to an audience of kids.”’ That was not what he wanted to member who asked how the district hear.” ‘Nature does the teaching’ T P If we do not rediscover the Earth, our successors will suffer Bring Tourist No. 2 home XJHW6RXQGORVWDVLJQL¿FDQW part of its maritime history this January when the badly derelict ferry Kalakala was de- molished following decades of neglect and unsuccessful resto- ration efforts. Now, Columbia River com- munities may have a chance to regain our connection with the more modest and savable Tourist No. 2 ferry. 5REHUW³-DNH´-DFREWKHPD- jor owner of the Cannery Pier Hotel and thus a man with a test- ed commitment to strengthen- ing our ties with the Columbia, arranged for the Tourist No. 2’s owner, Capt. Christian Lint, to bring the ferry back from Bremerton, Wash., to Astoria. /LQW KDV EHHQ WU\LQJ WR ¿QG D credible entity to take on stew- ardship of the old vessel. For generations, transporta- tion between Columbia estuary settlements was by watercraft. To the Chinookan tribes on this im- mense body of water — virtually an inland sea — the estuary wasn’t a barrier, but a safe and friendly highway/business place/play- ground. They scooted around it at will. For decades following white settlement, ferries, riverboats and personal vessels followed this an- cient pattern of uniting isolated river villages via the water. *UHDW 'HSUHVVLRQHUD LQIUD- structure spending jump-started highway connections among communities along the two shores. But the ferry system be- tween the foot of 14th Street in Astoria and the north shore ter- minal in Megler remained the only practical way to get across the estuary between the two VWDWHV XQWLO WKH EULGJH ZDV ¿Q- ished in 1966. The bridge transformed life in &ODWVRSDQG3DFL¿FFRXQWLHV1R longer did a trip back and forth require careful timing. Nearly a half century after its construction, we are still in the process of fully integrating busi- ness and personal life between the two shores. Nobody here would relish going back to hav- ing to depend on ferries. There remains, however, great nostalgia for the ferryboat era, when anyone with 25 cents for a passenger ticket could have a voyage across the Great River of the West, tasting the salt spray and getting close-up views of ZRUNLQJ¿VKHUPHQDQGZLOGOLIH It was an inconvenient, but in- credibly rich, experience. Reading comments to our sto- ry about Tourist No. 2’s pending visit make it clear there is much LQWHUHVWLQ¿QGLQJDZD\WRNHHSLW on the estuary. It would be good to explore and possibly create a long-term purpose and funding stream for the vessel, something that would get people back out onto the Columbia’s waters in greater numbers. This will be tricky. Everyone knows the old saying that “Boats are holes in the water, into which \RX WKURZ PRQH\´ 5XQQLQJ D historic ferry would be more ex- pensive and challenging than op- erating the riverfront trolley. Even so, in a distinctly mari- WLPH FRPPXQLW\ LW LV WHUUL¿FDO- O\ WHPSWLQJ WR WU\ WR ¿QG VRPH practical way to bring this old boat back into the family. R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian Sen. Betsy Johnson speaking before members of the Seaside Downtown Development Associ- ation July 9. There is some hope in Salem as leg- islators show a growing awareness of the threat and its immediacy. The Senate considered two bills this year to address seismic dangers. State Senate Bill 778 gave DOG- AMI the power to require mitigation measures for buildings, with the aim of reducing risk to the public. What legisla- tors didn’t like and why the bill ultimate- ly failed was the bill would also give the department the power to block develop- ment if it decided a building could not be made safe. “Nobody wanted DOGAMI to be in charge of anything,” Johnson said, citing a history of bad management and overreach by the agency. While that measure failed, the Senate did pass Bill 447, with $125 million that will allow schools in certain situations to apply to the state to move certain facili- ties or allow schools to apply for seismic retrofits. The bill establishes a grant pro- gram to provide matching fund grants to school districts for capital costs of school districts. Johnson calls it a “path- way” to upgrades in Seaside and Can- non Beach. According to Johnson, the rules for implementation have not been deter- mined. The bill is awaiting the gover- nor’s signature. Whether or not Superintendent Dougherty can use the proposed state funds remains to be seen, but money was made available, Johnson said. Clearly any steps in the future will require a coalition of local, state and federal entities. Whether the school district and its voters have the stomach to approach this again after only three years remains to be seen. The cities may also look to include other stakeholders, including educational foundations and environmental organizations, when de- veloping a potential site. Any new build- ing effort will require not only school board, city and state participation, but grassroots support and a capital commit- ment on the part of our communities. Haste, hustle and Scott Walker set of beliefs or plan for they say, a polished and levelheaded tactician, a what to do with power. PDVWHUDWUHDGLQJFURZGV´ I suspect that we’ll n the formal announcement of his learn, with just a bit more wrote Kyle Cheney and presidential campaign on Mon- digging, that he was mull- 'DQLHO6WUDXVVLQPolitico. day, Scott Walker mentioned God ing campaign slogans in “He learned the value of ignoring uncomfortable right away, introduced himself as a WKHZRPEDQGUDQKLV¿UVW questions, rather than an- preacher’s son and invoked religion race in the neighborhood VZHULQJWKHP´ repeatedly, as he has throughout a wading pool, pledging to What an inspiring les- perpetual candidacy that stretches ease restrictions on squirt son, and what a window back to his college days, when he guns and usher in a ban on Frank into political success to- told the Marquette University year- two-piece bathing suits. Bruni day. book: “I really think there’s a rea- He has drawn barbs for He tailors his persona to the race son why God put all these political the fact that he left Marquette before WKRXJKWVLQP\KHDG´ graduating and was many credits shy at hand. To win his second term as But what I see in him is the kind of a degree. But I know plenty of governor of Wisconsin and thus of soullessness too common in people whose intellectual agility and be able to crow, as he’s doing now, American politicians and the kind of erudition aren’t rooted in the class- about the triumph of a conservative careerism that makes American poli- room, and his lack of a diploma isn’t SROLWLFLDQ³LQDEOXHVWDWH´KHSOD\HG down his opposition to abortion, sig- tics such a dreary spectacle. what’s troubling. I see an ambition The priorities that naled resignation to same-sex mar- even more pronounced conspired in it are. riage and explicitly supported a path than any ideology. I He was apparently to citizenship for undocumented im- Scott see an interest in per- consumed during his migrants. Walker’s But with his current focus on the sonal advancement sophomore year by a that eclipses any in- (failed) bid for student Iowa caucuses, he no longer supports cart has vestment in personal body president. Ac- DSDWKWRFLWL]HQVKLSÀDXQWVKLVDQ- growth. cording to a story by ti-abortion credentials and has called a way of These are hardly 'DYLG )DKUHQWKROG LQ for a constitutional amendment per- unusual traits in our The Washington Post, mitting states to outlaw same-sex getting halls of government. he was disengaged marriage. He even has a newfound ahead of But they’re distilled in from, and cavalier affection for ethanol. His advisers, meanwhile, trum- Walker, the governor about, the acquisition Walker’s of Wisconsin. of knowledge. And pet his authenticity. Authenticity? He’s styling him- he dropped out right That’s in tragically short supply in horse. self as a political out- around the time he the presidential race, a quality that VLGHUEXWWKDW¶VDÀXNH commenced a (failed) candidates assert less through co- of geography, not professional his- candidacy for the Wisconsin state herent records, steadfast positions or self-effacing commitments than tory. While it’s true that he hasn’t Senate — in his early 20s. worked in Washington, he’s a polit- Walker’s cart has a way of getting through what they wear (look, Ma, ical lifer, with a résumé and worl- ahead of Walker’s horse. Only after no jacket or necktie!) and even how dview that are almost nothing but VHYHUDO ÀXEEHG LQWHUYLHZV HDUOLHU they motor around. Walker is sched- politics. this year were there reports that he uled to trundle through Iowa later He’s been on one Wisconsin was taking extra time to bone up on this week in a Winnebago, and of ballot or another almost every two world affairs. This was supposed to course Hillary Clinton traveled there years over the last quarter-century, be a comfort to us, but what would from New York in that Scooby van. ³,ORYH$PHULFD´:DONHUVDLGLQ and he’s only 47. Before the gover- really be reassuring is a candidate norship, he was a state assemblyman who had pursued that mastery al- Monday’s big speech. That was his and then a county executive. ready, out of honest curiosity rather opening line and an echo of what so many contenders say. We know from the biographies of than last-minute need. I trust that they all do love this him so far that he has been absorbed When allies and opponents talk LQWKRVH³SROLWLFDOWKRXJKWV´VLQFHDW about his strengths, they seem to fo- country. But from the way they least the start of college, before he cus not on his passion for governing pander, shift shapes and scheme, I could have possibly developed any but on his cunning at getting elected. wonder if they love themselves just fully considered, deeply informed “He’s a sneaky-smart campaigner, a little more. By FRANK BRUNI New York Times News Service I