10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015 Lawsuits: Port of Astoria partnership has soured Continued from Page 1A properties in the partner- ship; usurped Westerlund Log Handlers’ assets, oper- ations and business; and de- nied the two access to any records or accounting of the partnership. The two demand a trial by jury, in which they seek at least $30 million each for lost business assets, opportunities, compensation and pro¿ ts; $1 million each for emotional dis- tress; and $10 million for West- erlund Log Handlers from the log-handling agreement. They also seek an accounting of their partnership with Murphy, an injunction preventing Murphy from copying Westerlund’s proprietary log-tracking soft- ware and a declaration that they are partners with Murphy in the log-exporting operation. Discovery in the case is to be complete by Nov. 12, with a deadline of Dec. 11 to order a pretrial or reach a settlement. Murphy’s beef Murphy Overseas’ suit al- leges Astoria Forest Products covered expenses on behalf of Westerlund for its log-handling, vendors, stevedores, employees, legal fees with China National, rent on Westerlund’s Lewis and Clark log yard, a deÀ occulating plant on the log yard and past- due payments to the Port. To secure payments made on behalf of Westerlund Log Handlers, Murphy’s case al- leges, it entered into a co-tenan- cy agreement with Westerlund and the Port. The suit alleges the Port later terminated West- erlund’s lease and transferred it to Astoria Forest Products, in exchange for the company pay- ing Westerlund’s past-due bills. Murphy’s suit seeks more than $5.5 million in damages from alleged breaches of con- tract and Westerlund’s inability to process logs as part of the parties’ contract. Not so friendly neighbors In yet another federal case ¿ led last month, Dennis Mur- phy is suing David Westerlund and his wife, Lori, over nonpay- ment of more than $400,000 he Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Astoria Forest Products continues processing logs on Pier 3 and exporting them off Pier 1 at the Port of Astoria. Dennis Murphy Sr. loaned the Westerlunds to ¿ - nance the building of a house. Murphy’s suit alleges the Westerlunds breached the loan agreement in April by not re- paying the $407,000 they bor- rowed. He seeks more than $433,000 for the loan and ac- crued interest as of June 11, along with $250 a day in inter- est until the total amount is paid back. Astoria Forest Products Yard Manager Dave Daggett stands in front of the Pier 3 log yard the company started in Octo- ber after acquiring Westerlund Log Handlers’ operations. Daily Astorian File Crisis: ‘We are not providing the crisis services we need to’ Continued from Page 1A The district attorney is hopeful about a crisis re- spite center being planned for Warrenton, a possible alternative to jail or hospi- talization, but said there are few options for psychiatric care or secure beds. “We are in crisis in this community,” Marquis said. “And we are not providing the crisis services we need to.” The county contracts with Clatsop Behavior- al Healthcare for men- tal health services, using money that comes from the state and federal govern- ments. Marquis recommended the county spend additional money to hire mental health workers. The district attor- ney said the county needs “skin in the game” for the situation to improve. “Unfortunately,” Mar- quis said, “the buck stops here.” Emotional appeals she was evaluated by Clatsop Behav- ioral Healthcare and released after two hours. A retired Wyo- ming police of¿ cer and Barnhart’s fam- ily have publicly pressured the Board of Commissioners for answers. County Man- ager Scott Somers invited Clat- sop Behavioral Healthcare to ap- pear at the work Sumuer session after emo- Watkins tional appeals to the county over the past few Confidence in services Somers framed the work months to respond to poten- tial gaps in mental health session Wednesday around whether the county can feel treatment. Carrie Barnhart, a confident in Clatsop Behav- 54-year-old mother of six ioral Healthcare’s services, who had battled mental but the discussion turned health issues, jumped off the into a description of the Astoria Bridge in April. As- broader challenges in treat- toria Police had responded to ing the mentally ill, not on suicidal warnings from Barn- Clatsop Behavioral Health- hart four times in the months care’s performance. Oregon, like many other before her death. Police had pulled her from the bridge a states, has struggled to care week before her death and for the mentally ill as the had taken her to Columbia treatment model has moved Memorial Hospital, where away from institutionaliza- ‘The goal now is to catch people before they’re going into crisis.’ — Sumuer Watkins executive director at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare tion toward a more commu- nity-based approach. Social-service advocates argue that the federal and state governments do not provide enough money to adequately treat mental ill- ness, leaving counties and cities with insufficient re- sources to handle people with complex problems. Sumuer Watkins, the executive director at Clat- sop Behavioral Healthcare, said the private contractor has increased the number of staff performing crisis services. The contractor has also worked to provide out- reach to people in the com- munity who are reluctant to seek help, in part because of the stigma of mental illness. “The goal now is to catch people before they’re going into crisis,” Watkins said. Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill into law in June that ex- pands the de¿ nition of mental illness for civil commitment. The law now covers people who are unable to meet the basic personal needs neces- sary to avoid serious phys- ical harm in the near future and are not receiving care to avoid such harm. Performance measures While Clatsop Behav- ioral Healthcare is already subject to state and county oversight, Scott Lee, the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, urged the contractor to also provide quarterly reports to the board on performance mea- sures. Astoria City Councilor Drew Herzig, who attended the work session, suggested independent evaluations to help ensure accountability. “It’s very hard for the agen- cy to report on itself and be believed, at this point, be- cause there is a climate of distrust,” he said. Lee said afterward that he has confidence in Clat- sop Behavioral Health- care. “I never lost confidence in CBH,” he said, adding he was pleased with the con- tractor’s report at the work session. “I think that it’s important that CBH gets out there and does some mes- saging.” Brewery: New location will primarly be used for research, development Continued from Page 1A Pelican’s plans involve demolishing the former Dooger’s Seafood and Grill at 1371 South Hemlock St. , which has been vacant since 2011. “We did start out think- ing we’d add to the existing building,” David Vonada of Tolovana Architect said. “When we started contem- plating redesigning it, it turned out we were going to be adding onto it in about 40 directions. So at some point, we threw our hands up and said, ‘Let’s just replace it.’” The brewpub will be Pel- ican’s third location. Peli- can first opened in Pacific City in 1996, and a site in Tillamook was added in 2013. Co-owner Mary Jones said they “love being on the coast” and had contemplat- ed this location for a num- ber of years. “It’s just a beautiful, vibrant community with a strong economy and re- ally we feel like our brand fits well,” Pelican’s other co-owner, Jeff Schons, add- ed. Cannon Beach’s site will feature brewery tours and be similar to Paci¿ c City’s menu-wise. John Newman was named Pelican’s new corporate chef and will de- velop and maintain menu cre- ations at all three locations. Newman, owner of Newmans at 988, was one of Pelican’s chefs when the company ¿ rst opened in 1996. The 11,422-square-foot building will seat 160 inside and feature outdoor seating for 40 on the sunset side of the building, with a fire table to keep patrons warm during chilly days. Walls on the brewery side will be designed to give visitors a peek at operations as staff work a seven-bar- rel brewing system, making about 600 barrels per year, Pelican CEO Jim Prinzing said. He added that Cannon Beach’s location will be primarily utilized for re- search and development, collaborating with chefs and brewers from areas such as Portland. They’ll be “fun, one-off type of beers.” He noted that production of core brands, such as Ki- wanda Cream Ale, will re- main at Tillamook. Pelican has also acquired the Sunset Inn that sits next door. Prinzing said there are “no definitive plans for that property yet,” but that they are exploring the possibili- ty of making it a “Pelican’s Nest” with pelican-themed rooms and a “beer-centric hotel experience” similar to that of the Dogfish Inn in Delaware. Surrounded by pine trees, grasses and perennials, the building’s landscaping has been designed to make it look like a “landscaped dune,” Rita Frailey with Cannon Beach Landscape Services said. Design Review Board members objected to the removal of the property’s cherry trees, however, not- ing they were unique to the city, and negotiated the planting of three healthy ones in a T-shaped zone in the parking lot. While the exterior design is now complete, Prinzing said they still have the in- terior and brewery to work on. He doesn’t have any cost estimates yet for those. He added they’ll begin the hiring process in De- cember, and that Cannon Beach’s managers will like- ly start in Pacific City for training. During peak season, he said they expect to have a staff of about 60 to 70 peo- ple. In the off-season, there will be 40 to 50 employees. Vonada said they’re “counting on a heavy traffic flow,” and that he expects the new brewpub to draw more people to midtown. Schons noted they may be “overly optimistic” about starting the brewpub con- struction in September and opening March 1. Visit us online at www.DailyAstorian.com