Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2015)
2A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2015 ‘Frankendunes’ need grading, homeowners say ‘What is a favorite summer memory?’ By DANI PALMER EO Media Group CANNON BEACH — A new plan to grade sand dunes next to Breakers Point could make the beach safer, restore views and improve quality of life, according to the many homeowners who came to last Thursday’s Planning Com- mission meeting. About 20 people stood up to show support for the dune grading project, including a handful of residents who do not live in Breakers Point. “It’s been tragic,” said Le- land Larson, a Breakers Point resident. “It’s like some form of water torture to see the gradual erosion of views and the quality of life.” “Going on vacation, on a cruise to the Bahamas. Loved getting away and getting some rest and relax- ation. We went to a lot of places ashore. Just all of it was special.” Bonnie Hellberg, Astoria “We just made one recently. Our family went to a trap shooting event in Olympia, Wash. My boys partic- ipated and learned a lot, and there were a lot of great trap shooters there who took the time to help our boys out.” An experimental plan Rather than move the un- precedented 73,400 cubic yards of sand originally pro- posed and then denied by the City Council in March, Breakers Point is asking for a conditional use permit to grade 13,700 cubic yards west of the development, south of West Fifth Street and north of Ecola Creek. “There’s been a lot of sand accumulation going on,” Tom Horning, a geologist with Seaside’s Horning Geoscienc- es said. Paul Williams, Astoria “Six weeks in Denmark when I was 19. I met my grandmother’s mother on the Tobiesen family farm, which had been in the family for 200 years.” Norm Davis, Astoria ® ACCUWEATHER FORECAST FOR ASTORIA Astoria 5-Day Forecast Tonight A moonlit sky 57° Thursday Oregon Weather Shown is tomorrow’s weather. Temperatures are tonight’s lows and tomorrow’s highs The Dalles 63/105 Astoria 57/79 Pendleton 61/102 Portland 63/99 Corvallis 59/104 Eugene 60/104 Salem 62/103 Albany 62/103 Friday Burns 43/94 Medford 63/108 Very warm with plenty of sunshine 57° Mostly sunny and nice Saturday 59° Sunday Nice with a blend of sun and clouds 76° 77° 58° Mostly sunny and pleasant 74° 58° Almanac Sun and Moon Astoria through Tuesday. Temperatures High ........................................... 76° Low ............................................ 53° Normal high ............................... 68° Normal low ................................. 54° Precipitation Yesterday ................................ 0.00" Month to date .......................... 0.39" Normal month to date ............. 0.96" Year to date ........................... 27.78" Normal year to date .............. 36.87" Sunset tonight .................. Sunrise Thursday ............. Moonrise today ................ Moonset today ................. Regional Cities City Baker City Bend Brookings Eugene Ilwaco Klamath Falls Medford Newport North Bend Today Hi Lo W 86 40 s 88 52 s 85 59 s 100 60 s 73 61 s 92 50 s 104 63 s 72 54 s 78 58 s W s s s s s s s s s National Cities Today City Hi Lo W Atlanta 91 75 t Boston 88 73 s Chicago 88 65 pc Denver 86 57 t Des Moines 85 66 s Detroit 89 65 t El Paso 95 73 pc Fairbanks 71 54 pc Honolulu 92 79 pc Indianapolis 89 64 t Kansas City 83 65 r Las Vegas 104 81 s Los Angeles 85 68 pc Memphis 98 80 s Miami 92 78 t Nashville 92 76 t New Orleans 95 79 t New York 95 78 s Oklahoma City 95 73 s Philadelphia 94 77 s St. Louis 92 70 t Salt Lake City 86 60 s San Francisco 82 60 s Seattle 87 61 s Washington, DC 92 78 s 8:50 p.m. 5:54 a.m. 7:19 p.m. 4:07 a.m. Full Last New First July 31 Aug 6 Aug 14 Aug 22 Under the Sky Thu. Hi Lo 92 45 96 57 79 60 104 60 73 60 96 55 108 70 71 54 74 57 City Olympia Pendleton Portland Roseburg Salem Seaside Spokane Vancouver Yakima Today Hi Lo W 90 52 s 94 61 s 95 63 s 103 65 s 99 62 s 77 58 s 88 60 s 95 61 s 97 56 s Thu. Hi Lo 93 52 102 65 99 64 107 67 103 63 79 58 95 64 99 62 101 61 W s s s s s s s s s Tonight's Sky: Arcturus, the leading star of Bootes the Herdsman, is in the west tonight. Source: Jim Todd, OMSI Tomorrow’s Tides Astoria / Port Docks Time High 12:29 a.m. 8.9 ft. 1:58 p.m. 7.4 ft. Time 7:35 a.m. 7:30 p.m. Low -1.2 ft. 1.9 ft. Tomorrow’s National Weather Thu. Hi Lo W 93 75 pc 90 71 pc 88 66 s 88 59 t 89 68 s 87 64 s 95 74 t 69 54 sh 90 78 pc 84 65 s 86 66 pc 101 80 t 86 69 t 93 72 pc 91 77 pc 90 68 pc 92 77 pc 90 74 t 93 71 t 90 75 t 90 70 s 92 64 s 76 60 pc 90 61 s 94 76 t Fronts Cold Warm Stationary Showers T-Storms -10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Rain Flurries Snow Ice Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. Forecast high/low temperatures are given for selected cities. Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. Need a Lift? Roby’s can help. Lift chairs starting at $599. Side pocket to keep remote control handy at all times Battery support ensures lift mechanism works for one cycle without electricity. Available in a wide selection of fabrics and special-order fabrics ZERO GRAVITY device that supports legs, back, and neck Astoria - (503) 325-1535 1555 Commercial • www.robysfurniture.com resident, Breakers Point Normally the sand that is piling up to nearly 50-foot- tall dunes would blow into the forest, but it i s getting caught on European beach grass, he said . The new Breakers Point proposal includes deposit- ing graded material onto the middle-upper beach area to the west, to be reincorporat- ed into the littoral drift, and the planting of native species to restore native dune prairie ecosystems. A fence would be placed around some of the vegetation to deter elk, though Bruce Francis, property manager of the homeowners association, said that aspect may be nego- tiable. Breakers Point staff and residents are calling the changes a restoration to “what once was.” The European grass was a man-made prob- lem, they say, caused by the planting of the non-native grass in the area. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Newport of¿ ce lent a letter of support for the project. Commissioner Joseph Ber- nt asked how long the grading would last. Horning answered eight to 10 years. Commission President Bob Lundy expressed con- cerns about sand blowing onto neighboring properties, but was told it would go into By STEVEN DUBOIS Associated Press Klamath Falls 50/96 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2015 79° — Leland Larson the forest. Commissioner Lisa Kerr asked if the Breakers Point grading request would be one of several over the next few years to eventually com- plete the originally proposed 73,400 cubic yards. If it works, Francis said, then Breakers Point would likely come back with sub- sequent requests to stop sand inundation. “I’m anticipating success ... to be able to continue resto- ration,” he said. Kerr requested a time line to judge that success. Francis said it would take about six months to a year. Hours of testimony Many who spoke at the ¿ ve-hour meeting said they themselves or loved ones are unable to traverse the dunes anymore because they are so high. “What used to be a fair- ly leisurely stroll along the dunes, and then a gentle de- scent to the beach, is no lon- ger possible for me,” Break- ers Point resident Michael “Mick” French said. After recent knee surgery, that de- scent is now steep and dif¿ - cult to navigate, he added. Breakers Point attorney Dean Alterman said the grow- ing dunes not only impact the development’s homeowners, but other Cannon Beach res- idents and visitors. French said some in Can- non Beach feel the develop- ment should never have been built in the 1980s, but added that is an “old, invalid argu- ment.” If taken seriously, he said, much of the city never should have been developed. Because the city approved Breakers Point after a long development process, Albert Thompson, a Breakers Point resident said, it now has a moral obligation to the resi- dents. If sand blew onto the streets, he added, city staff would remove it. The same safety measures should be implemented at the beach, as well. Other residents talked about beach hazards, includ- ing being unable to monitor their children at play and fears that a dune may one day bury a child. The spectacular views Breakers Point provides were also mentioned numerous times, views some residents feel they have invested in and subsequently watched disap- pear. Susan Neuwirth said she used to “laugh at the rich, spoiled people at Breakers Point because they wanted their stupid view,” but then she accepted a job as a sec- retary for the development’s of¿ ce and saw the effect ¿ rst- hand. “It’s like being buried alive,” Neuwirth, who does not live in Breakers Point, said. “It’s literally like being in a cof¿ n.” If the “frankendunes” had been naturally caused, she said, she wouldn’t feel the same. Activists rappel off Portland bridge to stop Shell icebreaker Ontario 51/95 Bend 52/96 ‘It’s like some form of water torture to see the gradual erosion of views and the quality of life.’ PORTLAND — Environ- mental activists rappelled off Portland’s tallest bridge early Wednesday in an effort to stop a Shell Oil Arctic icebreaker from leaving the city. Thirteen protesters dan- gled from the St. Johns Bridge while another 13 remained on the bridge as lookouts. Green- peace USA executive director Annie Leonard said the activ- ists have enough water and food to last for days, and can hoist themselves to allow oth- er marine traf¿ c to pass. The Royal Dutch Shell PLC icebreaker Fennica ar- rived in Portland for repairs last week. The vessel was damaged earlier this month in the Aleutian Islands when it struck an underwater ob- struction, tearing a gash in its hull. The icebreaker is a vital part of Shell’s exploration and spill-response plan off Alaska’s northwest coast. It protects Shell’s fleet from ice and carries equipment that can stop gushing oil. Opponents of Arctic drill- ing worry that the area’s remoteness and rough con- ditions will hamper cleanup efforts should a spill occur. “These climbers hanging on the bridge really are at this point the last thing standing between Shell’s plan to drill in the Arctic and the Arctic,” Leonard said. Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said in an email the Fennica will return to Alaska once ¿ nal preparations are complete. passengers were transported to Columbia Memorial Hospi- tal, with one of the passengers having injuries. The driver, Tara Lynne Killam, 34, Port- land, was cited for reckless driving. DUII arrest • At 2:17 a.m. Sunday, Oregon State Police arrest- ed Jamey Shane Wilson, 21, Astoria, for driving under the inÀ uence of intoxicants and reckless driving on U.S. Highway 101 in Warrenton. Wilson’s blood alcohol con- tent was measured at 0.14 per- cent, according to OSP. On the record Crash • At 4:57 p.m. Sunday, Or- egon State Police responded to a driving complaint on a vehicle traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 30. Short- ly after, the vehicle drove off the roadway and crashed into a hillside. The driver and two Death July 28, 2015 GOODENBERGER, Margaret Jose- phine, 91, of Milwaukie, died in Mil- waukie. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mor- tuary in Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. Lotteries OREGON Tuesday’s Pick 4: 1 p.m.: 9-5-5-6 4 p.m.: 2-9-5-3 7 p.m.: 4-2-0-1 10 p.m.: 2-9-0-6 WASHINGTON Tuesday’s Daily Game: 5-5-4 Tuesday’s Keno: 07-10- 12-14-16-43-48-53-55-57-59- 60-63-64-68-71-74-76-78-80 Tuesday’s Match 4: 02- 11-19-23 Tuesday’s Mega Mil- lions: 08-35-61-68-75, Mega Ball: 15 Estimated jackpot: $20 million change St. Cannon Beach Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St., Can- non Beach. FRIDAY Cannon Beach Emergen- cy Preparedness Commit- tee, 10 a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St., Cannon Beach. Public meetings OBITUARY POLICY The Daily Astorian pub- lishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include a small photo and, for veterans, a flag symbol at no charge. The deadline for all obituaries is 10 a.m. the business day prior. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctua- tion and style. Death notices and upcoming services will be published at no charge. Notices must be submitted by 9 a.m. the day of publication. Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at www.dailyastorian.com/obitu- aryform, by email at ewilson@ dailyastorian.com, placed via the funeral home or in person at The Daily Astorian office, 949 Exchange St. in Astoria. For more information, call 503-325-3211, ext. 257. THURSDAY Recreational Lands Planning and Advisory Committee, 1 to 3 p.m., fourth floor, 800 Ex- The Daily Astorian Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503- 325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103- 0210 www.dailyastorian.com MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Effective July 1, 2015 HOME DELIVERY MAIL EZpay (per month) ................................ $11.25 EZpay (per month) ................................ $16.60 13 weeks in advance ............................ $36.79 13 weeks in advance ............................ $51.98 26 weeks in advance ............................ $70.82 26 weeks in advance .......................... $102.63 52 weeks in advance .......................... $135.05 52 weeks in advance .......................... $199.90 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Daily Astorian become the property of The Daily Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2015 by The Daily Astorian. SUBSCRIBER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper