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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2015)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015 Tour: ‘Just a little bit of improvement can really help’ Continued from Page 1A At a panel discussion that followed, Michelle Lewis, community programs super- visor of Northwest Senior & Disability Services, said many senior citizens are just one fall away from losing their independence, so even small barriers to mobility should be taken seriously. “Just a little bit of im- provement can really help,” she said. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Negative and positive Even some areas that are ADA-compliant can be im- proved upon, DeLaTorre said. For example, the maroon bumps on curb ramps that warn legally blind people when they’re about to cross a street would work more effectively painted yellow, he said. Anecdotal evidence suggests guide dogs and the visually impaired discern yellow better than darker col- ors. The “roll and stroll” — another name for tours em- phasizing the importance of public accessibility for pe- destrians and people who use walkers and wheelchairs — didn’t dwell on the negative, though. DeLaTorre also drew attention to some of the pub- lic areas where planners got it right. The 13th Street path, a mid-block alley connect- ing Duane and Commercial streets, has yellow foot prints Councilor Drew Herzig points out a potential problem for people crossing the road during the Roll and Stroll walk- ability tour Monday. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian People walk the streets of Astoria during the Roll and Stroll walkability tour Monday. indicating a footpath. What’s more, it is lit at night to pro- vide rollers and strollers with a sense of security. ‘Real challenges’ “Astoria has got some challenges,” Herzig said, “some small-city challenges, some topographical chal- lenges, and we’re just here to call attention to them — not to blame anybody but just to say: These are some of the things we’re going to address if we’re going to be a walkable city, not just for old people like me, but for anybody.” With Baby Boomers retir- ing and the senior population ‘Astoria has got some challenges, some small- city challenges, some topographical challenges, and we’re just here to call attention to them.’ — Drew Herzig city councilor increasing each day, cities and businesses have an in- terest in listening to the sto- ries of older folks and those of the disabled — in gather- ing feedback to make public spaces as livable as possible. “Those narratives are real- ly important for understand- ing the ins and outs of cities,” DeLaTorre said. Planning Commissioner Jan Mitchell, who attended the panel discussion held at Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian People walk along the sidewalk on 14th Street during the Roll and Stroll walkability tour of Astoria Monday. Drew Her- zig pointed out that the sidewalk was sloped downward to- ward traffic, a potential problem for people in wheelchairs. the Judge Boyington Build- ing, said she ¿nds Astoria to be “immensely walkable.” “I think this is one of the more livable places in the United States,” she said. “I’m not saying it’s terri- ble,” Herzig said, “but I’m saying that there are real challenges here, and we need to be real in addressing them.” Warrenton: ‘I would rather see grants going to economic development’ Continued from Page 1A proposed $5,000 to pay for the Warrenton Food Bank Pan- try’s operating costs, became a donation through Clatsop Community Action to spend on perishable food items for the pantry. Though the city and churches arranged feasible solutions to the church-state quandary — and though, the commissioners agreed, the association had noble inten- tions — the incident raised the question: Why should the as- sociation undertake charitable giving in the ¿rst place" ‘Heavy lifting’ Some of the association’s board members expressed such skepticism at a joint work session last month de- voted to clarifying the associ- ation’s mission: “If it doesn’t promote economic bene¿t, it’s something we shouldn’t even touch,” Paul Mitchell, a board member, said. “I don’t think the WBA should be doing charitable grants,” Commissioner Henry Balensifer III said Tuesday, “and the reason being: If those businesses want to make those charitable contributions, they can with no restrictions ... They can give to whatever organization they like. “But, from a city stand- point, I would rather see grants going to economic de- velopment activities or things that align with what the city’s already planning on doing, like downtown revitaliza- tion.” To take additional pressure off of the association, the city may look into hiring a part- na, an option left time event planner open for municipal- to help organize ities by Senate Bill some of the events 460. that the association • Held a ¿nal typically organizes, vote, which was including Christ- unanimous, on an mas activities and ordinance prohibit- the Fourth of July ing vehicle parking parade. from 8 a.m. to 6 The association p.m. on postal de- has “done a terri¿c Henry livery days in front job in keeping those Balensifer of mailboxes, or traditions and cele- brations going,” Mayor Mark places where mail is deliv- Kujala said. “They certainly ered, except when necessary have done heavy lifting for us to avoid conÀict with other over the years in a number of traf¿c, comply with the law different roles.” or follow directions from law enforcement, or momentarily to pick up or drop off passen- gers. The amendment to the mu- nicipal code grants a 15-foot buffer on both sides of curb- side mailboxes, allowing mail carriers a 30-foot comfort zone to access them. • Unanimously voted to af- ¿x the mayor’s signature to a letter for Gov. Kate Brown’s consideration supporting Or- egon Brigadier General Todd Plimpton for adjutant general of the state of Oregon. The letter details Plimp- ton’s contributions to the North Coast community, es- pecially the help he provided during the Great Coastal Gale of 2007. “Many of my citi- zens are alive because of the response from Camp Rilea, which Todd commanded at the time,” the letter reads. • Granted Coastline Chris- tian Fellowship a permit for ampli¿ed sound that will occur during a large service event scheduled for Aug. 23 at Quincy & Bessie Robinson Community Park. Regular meeting At the regular meeting that followed, the commission: • Considered an ordinance prohibiting licensed medical marijuana dispensaries from selling recreational marijua- Seidel: Man says he hopes to have an attorney by his next court appearance Continued from Page 1A Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ron Brown told the court the expanded restrictions were to protect the individual safety of city councilors. Brown said Seidel had a conviction in San Miguel County, Colo., for obstructing governmental operations last year and a burglary in Wood- land, Calif., in 2007. One of the city councilors — Cindy Price — is married to District Attorney Josh Mar- quis. Some at the city are unsure what to make of Seidel — whether he is a misunderstood activist or an unstable threat. He has alleged a conspiracy between the city and the inÀu- ential Friends of the Astoria Column to move the commu- nications tower off Coxcomb Hill. As part of the agreement, Verizon Communications would build a new tower the city and the company could use at Reservoir Ridge, east of Coxcomb Hill, and erect a monopole at Shively Park to improve cellphone coverage. When the City Council approved the deal with Veri- zon earlier this month, Seidel could be seen across the street from City Hall at the Garden of Surging Waves. Judge Avera, like judges at Seidel’s previous court ap- pearances, strongly recom- mended Seidel get a lawyer to represent him. Seidel argued he should have the ability to speak to city councilors. “I believe that I was a witness to a crime and that I have a right to obtain ev- idence,” he said. After watching Seidel serve as his own attorney, Avera was blunt. “I do have some concern about your mental state, quite frankly, given what I’ve seen here today,” the judge said. Outside the courtroom, Seidel, who said he is from Missouri but had been living in Colorado before coming to Astoria, said he hopes to have an attorney by his next court appearance later this month. He said he was nervous de- fending himself in court and described the judge’s com- ments about his mental state as unfortunate. “It was just kind of rude,” he said. +LUPZL.HNUVU 9LNPZ[YH[PVU `LHYZH[*4/ Our people make The Planetree Difference Seaside: Fees have yet to be addressed Continued from Page 1A ordinance is written, it could be interpreted to restrict or prevent in-home personal or patient gardens outside in- dustrial zones, which Fairless does not think was the legisla- tion’s intended purpose. If a grow site is run pri- marily as a hobby, it could be exempt from having to get a business license or from city siting limitations, she said. For growers interested in larger-scale businesses, she said, they likely would prefer to set up shop in a designat- ed space in an industrial zone anyway. The city might have a hard time getting small-scale, in-home growers to come for- ward, and their information is mostly kept con¿dential by the state, she said. There is no public database for growers, and Health Insurance Porta- bility and Accountability Act guidelines inÀuence some of the privacy around the indus- try. Fairless said she would appreciate the council hold- ing a work session to further discuss the topic and Àesh out these details. “Everybody, but especial- ly city councilors and police of¿cers who are going to be creating and enforcing laws, need to educate themselves as much as possible,” she said. Licensing fees The city has not discussed the licensing fees that will apply to medical marijuana grow sites, Cupples said. In general, the cost for a busi- ness license varies based on which category the business falls into: general; lodging; food service, restaurant, lounge, tavern, bar; vending and distributing; arcades and sole proprietorship. Fees also depend of factors such as number of employees or oc- cupants. City Manager Mark Win- stanley said fees have not been addressed yet. The city also seeks to clarify whether growers will need a business license only, or an additional license as a medical marijua- na production processing site. City staff ¿rst was waiting to see if council “would even al- low grow sites” in city limits, Winstanley said. 7LVWSL*LU[LYLK8\HSP[`+YP]LU:LY]PJL-VJ\ZLK Denise is one of the caregivers at CMH who exemplifies our Promise of Excellence: t t t t t t Respect Integrity Compassion Leadership Safety Teamwork Caregivers like Denise make your community hospital one to be proud of. “I like helping people... To me, patient- centered care is offering a friendly face and treating all patients with compassion and respect.” – Denise Gagnon, Registration Clerk &YDIBOHF4U"TUPSJB0SFHPOt XXXDPMVNCJBNFNPSJBMPSHt"1MBOFUSFF%FTJHOBUFE)PTQJUBM