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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2015)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 143rd YEAR, No. 35 ONE DOLLAR µ7KH*RRQLHV¶KRXVHJRHVRIIOLPLWV Glut of visitors overwhelms neighborhood By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian It turns out, when it comes to Astoria’s success at capitalizing on “The Goonies” as a big-time tourist draw, there can be too much of a good thing. Just a few months after the Astoria- Warrenton Chamber of Commerce staged the ¿ lm’s 30th a nniversary c elebration in Asto- ria and Cannon Beach, both the chamber and the city of Astoria are now trying to keep Goonies fans away from the iconic house featured in the 1985 cult classic. For 14 years, homeowner San- di Preston has let fans — within reason — approach, photograph, gawk at and geek out on her prop- erty in Uppertown . In the past, she has even opened up her house to them. “Sandi ... has been very, very accommodating,” City Councilor Russ Warr said. But, with an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 visitors swarming around the house almost every day this summer, Preston and her neigh- bors near 38th and Duane streets are experiencing fan fatigue. “The tourism at the Goonies house has, over the last three or four years, absolutely exploded,” Warr said at Monday’s City C oun- cil meeting. Preston recently asked the chamber and the city to do what- ever they can to limit public ac- cess to her home. “She was overwhelmed and looking for help to try to get some semblance of normal life back,” Regina Willke, the chamber’s marketing director, said. “It’s just a constant stream of people com- ing at all hours of the day.” Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian See GOONIES, Page 10A Blue tarps cover the face of the Goonies house. Clearing the air Astoria to ban smoking in parks By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian ABOVE: Jeanie Clay, left, and Archie Clay, right, both from Grants Pass, work to take down their kites near the end of Day 1 of the Wash- ington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach, Wash. The Clays have been coming to the kite festival since 1998. “It’s just a big festival,” Jeanie Clay said. “It’s kind of like a big kite -flying flying reunion.” “A family reunion,” Archie Clay added. The Kite Festival will be open until Sunday evening. Admission is free. BELOW LEFT: Dozens of kites fill the sky above Long Beach during Day 1 of the festival. BELOW RIGHT: Barry Tislow, of Renton, Wash., needs some help as he tries to pull down his 750-square-foot kite at the festival. KITE FESTIVAL LIFTS OFF 6WRU\DQG3KRWRV By JOSHUA BESSEX The Daily Astorian The Washington International Kite Festival has taken À ight in Long Beach, Wash. Hundreds of kites will dot the sky above the beach for the festival through Sunday, featuring shows, sport -kite competitions, and kite-making. Admission to the festival is free. More information is at www.kitefestival.com. The days of smoking a cigarette during a stroll in an Astoria park could soon be over. The City Council voted Monday night to move ahead with a ban on smoking and tobacco use in parks. The prohibition, which will likely be approved in September, is meant to promote wellness, decrease exposure to secondhand smoke, discourage litter and provide an example for children. Clatsop County banned smoking and tobacco use in county parks earlier this year. Last year, Oregon prohibited smoking in state parks except in vehi- cles, campsites and sections of day-use parks marked as safety rest areas. The City Council, at the request of City Councilor Cindy Price, agreed to add marijuana to the ban. State law al- ready prohibits smoking marijuana in public. The city has estimated it could cost between $2,500 and $6,750 to install signs about the ban in parks. Clatsop County would provide $750 toward the signs from the Oregon Tobacco Preven- tion and Education Program. City Councilor Drew Herzig sug- gested the city pursue grant money or other alternative funding for the signs. &XOWXUHVKLIW Some residents doubt the city will adequately enforce a smoking ban in parks, but Herzig and others predicted a prohibition would lead to a cultural shift and would be largely self-enforc- ing. “I think something like this, acting as a disincentive to smoking, will ben- e¿ t people who are trying to quit, will provide cleaner air for people who are not smoking,” Herzig said. “And like smoking in restaurants — or not smok- ing in restaurants — that is basically once it becomes part of the culture, it enforces itself.” No one from the public spoke against a ban, but City Councilor Russ Warr dissented in the 4-1 vote to ad- vance the ordinance. “I have a real, basic problem deep in my heart when people ban things that are legal to do just because they don’t like them,” he said. In other action Monday night, the City Council: • Agreed to delay a sewer improve- ment project along 16th Street until next summer so the work will not con- À ict with the remodeling of Clatsop See COUNCIL, Page 10A /RFDO¿UH¿JKWHUVUHWXUQIURP(DVWHUQ2UHJRQ By DANI PALMER EO Media Group Thirteen Clatsop County firefighters ar- rived home likely ready for a shower and sleep late Sunday night. The baker’s doz- en were part of a task force who responded to the Cornet fire south of Baker City ear- ly Thursday morning. They returned after homes and businesses in that Eastern Ore- gon area were considered out of danger. It’s not that often local crews respond to a fire elsewhere in the state, Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue Chief Mike Balzer said. It’s been two years since Clatsop County was called upon — the last was the 2013 Government Flats fire in The Dalles . With heat and drought conditions lead- ing to fires throughout the state, “They’ve got a lot going on,” Balzer said. “It was only a matter of time before they got out to request assistance from the coast.” Locally, the Knappa Fire District sent four firefighters to help. Warrenton sent three, Seaside and the Lewis and Clark Vol- unteer Department two and Cannon Beach and Gearhart each sent one firefighter. Lewis and Clark Fire Chief Jeff Golight- ly served as the task force’s leader and all but the Gearhart Volunteer Fire Department sent a fire engine or water tender, as well. “We like to help out,” Warrenton Fire Chief Tim Demers said. “We don’t like to see our brothers and sisters fight fires and us not do anything. We like being there, be- ing involved.” Structure protection Oregon’s Office of the State Fire Mar- shal requested the Clatsop County Fire Task Force assist in structure protection. The Emergency Conflagration Act, autho- rized by Gov . Kate Brown, gives the mar- shal authorization to mobilize firefighters See FIREFIGHTERS, Page 10A Les Zaitz/The Oregonian The Canyon Creek Complex fire burns towards a rural subdivision of John Day Friday. Homes in the area were ordered evacuated as the fire burned out of control.