Tribes keep
light alive
Birds
at rest
WEEKEND
EDITION
OPINION • 4A
143rd YEAR, No. 38
EXTRA • 1C
ONE DOLLAR
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015
Bridge to
reopen by
Labor Day
Span of Lewis and
Clark River Bridge
has been closed since
December for repairs
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Pat Schmidt, an attendant at the Astoria Texaco station, pumps gas for a customer Thursday. A new state law will allow gas stations in coun-
ties with populations of 40,000 or less to permit customers to pump their own gas when an attendant isn’t present from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
A CHANGE AT THE PUMP
New state law allows self-service at gas stations, but within strict limits
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
B
reaking with a long-stand-
ing — and long-contested
— Oregon tradition, a new
state law will allow drivers in small
rural counties, including Clatsop
County, to pump their own gas.
But don’t get too excited.
The law simply gives gas
stations the option to permit
non-commercial motorists to fill
their own tanks when an attendant
isn’t present between 6 p.m. and
6 a.m., and only in counties with
populations of 40,000 or less.
Signed into law in June, the
change goes into effect in Janu-
ary and impacts 18 of Oregon’s
36 counties.
The bill’s chief sponsor, state
Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, said
the law will help drivers in re-
mote regions of Oregon, where
traffic flow is often too modest to
warrant a 24-hour employee pres-
ence at many gas stations.
“We needed this bill to make
sure we had fuel at night in places
like John Day and Lakeview and
other small towns that close their
stations,´ Bentz said. “We want
to make sure there’s fuel avail-
able no matter where you are.´
There are long stretches of
state highway, especially in (ast-
ern Oregon, where drivers are
likely to encounter closed gas sta-
tions after normal business hours.
‘We needed this bill to make sure
we had fuel at night in places
like John Day and Lakeview and
other small towns that close their
stations. We want to make sure
there’s fuel available no matter
where you are.’
— state Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario
the bill’s chief sponsor
For example, a driver traveling
the 101 miles on U.S. Highway
95 between Malheur County’s
Jordan Valley and McDermitt,
an unincorporated community
on the Oregon-Nevada border,
is well-placed for an after-hours
fuel shortage.
“This is not an issue of con-
venience, it’s an issue of access,´
Bentz said. “‘Can I get some gas
and get the hell out of town"’´
The North Coast isn’t nearly
as sparsely populated as the areas
the law is designed to serve. But
since Clatsop County’s popula-
tion hovers at about 37,000, the
law may change how some local
gas stations do business.
‘Things change’
Though the law doesn’t kick
in for another four-and-a-half
months, it isn’t too soon for area
gas station owners to start imag-
ining possible outcomes.
From the customer’s stand-
point, the benefits of self-serve
pumps are obvious: more avail-
able fuel and — in situations
where few gas attendants are
on hand to service long lines of
cars — less wait time. If the la-
bor costs involved in keeping gas
attendants on the clock translates
to higher gas prices, self-serve
might mean a slight reduction in
those prices.
From the business owner’s
standpoint, however, the law’s ef-
fects are less clear, and much may
depend on whether the gas station
is part of a convenience store op-
eration.
Non-24-hour gas stations —
like the Texaco Food Mart on
Marine Drive that closes at mid-
night Monday through Friday
and 11 p.m. Saturday and Sun-
day — may see an opportunity to
increase revenue just by keeping
the pumps running.
But for 24-hour stations,
there’s more to consider.
Don P atterson, owner of one
24-hour Mini Mart gas station
in Astoria and one in Warrenton,
said the law may give an unfair
advantage to stations that oper-
ate 24/7. By not having to open
up their stores, only the pumps,
the law may hinder stations that
employ round-the-clock gas at-
tendants.
“We’re going to continue busi-
ness as usual. I’m not going to lay
off employees or anything like
that,´ he said. “Things change. If
someone’s getting an unfair ad-
vantage, we have to change busi-
ness accordingly.´
Of the opposite opinion is Dave
Singh, the owner of the 24-hour
Stop & Go Shell in Seaside, who
said, “De¿ nitely it’s going to be
better for the business owners.´
Though he likes the idea of not
having to pay a gas attendant for
doing something motorists can do
themselves, Singh prefers to keep
at least two employees working
at night for safety reasons. He
will just have two people logging
hours in the convenience store
rather than one behind the regis-
ter and one at the pumps.
See PUMP, Page 10A
The Lewis and Clark River
Bridge, closed since December for
major rehabilitation work, will re-
open in time for Labor Day week-
end.
The bridge provides an alterna-
tive route to Astoria and Warrenton
and the closure, along with other
road repairs, has contributed to traf-
¿ c congestion in a year when tour-
ism appears to have increased.
The w ork included replacing the
west approach and repairing the cor-
roded steel structure. The bridge,
built in 1924, is the last remaining
single leaf bascule drawspan in Or-
egon.
“The approach on the west side is
deteriorating so much it was causing
the asphalt surface to fail,´ said Lou
See BRIDGE, Page 10A
Neighborhood
Greenway gets
closer look
Next phase of
city’s vision plan
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Dozens of Alderbrook residents
told city planners Thursday night
they want to keep or expand devel-
opment restrictions along the Co-
lumbia River.
Many in the quirky, close-knit
east side neighborhood have already
pushed back against the Astoria Riv-
erwalk and a potential dog park. The
message at a town hall meeting on
the Neighborhood Greenway leg of
the city’s Riverfront Vision Plan at
the Hampton Inn and Suites was un-
ambiguous.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t ¿ x it,´
said Michael Zametkin, a teacher
who lives in Alderbrook, warning of
the possibility of unintended conse-
quences from any land-use change.
Neighborhood Greenway —
from 41st Street to 54th Street — is
the third phase of the Riverfront Vi-
sion Plan, the city’s initiative to cre-
ate better land use and development
guidelines along the river.
See GREENWAY, Page 10A
Coast Guard commander permanently relieved of post
Bitterman had been temporarily
removed from the Steadfast in April
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
The U.S. Coast Guard has
permanently relieved the for-
mer commander of the cutter
Steadfast, citing a loss of con-
¿ dence in his ability to main-
tain the ef¿ ciency, morale and
well-being of the unit and his
crew.
Cmdr. John Bitterman had
been temporarily relieved of
duty from the Astoria-based cut-
ter in April.
“The Coast Guard holds
those in command to the high-
est levels of professionalism,
pro¿ ciency and dedication,´
Lt. Donnie Brzuska, the pub-
lic affairs of¿ cer of the Coast
Guard 3aci¿ c Area Command
in Alameda, Calif., said in a
statement.
“The Coast Guard conducted
a thorough and comprehensive
administrative investigation pri-
or to relieving Cmdr. Bitterman.
The Coast Guard lost con¿ dence
in Cmdr. Bitterman’s ability to
serve as a commanding of¿ cer
and maintain the ef¿ ciency, mo-
rale and well-being of the unit
and his crew.
“Because the relief and the
investigation were administra-
tive in nature, I cannot release
any more details. However, the
Coast Guard acted in the best
interest of the crew of Steadfast
to ensure a positive working en-
vironment.´
Bitterman, according to
Brzuska, has been reassigned to
Coast Guard Sector Columbia
River in Astoria.
Cmdr. Mark Walsh from
Coast Guard Leadership Devel-
opment Center in New London,
Conn., is acting as the tempo-
rary commanding of¿ cer of the
Steadfast.
Bitterman, who took com-
mand of the Steadfast in July
2014, had been the command-
ing of¿ cer of the cutter (disto
in San Diego and was the Coast
Guard’s Police Attaché in Bogo-
ta, Colombia.
The Steadfast, a 210-foot
medium-endurance cutter based
at the 17th Street Dock in As-
toria, patrols from the Paci¿ c
Northwest to South America.
Capt. John Bit-
terman, left, for-
mer commander
of the U.S.
Coast Guard
cutter Steadfast,
is shown here
during a tour of
the ship. He has
been perma-
nently relieved
of command
due to a loss of
confidence in
his leadership.
Submitted Photo
After Bitterman was tempo-
rarily relieved from the Stead-
fast in April, his attorney at the
time described the commander
as a whistleblower who was
retaliated against for drawing at-
tention to the poor condition of
the 47-year-old vessel.
Bitterman could not be
reached for comment Thurs-
day through Sector Columbia
River.