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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2015)
NORTH COAST THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 3A Short-term rental work session set in Gearhart By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian G(ARHART ² Residents who opposed bans on short- term rentals added their voices to the City Council discussion in Gearhart. While previous sessions focused on com- plaints of noise, overcrowd- ing, unsanitary conditions and limited parking, last week’s meeting featured remarks from local homeowners who see no need for short-term rental reg- ulations. Kathy Schroeder of South 0arion Avenue said Gearhart was originally conceived as a rental community. “It’s very nice that perma- nent residents have chosen to make this their home.” she said. “But most of the homes that were built on 0arion Ave- nue 100 years ago were built to be summer shacks. They were not permanent residences. I don’t want the current popu- lation to be recategorizing the community differently from what it was created as.” Gearhart’s Jim Whittemore sought a rationale for potential regulation. “What’s the end game?” he asked councilors. “Are you trying to determine if you want short-term rentals? If they’re necessary? If they’re wanted by the residents? I want to know, what is your thinking?” “We’re attempting to come up with a fair and equitable system, the way they’re doing it in Cannon Beach, 0anzanita and Seaside,” 0ayor Dianne Widdop said. “With some guidelines.” Passionate topic 0any at the stand- ing-room-only meeting picked up where an August meeting left off, with complaints about noise, overcrowding and litter at short-term rental properties. Gearhart’s John Dudley told councilors one vacation rental home “packs as many people as possible in the house, almost wall-to-wall beds.” “Short-term rentals are a big problem for me,” Wilson 0ark of 1orth Cottage Avenue said. “Different people are liv- ing next door to me every few days. Sometimes large groups of people. Our property value is going down.” 0ark asked residents and the City Council to speed the regulation process. He cited an ordinance from 1994 recogniz- ing the importance of the city’s residential neighborhoods and the need to protect them from “the negative aspects of tran- sient rentals of property.” “To me, we already have this policy,” 0ark said. “We have the framework for some- thing that could work.” “There are a few problems that people have with their neighbors,” Schroeder re- plied. “In other communities, people talk to their neighbors and solve them that way in- stead of instituting regulations that affect the entire neighbor- hood.” “It seems you are predis- posed to come up with short- term regulations,” Whittemore added. “Is that where we’re at?” “Something needs to be done,” Widdop said. “We need to work on it, and work on it now.” The process will likely be divided between the Planning Commission and the City Council, she said. A City Council work ses- sion is scheduled at Gearhart City Hall in October. College gets progress report on Patriot Hall City Council supports dumping some Heritage Square ¿ll locally By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Only the north and west walls of Patriot Hall stand, sur- rounded by fencing and con- struction equipment. Clatsop Community College and design ¿rm SRG Partner- ship Inc. are in the midst of gath- ering bids for the construction of the redeveloped academic hall, a $16 million project funded by state and local bonds. Greg Dorcheus is the col- lege’s facilities manager and an adviser on the Patriot Hall project, along with college pub- lication services manager Ann Gyde. The two gave a report Tuesday to the college’s board of directors on the project’s progress. The soft demolition is al- ready complete, Dorcheus said, disconnecting the portions of the building being discarded from those being reused. The college has had the reusable materials trucked to Trails (nd Recovery. “We’re in the cleanup phases right now,” Dorcheus said, add- ing a temporary footing was poured to anchor the two re- maining walls, which will be in- corporated into the new Patriot Hall. The college has chosen Con- don-Johnson & Associates, Inc., to shore the building site, and P&C Construction to pour the concrete. A lot of the contractors have full plates right now, Dorcheus said, and some of the bids the college is getting for work on the new building are high. The college is value-engineering the project and looking through pro- posals to ¿nd savings, he said. So far, 45 parking spots have been surrendered to the project, but Dorcheus said that could ex- pand during the assembly of the building steel. The college paid the city of Astoria $50,000 to de- lay work on the combined sewer overÀow project and keep 16th Street open throughout con- struction. )or displaced classes, By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian The demolition of Patriot Hall is mostly complete, with Clatsop Community College seeking bids on work for the redeveloped academic hall. the college rented space in the Astoria Armory and renovated rooms in Towler Hall, while cre- ating a temporary weight room in Alder Hall. “We’ve kept this as tight as we can,” Dorcheus said. The redevelopment of Pa- triot Hall is the third phase in the Jerome Campus Redevel- opment Project, which started with the construction of Colum- bia Hall and the restoration and modernization of Towler Hall. In other college news: • The board approved a draft of the presidential search pro¿le, which will go through three public vettings in October. Board members recommend- ed minor linguistic changes to make the pro¿le more inclusive of Clatsop County and the col- lege’s offerings. • The board approved 22 members of a stakeholder com- mittee helping with the pres- idential search. The college board is trying to make sure the committee is all-inclusive of the region, including elected rep- resentatives, business leaders, community volunteers and col- lege staff, faculty and students. • Interim President Gerald Hamilton said the college is posting for a student retention adviser. The college also an- nounced the addition of Jen- nifer Rasmussen as its new counselor for Upward Bound and Talent Search, federal programs to provide support to high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Rasmussen, a local nutrition educator, has taught for the col- lege’s Upward Bound Summer Academy and worked part time for Talent Search. • The board approved align- ing the pay scales of con¿dential classi¿ed employees with their other classi¿ed coworkers. W A NTED N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 IN ASTORIA ST SEA SO N Thursdays to Saturdays 7pm (July 9th-Sept. 12th) and Sundays 2pm (7/19, 8/16, 9/6) Tickets on sale ONE HOUR before all shows! SHANGHAIED F RID AY & SATU RD AY S EPT. 18 & 19 • 7PM Topsy Turvey retu rn A Project of North Coast Food Web w ith the 12th a nnua l Cro w n in g o f M iss Vivia n & Virg in ia Sponsors: N a pa Au to Pa rts of W a rren ton • O ld Tow n e F ra m in g Co. TH UR P 4:3 IE W 0 & A 6:3 LK 0 p .m 3-7 SD p.m AYS . RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED For discounts to Shanghaied in Astoria, go to our website AstorStreetOpryCompany.com . YEAR ROUND THEATER! 129 W. BOND ST UNIONTOWN ASTORIA (Behind the Chamber of Commerce) INFO: CALL 503-325-6104 od Fo y et nl rk O Ma Clatsop County contin- ues to seek applicants for the Board of Property Tax Ap- peals, which is responsible for hearing taxpayer appeals for reduction of the real market or assessed value of real and personal property. The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners is seek- ing candidates who: Have a working knowledge of the local real estate market, both residential and commercial; are willing to participate in public hearings, can quick- ly review documentation while listening to the pub- lic and can make reasonable decisions with the affected parties in attendance; have mediation skills, real estate appraisal, ¿nancing or relat- ed background as a strength; and are familiar with Oregon property tax. A board consists of three members, and positions are open to residents of the coun- ty who are not employees or members of a taxing district within the county. The term begins Oct. 15 and ends June 30. One day of training is held in January prior to the hear- ings process. The board holds several daytime meetings beginning the ¿rst 0onday in )ebruary to hear petitions. The com- mittee adjourns no later than April 15. 0embers receive $75 per day of service. Appointments are made by the Board of Commissioners. Application forms are avail- able on the county website, www.co.clatsop.or.us, or con- tact the Clatsop County 0an- ager¶s Of¿ce, 00 (xchange St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR, 503-325-1000. SHANGHAIED 3 1 SHOW RUNS THRU SEPT. 12, 2015 Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Applicants sought for property tax appeals board The Daily Astorian Some of the contaminated soil piled in a pit at Heritage Square could be dumped at a quarry on Pipeline Road, spar- ing the city from a costly haul to a special-purpose land¿ll in Hillsboro. The soil was unearthed during construction of the Gar- den of Surging Waves and is not considered as contaminated as other material at Heritage Square. The city will have to truck the other material to Hill- sboro or a hazardous waste site in Arlington. Astoria has been working with the state Department of (nvironmental 4uality on a local disposal option for some of the soil to help stay within a $400,000 8.S. (nvironmental Protection Agency brown¿elds grant. Half of the grant money was to identify contamination at the former Safeway site, while the other half was for cleanup. The city has worried that hauling soil to land¿lls would soak up the cleanup money. Jeff Harrington, the city engineer, told the City Coun- cil Tuesday night that test re- sults on the soil are still being analyzed. He said the soil that would be disposed at the quar- ry would not likely leach into groundwater. The City Council voted 4-1 to approve local disposal. City Councilor Drew Herzig voted against the option. He wanted the city to consider storing the soil in above-ground contain- ers instead of depositing the ¿ll back into the ground. Meet Your Farmers Weekly SNAP Match James M. (Stogie) Hill Septem ber 7, 1944-Ja n ua ry 26, 2015 All of us in Jim (Stogie) Hill’s family and circles of friends want to thank everyone who has celebrated, remembered and supported us during this time of grief since Jim’s death in January, 2015. We have received so many acts of kindness and remembrance to us and support for his beloved Coast Community Radio station, KMUN. You are his legacy and his treasure — you are precious to us. Keep it going, share kindness, be gentle. With love, Jane (Maki) Hill MY GUARDIAN G-PAPA City of Astoria SERVICE FAIR Thursday, September 10, 2015 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Barbey Center, 20th and Marine Drive • • • • Meet City officials, employees, and volunteers Find out what’s happening in City departments through displays and demonstrations See big construction equipment, police cars, and fire trucks up close Enjoy free hot dogs!! DEAR GUARDIAN G-PAPA, EVER AT MY SIDE, HOW LOVELY YOU MUST BE— TO LEAVE YOUR HOME IN HEAVEN, TO GUARD A CHILD LIKE ME. WHEN I’M FAR AWAY FROM HOME, OR MAYBE HARD AT PLAY— I KNOW YOU WILL PROTECT ME, FROM HARM ALONG THE WAY. YOUR HANDSOME AND SWEET SMILING FACE, I SEE NOT, THOUGH YOU’RE NEAR. THE HUMOR IN YOUR CHARMING VOICE, I CANNOT REALLY HEAR. WHEN I PRAY, YOU’RE PRAYING TOO, YOUR PRAYER IS JUST FOR ME. BUT, WHEN I SLEEP YOU NEVER DO, YOU’RE WATCHING OVER ME. by granddaughter Krysta with great-grandson Sawyer s