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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 NORTH COAST 3A Port looks to relocate ailing shipyard, popular boatyard State grant could help ¿nance move to Skipanon Peninsula By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian bly the Pier 3 boatyard, to the Skipanon Peninsula emerged as a top priority. AMCCO’s lawyer, Car- son Bowler, recently said the company probably can’t con- tinue to operate at its Lewis and Clark River shipyard be- cause of the costs of cleaning up environmental pollution dating back to World War II shipbuilding. The Port of Astoria Com- mission af¿rmed its support for the ailing Astoria Marine Construction Co. Tuesday night, with a signed letter and an idea for the shipyard’s pos- sible relocation. Port commissioners and Executive Director Jim Knight talked Tuesday about what project they should pres- ent for an upcoming state in- frastructure grant application. Relocating Astoria Marine Construction Co., and possi- ConnectOregon VI, of- fered through the Oregon De- partment of Transportation, uses Oregon Lottery revenue to invest in air, rail, marine, transit, and bicycle/pedestri- an infrastructure projects that promote economic develop- ment. The grants can pay up to 70 percent of a project’s cost, with the receiving agen- cy matching 30 percent. The grant application cycle opens in October and ends in Connect Oregon late November. There is $4.5 million available to each of the ¿ve legislatively approved ConnectOregon regions. Clat- sop County is in Region 2, along with most of northwest- ern Oregon west of the Cas- cade Mountains and south to Lane County. The Port received a Con- nectOregon V grant of around $500,000 as the local match on a nearly $4.8 million grant to repave a runway at the As- toria Regional Airport. The agency received a $1 million ConnectOregon IV grant to rebuild several hundred feet of Pier 2’s eastern side. Knight said the Port has fallen into a wonderful op- portunity, with an upcoming grant application and AMC- CO in need of a new home. Perhaps the Port could move the boatyard from Pier 3 to property on the Skipanon Peninsula, Knight said, solv- ing multiple problems. Pier 3 has faced over- crowding problems since the boatyard, which opened in 2006, was joined by Astoria Forest Products’ log yard, developed last summer. Un- due amounts of copper in the stormwater running into the Columbia River from the boatyard also required the Port to develop a stormwater treatment plan. Knight said the Port has the full support of state Sen. Betsy Johnson, Gov. Kate Brown’s of¿ce and the North Coast Regional Solutions Team, a gathering of region- al agencies, in any effort to try and relocate AMCCO. He said the Port could work with the solutions team to get a short-term grant to hire con- sultants to help plan a move. “The trickle-down effect they have with the ¿shing community is substantial,” Commissioner James Camp- bell said, adding AMCCO affects the ¿shing Àeet and the processors taking in their catch. Pier 2 also needs help The Port Commission also discussed needing to repair the west side of the 101-year- old Pier 2, where seafoods processors land and load ¿sh into their processing plants, and where there are many metal sheets covering holes in the decking, and damaged pilings underneath. “Overall, the condition of the Pier 2 west facility was found to range from critical to good condition; many of the de¿ciencies observed appear to be due to deferred mainte- nance,” said a 2013 report by marine engineer Bill Gunder- son of PND Engineers Inc. in Seattle. Gunderson’s report also recommended the Port repair the problems on Pier 2 within 10 years to avoid wholesale ¿xes. Whatever project the Port chooses, Commissioner Ste- phen Fulton said, it needs to be aware of the 30 percent match. The Port risked losing the $1 million ConnectOre- gon IV grant because prior engineering had underesti- mated the amount of work needed and left the Port with more than $300,000 in cost overruns. The future of the grant could be at risk too. At a recent Northwest Area Commission on Transportation meeting, Commissioner Robert Mush- en said, there were talks of the ConnectOregon program being in future doubt. The program gave $340 million to infrastructure projects over the ¿rst four grant cycles. But by Connect V, the offering was down to $40 million statewide. Man pleads not guilty to possession of child porn, ¿rearms $500,000 and he was taken into custody after the court hearing. The 76-year-old Astoria Astoria Police assisted the man arrested earlier this month Oregon Department of Justice for illegally possessing ¿re- Internet Crimes Against Chil- arms, body armor dren Task Force and child pornog- Sept. 1 related to a raphy pleaded not child pornography guilty Tuesday in investigation at Clatsop County Dixon’s residence Circuit Court and at 101 Madison was taken back into Ave.. custody. During a search William James of the residence, Dixon Jr. appeared investigators found in court after being a 9 mm pistol, a indicted on charges .22-caliber pistol William James of ¿rst-degree en- and ballistic body Dixon Jr. couraging child armor that Dix- sexual abuse, felon on was prohibited in possession of a ¿rearm and from possessing. felon in possession of body Investigators also found armor. disguises such as a fake mus- Judge Paula Brownhill tache and wig. was surprised to see Dixon in “He indicated he was going court and out of custody since to commit a robbery,” Chief she previously set his bail at Deputy District Attorney Ron $500,000. He was released Brown said. from jail without posting any Dixon was convicted for bail due to the jail’s over- mail fraud in 1989 and for crowding. bank robbery in 1991 in Port- “I’m not happy the jail re- land. He served more than leased him,” Brownhill said. three years in prison. “I don’t think he is safe in the He is due back in court next community.” month for an early resolution Brownhill reset his bail at conference. By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian Unemployment up, but state still enjoying job growth The Daily Astorian The Oregon Employment Department reported Tuesday that the state is experiencing its highest rate of job growth since 2005. Oregon’s payroll employ- ment added 4,400 jobs in Au- gust, following a revised gain of 7,400 in July, according to a release Tuesday. In August, leisure and hos- pitality added 2,100 jobs, and government added 1,600. The other 12 major industries per- formed close to their normal seasonal patterns. Over the past year, Ore- gon’s payroll employment has expanded by 60,400 jobs, or 3.5 percent. This is the state’s fastest job growth rate since February 2005. In terms of total jobs added during a 12-month period, the last time Oregon added more than 60,000 jobs over a year was to- ward the end of the high-tech boom in May 1997, when Or- egon added 61,500 jobs. Nearly all of the major in- dustries grew by between 3 percent and 5 percent over the last year: • Leisure and hospitality grew by 9,400 jobs, or 5.1 per- cent. • Retail trade grew by 9,700 jobs, or 4.9 percent. • Transportation, ware- housing and utilities grew by 2,700 jobs, or 4.8 percent. • Manufacturing grew by 5,800 jobs, or 3.2 percent. • Construction grew by 3,000 jobs, or 3.8 percent. None of the major indus- tries cut jobs substantially over the past year, but ¿nancial ac- tivities and mining and logging each were essentially Àat. Despite strong payroll job gains in recent months, Or- egon’s unemployment rate edged up to 6.1 percent in Au- gust from 5.9 percent in July. However, the mark was lower than the 6.9 percent unemploy- ment rate last August. Submitted Photo Former Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen accepted a Phoenix Award on behalf of the city for the redevelopment of the city’s old landfill into CMH Field. Erik Thorsen, the chief executive officer of Columbia Memorial Hospital (clockwise from left); Fred Stemmler, the general manager of Recology Western Oregon; Craig Hoppes, the superintendent of the Astoria School District; and City Manager Brett Estes also attended the award ceremony in Chicago this month. Astoria recognized nationally for CMH Field Brown¿eld redevelopment wins award The Daily Astorian Astoria has been recognized with a national environmental award for converting the city’s old land¿ll into CMH Field. The 12-acre athletic com- plex, the new home of the As- toria Fishermen, opened last fall. The $8 million project was a partnership between the city, Columbia Memorial Hospital, the Astoria School District and Recology Western Oregon. The Phoenix Awards, spon- sored by the nonpro¿t Phoenix Awards Institute, recognize the successful redevelopment of contaminated property, known as brown¿elds. CMH Field By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — The 22-month-old toddler who was struck by a van Friday morning remains in stable but serious condition at a Port- land-area hospital. The young boy has multi- ple injuries and is undergoing various treatments, according to Warrenton Police. Police continue to investi- gate the incident, Chief Matt Workman said, but it does not appear any citation or actions will be taken against the driv- er of the van. The accident occurred at SW 9th Street and South Main Avenue. Witnesses assisted the young boy, who was un- der the vehicle, until police, ¿re and Medix arrived. The child was not trapped so he was moved to a Medix ambulance and immediately transported to Columbia Me- morial Hospital in Astoria. He was later transferred by Life Flight to Portland. The boy apparently ran into the roadway from behind some landscaping bushes. Police went into the boy’s home after the accident with the state Department of Hu- A Project of North Coast Food Web PI TH 4:3 U A 6:3 LK 0 p .m . T u rvey y s p o T y et nl rk O Ma 2 N IG H TS ON LY ! Olney Grange BEEF B AR-B-QUE Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 • 12:30 - 5:00 p.m. Adults $ 1 2 00 • Children under 11 $ 7 00 Meat at the pit $ 8.50 /lb. Now is the time to ... JOIN 4-H NEW MEMBERS & LEADERS WELCOME od SHANGHAIED human services caseworker met with the boy’s mother at the hospital and obtained a statement. The investigation contin- ues and reports will be for- warded to the District Attor- ney’s Of¿ce as soon as they are complete and other wit- nesses are contacted, Work- man said. Highway 202, Astoria • Public Welcome 0 & 3-7 RSD p.m AYS . man Services and a tempo- rary placement was arranged for two other children in the home. The mother went with the boy from the accident scene to Columbia Memorial, then to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Port- land. A police of¿cer and state E W Fo 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 Former Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen accepted the Phoenix Award on behalf of the city. Erik Thorsen, the chief executive of¿cer of Co- lumbia Memorial Hospital; Fred Stemmler, the general manager of Recology Western Oregon; Craig Hoppes, the superintendent of the Astoria School District; and City Man- ager Brett Estes also attended the event. Toddler struck by vehicle remains in serious condition W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber was one of 20 projects hon- ored nationally at an awards ceremony in Chicago earlier this month, timed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Brown- ¿elds Conference. Astoria had previously won a Phoenix Award in 2001 for the transformation of the con- taminated Astoria Mill prop- erty into the Mill Pond Village housing development. 4-H is a youth educational program for boys and girls ages 9-19 with 4-H Cloverbuds ages 5-8 Animals, Arts, Home Ec, Fiber Arts, Shooting Sports, Legos, 4-H Cloverbuds and more! retu rn s OSU Extension w ith the 12th a nnua l C RO W N IN G O F M IS S V IVIAN & V IRGIN IA F RID AY & SATU RD AY S EPTEM BER 18 & 19 • 7PM Tickets: $15-$20 Sponsored by Napa Auto Parts of Warrenton A fundraiser for new bathrooms at the ASOC Playhouse ASOC Playhouse: 129 W. BOND STREET (Behind the Chamber of Commerce) AstorStreetOpryCompany.com 503-325-6104 2001 Marine Drive, Room 210 Astoria, OR 97103 Meet Your Farmers Weekly SNAP Match 503-325-8573 4-H encourages the participation of all youth without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age and disability.