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
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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!
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OSU Extension
w ith the 12th a nnua l
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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.