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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2015)
5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015 Parks: City’s newest park opened in May 2014 Continued from Page 1A On Saturday, Cosby took community members on a whirligig tour of the major areas under the park-and- rec purview, equipped with a rough draft of the depart- ment’s master plan that, when ¿nished, will lay out a vision for the city’s parks- and-rec offerings. Throughout the daylong ¿eld trip, Cosby and Parks Maintenance Supervisor Jo- nah Dart-McLean reminded the group that, with so few workers and so many places to service, a consistently high level of maintenance at each site is simply unrealistic. The staff is just stretched too thin. Ocean View Cemetery, for example, is one of 12 areas rated in “poor” condition, according to the draft master plan. The cemetery requires the usual park upkeep (grass, garbage, etc.). And, like many parks, it has spe- cial needs: The headstones, planted in close formation, make mowing certain areas problematic; the sandy soil makes it difficult for grass to grow; and many visitors leave behind fake flowers and other trinkets in viola- tion of cemetery rules that the department doesn’t have time to enforce. “If it’s not held to the stan- dard that people would like, it’s not because we don’t want to,” Cosby said. It’s because the department just doesn’t have the resources to do it. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Parks and Recreation Director Angela Cosby talks about Violet LaPlante park during the tour. AVWRULDQJUDI¿WL The bus tour began at the Astoria Aquatic Center and hit the major stops — the Customs House, Alderbrook Park, the Riverwalk, Mari- time Memorial Park, Shive- ly Park and others — before ending at the Astoria Recre- ation Center. Along the way, Cosby and Dart-McLean pointed out the conditions of each site and the challenges in- volved in keeping them fit for public use. The downtown restrooms and the restroom beneath the Doughboy Monument attract many vandals and are chron- ic headaches for the main- tenance crew, Dart-McLean said. Meanwhile, the Tapiola Park restrooms also see ex- tensive vandalism, said for- mer City Planner Rosemary Johnson, who provided his- Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian LEFT: Rosemary Johnson, former Astoria city planner, gives some information to the tour group about the Customs House, a replica of an original customs house that sits near the Columbia Fields. RIGHT: Pam Pearce, manager at the Aquatic Center, gives a tour of the center’s weight room. torical information during the trip. “We’re not talking about just graffiti. Tearing sinks out and breaking them. Fe- ces all over the building. I mean major, major issues,” she said. The playground equip- ment at Alderbrook Park and Violet LaPlante Park needs to be upgraded, Cosby said. But the equipment is so old that, if the department de- cides to repair or replace it, the entire structure needs to be overhauled, according to state statute. The all-or- nothing rule “makes it tough for us,” Cosby said. If the department had its way, it would deal with play- ground equipment as it does with the pool water filtration system at the aquatic center: identify the parts that are nearing the end of their life span and replace them be- fore they cause disruptions in public enjoyment. “The last thing we want to do is broadcast: ‘We’re Though the city contin- ues to add parks — the lat- est, the Garden of Surging Waves, opened in May 2014 — the parks-and-rec main- tenance budget has actually decreased by thousands of dollars over the years, Cos- by said. Maintaining a new park isn’t just a matter of adding a garbage can, she said. It’s more like having another child — something that de- mands care, attention and an investment of time and re- sources that may need to be pulled from other important areas. During the summer, the department hires five part- time seasonal employees. ILW (63): Mackenzie Kaech 29, Bannister 14, Jacobsen 9, Ellsworth 7, McMillan 2, Kulm 2, Kondos, Bentley. NB (39): Moore 13, Shale 8, Ivey 5, Takaci 4, Garman 4, Vogler 2, Pope 2, Avery 1. Ilwaco 14 21 15 13—63 N.Beach 7 13 7 12—39 (Josi 2, Martin, Walker, Mast); Sea- side 3-12 (Babb 2, Thompson). Free Throws: Liberty 12-21, Seaside 14- 16. Turnovers: Liberty 16, Seaside 17. Fouls: Liberty 13, Seaside 17. Fouled out: None. Liberty 12 14 16 15—57 Seaside 13 10 14 14—51 JV: Seaside 59, Liberty 58 BOYS BASKETBALL Clatskanie 55, Knappa 53 CLA (55): Wyatt McKay 13, Starkel 11, Norgren 9, Luquette 6, Howard 4, Sewald 4, Karber 3, McCallister 2, Nichols 2, Watson. KNA (53): Dale Takalo 21, Miller 13, Weirup 9, Eltagonde 6, Geisler 2, Rubus 2, Goodman. Clatskanie 14 10 16 15—55 Knappa 10 9 21 13—53 going to have to close the center because a pump went out,’” Pam Pearce, recre- ation coordinator at the As- toria Aquatic Center, said. “We want to try to get to those things before they come.” Poor to excellent And it regularly contracts out some of its maintenance work. The Mill Pond Home- owners Association, for ex- ample, does routine cleaning at Mill Pond Park. Tongue Point Job Corps students take part in the department’s monthly park clean-up par- ties. And the North Coast Watershed Association, as well as Alderbrook Neigh- borhood residents, volunteer at Alderbrook Lagoon. “We just have so much area to cover,” Dart-McLean said. “And, even if you’re just changing garbages at ev- ery spot, it just adds up and adds up and adds up.” It’s not all bad news, however. Though the draft master plan rates a dozen sites in “poor” condition and 16 in “fair” condition, it also rates 20 as “good” and four — Astor Park, Mill Pond Park, Maritime Memorial Park and the 15th Street Tri- angle — as “excellent.” “Right now, we just try and maintain things basi- cally as they are, as intelli- gently as we possibly can, and still make it look good,” Dart-McLean said. SCOREBOARD PREP SCHEDULE TUESDAY Girls Basketball — Knappa at Warrenton, 6 p.m.; Ilwaco at Ocos- ta, 7 p.m. Boys Basketball — Astoria at Il- waco, 7:15 p.m.; Rainier at Seaside, 7:30 p.m.; Knappa at Warrenton, 7:45 p.m. Swimming — Gladstone at Sea- side, 4 p.m. WEDNESDAY Girls Basketball — Ilwaco at Seaside, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY Boys Basketball — Ocosta at Il- waco, 7 p.m. Wrestling — Warrenton at Verno- nia, 5 p.m. FRIDAY Girls Basketball — Astoria at El- mira, 7 p.m.; Seaside at Cascade, 6 p.m.; Neah-Kah-Nie at Warrenton, 6 p.m.; Knappa at Heppner Classic, TBA; Jewell at Crosshill Christian, 5:30 p.m.; Chief Leschi at Ilwaco, 7 p.m. Boys Basketball — Astoria at R.A. Long, 7 p.m.; Seaside at Cas- cade, 7:45 p.m.; Neah-Kah-Nie at Warrenton, 7:45 p.m.; Knappa at Heppner Classic, TBA; Jewell at Crosshill Christian, 7:15 p.m.; Chief Leschi at Ilwaco, 7 p.m. SATURDAY Girls Basketball — Astoria at Cottage Grove, 5 p.m.; Warrenton at Jefferson, 2:30 p.m.; Knappa at Heppner Classic, TBA Boys Basketball — Warrenton at Jefferson, 4 p.m.; Knappa at Hep- pner Classic, TBA Swimming — Andrew Nygaard Invitational, Astoria AC, 10 a.m. Wrestling — Warrenton Tourna- ment, 10 a.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Seaside 60, Liberty 53 LIB (53): Kenzie Pimentel 16, Maki 12, Williams 10, Thomas 6, Jobe 6, Grenfell 3. SEA (60): Maddi Utti 36, Villegas 11, J.Ideue 3, Westerholm 3, Trott 2, Babbitt 2, P.Ideue 1, Brown 1, West 1, Smart. Field goals: Liberty 16-54; Sea- side 22-32. 3-Point FG: Liberty 6-20 (Ken.Pimentel 3, Jobe 2, Thomas); Seaside 2-5 (Utti 2). Free Throws: Bone marrow screening Tuesday in Warrenton The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Be a Match, which manages the registry for the National Marrow Donor Program, is holding a free bone marrow screening from 3 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria at Warrenton High School Tuesday. The screening takes ap- proximately 20 minutes and involves a mouth swab, which is then sent to a lab for testing. A bone marrow or cord blood transplant may be the best treatment option or a po- tential for a cure for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and many other diseases, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Nearly six people die from a blood disease ev- ery hour. Thirty percent of leukemia patients will ¿nd a match from a family mem- ber. The other 70 percent of patients rely on matches with strangers. Warrenton High School is located at 1700 S.E. Main Ave. Liberty 15-30, Seaside 22-42). Turnovers: Liberty 36, Seaside 34. Fouls: Liberty 30, Seaside 22. Fouled out: Liberty, Ken.Pimentel, Jobe, Maki. Liberty 3 22 10 18—53 Seaside 11 17 13 19—60 JV: Liberty 50, Seaside 26 Clatskanie 47, Knappa 24 CLA (47): Rachel Haas 12, Olivia Warren 11, Dykes 8, Miller 4, Lindb- lom 4, Mitchell 3, Simmons 2, Baker 2, Sermino 1. KNA (24): Paris Vanderburg 8, Kaitlyn Landwehr 8, Vandergriff 4, Miethe 2, Strain 2. Clatskanie 10 9 13 14—47 Knappa 8 5 3 8—24 Ilwaco 63, North Beach 39 Liberty 57, Seaside 51 LIB (57): Blake Walker 17, Mast 15, Josi 11, Stemm 4, Kumar 4, Martin 3, Paterson 2, Magera 1, Bolinger. SEA (51): Hunter Thompson 15, Eagon 10, Smith 8, Januik 8, Babb 6, Marston 4. Field goals: Liberty 20-43; Sea- side 17-46. 3-Point FG: Liberty 5-11 Ilwaco 61, Naselle 32 NAS (32): Donny Edwards 10, Dorman 7, Estes 6, Pine 4, Wirkkala 2, Lund 2, Gudmundsen 1, Scra- beck. ILW (61): Zac Tapio 17, Tynkila 13, Mendoza 10, Bannister 9, Kaino 4, Lazaro 4, Schenk 2, Aguayo 2. Naselle 7 7 12 6—32 Ilwaco 12 25 10 14—61 Ilwaco 69, North Beach 55 ILW (69): Alex Kaino 27, Bannister 15, Tapio 14, Lazaro 5, Mendoza 4, Tynkila 4, Schenk, Aguayo. NB (55): Sierly 17, Perez 12, Paul- na 11, Gonzalez 10, Johnson 2, Forvour 4. Ilwaco 17 17 15 20—69 N.Beach 18 8 14 15—55