143rd YEAR, No. 115
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015
ONE DOLLAR
Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Pearl Harbor survivor Bill Thomas, right, tosses the wreath into the Necanicum River during the Pearl Harbor Day of Remembrance ceremony. At left is Clatsop County Veterans
Service Officer Luke Thomas.
‘A shout out to all those heroes’
Seaside honors survivors of ‘day which will live in infamy’
By KATHERINE LACAZE
EO Media Group
S
EASIDE — A day that will “live in in-
famy.” An event that served to “awak-
en a sleeping giant.” These things were
solemnly remembered and tribute was paid
to those who served during World War II at
the annual Pearl Harbor Day of Remem-
brance in Seaside.
Residents gathered at the Seaside Civic
and Convention Center Monday morning
for a ceremony highlighted by the atten-
dance of two Pearl Harbor survivors Bill
Thomas, who served aboard the USS Me-
dusa, and Spurgeon Keeth Sr., a member of
the U.S. Army’s 35th Infantry stationed at
Scho¿ eld Barracks on Oahu.
“You are my heroes,” said guest speaker
Steve Gibson, a retired U.S. Navy captain.
Strength and resolve
In his speech, Gibson focused on two
memorable quotes inspired by the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor more than 70 years
ago. The ¿ rst was delivered by then presi-
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt, who, when ask-
ing Congress for a declaration of war against
Japan, described Dec. 7 as “a date which
See CEREMONY, Page 10A
Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Steve Gibson gives a speech on the history of Pearl Harbor during the Day of Remembrance
ceremony at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center Monday.
Sticker shock, second thoughts Fees going up at
on library and housing project Astoria Column,
City Council
struggles over
the future of
Heritage Square
timates. Councilor Zetty Nem-
lowill wanted more information,
so councilors opted to table the
question for now rather than let
the issue possibly die with the tie
vote.
“It’s been very dif¿ cult be-
cause staff would like to know
how to move forward,” LaMear
said afterward. “We really
don’t know how to tell them to
move forward because we can’t
agree.”
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
A new library with housing
and a plaza to ¿ ll the hole at
Heritage Square could cost be-
tween $29.7 million and $38.7
million, a price tag that has cre-
ated doubts about the wisdom
of an expensive redevelopment
project.
The Astoria City Council
could not agree Monday night
whether a new library should go
at Heritage Square after a ¿ tful
debate and tentative votes to ¿ ll
Mixed-use project
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
The Astoria Public Library is outdated and in need
of renovation.
the hole at the former Safeway
and explore housing as a poten-
tial option.
Mayor Arline LaMear and
City Councilor Drew Herzig
voted to consider a new library
at Heritage Square, while Coun-
cilor Cindy Price and Council-
or Russ Warr voted against the
concept, citing the high cost es-
The City Council turned to
Heritage Square as a potential
site for a new library and hous-
ing after walking away from a
$4.6 million renovation of the
existing public library at 10th
Street into the vacant Waldorf
See COUNCIL, Page 7A
Aquatic Center
City Council
also approves
Neighborhood
Greenway
By DERRICK
DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Parking at the Astoria Col-
umn will jump to $5 — up
from $2 — starting in January.
The fee increase for the
annual pass, approved unan-
imously by the Astoria City
Council Monday night, will go
toward restoration of the land-
mark and park improvements.
The city’s Parks and Recre-
ation Department will also get
a share that is expected to gen-
erate an estimated $10,000 in
additional revenue for the city
a year.
An estimated 40,000 to
45,000 annual passes are sold
at the Column each year, al-
though many visitors only use
the pass once. According to
the city, 98.5 percent of visi-
tors to the Column are from
out of town.
The Column reopened
in October after a $1 million
renovation ¿ nanced by the
Friends of the Astoria Column.
The renovation was the most
extensive repair work done to
the Column in two decades.
See FEES, Page 3A
Students celebrate local author with Oregon Coast Literary Award
Folklorist Lindsey
shares anecdotes
of early life in
Cannon Beach
By KATHERINE LACAZE
EO Media Group
CANNON BEACH — Making
connections. That was the message
local author Peter Lindsey deliv-
ered as he received the Oregon
Coast Literary Award from Seaside
High School students. The annual
event celebrates Oregon’s offering
of diverse, talented authors and lit-
erature.
“Stories link us to the past and
prepare us for the future,” Lindsey
said. “In this transitory, ephemeral
world, stories alone endure. What
are each of us in our lives but a sto-
ry?”
The wards were held Dec. 2,
at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse .
Seaside students presented Lindsey
with the award for his anecdotal his-
tory of Cannon Beach, “Comin’ in
Over the Rock.” They also read ex-
cerpts written by two books chosen
as ¿ nalists Laini Taylor’s “Daugh-
ter of Smoke and Bone” and Storm
Large’s “Crazy Enough.”
The Oregon Coast Literary
Awards, started in 2012 by teach-
er Adrian Anderson, used to be a
project of the senior honors En-
glish class. This year, the class
started as an elective with seven
students. New English teacher
LeeAnn Schmelzenbach led the
class.
Making ‘a connection’
The class encourages students
not only to read, but to read locally,
and it promotes “a connection” with
people across communities and the
state, Schmelzenbach said. Lind-
sey echoed that sentiment during a
speech at the ceremony.
The selection of ¿ nalists alone
— whose work included a memoir,
a fantasy novel and an anecdotal
history — shows the breadth and
See AWARD, Page 10A
Katherine Lacaze/EO Media Group
Seaside High School student Jesse Trott pres-
ents Oregon author Peter Lindsey with awards
and gifts for being selected the recipient of the
2015 Oregon Coast Literary Award.