143rd YEAR, No. 129
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016
Corps of Discovery
event cuts the salt
ONE DOLLAR
NO QUICK
REMEDY
A city task force
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gether to talk openly about the
challenges.
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crete recommendation to the
city — investing in public
restrooms — is already being
By DERRICK
addressed by the City Coun-
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The Daily Astorian
to install portable
restrooms near the
Astoria Police
Astoria Riverwalk.
Chief Brad John-
After seeing how
ston acknowledged
the portable re-
that many thought it
strooms work, the
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city might consid-
for a city task force
er new public re-
to look into home-
strooms as part of
lessness.
The city has no
the budget process
human services de-
later this year.
partment. No hous-
The task force
Brad
ing
department.
called for public
Johnston
No social workers.
restrooms that are
The police only have the au- structurally less prone to van-
thority to sweep the homeless dalism and located in areas
from the streets if they have that are more visible.
committed a crime or pose an
imminent danger because of
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mental illness.
The other recommenda-
“The things we were look- tions by the task force are pol-
ing at were outside of the icy statements directed more
FLW\¶V DELOLW\ WR LQÀXHQFH at the community than city
and that the city should not government.
be looking at them in isola-
The coalition recommend-
tion,” Johnston told the City ed centralized services for the
Council Monday night as he homeless, such as a drop-in
SUHVHQWHG WKH FRDOLWLRQ¶V UHF- center to link with community
ommendations.
health, behavioral health and
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this is they were half right —
To break barriers that can
they were right and they were keep the homeless at a dis-
wrong.”
tance, the task force called for
:KLOH WKH WDVN IRUFH¶V changing the language used
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“pretty soft,” the exercise did providing access to basic life
get social service, mental
health, religious, business and See TASK FORCE, Page 7A
treads carefully
on homelessness
Submitted Photo
A member of the Pacific Northwest Living Historians shows a visitor how local tribes made their clothing. The
“Saltmakers Return” event has been conducted in Seaside since 2001.
“First-person interpretation is ex-
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within the National Park Service be-
cause it takes historically accurate
interpreters to do the programming,”
Tucker said.
Volunteer program manager and
park ranger Sally Freeman agreed, add-
ing the National Park Service needs in-
terpreters who resemble the historical
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through training and research.
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With Parks Service
out, Seaside Museum
seeks new sponsor
for Saltmakers
By KATHERINE LACAZE
EO Media Group
S
EASIDE — The Seaside Mu-
seum and Historical Society is
scrambling to find new support
for “The Saltmakers Return to Sea-
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torical program, after the National
Park Service pulled out as a sponsor
because the event lacked authentic-
ity.
Tita Montero, vice president of the
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program would be suspended until
new partnership could be found.
Lewis and Clark National Histor-
ical Park, affiliated with the Nation-
al Park Service, will no longer help
present the event, park superinten-
dent Scott Tucker said last week.
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authenticity” and inability to meet
“National Park Service standards for
first-person interpretation” were the
main reasons the government agency
terminated its involvement.
The program is also expensive,
especially since it is not held on Na-
tional Park Service property, Tucker
said. Faced with dwindling budgets,
the agency cannot afford to use hu-
man resources and funds to be a part-
ner for the event.
Submitted Photo
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In January 1806, after the Corps of
Discovery settled into Fort Clatsop,
a detachment came down to Seaside
with Capt. William Clark to make
salt to preserve food for the winter
and the trip back to the United States.
“The Saltmakers Return to Seaside”
recreated the experience, providing
an interactive opportunity for people
to learn about the explorers. The mu-
seum, in partnership with the Lewis
and Clark National Historical Park,
started the program in 2001. The pre-
sentation was held on the beach in
Seaside and typically attracted about
2,000 people a year.
Spurned suitor
claims breach of
contract, bias
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Until last year, the museum con-
tracted with interpreters from the Pa-
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They dressed in period costume to por-
tray members of the expedition as they
made salt from seawater for visitors
over a 48-hour time period. Technical-
ly the interpreters volunteered for the
park service, though, so they could fall
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The arrangement was “an awkward
piece” that should have been identi-
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The event was designed so visitors
would feel they actually were entering
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in 1806. They could even barter with
time period-appropriate items.
“We asked people to transport them-
selves and their minds to the camp,”
Freeman said.
However, it was determined through
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Northwest Living Historians no longer
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nied allegations brought by Param Hotel
Group against the agency and Executive
Director Jim Knight regarding the han-
dling of the Astoria Riverwalk Inn lease
transfer.
Param alleges the Port wrongfully
walked away from a binding agreement
to assign the company the remaining
lease of heavily indebted Riverwalk Inn
operator Brad Smithart, and showed bias
in favor of the current operators, Wil-
liam Orr and Chester Trabucco, because
of their connections with Port Commis-
sioners Stephen Fulton and Bill Hunsing-
er. Orr and Trabucco are both named as
defendants in the lawsuit but have yet to
respond through their lawyer.
“Defendants Port and Knight admit
that there were negotiations with plaintiff
regarding the assignment of the lease for
the Riverwalk Inn,” wrote attorney Luke
Reese of Garrett Hemann Robertson
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“However, those negotiations were ulti-
mately not successful.”
Reese argued that Param canceled
See SALTMAKERS, Page 7A
See PORT, Page 7A
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The first step in making salt is
bringing the seawater to the fire, as
this actor is doing in 2012. The an-
nual event recreating the historical
journey of Lewis and Clark will not
take place in Seaside this year.
Port of Astoria denies
hotel deal allegations
Jim
Knight
Stephen C.
Fulton
Bill
Hunsinger
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By LYNDA LAYNE
For EO Media Group
ILWACO, Wash. — When
John Thomas relocated to
the Long Beach Peninsula in
February to become pastor
of the New Life Assembly
of God Church in Ilwaco, he
brought with him his wife,
their two daughters and about
one-fourth of a dead 13-foot,
5-inch alligator named Levi.
Seriously.
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huge taxidermied head, jaws
wide open, rests forever in a
big glass case. When “Pas-
tor John” opens the top, the
scent of formaldehyde wafts
through the air, as if the mon-
OUR NEW
NEIGHBORS
HIGHLIGHTING PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE COMMUNITY
ster reptile is still thinking up
some sort of get-even tactic
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hunter just a few years prior.
That hunter was none other
than Pastor John Thomas.
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Snagged in a southern
lake, Levi was a record-set-
ting catch. Thomas proudly
recites, “He was the No. 5
alligator of all time for the
state of Georgia.” And Thom-
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still listed as the largest one
ever harvested from there. It
was estimated, head and all,
that this scaly critter weighed
about 700 pounds.
Thomas presently has
no plans to attempt a repeat
catch. This was pretty much
a one-time only venture. But
See THOMAS, Page 10A
In his office at
Ilwaco’s New Life
Church, Pastor John
Thomas gazes at the
taxidermied open
jaws of Levi — short
for Leviathan — the
record-setting, mon-
ster reptile he caught
in 2012 from a boat
in a Georgia lake.
Thomas said this was
a one-time alligator
hunt for him and he’s
glad he hooked a big
one. Levi was 13 feet,
5 inches long, with an
estimated weight of
700 pounds.
Lynda Layne
For EO Media Group