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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2016)
COCKTAILS FOR A CAUSE AHS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES COAST WEEKEND SPORTS • 7A 143rd YEAR, No. 141 THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 ONE DOLLAR Port tries dancing the sea lions away ,QÀDWDEOHDLUGDQFHUV latest bid to get sea lions to skedaddle The Port Commission has ap- proved buying two air dancers to act like dockside scarecrows in the agency’s latest endeavor to shoo sea lions out of the East End Mooring Basin. By EDWARD STRATTON The suggestion came from Port The Daily Astorian Commissioner James Campbell, who said the “bo geymen” had suc- The Port of Astoria has tried sur- cessfully scared away sea lions in YH\LQJ WDSH EHDFK EDOOV HOHFWUL¿HG California . A staple at car dealer- mats and fake orcas to scare away sea ships, bargain stores, halftime shows OLRQV:K\QRWLQÀDWDEOHDLUGDQFHUV" and concerts, the nylon, tube-shaped Gearhart party barn takes a break No commercial events this winter at Neacoxie Barn in Gearhart By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian GEARHART — There won’t be any weddings or special events at Neacoxie Barn in Gearhart, at least until March . Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Cindee Matyas signed a temporary injunc- tion Tuesday prohibiting owner Shannon Smith from using the barn for commercial events. The injunction provides an oppor- tunity for a “cooling-off period” after years of rancor and legal disputes between Smith and the city. According to the agreement, Smith is subject to a temporary injunction pledging not to use the barn for future events without the necessary permits, Gearhart City Manag- er Chad Sweet said. “We’re doing our best to help it out in any way, in terms of con- versations,” Sweet said Tuesday. “There are Shannon still things she needs to Smith do that we can’t bend on having to do with public safety.” “This agreement was a way to secure a February mediation type of sit-down with the city with all experts — something that I have asked for multiple times over the years,” Smith said via email Wednesday. “The property is not used in winter anyway.” 7KH EDUQ DW 3DFL¿F :D\ E\ 1HD coxie Creek, is used for weddings, family reunions and other commercial events, ac- FRUGLQJWRFLW\RI¿FLDOV%XWZLWKRXWDFRQ ditional use permit and a building occupan- cy permit, the owners are putting the health and safety of guests and residents at risk. FDULFDWXUHV ÀDLODURXQGLQWKHVN\DV WKH\¿OOZLWKDLU Moss Landing Harbor in Monte- rey Bay, California, bought several air dancers and spread them along docks to discourage about 600 sea lions that had taken up residence. Harbor master Linda McIntyre said the air dancers, an idea she gleaned from farmers trying to scare away birds, provided an effective deterrent to sea lions, at least initially. “Almost everything works for a day or two,” she said. “It’s too bad they’re so smart.” The sea lions eventually learn the game, she said, so her staff has turned to paintball guns, a hazing method allowed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- tration, in combination with the air dancers. “And when you come into the harbor and see those air dancers, they put a smile on your face,” she said. “They’re hilarious little clowns.” Text-to-911 coming to Astoria West Coast issue Campbell’s suggestion of the air dancers came amid a larger discus- sion Tuesday about forming a sea lion committee to lobby the feder- al government for more options to control the animal’s population and SUHGDWLRQ RQ HQGDQJHUHG ¿VK UXQV Commissioner Bill Hunsinger, a FRPPHUFLDO¿VKHUPDQKDVPDGHWKH new committee his pet project. See SEA LIONS, Page 10A Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Jeff Rusiecki, 911 c om- munications M anager, shows the current message that ap- pears when you text 911. New system could be ready in three to six months, also for Warrenton “Up and down the Columbia River, we work very closely with them, so it just makes sense that storia Dispatch will be we should adopt the technology RQH RI WKH ¿UVW HPHU to move forward,” Rusiecki said. gency call centers in the The W eb-based system will be state to receive text messages, a Windows application operated opening an alternative lifeline by a third-party provider, Tele- during domestic violence, home Communication Systems. The invasions or other critical situa- system will be compatible with tions when making a phone call what is used in Washington state. LVGLI¿FXOW The third-party system will The local dispatch center route text messages and send is part of a partnership that in- them to the correct 911 center. cludes Multnomah, Clackamas, A ny attachments such as pictures Washington, Columbia and Clark and videos will be stripped off. counties along with the city of Eventually, the state will de- Woodburn. velop its own system for the The Portland Dispatch Cen- 43 dispatch centers and will be ter Consortium plans to have a able to accept texts without a W eb-based system set up in about third-party connector. three to six months to receive text Meanwhile, the contract with messages from cellphones. TeleCommunication Systems is Unveiling a statewide move still being coordinated. toward text messages was not Costs are being covered by the Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian feasible. Instead, the state has state and by the 75-cent surcharge Jeff Rusiecki, 911 c ommunications m anager, shows the monitor agreed to fund a pilot project and fee paid by cellphone users. begin rolling out the program re- Astoria Dispatch’s only cost system used in the dispatch center at the Astoria Police Department. gionally with the hope of being would be buying another mon- border-to-border by 2018. itor. T he center already has the Jeff Rusiecki, Astoria 911 additional capability so no local ‘If I get a call that needs to go communications manager, said funds will be spent. it makes sense that the Port- “We were very careful to make across to Pacifi c or Washington ODQGPHWUR DUHD EH WKH ¿UVW LQ sure everyone was on the same County, we can send it over to the state since the centers border platform,” Rusiecki said. “If I get Washington state, which has al- a call that needs to go across to them just like we can with a ready started using text-to-911. 3DFL¿F RU :DVKLQJWRQ &RXQW\ Astoria Dispatch regularly re- we can send it over to them just voice call.’ FHLYHV FDOOV IURP 3DFL¿F :DK like we can with a voice call.” kiakum, Cowlitz and Clark coun- Jeff Rusiecki Astoria 911 communications manager See TEXT-TO-911, Page 10A ties in Washington. By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian A See PARTY BARN, Page 10A ‘No such thing as a seagull’ Enter your baby in The Daily Astorian’s Cutest Baby Contest for 2015 Wildlife expert talks about northern fulmars and other birds If your baby was born between Jan 1st & Dec 31st of 2015 , you can submit your By ANDREW R. TONRY For EO Media Group newborn’s picture either via email at CANNON BEACH — “There’s no such thing as a seagull,” said Josh Saranpaa with a wry smile. “If you hear anyone say that, slap them across the face.” The room burst into laugh- ter, and a cheeky member of the audience joined in the joke. “But I saw a seagull eating DVWDU¿VK´WKHPDQRIIHUHG While there may be no such thing as a “seagull,” there are, however, many different one of our offices in Astoria or Seaside classifieds@dailyastorian.com or drop by and we can scan in the photo for you. Andrew R. Tonry /For EO Media Group Common murres, one of many seabirds found on Hay- stack Rock. The murres lay their eggs directly on the rock, not in a nest. species of gulls — laughing gulls, ivory gulls, California gulls, slaty-backed gulls and so on. Those found most often in Cannon Beach are known as northern fulmars. One of them was in the Cannon Beach Library last week, along with three other species. They were brought by See SEABIRDS, Page 10A Deadline to enter is Tuesday, January 26th at 5:00 pm . Entries will be printed in The Daily Astorian on January 29th.