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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2016)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016 Cannon Beach has new flagship ¿re truck ‘A great piece of apparatus’ By ANDREW TONRY For EO Media Group CANNON BEACH — There’s a shiny new truck at the ¿re station. In January, the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District welcomed a custom- built, 36-foot-long, 50,000- pound, 500-hundred-horse- power Pierce Arrow XT ladder into the bay. Christened “Ladder 3249,” the department’s Àagship vehicle will be on call by mid-February. The $755,000 truck was paid for by a tax levy. It replaces a 1991 Beck telesquirt. Besides the old Beck’s increasing maintenance costs and insurance concerns, Ladder 3249’s primary selling point was its 75-foot extend- able ladder. With signi¿cantly increased height and range, Andrew Tonry/For EO Media Group Andrew Tonry/For EO Media Group Ladder 3249 makes its debut with Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue. Cannon Beach ¿re¿ghters say they can reach the top of any building in town. That wasn’t the case with the old truck, which was limited in its reach, especially critical at hotels and larger homes. Once you were outside the collapse zone you couldn’t reach,” Lieutenant Steven Moon said. “Rarely someone would be up that ladder.” The new ladder, with motorized extension, wider steps, guard rails, equipment mounts and an intercom, can carry up to 750 pounds. “This is the shortest truck you can get with a 75-foot aerial,” Moon said. As short as it is, Ladder 3249 barely ¿ts underneath the station’s bay doors. It squeezes in because it was built to The instrument panel in Ladder 3249. exacting speci¿cations. “This is custom all the way,” Moon said. “With the size of our streets, we wanted a compact truck with the biggest ladder we could get.” “There are thousands upon thousands of options,” he continued. “The sky’s the limit. You get a huge book of specs — it has everything from the front windshield to rear bumper.” The old truck had ¿ttings for three water hoses. Ladder 3249 supports six and adds increased length. It pumps up to 1,500 gallons per minute, and has the capability to spray two kinds of ¿re-retardant foam. Ladder 3249 employs bright, low-power LED lights, a more modern and robust communications system, increased cab size and carrying capacity, enhanced safety features and an automatic transmission. “It drives like a dream,” Lt. Tom Misner said. The vehicle and its spec- i¿cations were selected by Misner, Moon, along with other volunteers and former Fire Chief Mike Balzer. Despite the allure of further options, Misner and Moon say Ladder 3249 contains only the essentials. “We kept this thing as slim and trim as possible,” Moon said. “We saved as much money as possible. No frills.” Passed on were options like computer-controlled ladder- docking and an onboard generator. In the case of the generator, they added a much cheaper, handheld model. In the case of the electronic docking, it just seemed frivolous. “We don’t even have air-conditioning on this truck,” Moon said. “That saved $8,000.” The department’s engine — a smaller water-pumper without a ladder — is also a Pierce. “Anytime you get around the ladder the huge risk is power lines,” interim Chief Jim Stearns said. “It has to be in their minds: ‘Where are those overhead power lines?’” All the primarily all-vol- unteer force will eventu- ally become Àuent in the new truck’s operation. “In a volunteer department like this, everyone has to know all the different roles,” Stearns said. “We strive for everybody to be on the same page, because you don’t know who is going to show up on a call.” O’ville: County is still not planning to give food permit Continued from Page 1A Department of Community Development alleged that Driscoll overstepped his grandfathering agreement and violated zoning policies intended to protect the surrounding environment. When the DCD cited Driscoll for violations of county policies in June 2014, he asked for a court hearing, in hopes that a judge could provide some clarity about how county codes, policies and ordinances applied to his property. The September ruling, from District Court Judge Doug Goelz found Driscoll guilty of some elements of the infraction, but said that Driscoll did have the right to operate his business — with certain limitations. Though County Prosecutor Mark McClain initially said he saw the decision as a victory for the county, the county in November ¿led an appeal. In a legal brief, Chief Deputy Pros- ecuting Attorney Eric Weston argued that Goelz’s decision wasn’t valid, asserting that under Washington law only Superior Court judges have the authority to make land-use decisions. “If this decision by the South District Court is allowed to stand, it impermissibly short-circuits the land-use process,” Weston wrote. “The South District Court’s mishan- dling of a quasi-criminal case … instead of as a (land- use case) appeal has created a quagmire of issues.” In response, Driscoll’s attorney, Ben Cushman, ¿led a motion to dismiss the appeal. On Jan. 13, visiting Superior Court Judge William Daily Astorian/File Photo A pint of Fort George’s Vortex IPA sits on a bar inside Fort George Brewery. Brewery: Plans to purchase about 10 acres for $700,000 Continued from Page 1A Keith Cox/StonyPix Despite a positive Superior Court ruling this month, Oysterville Sea Farms remains in legal limbo when it comes to some business activities beyond oysters. Faubion granted Cushman’s motion to dismiss the appeal. In a very brief court document, Faubion said the county had “no basis to appeal.” “As I understand it, Goelz’s decision has been upheld by the dismissal. It just shows me Paci¿c County had a funda- mental misunderstanding of its own rules and regula- tions,” Driscoll said in a phone interview last week. Driscoll said that while the dismissal is good news for him, he still can’t operate his business the way he’d like to, because a “stop work order” is still active, and the Community Development still has not granted his request for a license that he needs to legally operate a food-related establishment. “At this point, it doesn’t mean anything,” Driscoll said. “What any business needs to survive is stability and predict- ability. What I am looking for is a reasonable voice in the county government to work with.” Permit still unsettled In a phone interview Tuesday, McClain said the District Court ruling did not obligate the county to issue the food permit to Driscoll. County of¿cials say they don’t have to allow Driscoll to sell hot foods because his business is in a zone that doesn’t permit that type of activity. “We’re saying ‘Look, I’m sorry, the District Court ruling is only related to whether or not you violated the law,’” McClain said. He explained that the county is evaluating its policies related to devel- opment and use of shoreline areas. “How (Oysterville Sea Farms ) will operate is a question that will be answered by the Shoreline Master Program, future zoning and the State Department of Ecology,” McClain said. Last year, wetland miti- gation threw a wrench into the county’s plans to develop the park. Just as the county was hoping to take offers from interested businesses, it learned no mitigation has been done on any of the site’s wetlands. A 1,200-page applica- tion for the entire park — submitted in October to the Oregon Department of State Lands and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — could take 18 months for approval, pushing develop- ment into 2017. Fort George will submit its own application for the speci¿c 10-acre lot. The smaller application can be processed within a year. The county peeled four credits out of its application and is giving them to Fort George. Wetlands on other proper- ties around Warrenton will be preserved to allow develop- ment in the business park. ‘Hit a home run’ The North Coast Business Park has become more attractive to businesses in the past year. The park was designated by the state as a 5egionally Signi¿cant Indus- trial Area and was one of the reasons behind the Clatsop Enterprise Zone, where property tax exemptions can be offered to encourage new projects. The park has sat vacant for years. In the mid-1960s, a large developer planned to build an aluminum smelting plant but the project was never built. The land was leveled, and wetlands grew. If the park was not on wetlands, county of¿cials believe, it would likely already be developed. Scott Lee, the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, complimented county staff Wednesday for sticking with the project and helping to bring in the park’s ¿rst tenant. Developing the park has been a top priority for the county. “For a moment there, I was like, ‘We are in a pickle here,’” Lee said. “You have been able to hit a home run.” Wings: Clatsop Community College Smith: State law calls for local option is reaching out to female population Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A Turner, who moved to Warrenton from Flagstaff, Arizona, nearly 20 years ago and spent the next 15 years teaching Spanish, world studies, government and economics at Warrenton High School, recently retired and went to work for the college. “This demographic is extremely overlooked,” Turner said of Spanish-speaking women. “In a culture such as ours, an American culture, you’re always going to have a hierarchy. You’re always going to have white males. You’re going to have that progression of who gets the opportunity.” While she understands mothers both fall lower on the hierarchy and face the same daily challenges, Turner said, opportunities come twice as hard when someone lacks the WINGS REGISTRATION The Women Interested in Going to School conference, along with its Latina counterpart, will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in Columbia Hall. The conference is free and provides child care and lunch. For more information or to regis- ter, visit www.wings-clatsop.com or call organizer Patricia Lehman at 503-717-1852. ability to speak English. Transiciones Costa Uno, the ¿rst of two classes, helps women build their self-con¿- dence, learn about college and explore career and educational opportunities. Noting the chal- lenges some women face with child care and their work schedules, the college recently added Cynthia Livar, who works at Providence Seaside Hospital, as an evening Tran- siciones Costa instructor. Transiciones Costa Dos transitions primarily into English and teaches students how to comfortably navigate the Internet, use various computer programs and build reading and writing skills. “In the middle of all that, we’re encouraging these women, these Latinas, to pursue their GEDs,” Turner said. Both Turner and Frimoth said they have seen the full spectrum of educational abilities, from women who only ¿nished portions of primary school to others who have already earned comparable college degrees internationally. By the end of Transiciones, Turner said, some women are ready to enter the workforce better prepared, while many others choose to keep studying. Frimoth said she treads protectively with Latinas, who, as part of the Hispanic community, still face bias locally. None of the prior Latina WINGS participants were willing to speak to the newspaper about their experi- ences for a story. But Frimoth said there are a lot of skills and experience Latinas have to contribute to the community — if only they can speak the language. Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare must provide a written report to the court with its determination. An oI¿cial with the mental health provider could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The court order stems from a state law that gives criminal defendants the opportunity to be evaluated locally by a community mental health program before a decision is made on sending them to the Oregon State Hospital. The defense and prose- cution each submitted four recommendations for other mental health experts to examine Smith. A status hearing to address the results of Smith’s evaluation — whether from a local, private or state expert — is set for late March. Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis has said in court he has grave concerns about resources being available locally to examine Smith. Last summer, Marquis said he believed the county was in crisis on mental health and that law enforcement was frustrated by a limited ability to help people in urgent need of care. “Given that Ms. Smith is charged with capital murder, my guess is (the defense) would probably have considerable concerns about some agent of the state inter- viewing her about her mental state and prescribing medi- cations for her,” Marquis said in court. “I’m not trying to say anything negative. With a capital murder case, the chances resources are available locally, I think, are limited.”
