INSIDE: A FRESH LOOK FOR COAST WEEKEND DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 143RD YEAR, NO. 211 ONE DOLLAR ‘No rosy picture this year’ Water, sewer rate hikes on tap for Warrenton By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Clatsop County Manager Cameron Moore in his office. Moore moved earlier this month from Mahomet, Illinois, where he served as the chief executive officer for the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission since 2007. ‘MY LAST HURRAH’ New county manager getting up to speed By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian C ameron Moore, the new Clatsop County manager, has spent his fi rst month on the job getting accustomed to life on the North Coast. On days off, the avid hiker explores sce- nic trails along the Pacifi c Ocean. On the job, Moore enjoys learning from county staff and community members. As the top administrator for the county, he oversaw his second Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday night. “It’s kind of been a two-way street,” he said. “I have expectations of people on our staff, but I also know they have a lot to teach me.” Moore, 59, is getting caught up to speed on the various issues facing the county, from a housing crisis and mental health concerns to the county’s role in forestry and fi shing management. See RATE HIKES, Page 4A CAMERON MOORE Clatsop County’s new county manager is an experienced administrator. • 2007-2016 — c hief e xecutive o fficer for the Champaign County, Illinois, Regional Planning Commission. • 2006-2007 — e xecutive d irector and c hief e xecutive o fficer for the Washington D.C.-based National Association of Regional Councils. The organization represents regional planning and development organizations at the federal level. • 2001-2006 — p resident and c hief e xecutive o fficer for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, a federal and state designated, multi county economic development district, a regional planning and development organizations at the federal level. • 2000-2001 — v ice p resident of e conomic d evelopment for the Greater Phoenix, Arizona, Chamber of Commerce. The economic development division is responsible for business retention and expansion for Phoenix and the surrounding Maricopa County. • 1997-2000 — p resident and c hief e xecutive o fficer for the Greater Flagstaff, Arizona, Economic Council. The private, non-profit organization provides economic and community development expertise to Flagstaff and surrounding Coconino County. • 1991-1997 — e xecutive d irector and c hief e xecutive o fficer for the Muscatine, Iowa, Develop- ment Corp . The private, non-profit corporation conducts economic and community development duties with local city and county government. An experienced administrator Hired in February, Moore moved earlier this month from Mahomet, Illinois, where he served as the chief executive offi cer for the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission since 2007. He replaced Scott Somers, who resigned last year to take a job in Maryland. Champaign County has a population of more than 200,000, and is home to the Univer- sity of Illinois. Over his 30-year career, Moore has gained experience in public service admin- istration and economic development with sev- eral public and private entities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Iowa and Illinois. See MOORE, Page 4A WARRENTON — Still playing catch-up after years of avoiding unpopular water and sewer rate hikes, Warrenton will adopt rate increases next fi scal year to sustain the util- ity system and help improve the city’s fi nan- cial state. “As much as I want to give you a rosy picture, there is no rosy picture this year, and there’s no way that I think honestly we can tell people there is,” City Manager Kurt Fritsch told the budget committee at a Wednesday work session. When budget committee hearings begin in May, Fritsch will recommend that water rates go up 7 percent and sewer rates 6 per- cent, which includes a 6 percent increase in storm sewer service fees. A household using 2,000 gallons of water per month will see its monthly water-sewer bill rise from $88.13 to $93.80, according to a rate study. “You’ll still be more expensive than Astoria and Seaside, and you will still be less expensive than Tillamook,” said Doug Gab- bard, the study project manager from a FCS Group, a Lake Oswego-based fi nancial man- agement and consulting service hired by the city. Alex Pajunas/The Daily Astorian Warrenton City Manager Kurt Fritsch Port backs seafood processor expansion Da Yang’s footprint at Pier 2 more than doubles By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Clatsop County Manager Cameron Moore gives his report during the County Commis- sioners meeting Wednesday. Speed humps calm traffi c on Alameda Coast Guard wives and mothers had complained about speeding By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Two new speed humps have been installed on Alameda Avenue, a small triumph for Coast Guard wives and mothers who complained drivers were speeding through their neighborhood. The humps were placed on Ala- meda near the intersection with West Klaskanine Avenue, the heart of Coast Guard housing, where there is a playground and a school bus stop. Speed humps and other traffi c Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Road markings warn drivers of a speed hump along Alameda Avenue. calming devices are already on West Klaskanine, but the women argued that more was needed to protect their children. The Coast Guard wives and mothers had pleaded with Astoria Mayor Arline LaMear and the Coast Guard last year for help. “It’s a positive outcome,” said Chelsea Billings, the ombudsman for Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton. “It’s what we were looking for and I think that we all felt that the Coast Guard heard our concerns.” A city speed survey in the neigh- borhood did not justify the addi- tional speed humps. The speed limit near the intersection of Alameda and West Klaskanine is 25 mph, and the highest recording, according to the city, was around 30 mph from a Coast Guard resident. The city, however, listened to the complaints from Coast Guard wives and mothers and agreed to place the signs and street markings that com- plement the speed humps. See ALAMEDA, Page 4A Amid a packed meeting Wednesday and protests from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, a divided Port of Astoria Commission approved an amended lease with Da Yang Seafoods that more than doubles the company’s footprint in the Pier 2 fi sh-process- ing warehouse. Commissioners John Raichl, James Camp- bell and Robert Mushen voted for the expan- sion , while Bill Hunsinger voted against the move , and Stephen Fulton abstained. The amended lease starts May 1 and runs through January 2027, with six 10-year exten- sion options afterward. The lease expands Da Yang’s space in the warehouse from 9,846 to 27,036 square feet, with spaces on the north- ern and southern end. It also nearly doubles Da Yang’s tarmac and dock space on either side of the warehouse. The decision divides the Pier 2 fi sh-pro- cessing warehouse between Seattle-based Da Yang and Bellingham, Washington-based Bornstein Seafoods, which has already secured two spaces in the warehouse through the Port See PORT, Page 10A MORE INSIDE Port OKs emergency repairs to Pier 2. Read more on Page 10A.