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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2016)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2016 Timber: Sales amount to $23.6 million Hoteliers: Orr Continued from Page 1A Logging on the Music Creek sale started in February and in- ished this week, sending out 7.3 million board feet of timber to local and regional mills. The sale was roughly 10 percent of the 71.6 million board feet and 15,400 loads of timber sent out of the Clatsop State Forest since July 1. Jay Browning, owner of J.M. Browning, estimates he had up to 20 of his 70 foresters working at a time on Music Creek, where the timber was sold in 2014 to Hampton Afiliates. “It was over 1,300 loads of logs that came off it,” Browning said, adding about half of them went to the Hampton Lum- ber Mills in Warrenton, a quar- ter to a mill in Willamina and nearly 15 percent to Tillamook. State and federal lands can only export timber that will be pro- cessed into lumber, pulp or other products in the U.S. Williams said the Astoria District employs about 38 for- esters to prepare timber sales and oversee recreation and con- servation efforts and commonly works with six to 10 logging operations harvesting timber for Jay Browning buyers. Williams’ department walks a ine line, balancing economic, conservation and recreation interests on the Clatsop State Forest. Homesteader Chris Smith, director of the conservation group North Coast State Forest Coalition, said he stopped by the recently logged Homesteader timber sale on a ridge above the Nehalem River and found the scene “fairly devastating.” The sale included four mod- iied clearcuts on more than 200 acres, with a 100-foot buf- fer above the Nehalem, smaller buffers around streams and ive to seven trees left per acre for wildlife. Homesteader was the irst timber sale opposed by the coa- lition in four years, Smith said, because of its old-growth char- acteristics with trees up to 125 years old, proximity to a major river and ideal habitat for endan- gered species such as mar- bled murrelets, red tree voles and northern spotted owls. The group helped organize opposi- tion to the sale, including thou- sands of comments against log- ging the stand. Williams said that while the state forest shoots for 30 per- cent old-growth stands, Home- steader was not identiied as a critical area. His department performs wildlife surveys before sales, and found no presence of endangered species. To increase revenue from the land, he said, the state has started sort sales in places like Homesteader. The state auctions off different types of logs to companies special- izing in a certain species, then hires a logging irm to harvest the timber and ship the logs out to various mills. Smith said state forests in northwest Oregon have only 0.01 percent old-growth stands, indicative of not only devas- tating ires like the Tillamook Burns in the mid-20th century, but of aggressive logging. In the Astoria District’s 2017 plan, Smith said, he is most con- cerned about the increase in clearcutting. Clearcut increase Next year’s sales call for 1,669 acres of clearcuts — about 0.5 percent of forestland in the district. At the beginning of the Astoria District’s imple- mentation plan in 2001, Wil- liams said, it was only clearcut- ting 600 acres a year. Since 2001, the Astoria Dis- trict has rigorously thinned state timberlands to diversify the stand complexity and struc- ture. But there’s less of a need for thinning, Williams said, and the Astoria District has had to shift to meet its harvest objec- tive of 73 million board feet a year. “We have a large portion of our forest that’s in that 50- to 75-year-old age class,” he said. “Typically, those don’t lend themselves to thinning as they get older.” Grocery: Residents were divided on brew pub Continued from Page 1A Lowenberg said the brew pub would be limited to retail sales only. “We’re not looking to put in a Fort George or Buoy Beer.” Planning approval In March, planning com- missioners voted 4-3 to OK the transition of the grocery to a 1,300-square-foot brew pub. The 40-seat pub — deined as a cafe under city zoning code — would include nine tables seating four people each, with four seats at a bar area. Brew- ing operations would be sep- arated from diners by a glass partition. Opponents said the brew pub is contrary to Gearhart’s com- prehensive plan, citing 1994 goals to limit commercial activ- ity in the city and to prevent the city from becoming a tourist destination. They said septic facilities are inadequate and the city needs to retain its only grocery store. After the Planning Com- mission granted conditional approval, the decision was appealed to the City Council by ive Gearhart residents. shop with us enough,” Logan said. Decision upheld In opposition At Tuesday night’s hearing, residents were divided into “pro- brew pub” speakers and those who spoke against the plan. Gearhart’s Jeff Roberts said he was “severely disappointed” by opposition to the brew pub. “Our well wishes cannot keep a business aloat, only our dollars can, and to date we are not helping the owners keep a viable business,” Roberts said. Roberts said many argu- ments against the brew pub were “patently ridiculous.” Grocery employee Cathryn Roe, an Astoria resident, said she had worked at the market for more than two years. “We really do support the growth and change of Gear- hart,” Roe said. “Keep in mind growth and change is not a bad thing, but a good thing.” Alyssa Logan of Astoria, a ive-year grocery employee, said grocery earnings had “plummeted.” “While I love a lot of our fre- quent shoppers, they just don’t Availability of other suitable sites owned by the Lowenbergs on U.S. Highway 101 should be considered, said Gearhart resi- dent Jeanne Mark, one of those who iled the appeal to the Plan- ning Commission decision. Former Gearhart mayor Kent Smith said it was “hard to imagine” Gearhart without a grocery. “A brewery is very close to being an industrial activity in a commercial zone,” Smith said. Gearhart’s Rick Sabol said the Planning Commission deci- sion was based on “inconclu- sive investigation of the facts,” without diagrams, a business or parking plan and no public need discussed or established. “It is abundantly clear due diligence was lacking before a vote was called,” Sabol said. “There’s no need for another bar in Gearhart. Let’s keep Gearhart Gearhart.” Councilor Dan Jesse asked Lowenberg if he intended to keep and run the establishment himself, or to have someone else run the business. “Am I building it to sell?” Lowenberg said. “No. I’m building it for myself.” Councilors Jesse, Sue Lorain and Paulina Cockrum voted for the brew pub’s conditional approval. Councilor Kerry Smith was the lone vote in opposition. Mayor Dianne Widdop was not present. Requirements for the busi- ness include a 10 p.m. closing, retail sales only and Department of Environmental Quality per- mits, among other conditions. Tuesday’s decision could be appealed to the state’s Land Use Board of Appeals. “We’ll process this, but it’s something we’ll deinitely con- sider challenging, because we have enough material to have LUBA consider our position,” Mark said after the meeting. looking ahead to transform inn Continued from Page 1A connected to show a basis for recovery based upon interfer- ence with plaintiff’s prospec- tive economic relationship with the Port of Astoria,” Nelson wrote in his opinion. Hospitality ventures had sought to remove themselves from the case, arguing their lobbying of the Port Com- mission is protected under an anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) statute protecting people who lobby public entities. Param’s lawyer, Colin Hunter, argued Hospitality Ventures was not protected by the statute because of a com- mercial exception under the Noerr-Pennington legal doc- trine. But Nelson decided there is no commercial excep- tion “when government ofi- cials make commercial deci- sions regarding a government entity.” “We are pleased that the claims against us have been dismissed,” Orr said in a state- ment Tuesday. “We look for- ward to continuing to work to transform the Riverwalk Inn into a destination that makes our community proud.” Trabucco added in the statement, “I am happy to get this distraction behind us so we can focus our resources on developing the Riverwalk Inn into a classy, boutique establishment.” Spurned suitor Param, represented by Ganesh Sonpatki, had been negotiating since 2014 to take over Smithart’s remain- ing two years and ive-year extension option, in exchange for paying the estimated $300,000 Smithart owes to the Port, and $100,000 to the city of Astoria. The Port Commission voted in June to have staff inalize a deal with him, which never mate- rialized. The Port’s attorney, Luke Reese, claims Param canceled contract negotia- tions, while Hunter claims the Port wrongfully walked away from a binding agreement. About a month after the Port voted to have the lease transferred to Param, the agency was approached by Orr, a native Astorian, presi- dent of Signature Seafoods in Seattle and managing owner of Hospitality Ventures; and Trabucco, a local developer formerly behind the Hotel Elliott and the waterfront commercial buildings at Nos. 1 and 10 Sixth St. that burned down in 2010. Orr and Trabucco offered the Port a similar deal to Param’s. The Port Commis- sion eventually heard pro- posals from several interests, before voting in September to install Hospitality Ventures as the short-term operators while the agency created a request for proposals for a long-term operator. The request has been put on hold until the liti- gation with Param is inished. Param claimed that Hos- pitality Ventures took advan- tage of Orr’s relationships as brother-in-law to Port Com- missioner Stephen Fulton and friend to Commissioner Bill Hunsinger. Fulton recused himself on multiple occasions when the Port Commission discussed the hotel. “There is no indication from any of the documents presented by (Param) that Commissioner Fulton par- ticipated as a public oficial in any discussion or debate about the operation or lease of the hotel property after the June 2, 2015, meeting,” Nel- son wrote. Even if Fulton had acted wrongfully in promoting Hospitality Ventures’ inter- ests, Nelson wrote, there is nothing to establish whether the alleged wrongful means employed by the company resulted in the Port allegedly breaching a contract with Param. Clamming: It’s recommended to arrive an hour or two before low tide for best results Continued from Page 1A peninsula, but 25 ppm just north of the mouth of Willapa Bay on the stretch of beach called Twin Harbors. Harvests aren’t allowed if the level is more than 19 ppm. Ayres said domoic levels also still remain too high to per- mit commercial harvest of clams from the tidal islands called the Willapa Spits, a season that nor- mally starts April 1. The clo- sures this year and in 2015 result in a loss of about $300,000 a year to commercial harvesters, Fish and Wildlife estimates. Ayres said persistence of domoic acid in clams north of the mouth of Willapa is a conse- quence of how high toxin levels spiked there last spring. This weekend’s opener The upcoming dig is sched- uled on the following dates and low tides: Friday, 6:51 a.m.; -1.5 feet; Long Beach Saturday, 7:39 a.m.; -2.0 feet; Long Beach Sunday, 8:26 a.m.; -2.1 feet; Long Beach Ayres recommends that diggers arrive at the beaches an hour or two before low tide for best results. How- ever, digging is not allowed on any beach after noon with the exception of Mocrocks on May 12, when digging will be allowed for an extra hour, until 1 p.m., due to the later low tide, Ayres said. Under state law, diggers are required to keep the irst 15 clams they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a sepa- rate container. All diggers age 15 or older must have a current ishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. KAYA SURVIVED! Born 4 months early and spent more than 5 months in the hospital. CO AST AL CO M IN G JU N E 2016 O U R 9TH A N N UA L Register at marchforbabies.org March for Babies Lower Columbia - Astoria May 7, 2016 Time: 9am Location: Pier 39 Parking C op ies d istrib uted throug hout the year to n orth coast hotels, m otels, cham b ers of com m erce, visitors b ureaus, cam p g roun d s, restauran ts an d stores an d in serted in T he D aily Astorian & C hin ook O b server RESERVE Y OUR A DVERTISING SPA CE TODA Y ! 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