Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2016)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016 Cemetery: ‘People are angry’ Continued from Page 1A are angry and are increasingly rejecting the city’s explana- tions about budget constraints as unacceptable. “It’s appalling. It’s a disgrace. And it’s embarrassing,” said Cathie Courtwright, a retired waitress and housekeeper in Warrenton who has family bur- ied at Ocean View and who vis- ited on Mother’s Day. Courtwright said there is an expectation among people who purchased plots from the city that the cemetery would be taken care of forever. “It’s a lie,” she said. “You lied to all these people.” Angela Cosby, the city’s parks director, said maintenance crews are mowing at Ocean View and should have the grass cut and weeds removed by this weekend. But in a candid email to the Parks and Recreation Board and other city leaders, Cosby warned that complaints about the ceme- tery and other parks will likely continue without additional staff and resources. The city’s maintenance pri- ority at parks is public safety, Cosby explained, such as mak- ing sure equipment and facilities do not pose dangers to residents. After public safety, she said, decisions on where to deploy crews are based on usage. Mowing the overgrown grass at baseball and softball ields with higher usage has been identiied as a priority over Ocean View on the maintenance list. The city has also been unable to ill seasonal maintenance jobs, which pay $10 to $10.75 an hour, because of market com- petition given the low unem- ployment rate. The city now has 1 1/2 seasonal maintenance workers on the job, according to Cosby, compared to six workers at this time last year. “Ultimately, a change needs to be made. We know it’s not working,” Cosby said of the maintenance challenge at Ocean View. “And we rely on our policymakers to make those changes and to give us those directions.” Cosby empathizes with fam- ilies who have complained about the condition of the ceme- tery, but has no easy answer. “I’m upset about it, too,” she said. “Really am. I hate oversee- ing facilities that we can’t take proper care of.” Spending priorities Budget cuts over the years stripped Ocean View of dedi- cated staff. Burial and crema- tion fees, along with interest from a fund to provide perpet- ual care, do not cover expenses, forcing the city to subsidize the cemetery. The Astoria City Coun- cil elevated improvements at Ocean View to a city goal and included about $70,000 for weed eradication and reseeding in this year’s budget. The coun- cil has also raised fees. But the City Council decided not to release the extra money for improvements because of doubts about whether parks staff had the ability to maintain the cemetery. The city’s budget commit- tee has recommended using hotel-room tax money next is- cal year to pay for the private mowing and maintenance on the Astoria Riverwalk, the Smith Point roundabout and several other small parks and triangles downtown. The hope is that parks staff will have more time to maintain traditional parks and, possibly, Ocean View. Perpetual care The cemetery — established in 1897, and home to more than 16,000 plots — was not ranked by the public as a high priority in a new parks master plan. Yet, unlike other city parks, the city has a contractual obligation to plot owners to provide perpet- ual care. City Councilor Russ Warr, like Cosby, has been hearing from families who are frus- trated. “It’s not a matter of money. It’s a matter of priority,” said Warr, who owns Astoria Granite Works, which makes grave markers for the cemetery. The city’s cemetery rules and regulations describe perpet- ual care as cutting the grass at reasonable intervals, raking and cleaning, and pruning shrubs and trees. While the city does not promise perfection, ceme- tery grounds are supposed to be reasonably cared for forever. “So people are angry. They’re very angry,” Warr said. “And they’re angry with real justiication.” The Daily Astorian/File Photo Larry Cary has had to change the name of his Astoria distillery twice because of trademark challenges. Library: ‘This is a serious issue’ Distiller: Business is doing all right despite its name changes Continued from Page 1A The problem may not be solved in the upcoming iscal year, he said in an interview. “It’s something we need to take care of and we need to be focused on,” he said. “I’m not panicking yet, but I do know this is a serious issue. At least on the surface, it looks like it’s cost-prohibitive to make repairs to the building for long-term use.” A ‘shotgun shack’ The library board has sus- pected for some time that the building — the former Ham- mond Town Hall — may not be worth spending great sums of money to ix, according to Judy Sivley, a library board member. Though the board has dis- cussed adding on to the structure — which was cobbled together in the irst half of the 20th cen- tury — a feasible plan never came together. The library is “iconic, and it’s sweet,” Calog said. “We’re kind of a community center and a library and a job-hunting cen- ter — and a crabby grandma’s house, let’s not forget that.” She dislikes the idea of tear- ing it down, but doesn’t see an alternative. “In a perfect world, we could keep this building as a branch and have a new building in War- renton. But it isn’t a perfect world,” she said. Currently funded by a ive- year tax levy that expires in 2017, the library opened in the 1990s and caters to local and seasonal visitors. “We really appreciate the work that (the board) has done with a very small budget,” Mayor Mark Kujala said, “and we know the library is appreci- ated by both people who live in Warrenton and others that visit Fort Stevens throughout the summer, so we want to make sure it’s a vital and active asset to the community.” Calog knows that the library needs more room to maintain current levels of service, let alone expand. “It’s a shotgun shack,” she said. Even if the building wasn’t deteriorating, it would still be too narrow and crowded, and require more parking, she said. “I love this little building, and I’d just hate having any- thing happen to it,” she said. “But you can feel the loor shak- ing when 12-year-olds walk by. It’s just crazy.” Continued from Page 1A Cary said he’ll have to spend another $10,000 to $15,000 changing the name on all his products and properties to Pilot House Distillery, add- ing that every time he names his business or products, he checks trademarks. “What I’ve learned is even if you do everything right and you trademark it … if some- one has bigger pockets than you, they can do whatever they want,” he said. Lawyers for House Spir- its Distilling did not immedi- ately respond to requests for comment. X330 Select Series™ Starting at $ 2,999 in an email response earlier this week to the Holmes and Studi- narz lawsuit, said: “It is our pol- icy not to litigate in the press. We vigorously oppose any claims or allegations made against our agency.” Clatsop Behavioral Health- care, Clatsop County’s men- tal health contractor, is ield- ing pointed questions about the quality of care while deal- ing with what appears to be a revolt among key staff. The agency is the subject of an internal investigation and a review by the Oregon Health Authority. The labor union that represents staff cast a “no con- idence” vote against Michele Crump-Hart, the clinical direc- tor, and several high-proile staffers have resigned. Varese, who was hired in May 2013, claims in her law- suit that she had sought to disci- pline or counsel case managers for poor performance and inap- propriate talk about sex at work but was rebuffed by Watkins, who Varese says was friends with the case managers. The lawsuit from Holmes and Studinarz also alleges that top administrators at the agency failed to take action against a case manager with a history of making homophobic and other inappropriate comments because she was a “local girl” who came from a “good family” and went to school with one of the administrators. Varese, who attorneys say has depression, claims discrim- ination and retaliation for her disability and for seeking med- ical leave. She also claims whis- tleblower retaliation. CO AST AL CO M IN G JU N E 2016 O U R 9TH A N N UA L § • 20 hp* (14.9 kW, 724 cc) • NEW 42-in. Accel Deep™ Deck • 4-year/300-hour limited warranty** Lawsuit: Several high-proile staffers have resigned from Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare Continued from Page 1A Cary said that despite the two name changes, his busi- ness is doing all right. He has opened a tasting room in Sea- side and said he is looking to expand farther south. Pilot House Distilling is allowed up to ive locations in Oregon under Oregon Liquor Control Commission rules. RIGHT CUT. RIGHT PRICE. RIGHT NOW. D105 LAWN TRACTOR Z335E ZTRAK™ MOWER • 17.5 hp* (13.0 kW, 500 cc) • 42-in. mower deck • 2-year/120-hour bumper-to-bumper warranty** • • • • STARTING AT $ 1,499 § STARTING AT $ 2,499 § 20 hp* (14.9 kW, 656 cc) NEW 42-in. Accel Deep Deck 7.0-mph mowing speed 2-year/120-hour bumper-to-bumper warranty** &ODWVRS3RZHU(TXLSPHQW 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 ! D E AD L IN E : JUN E 8, 2016 Con ta ct you r a dvertisin g sa les con su lta n t for m ore in form a tion : OR E GON : 5 03 -3 25 -3 211• W ASH IN GTON : 800-6 4 3 -3 703 • SE ASID E : 5 03 -73 8-5 5 6 1 § Prices and models may vary by dealer. Manufacturer suggested list price at $2,999 on X330 Select Series, $1,499 on D105 and $2,499 on Z335E. Prices are suggested retail prices only and are subject to change without notice at any time. Dealer may sell for less. Shown with optional equipment not included in the price. Attachments and implements sold separately. Available at participating dealers. *The engine horsepower and torque information for non-Deere engines are provided by the engine manufacturer to be used for comparison purposes only. Actual operating horsepower and torque will be less. Refer to the engine manufacturer’s website for additional information. 7HUPOLPLWHGWR\HDUVRUKRXUVXVHGZKLFKHYHUFRPHVƟUVWDQGYDULHVE\PRGHO6HHWKH/,0,7(':$55$17<)251(:-2+1'((5(785)$1'87,/,7<(48,30(17 DW-RKQ'HHUHFRP:DUUDQW\RU-RKQ'HHUHFD78:DUUDQW\IRUGHWDLOV%HIRUHRSHUDWLQJRUULGLQJDOZD\VUHIHUWRWKHVDIHW\DQGRSHUDWLQJLQIRUPDWLRQRQWKHYHKLFOH DQGLQWKHRSHUDWRUŤVPDQXDO-RKQ'HHUHŤVJUHHQDQG\HOORZFRORUVFKHPHWKHOHDSLQJGHHUV\PERODQG-2+1'((5(DUHWUDGHPDUNVRI'HHUH&RPSDQ\ $'..%8$ &3(;'$%:
