DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
143RD YEAR, NO. 230
ONE DOLLAR
Future
of dam,
bridge
in doubt
Warrenton City
Commission
reverses course
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
An apartment complex is being proposed on land north of Lewis and Clark Elementary School. The land is seen here Tuesday
in Miles Crossing.
‘Godsend’ or ‘sweetheart deal’?
Miles Crossing apartments on pause as county weighs needs, neighbor doubts
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
proposal to build a 168-
unit apartment complex
in the Miles Crossing
neighborhood was heard
Tuesday by the Clatsop County
Planning Commission.
Despite support from local
leaders calling the develop-
ment a godsend to help combat
the county’s housing crisis, the
commission tabled the decision
until next month.
Commissioners wanted more
time to consider concerns from
neighbors about trafic impacts
and a possible strain on the
sewer system. Other issues
involve overlow parking and
how the rural neighborhood
will handle more than 300 new
residents.
The Planning Commission
will make the inal decision.
Appeals are heard by the county
Board of Commissioners.
“What I don’t want to see
happen here is that we go ahead
and make approvals on land use,
and increasing capacity on sys-
tems that can’t handle it,” Com-
missioner Thomas Merrell said.
A
See DAM, Page 7A
State bar
dismisses
Marquis’
complaint
DA accused Bundy
lawyers of ethics abuses
Submitted Photo
See APARTMENTS, Page 10A
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
An aerial view of the Miles Crossing area slated for a large apartment complex.
Vibrant community
Developer Richard Krueger
plans to build the large apart-
ment complex on 10.4 acres
between Lewis and Clark Ele-
mentary School and Lewis and
Clark Golf & RV Resort.
The Bella Ridge Apart-
ments would have seven build-
ings, each with 24 two-bedroom
units. Krueger estimates the
units will be about 800 square
feet and cost between $885 and
$950 per month to rent. Con-
struction will be done in three
phases, he said.
WARRENTON — The Warrenton City
Commission backed away Tuesday night
from a $1.2 million deal to remove the
Eighth Street Dam but preserve an emer-
gency access bridge over the Skipanon River.
The commission had twice approved the
concept, but buckled after a lurry of com-
plaints from Mayor Mark Kujala’s family,
who own property near the dam, and War-
renton Fiber, the politically inluential timber
company led by the Nygaard family.
The Skipanon Water Control District,
which owns the dam and considers the struc-
ture obsolete and a liability, could still move
forward with demolition without the bridge.
“So you either get something for free, or
you get nothing,” Bruce Francis, the vice
chairman of the water district, warned the
commission before the vote.
Kyle Spurr/The Daily Astorian
Developer Richard Krueger, right, and consultant Mike Weston
present a plan to build a 168-unit apartment complex in the
Miles Crossing neighborhood.
‘What I don’t
want to see
happen here
is that we
go ahead
and make
approvals on
land use, and
increasing
capacity on
systems that
can’t handle it.’
Thomas Merrell
The Oregon State Bar on Tuesday dis-
missed an ethics complaint by Clatsop County
District Attorney Josh Marquis against the
Eugene lawyers representing Ammon Bundy
— who led the armed occupation at a federal
wildlife refuge in Oregon this year — inding
that public comments by the attorneys did not
inluence an imminent fact-inding process.
Marquis claimed Mike Arnold and Lissa
Casey sought to inluence potential jurors in
the federal case against Bundy through news
conferences and videos, a “gross abuse” of
the restrictions on attorneys from making
prejudicial statements.
Marquis has appealed to the state bar’s
general counsel. The district attorney argues
that the state bar’s dismissal appears to be
based on a inding that no judge was inlu-
enced by the attorneys’ comments, when his
complaint centered on the impact on prospec-
tive jurors in the federal trial in September.
See COMPLAINT, Page 7A
Commissioner
‘Passion of movement’ is the key for PE teacher
Every Wednesday and Fri-
day for the next couple of weeks,
The Daily Astorian features an
area teacher as we head toward
graduation and summer break.
Sarah Kangas
Warrenton Grade School,
kindergarten through ifth grade
physical education
Why did you become a
teacher, and what was
your biggest surprise?
What attracted me the most
to becoming a teacher, is the
positive inluence I could have
on my students. I knew that I
wanted to work in a profession
where I could share my love and
passion of movement and exer-
cise with the people around me.
It’s amazing to see what can
happen when students are given
opportunities to learn and grow
in a safe and supportive environ-
ment. The biggest surprise about
being a teacher is seeing the
transformation in each student
as they grow from the beginning
to the end of the school year. It’s
rewarding to see when the stu-
dents “get it” and experience
positive growth in their lives.
What part of the job do
you enjoy the most?
The most enjoyable part of
my job is working in an environ-
ment where community is highly
valued. This is my irst year at
Warrenton Grade School, and
I’ve been blown away at how the
school, parents, students and col-
Teachers Talk About Teaching
leagues have welcomed me in
and have made it feel like home.
My favorite part of the day is
having meaningful one-on-one
connections with my students in
class or while walking the halls
of the school. Just a simple high
ive and smile go a long way in
showing that each child matters
and is cared for.
What is the most
challenging part
of your job?
I always say that teaching is
the easy part of my job. What
can be tough is maintaining the
motivation, energy and excite-
ment through the long stretches
between breaks. Especially in
PE, movement should be fun
and exciting for the students, so
that they will hopefully make
physical activity a daily part
of their life outside of school
and sustain a healthy lifestyle
into adulthood. If a child inds
reward in being active, they are
more likely to continue being
active. That’s the challenge of
my job: inding creative ways to
make physical activity not only
engaging, but rewarding as well.
— Edward Stratton
Sarah Kangas