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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2016)
coast DailyAstorian.com 143RD YEAR, NO. 231 w eekend Every Thursday • May 26, 2016 • arts & entertainment HUNT FOR A BARGAIN THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016 ONE DOLLAR coastweekend.com WORLD’S LONGEST GARAGE SALE KNAPPA REACHES QUARTERFINALS INSIDE SPORTS • 4A AT THE WORLD’S LONGEST GARAGE SALE PAGE 10 PEEK INTO THE PAST CELEBRATING A LONGER LIFESPAN ‘Absolute high note’ Another Coast Guard leader retires here By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Astoria will soon add another to its collection of retired U.S. Coast Guard commanders. Capt. Daniel Travers, who passes his command of Sector Columbia River to Capt. William Timmons Friday after more than a quarter century of ser- vice, will become the third commander in a row to retire in Astoria, after Bruce Jones and Doug Kaup. “This is an absolute high note for me,” Tra- vers said, adding Sec- tor Columbia River is the best command he Capt. Daniel has ever had. Travers Jones retired in 2014, handing the reins to Travers before starting his new posi- tion hundreds of feet from Air Station Asto- ria, transporting Columbia River Bar Pilots for Brim Aviation at the Astoria Regional Airport. Travers will also be hundreds of feet away from his old command, fl ying for and managing the base for air medevac service Life Flight Network. See TRAVERS, Page 10A Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Students from Lewis and Clark Elementary School look at the new display honoring the Lewis and Clark River Bridge and the Old Youngs Bay Bridge during a dedication Tuesday . The display at the west end of the Lewis and Clark bridge features historical facts, as well as art and poems from students. Old Youngs Bay, Lewis and Clark River bridges get makeovers and monument By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Case between activists, Corps will hinge on motions fi led C onde B. McCullough designed 13 bridges along the Oregon Coast when he was the state bridge engineer from 1919 to 1935 . The oldest among them were the Old Youngs Bay and Lewis and Clark River bridges, built in 1921 and 1924 . On Tuesday, the state Department of Trans- portation unveiled an interpretive display on the western approach to the Lewis and Clark River celebrating the handcraftsmanship behind the historic bridges and the artwork of future gener- ations who will continue crossing them. The state, in the midst of a three-year, $16 million refurbishment of the two spans, was required to mitigate the impact on their historic structures. “With the dedication of this interpretative center, we’re celebrating our past, we’re cele- brating the present and we’re going to be cel- ebrating the future as well,” said state trans- portation Director Matthew Garrett, fl anked Tuesday by his employees, local luminar- No trial in Wal-Mart wetland squabble By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian to give councilors more informa- tion about how a project would be fi nanced. “I think we really do need to come to some kind of a consensus,” LaMear said. “And it’s not going to be an easy consensus. There are going to be peo- ple that don’t like it. There are going to be people that love it. But we’ve got to come to a consensus.” City Councilor Russ Warr is skep- tical the council can reach consensus until knowing more about fi nancing. “We skirt around the money. We hire a consultant. Then we don’t like what they’re doing, so we hire another consultant,” he said. “And we’ve run around in circles for the last couple of years.” The case by Clatsop Residents Against Walmart against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will likely be decided without a trial. Lawyers for both sides waived a pretrial order due last week, agreeing that a trial is highly unlikely as they seek summary judg- ment from the U.S. District Court of Ore- gon. Under the Administrative Procedures Act, which dictates how courts review claims against the decisions of government agencies, the case will largely be decided by motions each side has fi led. The citizen’s group, formed in 2010 to oppose the multinational retailer opening a location on the North Coast, fi led suit against the Corps a year ago, claiming the agency failed to adequately protect wetlands and review a wetland fi ll permit near the North Coast Retail Center. The Corps issued a per- mit for Peaksview LLC, which owns a strip of land on the southeastern corner of Ensign Lane and U.S. Highway 101, to fi ll 0.37 acres of wetland for construction of a big box retailer. Karl Anuta, the lawyer for the resi- dents group fi ghting Karl Wal-Mart, said a trial Anuta is only necessary if the facts of the case are in dispute. Instead of factual disagreements, he said, CRAW and the Corps are in disagreement as to how the law applies to the facts. The Corps’ lawyer, Sean Martin, said in a case like this, both sides make their fi lings, and the court decides whether the Corps was justifi ed in granting the wetland fi ll permit. See LIBRARY, Page 7A See SQUABBLE, Page 7A Lewis and Clark Elementary School students look at the new interpretive display Tuesday. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com ies, parents and the student poets from Lewis and Clark Elementary School whose work was sandblasted into and painted all over the display. Behind the crowd was a series of purposely rusted panels festooned with historic drawings, biographical information and student poems and drawings about the meaning of the bridge to the young artisans, many of whom regularly cross the Old Youngs Bay Bridge in school buses on their way to school in the Lewis and Clark neighborhood. Several of the children were chosen to read their poems to the audience. Fifth-grader Ash- ley Sisley remarked on the simple utility of the spans. See DISPLAY, Page 10A Six options unveiled for library City Council could make a decision in July By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian After diving into new details on the options for a renovated public library, the Astoria City Council indicated Wednesday night that a decision could come in July. The City Council has been strug- gling with alternatives since dis- carding a plan last year to expand the library into the vacant Waldorf Hotel next door. Councilors pursued a new library with housing at Heri- tage Square, but hesitated when the SEE THE OPTIONS View all the options for a new or renovated library online at DailyAstorian.com initial price tag was too high. At a special meeting of the City Council and the Library Board, city consultants presented a fresh set of cost estimates on six options. City staff and the Library Board prodded the City Council for direc- tion, and Mayor Arline LaMear, a retired librarian among the most eager for a new library, pointed to July. The Library Board intends to make a recommendation on one of the options, while city staff will try