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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2016
Drill: Camp Rilea is holding its Port: Budget committee approved a
own series of exercises this week general operating fund of $15.8 million
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
“The reason we do exer-
cises is to learn, and we can’t
learn if everything is run per-
fectly,” Swanson said. “Our
learning opportunities hap-
pen when we see things that
aren’t going well.”
Though the hospital
keeps supplies at the mid-
dle school, “we’re not as
stocked as what we’re used
to in the hospital,” McPher-
son said.
On top of needing more
food, water and painkillers,
there were a handful of nec-
essary items that wouldn’t
even occur to most people
without walking through the
earthquake response step by
painful step — for example,
a Polaroid camera.
Why would a Polaroid be
useful? For example, to take
and post photos of patients
who died without irst iden-
tifying themselves, whose
families are looking for
them, and who have been
sequestered in the makeshift
morgue.
“There’s all these little
things that you don’t really
think about,” McPherson
said. “They’re so little, but
they become important.”
As the drill wrapped up,
helicopters from the Idaho
National Guard lew the
assorted military personnel
— who hailed from Oregon
and other states — to Camp
Rilea, which is holding its
own series of exercises this
week for Cascadia Rising.
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Adam Miller pretends to be a patient as Oregon National
Guard Major Tony Leonardo checks his vitals while simu-
lating a field hospital during Cascadia Rising on Tuesday,
at Astoria Middle School in Astoria.
Whatever’s left
roads have split, buildings
have collapsed and landslides
have spread earth and debris
through the city — may be
a fantasy. What’s more, the
school itself may have col-
lapsed in the meantime.
Paul Mitchell, a hospi-
tal spokesman who served
as public information oficer
and liaison oficer during the
drill, said Columbia Memo-
rial would likely build the tri-
age center right at the hos-
pital or the nearest feasible
spot.
Astoria Fire Chief Ted
Ames said latly that during
a 9.0 earthquake “the hospi-
tal wouldn’t be able to drive
up here.”
“For CMH to be able to
get up here, it’s fully depen-
dent on what kind of infra-
structure is left,” he said.
At every moment, the
folks on scene knew that,
however complicated the
drill became, the real deal
will be worse than they can
imagine.
Not only will the hospi-
tal have to continue treating
the patients they already had
in their care — people giv-
ing birth and undergoing sur-
gery, for example — when
Cascadia comes they will
have to treat hundreds of new
patients.
“It’s just gonna be a bad
day,” said Matt Lindstrom,
facilities, engineering and
support services manager for
the hospital.
Even the notion that
Columbia Memorial will be
able to move their services
up to the school — after
Knight said Glick has
had trouble reaching Leu-
cadia National Corp., the
New York-based holding
company that was behind
the LNG project, meaning
the Port would face signif-
icant hurdles in trying to
challenge whether Oregon
LNG is released from the
sublease.
“If you’re looking for
a recommendation at this
point … that would be to
walk away from this lease,”
Knight said. “Don’t con-
tinue in any disputes or cre-
ate any disputes with Oregon
LNG. The signiicant cost in
attorneys fees could be quite
substantial.”
Knight
recommended
the Port work with the state
on lowering the rent on the
land and providing credits,
adding the state is willing
to terminate the lease with
the Port entirely. When Port
commissioners said they
had questions about the sit-
uation, Knight convened an
impromptu closed executive
session following a budget
committee meeting.
Julie Curtis, a spokes-
woman for the Department
of State Lands, said the state
is willing to either modify
the lease for whatever use
the Port decides, or terminate
the lease if that’s the Port’s
direction.
“We’re certainly willing
to work with them to make
this work with their plans, if
we can,” she said.
Lease troubles
In other news:
In November 2004, the
Port leased more than 90
acres on the Skipanon Pen-
insula from the Department
of State Lands for ive years,
with two 30-year options
to renew. At the same time,
commissioners approved an
agreement stating the Ski-
panon property, previously
illed in, belonged to the
Department of State Lands.
Days after signing the
lease with the state, the Port
subleased the land to Ski-
panon Natural Gas, a sub-
sidiary of Calpine Corp.,
which iled for bankruptcy
in 2005. Skipanon Natural
Gas was replaced by Ore-
gon LNG.
When the irst 30-year
renewal came up, the Port
renewed the sublease with
Oregon LNG, but not the
overall lease with the state
over lingering questions of
whether the Port or state
owned the land. Oregon
LNG sued to make the Port
renew the lease with the
state. The Port renewed for
30 years in 2010.
The Department of State
Lands charges 10 percent
of the assessed land value
annually in rent. The prop-
erty, previously zoned urban
recreational and valued
at $384,000, was rezoned
marine industrial and val-
ued at $1.29 million. Ore-
gon LNG has paid the lease
through November, but
the Port could be liable for
$129,000 annual lease pay-
ments thereafter.
• The Port Budget Com-
mittee approved a general
operating fund of $15.8
million, including a nearly
$5 million runway repav-
ing project at the Astoria
Regional Airport and $1.5
million in financing for
new stormwater treatment.
• The Port Commission
voted to have staff send out
a request for quotations for
a general counsel, a ser-
vice currently provided by
Jordan Ramis PC. Knight
said the Port will surpass
$200,000 this fiscal year
in attorney fees. The bud-
get committee lowered the
budgeted amount for attor-
ney fees from $240,000 to
$130,000 for next year.
• The Port Commission
voted to have staff sign a
revised lease with the Gen-
eral Services Administra-
tion for Customs and Bor-
der Protection’s office in
the Pier 1 building. The
new lease allows cus-
toms to install automated
gates, a replacement secu-
rity window and a trans-
action drawer. The Port
will receive $15,000 and
$1,440 a year for the six
parking spaces customs is
taking.
• After discussion of
whether Knight should
undergo
quarterly
or
annual evaluations, the
Port Commission voted
to stick with his contract,
evaluating him at his two-
year employment anniver-
sary in November.
Councilor: Riverfront Vision Plan was approved in 2009
Continued from Page 1A
“We have to get this done,”
Price appealed to the City
Council Monday night. “I
believe that we’re at peril if
we don’t. I can’t overstate it. I
think we have to do this.”
City Councilor Russ Warr
said the Riverfront Vision Plan
has turned out much differ-
ently than he and others orig-
inally anticipated. “I think that
what Councilor Price is saying
is, ‘We don’t want any devel-
opment downtown,’” he said.
“We apparently don’t want any
development anywhere in the
city. And the government just
isn’t going to provide all the
jobs. We need to have the abil-
ity to have some development
to get people employment.”
“Councilor Warr should not
put words in my mouth,” Price
responded, adding that she
wants to implement the plan
like the city had told residents
for the past several years.
After other councilors
pointed to priorities such as a
new library, redevelopment at
Heritage Square and an afford-
able housing strategy, Price
intensiied her warning.
“And I think that those
of you tonight, at this table,
who refuse to do it, are saying
you don’t care what happens
there,” she said.
Her comments drew push-
back from Mayor Arline
LaMear and City Councilor
Drew Herzig, who cited the
heavy workload on the city’s
community development staff.
“Everyone knows this is on
our to-do list,” Herzig said of
the Urban Core.
need for a working waterfront
while restricting new develop-
ment, particularly large condo
projects.
Many of the city’s most
vocal preservationists wanted
stronger restrictions to protect
the riverfront’s historic charac-
ter and views, and the Urban
Core is the last battleground.
Price said she raised the
issue of timing with the City
Council after feedback from
constituents about develop-
ment pressure. Mark Hol-
lander, a Bellingham, Wash-
ington, developer who wants
to bring a Marriott Hotel near
the Astoria Bridge in Union-
town, has purchased The Ship
Inn off Second Street and has
talked of making additional
investments in the city.
“We’ve known for a while
that developers are eying Asto-
ria,” Price said Tuesday.
Last battleground
The Riverfront Vision Plan
was approved by the City
Council in 2009 as a response
to the prospect of aggressive
condominium development
along the river. The recession
altered the inancial calcula-
tion for potential investors, but
the city proceeded with new
guidelines to help shape future
projects.
The City Council has
adopted the Civic Greenway
leg east of 16th Street, the
Bridge Vista phase in Union-
town, and the Neighborhood
Greenway stretch in Alder-
brook. The guidelines, in gen-
eral, have recognized the
not proceed with the Urban
Core soon without direct
orders from the City Council.
“It’s still within the River-
front Vision Plan,” said Kevin
Cronin, the city’s community
development director. “And
the city is expected to imple-
ment the Urban Core at some
point in the future.
“We just don’t know when
that’s going to be.”
RIVERFRONT VISION PLAN
The Astoria City Council approved a four-part blueprint in 2009 to
help guide future development along the Columbia River. Each
segment involves land-use guidelines that must go through the
Planning Commission and City Council for consideration.
• Civic Greenway/16th to 41st streets: October 2014
• Bridge Vista/Portway to Second streets: June 2015
• Neighborhood Greenway/41st to 54th streets: December 2015
• Urban Core/Second to 16th streets: No timetable
Grant money
The city has relied on grant
money and a consultant to
help inance and perform the
groundwork for the Riverfront
Vision Plan. City staff will
keep on the lookout for grant
opportunities, but will likely
OSAA 4A GIRLS
TRACK & FIELD STATE
Hightail it to the 2nd annual
CMH Car Show
Congratulate the
Astoria High School
Lady Fishermen
winners of the
OSAA 4A Track
Championship
Your 3-line message to
the Lady Fishermen
championship team and
your business name
45
$
June 11, 11 AM -2 PM
Columbia Memorial Hospital
2111 Exchange St., Astoria
We need your help! he CMH Relay for Life
team is hosting a fundraising Car Show. Bring
the family for a hot dog... And please, try not
to drool on these beautiful cars!
To participate, pick up a registration form
at Astoria Napa, O’Reilly’s or AutoZone. All
proceeds beneit Relay for Life. Please join us!
Deadline: Friday, June 10
Runs: Monday, June 13
in The Daily Astorian
Contact Holly at
503-325-3211
2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • (503) 325-4321
www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital