DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2016
143RD YEAR, NO. 244
ONE DOLLAR
FBI SEARCHES FOR MOTIVES IN ORLANDO BLOODBATH PAGE 10A
New
‘We are the Seaside centennials’ interest
in Tongue
Point
Port in talks on a
marine terminal
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Danny Miller/ The Daily Astorian
Seaside graduates share a laugh on stage during the Seaside High School graduation ceremony Monday at the Seaside Civic
and Convention Center . More photos online at DailyAstorian.com
Seniors celebrate
accomplishments
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
EASIDE — Ninety-fi ve graduat-
ing students of Seaside High School’s
100th class ascended onstage Monday
night in red caps and gowns to cele-
brate an array of accomplishments.
Taylor Barnes, one of six valedictorians,
told fellow students to have “a Muhamma d
Ali mindset,” quoting the late boxer, “I’m
gonna show you how great I am.”
“We all have greatness inside of us,”
Barnes said. “I’ve seen it from you. Now it’s
the world’s turn to see it.”
The Associated Student Body’s efforts
to help relocate district schools out of the
tsunami inundation zone, and one student’s
mission to research and organize a centen-
nial celebration, are just two examples of the
determination.
The students acknowledged exciting
events like breaking school records, com-
peting in championships, making music and
creating plays.
They also celebrated small, everyday
achievements — making it to school each
day, completing homework, overcoming
obstacles — that led to them being able to
walk out of the Seaside Civic and Conven-
tion Center as graduates.
“All of us have faced challenges, whether
with school life, social life, home life or not
knowing if there was going to be food on the
table for dinner tonight, the C lass of 2016
has faced it all,” Barnes said. “Not only did
we persevere, many of us went on to accom-
plish things well beyond our years.”
“This is a wonderful and special class,”
Sheila Roley, the school’s principal, said.
“They are bright, kind, compassionate, car-
ing group of young people and they have
worked very hard. The road through high
school is not an easy one. We put high bars in
See TONGUE POINT, Page 10A
S
See GRADS, Page 7A
The Port of Astoria is nearing an agree-
ment with retired attorney and entrepreneur
Rece Bly to develop a marine terminal and
bring unspecifi ed cargo to North Tongue
Point.
Jim Knight, the Port’s executive director,
said the spirit of the agreement is to compen-
sate Bly if he can identify cargo to be han-
dled at North Tongue Point, an industrial
facility the Port has leased from Missoula,
Montana-based Washington Development
Group since 2009.
Knight said Port commissioners are look-
ing over a document the Port will send to
Bly, who has been attending recent Port
Commission meetings.
The Port has had diffi culty developing
the property. North Tongue Point is entic-
ing because of its dual access to the deep-
draft channel on the Columbia River and a
derelict rail spur owned by Portland & West-
ern Railroad, a subsidiary of short-line hold-
ing company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Esti-
mates to redevelop the antiquated property
into a modern shipping facility exceed $100
million.
Cities look
for fi x on
parks ruling
Dánte Still high-fives a friend before the start of the Seaside High School graduation
ceremony .
State Supreme Court
held that city parks
workers are not
immune from lawsuits
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Josef Barbic, top, sits on Sam Beaudoin’s shoulders while posing for a celebratory
photo on stage .
Trip and fall from a dangerous crack on
the Astoria Riverwalk? The Oregon Supreme
Court has ruled that you can sue city mainte-
nance workers for negligence.
The court held in March that city workers
responsible for maintenance at public parks
do not have immunity from liability because,
unlike cities, they are not owners of the rec-
reational land.
Cities still have to legally defend main-
tenance workers who are doing their jobs,
so the court ruling has unnerved city lead-
ers and insurers worried that a shield against
lawsuits has been pierced.
The League of Oregon Cities and others
will likely ask the Legislature next session
to recognize recreational immunity for city
workers.
See RULING, Page 10A
Strict limits proposed for Gearhart rentals
One short-
term rental
per owner
envisioned
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
City Administrator Chad
Sweet at a May public hear-
ing on short-term rentals.
GEARHART — The Gear-
hart City Council, under pres-
sure from residents to contain
vacation rentals, will decide
in July whether to limit prop-
erty owners to one rental each.
The new rules would force
owners with multiple vaca-
tion rentals to choose one.
Owners who do not have a
short-term rental would have
30 days after the ordinance
becomes law to apply for a
permit.
“We’re saying there is this
one-time period where peo-
ple can come in and apply
for a permit,” City Planner
Carole Connell said. “It’s a
30-day window. After that,
nobody can apply for one
again. It also says no person
can apply for more than one
permit.”
“One permit, one person,”
Planning
Commissioner
Terry Graff said. “If you have
one house, you can apply for
one. I f you have fi ve houses,
you can apply for one.”
The Planning Commis-
sion on Thursday forwarded
the proposed rules to the City
Council, which will hold a
public hearing July 5.
In addition to the restric-
tions, the Planning Commis-
sion also exempted certain
zones, including the Pali-
sades, Highlands and East
Pine Lane, which do not pay
taxes to the city. A short-term
rental unit is described as any
property occupied for less
than 30 days.
The application fee would
be $500. Inspection fees
would be $125, with a fol-
low-up visit without charge
if necessary. If additional vis-
its are required, applicants
would pay $50 for each visit.
Vacation rental permits
would only be transferable
by inheritance to a person as
directed in a will or trust. A
permit would not be trans-
ferable upon the sale of the
property.
Fees would go to enforce-
ment, City Administrator
Chad Sweet said.
Sweet said the city would
have to fi gure out whether
permits could be renewed
annually or every two years.
“It could put a lot of pressure
on the city to go through this
particular thing every single
year,” he said.
“If they’re behaving them-
selves, they should be able to
renew,” Graff said.