10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016
Armory: ‘It’s like my second home’
Kujala: Mayor had
recused himself before
Continued from Page 1A
out the Armory for space,
and organizing the Friends’
resume-writing workshops,
health clinics and other charity
endeavors.
Since volunteers cleared
the former storage space out
two years ago and opened
the doors, the Armory has
become a hub for commu-
nity groups, from the skate
park in the basement and the
LGBT community’s Q Cen-
ter to Corri Buck’s Filling
Empty Bellies each after-
noon in the lobby. Last week
alone, the building hosted
a skate night, the city’s
inaugural Gay Pride Gala,
Shanghaied Roller Dolls
derby practices, youth skat-
ing programs, college gym
classes and several lunches
for homeless and low-in-
come residents.
Koustik has been sup-
ported by a small army of
volunteers. Jawna Bower-
man, named volunteer of the
year, said she irst became
interested in the Armory,
where she had last skated
the night she turned 21, after
learning her granddaugh-
ter could skate for free if she
helped out. “Now it’s like my
second home,” she said.
Charitable organizations
have taken notice of the
Armory’s work. United Way
of Clatsop County recently
added the Armory to its
annual fundraising cam-
paign. The Oregon Com-
munity Foundation has also
donated $20,000 to help
improve the Armory’s lobby
and kitchen.
Filling Empty Bellies
In the kitchen Thursday,
Mike Doran helped other
volunteers serve chili dogs,
potato salad, chips and cup-
cakes to the homeless and
low-income residents who
iltered into the lobby. After
the others were served, he
loaded up a couple plates and
sat down for lunch.
Doran said he has used the
program, which provides all
comers with lunch six days
a week and brunch on Sun-
days, to supplement the mea-
ger food stamps and disabil-
ity beneits he receives. He
sees helping Buck, tempo-
rarily sidelined after sur-
gery, as a way to give back.
He and others used to get
their lunches from Buck in
parks and parking lots around
Astoria. When it rained, din-
ers would take their lunch
and ind a place to hide, or
just sit and eat in the wet-
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Volunteer server Eva Telford shares a laugh with others while serving lunch in the Asto-
ria Armory June 9. The armory provides a free lunch daily to those in need.
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Armory Events Coordinator Robyn Koustik chats with
those receiving free lunch at the Astoria Armory on June
9. Koustik helps facilitate, participate and organize the
community events at the Armory. More photos online at
DailyAstorian.com
ness. Then in February, the
Armory invited Buck’s pro-
gram indoors.
“I think it’s beautiful,”
said Doran, who also works
security during Shanghaied
Roller Doll matches. “If it
wasn’t for the program, we’d
still be out in the rain.”
Stein said the Armory’s
board wanted the building
to be a community center for
all, including those most in
need. “It’s not all about …
the mayor’s ball, assistance
league and those things. We
also want to help folks who
don’t have anything,” he
said.
Bringing back
the Armory
In its heyday, the Armory
would take in more than
3,000 people, attracting such
acts as Deep Purple, Buffalo
Springield and Jack Benny.
But with all of its infrastruc-
tural issues, the reopened
Armory has been limited to
several hundred, at most.
Jones said the Friends have
held off starting any major
work while the group secures
a mortgage and improvement
loan, part of it guaranteed by
the U.S. Department of Agri-
culture. Helping secure the
loan is the Armory’s lender,
Craft3, which acquired the
Armory two years ago from
the Columbia River Mari-
time Museum and leased the
building to the Friends for $1
a year.
“We believe we’re within
about a month of getting the
loan signed,” Jones said.
“Once we have the improve-
ment loan, we have sub-
contractors lined up to start
doing the work.”
Jones said the loan, part
of a $590,000 improvement
plan for the Armory, will
help the Friends add a land-
ing and stairway outside a set
of doors on the northern side
of the building, nailed shut to
prevent people from falling
15 feet to the ground below.
The additional exit will help
the Friends seek a higher
occupancy for concerts and
other larger events.
The money will also
go toward improving the
acoustics, sound system and
restrooms, while repairing
the roof, replacing broken
windows and modernizing
the lobby and kitchen. The
Armory had already received
a $90,000 loan guarantee
from the city of Astoria for
window restoration.
Jones said the improve-
ments will help the Armory
target more trade shows, such
as the Northwest Sportish-
ing Industry Association this
summer, that will provide
revenue for the Armory’s
charitable efforts.
“With actual money, with
real funding, it’s just going
to be phenomenal what this
building is like ive years
from now,” Jones said.
Introducing an
MS EVENT
WORTH
SHOUTING
ABOUT.
Condos: City, Breakers Point could
be ined up to $10,000 per day
city and homeowners associa-
tion take corrective measures
by November to completely
restore the dune by returning
sand, restoring its topography
and replanting European beach
grass.
If the corrective actions are
not completed by that time, the
city and Breakers Point could
be ined civil penalties up to
$10,000 per day.
‘A simple mistake’
The city responded to the
notice by submitting a reme-
diation plan that the state
approved, City Manager Brant
Kucera said.
Kucera said the removal of
sand from a state recreation
area was “a simple mistake.”
“We felt like it was an emer-
gency. We were compelled to
move sand to stop erosion.”
“The issue boils down to
where the sand was taken
from,” Kucera said. “Sand was
moved from an area that would
have needed approval from
Oregon Parks and Recreation.
We did not intend to take sand
from that far into the dune.”
In response to the notice,
Breakers Point Homeowners
Association requested a hear-
ing and stated that the vio-
lation did not apply to them
because the city “did the work
to improve public and emer-
gency access to the beach.”
“Breakers Point expects
to work with the city and the
state to resolve this matter,”
Dean Alterman, the home-
owner association’s attorney,
said in an email. “The associ-
ation has requested a hearing
before Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation Department as a pre-
caution, in case we can’t solve
it amicably.”
The letter requesting a hear-
ing asked the state to consider
that Breakers Point Homeown-
ers Association “did not remove
sand from the ocean shore or
alter any dunes west of the stat-
utory vegetation line; the City of
Cannon Beach performed the
work on its own initiative.”
The alliance would like
all involved parties to bear
responsibility, La Follette said.
“The inancial planning
and restoration responsibili-
ties should be placed on both
parties who participated in
illegally grading the public
sands,” she said.
e
Adams: Former treasurer is due back in court
in August for early resolution conference
Continued from Page 1A
Police continue to investi-
gate, and believe she may have
stolen more funds.
“This has been an ongo-
ing investigation for a cou-
ple of years now,” Workman
said. “There is more to come
on this.”
Members of the nonproit
went through bank statements
after Adams took over as trea-
surer and discovered funds
were not adding up, according
to Workman. Members believe
she misappropriated the funds.
The Deep Sea Fishermen’s
Beneit Fund maintains an
emergency fund to help ish-
ermen and their families. The
nonproit hosts crab feeds in
Warrenton to raise money.
Adams has a criminal his-
tory in Clatsop County. She
was convicted in 2010 of
irst-degree theft and multiple
computer crimes.
Adams is due back in court
in August for an early resolu-
tion conference.
The alleged theft from the
Fishermen’s Beneit Fund is
the second recent incident
involving a Warrenton group.
Earlier this year, Ronald Kay
Williams, the former direc-
tor of the Commercial Fish-
ermen’s Festival, was resen-
tenced to nearly three years in
prison.
Williams, 52, stole money
out of festival bank accounts,
took signs, autographed mem-
orabilia and kept a dunk tank.
The crimes occurred between
September 2011 and March
2012.
LEARN ABOUT LIVING WITH
RELAPSING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
(MS) AT THIS LIVE EVENT.
Join us to hear an MS expert discuss an
oral treatment option for relapsing MS.
DATE AND TIME:
Thursday, 06/23/2016 at 6:30 PM
SPEAKER:
Leah Gaedeke, NP
Portland, OR
LOCATION:
Silver Salmon Grille
1105 Commercial
Astoria, OR 97103
EVENT CODE: TR353836 (1301944)
RSVP
Continued from Page 1A
circumstances — voting on
the issue.
Kujala recused himself last
Kujala recused him-
year and this year from com- self when the City Commis-
mission debates and votes sion considered an agree-
related to the dam. The mayor ment with the Skipanon
explained in a May email that Water Control District and
he did so “in the abundance of the Columbia River Estuary
caution that this project may Study Taskforce to remove
have an economic impact on the dam and install a sin-
my home and business.”
gle-lane bridge to preserve
Kujala also acknowledged the city’s emergency access.
in May that the Nygaard fam- A gravel road over the dam
ily came to him with ques- now links Eighth Street to
tions about the dam. The private property owned by
mayor said he called City Kujala’s family and others.
Attorney Hal Snow because
The water district, which
they were legal
owns the dam, con-
questions involv-
siders the aging
ing the city.
structure a haz-
On Wednesday,
ard and of no use
Kujala declined to
for lood con-
comment on why
trol. CREST has
he chose to partic-
sought to use fed-
ipate in the exec-
eral
Bonneville
utive session on
Power Administra-
the dam Tuesday
tion money to help
night or explain
the water district
what additional
remove the dam
Mark
role, if any, he has
and improve ish
Kujala
played behind-the-
passage and water
scenes to inluence the city.
quality on the Skipanon River.
“As you know, I’m not
allowed to comment on any-
Commission
thing to do with executive
backs out
session,” Kujala said.
The City Commission had
The executive session twice supported a deal with
was not posted on the City the water district and CREST.
Commission’s agenda prior But in May, after appeals led
to Tuesday’s meeting. Snow by the Kujala family and the
said the discussion was Nygaard family, commission-
called to address potential ers voted 2-2 against renew-
legal and property matters.
ing the agreement.
Executive sessions are
The water district and
closed to the public but open CREST have decided to
to news reporters, who are move forward with remov-
expected not to disclose the ing the dam without installing
details of the discussions.
the single-lane bridge the city
wanted for emergency access.
Law promotes
The move could provoke a
transparency
legal clash with the city and
State ethics law instructs private property owners.
elected oficials to pub-
Tessa Scheller, the chair-
licly announce the nature of woman of the water district’s
potential conlicts of interest board, said she has been
before taking any action. For researching the cost of barri-
actual conlicts, where the cades to close off the gravel
elected oficial or a relative road over the dam.
has a inancial interest, the
“It’s completely unsafe,”
elected oficial is expected she said. “It exposes us. And
to give public notice and now that we’ve had the city
refrain from participating in decline, we really have to
the debate or — under most take care of business.”
Continued from Page 1A
PLEASE RSVP:
• RelapsingMultipleSclerosisEvents.com
• 1-866-703-6293
• MSRSVP@ahmdirect.com
*Registration is limited to two people per RSVP.
Photo ID may be requested at event entrance.
Complimentary parking or valet available.
A light meal or snack may be provided.
©2015
GZUS.MS.15.05.1439(2)