Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2016)
DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2016 143RD YEAR, NO. 248 ONE DOLLAR Weyerhaeuser donates 80 acres to Seaside schools Land gift could lead to new bond to build By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — The school in one of the most dangerous locations in Amer- ica could ind a new home. Seaside High School, located in the tsunami inundation zone, will receive an 80-acre gift from Weyerhaeuser Co. for a new school cam- pus located in a safer area. “Weyerhaeuser is generously donating 80 acres of land to Seaside School District to relocate its schools,” Doug Dougherty, Seaside School District superintendent. said on Friday. “We will own the property that meets the Oregon Department of Geology and Minerals Industries’ safety recommen- dations prior to going out for a bond.” Dougherty said ownership of land out- side the tsunami inundation zone was a con- dition many community members requested before voting to fund a new school bond. A 2013 bond to move the Seaside schools out of the inundation zone failed at the polls when voters rejected a $128.8 million bond proposal. According to Dougherty, there are only four public K-12 schools in Oregon within the tsunami inundation zone. “Weyerhae- user understands that Seaside School District has three of these four schools and that there is no other suitable land available,” Dough- erty said. “A Cascadia earthquake off of our coast will cause large portions of these three antiquated schools to collapse and then be submerged by the Paciic Ocean. The aver- age age of these schools is over 63 years and See SEASIDE, Page 10A Doug Dougherty TROLLS AND HEXES AND PRINCESSES, UFF DA! Mental health agency turns to veteran Interim director to step in after leadership shift By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian While many dressed in traditional clothing Friday night, one festival- goer, who has been a memorable part of the weekend for the last 20 years, had a very different type of outit. Perry Browning stands over6- feet-tall but in homemade troll cos- tume with a bright wig and fake feet, it’s hard to get his exact measure- ments. Browning explained that par- ents tell myths about trolls to children for disciplinary reasons in Scandina- vian cultures, but his character is just there to celebrate. Kissing the troll is considered good luck and by the end of the weekend many women at the event wore a pin that said, “I kissed the troll.” Clatsop Behavioral Health- care has turned to an experi- enced administrator to steer the mental health agency out of a leadership crisis. Amy Baker, the direc- tor of prevention and trauma informed systems at Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc., will serve as interim execu- tive director while the men- tal health agency searches for a new director. Baker will take a leave of absence from GOBHI, which oversees mental health services in Clatsop and several other counties. Kevin Campbell, the CEO of GOBHI, said Baker has years of leadership experience in com- munity behavioral health and the Oregon Health Authority. Sumuer Watkins resigned as executive director and Michele Crump-Hart stepped down as clinical director of Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare after an internal investigation and an Oregon Health Authority review of management. The results of the inter- nal investigation have not been made public, but the state review documented several manage- ment issues and recommended additional regulatory oversight until the agency’s management has stabilized. Jeremy Rust, a Seaside attor- ney who serves as chairman of the agency’s board of directors, said Saturday that the board expects to inalize a formal con- tract with Baker this week. “Clatsop Behavioral Health- care remains committed to serv- ing our community and pro- viding our clients with the very best care,” Rust said in a state- ment. “Amy is an outstanding leader and has been intimately See FESTIVAL, Page 10A See AGENCY, Page 10A Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Miss Scandinavia Megan McCall-Devos is escorted by Dave Ladd, right, as the torchlight parade begins during the opening night of the 49th annual Scandinavian Midsummer Festival on Friday at Clatsop County Fairgrounds in Astoria. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com Miss Norway is crowned Miss Scandinavia at the 49th annual festivities navian heritage, this weekend marks Mathews’ 45th year volunteering for setting up, taking down and making sure that the weekend’s activities run smoothly. Mathews said his wife, who is Norwegian, offered their services to help out all those years ago. As the festival has grown, so has the couple’s involvement. “We have so many great volunteers,” Mathews said, “To see it grow and keep the tradition alive is the best part. By ELI STILLMAN The Daily Astorian he 49th annual Scandina- vian Midsummer Festival got underway Friday with polka dances, sausage with kraut, and many other traditional customs at the Clatsop County Fair and Expo Center. To kick off the festivities, hun- dreds packed into the arena’s bleach- ers to watch the coronation of Miss Scandinavia. Four young women in high school or recent graduates, represented the Scandinavian coun- tries that their ancestors had immi- grated from including Sweden, Nor- way, Denmark and Finland. Dressed in homemade traditional clothing, the teens were asked to come to the microphone and talk about their heritage. Kissing the troll T Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Miss Norway Megan McCall-Devos is crowned 2016 Miss Scandina- via during the opening night of the 49th annual Scandinavian Mid- summer Festival on Friday at Clatsop County Fairgrounds in Astoria. Each researched their families’ ancestry. In the inal count, Miss Norway, Megan McCall-Devos, claimed the silver crown. “I feel honored to represent my family, lodge and the festival,” said McCall-Devos, just after being announced the winner. “This is something that I want to participate in the rest of my life.” Volunteering Families and community mem- bers who keep coming back to the Scandinavian festival have helped keep the event alive for nearly half a century. And for most of those years, Loran Mathews has, in some way been, involved with organizing the festival. Despite having no Scandi- Marsh caps 37-year career at Ilwaco High School ‘Mama Andrea’ steps out of the ofice and into retirement ILWACO, Wash. — Pres- ident Jimmy Carter was pre- siding over the Iranian hostage conlict, Pink Floyd was prepar- ing to release “The Wall,” and Andrea Marsh had just accepted her irst position at Ilwaco High School. The year was 1979. Thirty-seven years — and more than 6,000 school days later — Marsh’s remarkable career will come to a close Tuesday at the same place it all began. In a ten- ure that began with her worrying she was unqualiied, Marsh will walk out unparalleled. Coming to Ilwaco High A native of Ilwaco, Marsh was never a stranger in the com- munity. But at one time she was the newest addition, a fresh face among the faculty at Ilwaco High. It began after a decade of running her own daycare, Marsh’s irst profession before applying at the school. “I was grasping for adult Luke Whittaker/EO Media Group “I like being around people, the kids,” Andrea Marsh said regarding her favorite part, “It’s like family, and I think it’s important you treat people that way.” conversation,” Marsh recalled laughing. Her cousin, Nancey Olsen, a teacher at IHS at the time, irst mentioned an open- ing as a teacher’s aide to Marsh in 1979. “I didn’t think I would get it,” Marsh relected. Soon, she was walking to her new job. “I lived right across the street,” Marsh recalled adding that she was an aide in one of the irst alternative classrooms. When luctuations in funding soon followed the pilot pro- gram, she sought stability in the front ofice. “It started changing, and each year you didn’t know whether the funding would be there or not,” said Marsh, “It was a bet- ter step for me to go into the ofice.” In 1991, a departure left an opening for secretary. See MARSH, Page 10A
