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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2016)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016 Friends: Efforts create well-rounded experience for park visitors Continued from Page 1A “These guys ill a wonder- ful niche here. I applaud the Friends for all the work they have done over the years,” park ranger John Koch said. “It’s been incredibly benei- cial for the park.” The group has its sights set on upgrades to a lagpole in the Civil War earthen fort and multiple repairs to Battery Pratt, a gun emplacement fac- ing the Columbia River. Jack’s masterpiece An attraction of Battery Pratt is a remade artillery rile, which was scrapped by the Army years ago. The full- scale replica was designed and built by Friends of Old Fort Stevens member Jack Buckmeir, who recently died. David Lindstrom, sec- retary and treasurer for the nonproit group, said all the members are impressed with Buckmeir’s work, and are disappointed he is no longer around to inish other projects in Battery Pratt. “Literally out of scrap steel and being able to use line drawings, he was able to come up with the right dimensions and came up with this,” Lind- strom said of the replica gun. “This is Jack’s masterpiece.” Inside Battery Pratt, sol- diers used a hand-cranked ele- vator to bring shells up to the rile. One area was designated as the plotting room, where soldiers used maps to calculate where the guns should point and when they should ire. “It sounds primitive, but it worked,” Lindstrom said. The group received a plot- ting table for the room this week, costing about $1,200. The group hopes to use another $2,000 to $3,000 to fully rebuild the plotting room. At a meeting Wednesday, the group agreed to spend $4,000 on historically accu- rate steel doors for Battery Pratt. Restoring historical pieces is ongoing work for the group, Lindstrom said. “It’s always a scramble,” he said. “The instruments we need to replicate, we are still iguring out exactly what they looked like.” For the Civil War earthen fort, the Friends allocated $2,000 this week for a new 75-foot lagpole. It will be large enough to hoist a 30-foot American lag that is being stored in a duffel bag at the park. “We ly a very small lag now, but it’s not the type that was there originally,” Lind- strom said. Living history The Friends’ work is seen all around the historical area of the park. From new gravel walkways to new historical pieces, the group is constantly adding to the fort. Some projects are too expensive or too cumbersome, having to get the approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers and the National Regis- ter of Historic Places. Overall, the state parks sees the partnership with the Friends as valuable. The Friends are all vol- unteers except two paid staff positions who manage the military museum. Having the group staff the museum takes pressure off the state park, which is not always budgeted to operate the museum. Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Friends of Old Fort Stevens Secretary David Lindstrom tours Fort Stevens State Park historic area Thursday. The Friends of Old Fort Stevens group works to preserve and restore parts of the park. Koch said the group’s efforts create a well-rounded experience for park visitors. “We are very thankful they are able to help us in the way they do,” Koch said. Each weekend this sum- mer, the Friends are busy host- ing living history events lead- ing up to the 26th annual Civil War re-enactment in Septem- ber. The living history events are another way the group tells the story of the fort. “It’s one of the more important things we do here,” Lindstrom said. Friends of Old Fort Ste- vens Secretary David Lind- strom shows the original steel door on Battery Pratt Thursday at Fort Stevens State Park historic area. The Friends of Old Fort Stevens group has in- stalled replica steel doors on many of the historic military structures around the park. More photos on- line at DailyAstorian.com Frtisch: ‘I leave here with no ill will towards this community or this commission’ Continued from Page 1A further on the reasons behind his resignation. Personnel matter Privately, some city com- missioners had discussed plac- ing Fritsch on administrative leave pending an independent investigation of his conduct on the dam. The City Commis- sion had scheduled a perfor- mance evaluation for Fritsch for Tuesday’s regular meet- ing but postponed the review. Commissioners announced instead that the city would contract with Akin Blitz, a Portland labor attorney, on a personnel matter, which turned out to be Fritsch’s separation agreement. Commissioners had reviewed Fritch’s performance earlier this year and awarded him a raise. Over the past few months, however, the city manager became a focal point among people who oppose the removal of the dam. The Skipanon Water Con- trol District, which owns the dam, wants to remove the out- dated structure to shed liability and improve ish passage and water quality on the river. An engineering plan has found no increased lood risk if the dam is taken out. The Nygaard family, who own Warrenton Fiber, and Mayor Kujala’s family, who own property near the dam, have urged the city to take control of the dam, warn- ing of lood risks to property owners. The City Commission in May voted against renew- ing a $1.2 million agreement with the water district and the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce that would have given the city a single-lane bridge over the river once the dam is removed. The city and others have access over the river now through a gravel road over the dam, and the commission had twice voted in favor of the deal to preserve emergency access. Removing the dam Undeterred by the commis- sion’s reversal, the water dis- trict and CREST are moving forward on a $1 million proj- ect to remove the dam with- out the new bridge for the city. On Monday, the water dis- trict agreed to barricade the gravel road because of liability concerns. Behind the scenes, crit- ics have faulted Fritsch for not disclosing a city tech- nical review on the dam to city commissioners and the public. The city review, pre- pared by a consultant, ques- tioned whether engineers for the water district and CREST properly modeled the lood plain. Fritsch told The Daily Astorian last week that the technical review was ordered by the city to help the Plan- ning Commission evaluate the dam removal project. He said it would not have been appro- priate to share the review with the City Commission, which might have to assess the proj- ect on appeal. “I leave here with no ill will towards this community or this commission,” Fritsch told city commissioners at the spe- cial meeting Thursday morn- ing. “I’m positive about what we’ve done and certainly wish you well going forward. “I think this is a good agree- ment for both of us.” Kujala and the commis- sioners thanked Fritsch for his work. “We’re going to miss you,” Commissioner Henry Balen- sifer said. An item on the Eighth Street Dam was pulled from the agenda for the special meeting after Kujala said the city needed to have an inde- pendent legal and technical review of the subject. Are you interested in participating in g a in a heart health study? Dr. Diana Rinkevich and her research team are holding a recruit- ment event at Columbia Memorial Hospital on July 7th, 8th and 9th. Staf will be onsite to discuss the study and enroll those who are interested in participating. 4 of july WEEKEND th HH Sidewalk Sale Zoo Free Special from Daisy May’s Sandwich Shop when you show your receipt of $100 purchase from any of the Seaside OutletS stores. eN OP R ReGuLA S hOuR going on behind closed doors,” he continued. Calog questioned why Fritsch was a distraction. He said “somebody got their feel- ings rufled on the dam, and, all of a sudden, we don’t have a city manager. And there’s no explanation given.” ‘An ambush’ Fri. July 1 ST - Mon. July 4 TH and Petting Outside City Hall, Calog said, “I’m an old combat vet, and I can smell an ambush when I see one.” “Every indication I’ve heard about this gentleman is he’s been a damn good city manager, and the people here have a right to know what’s Mike Calog, a Warrenton resident and retired Cannon Beach police oficer, was out- raged that no public comments fun for the family! HH were allowed at the special meeting. When he asked Kujala why, the mayor said, “Because there’s nothing to comment on.” Calog replied, “You just lost a good city manager. I think that’s something to com- ment on.” Diana Rinkevich, MD of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Columbia Memorial Hospital (CMH) is conducing a study to determine how levels of eicosanoids, which are substances found in blood, difer between men and women and between women who are in menopause and those who are not. We are currently enrolling men and women aged 18 and older. Paricipants in this study will have one visit to the CMH Cardiology Clinic to complete quesionnaires, have vital measurements taken, and have a fasing single blood draw. At years one and two, you will receive a follow-up quesionnaire to be returned by mail. questionnaire to be returned by mail. *Limit one special per person, per receipt, while supplies last. For more information, please contact: 12 Ave. & hwy. 101 SeASiDe, OR 503.717.1603 SeASiDeOutLetS.cOM th Sarah Egan (503) 494-4614 egans@ohsu.edu 2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • 503-325-4321 www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital
