The daily Astorian., July 26, 2016, Page 10A, Image 10

10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016
Lead: Warrenton-Hammond, Knappa Library: Vote likely
school districts still waiting for results means there will be
Continued from Page 1A
The school district, which
tested at several spots in each
school, shut off all other foun-
tains at the high school as
a precaution while it runs
additional tests to determine
whether on-campus plumb-
ing or water coming into the
school is the issue.
“Astoria School District
and the city are dedicated to
eliminating lead from drink-
ing water, but it’s not uncom-
mon for small amounts to be
found due to leaching from
service lines, parts, and it-
tings,” Hoppes wrote in a let-
ter sent to parents and guard-
ians Monday. “These trace
amounts of lead rarely if ever
cause acute illnesses. Only
with prolonged exposure can
lead bioaccumulate in the
body and cause health issues.”
In the letter, Hoppes said
tests at 30 spots around the
city last year showed clean
drinking water below the EPA
threshold for treatment.
“While the city provides
water that is lead-free, it can-
not control the pipes and ix-
Craig Hoppes
Sheila Roley
tures past the service con-
nection,” Hoppes wrote,
encouraging water customers
to use newer ixtures and lead-
free plumbing.
Seaside
Superintendent
Sheila Roley said the school
district has identiied two
locations with elevated lead
levels.
“We tested almost 40 dif-
ferent locations in the schools,
and only found two that had
levels that exceeded” bench-
marks, Roley said. She added
that both were in the teens of
parts per billion.
One was the hose in a
boiler room that does not pro-
vide drinking water, Roley
said, while the other was a
sink in the concession stand
at Seaside High School pri-
marily used for cleaning. She
said the school district has
also shut down other sinks
approaching the threshold
of 20 parts per billion and is
performing additional tests to
determine the cause of high
lead concentrations.
Crowded labs
In addition to inding the
source of the pollution, the
problem is getting timely
results back. The discovery
of high lead volumes in two
Portland schools, along with
the public relations disaster
that followed, spurred many
districts throughout the state
to start testing this spring.
Gov. Kate Brown and other
state leaders have called
for yearly reports on lead
and other toxins from every
school district.
Astoria and other Clatsop
County districts started test-
ing in June. Only in the past
week did Astoria and Sea-
side School District receive
their results back from a lab.
Officials from both War-
renton-Hammond
and
Knappa said their school
districts are still waiting for
results.
Jewell School, which pro-
vides its own water, is one of
the few districts in the state
that was already required to
test for lead with the Oregon
Health Authority. Results
from previous years show
the district’s water quality
at or below the benchmark
of 0.015 milligrams of lead
per liter.
Divided: Women ‘win as often as men do’
and so the number of women
in ofice isn’t going up.”
Continued from Page 1A
senators, and one in four state
lawmakers. They serve as gov-
ernors of only six states and
are mayors in roughly 19 per-
cent of the nation’s largest
cities.
There has been progress;
as recently as 1978, there were
no women U.S. senators, and
now there are 20. Still, there
has been little headway since
a surge of women won ofice
in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Sixteen states have fewer
women serving in legislatures
than in 2005, and ive others
have shown no improvement,
according to an analysis by
The Associated Press of data
from the National Conference
of State Legislatures.
Advocates say the dearth of
women oficeholders has had
consequences. They say wom-
en’s voices have been muted
in local, state and national dis-
cussions of all issues, from
climate change to foreign
policy, but particularly of con-
cerns important to women
and working mothers: fam-
ily leave, child care and abor-
tion, for example. They point
to instances where women in
ofice have made a difference.
Kim McMillan was irst
elected as a Democrat to her
seat in Tennessee’s House
of Representatives in 1994
when she was 32 years old, a
working mother of two chil-
dren under the age of 3. More
than once, she was told she
couldn’t win because she
was a woman. She eventu-
ally served six terms, rising
to become the irst woman
majority leader. A major
accomplishment: expansion
of prekindergarten education
around the state.
“I felt like I represented
people who didn’t have any
representation, working moth-
ers like me,” says McMillan,
now the irst female mayor of
Clarkesville, the ifth largest
city in Tennessee.
New generation
Whether a Clinton win in
November will inspire a new
generation of female poli-
Support network
AP Photo/Don Ryan
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum poses for a
photo at her office in Portland. She says a support net-
work has been instrumental throughout her career, be-
ginning as a lawyer in Oregon and continuing as she
was appointed a state court judge and later during her
successful bid for state attorney general. Two of her early
mentors were former Oregon Supreme Court Justice Bet-
ty Roberts, the first woman to serve on an Oregon appel-
late court, and Barbara Roberts, the first woman elected
governor of Oregon.
ticians remains to be seen.
While the election of a woman
as U.S. president would be
unprecedented, at least 52
other countries around the
world have had a female head
of state in the last 50 years.
Female representation var-
ies signiicantly around the
U.S. Six states have never
elected or appointed a woman
to the U.S. House of Repre-
sentatives, and 22 have never
had a woman represent them
in the U.S. Senate.
A major problem, activists
say, is convincing women to
run.
“We know that when
women run for ofice, they win
as often as men do,” says Deb-
bie Walsh, executive direc-
tor of the Center for American
Women and Politics at Rutgers
University. “The number of
women running isn’t going up,
A support network has
been instrumental through-
out Ellen Rosenblum’s career,
beginning as a lawyer in Ore-
gon and continuing as she was
appointed a state court judge
and later during her success-
ful bid for state attorney gen-
eral. Two of her early mentors
were former Oregon Supreme
Court Justice Betty Roberts
and Barbara Roberts, the irst
woman elected governor of
Oregon.
Rosenblum says she
worked to pay it forward,
helping to build up a state-
wide group of women law-
yers. When it came to decid-
ing in late 2011 whether to
launch her irst bid for state-
wide ofice, that same net-
work was instrumental.
“I needed women to talk to,
to make sure I was not com-
pletely out of my mind to do
this,” says Rosenblum, who at
the time had just retired as a
judge.
In
California,
Han-
nah-Beth Jackson had long
been active in her commu-
nity beyond her work as a
lawyer and former prosecu-
tor, but it took the encourage-
ment of one of her mentors to
convince her to run for state
Assembly in 1998.
“Women tend to ask per-
mission, and we’re never
quite sure we are good enough
or ready enough,” she says.
Now in the state Sen-
ate, she is chairwoman of the
powerful judiciary commit-
tee. Despite her inluence and
tenure, the Democratic law-
maker does not always suc-
ceed. Earlier this year, a bill
she sponsored extending Cal-
ifornia’s family leave pro-
tections to small-business
employees died in an all-male
committee amid concerns of
regulatory burdens.
She is undeterred.
“Let’s see what happens
when I bring the bill back,”
Jackson says. “Hopefully, that
committee will have some
women members.”
Port: Conway Construction’s revised bid came in just
over $1,835, 427, still less than Big River’s estimate
Continued from Page 1A
staff recommended going with
Ridgeield, Washington-based
Conway Construction’s bid
of less than $1.6 million, at
the time more than $600,000
lower than the bid of Asto-
ria-based Big River Construc-
tion Co.
The vote was postponed,
though, so Conway Con-
struction could correct its
bid to include a plan to pre-
vent groundwater from escap-
ing the excavated area. The
requirement for preventing
water in the excavated area
wasn’t included in the speci-
ications sheet for the project.
But Big River’s original bid
included such a plan.
Even with the correc-
tion, Conway Construction’s
revised bid came in at just
over $1,835,427, still signii-
cantly less than Big River’s
$2,262,712 estimate.
Fixing bids
Today,
commission-
ers Stephen Fulton and Bill
Hunsinger called foul on Con-
way Construction’s contract,
saying the company had been
unfairly allowed to ix omis-
sions in its initial bid to the
detriment of Big River.
Fulton said the Port should
discuss the issue more, add-
ing he doesn’t think Con-
way is qualiied if they didn’t
already know about ground-
water issues.
Ada Banasik, an environ-
mental engineer with consul-
tant and project manager Maul
Foster Alongi, said construc-
tion of the treatment system
could run into wet weather if
delayed.
The Port’s General Coun-
sel Tim Ramis said the Port
is allowed to go back and
negotiate with the low bidder
and not required to give the
high bidder an opportunity to
amend.
Ramis, Executive Direc-
tor Jim Knight and commis-
sioners James Campbell, John
Raichl and Chairman Robert
Mushen said the Port was in
a tight spot, still in the good
graces of the state but need-
ing to move forward with the
project.
In other news:
• The Port Commission
contracted Alongi to help
oversee construction of the
stormwater treatment system.
no major expansion
as a plaza or open space.
She also questioned what
Councilors instead asked would happen to the exist-
city staff to look at how to ing library.
remodel the existing library
Price used the success-
with available public dol- ful renovation of the Asto-
lars and private donations. ria Senior Center as a model
The city has about $1.6 mil- for what is possible. She
lion put aside for a project favors renovating only the
and the library foundation main loor of the library.
could raise about $1 million
“This option has several
through a capital campaign. advantages,” Price said. “It
City Councilor Cindy its the city’s budget. It its
Price and Councilor Russ our taxpayers’ wallets. It its
Warr favored a renovation, our staff resources. It its
while Mayor Arline LaMear our citizens’ library needs,
and Councilor Drew Herzig as deined by the Library
preferred a new library at of Congress, and can do so
Heritage Square. Councilor within a very short period
Zetty Nemlowill, who was of time.”
struggling with the issue,
Warr said the city is
said she believes Heritage unable to adequately main-
Square was the best site, tain parks and Ocean View
but the cost — $10.9 mil- Cemetery and has recently
lion for a new library; $24.1 learned of the signiicant
million for a new library cost to repair and maintain
with a housing component the trestles and track used
— was too high.
by the Astoria Riverfront
“I think the cost of build- Trolley.
ing a new library is too
“We could remodel
much. And too much of that what’s there and do a rela-
cost would be borne by cit- tively adequate job,” he said
izens,” Nemlowill said at of the existing library. “But
a special meeting at City as far as getting funding to
Hall. “And I’m not con- build the library to the scale
vinced that there’s enough that everyone in the room
community support.”
— or most of the folks in
After a 3-2 vote against the room — are envision-
Heritage Square, LaMear ing, it’s many, many years
loated a stripped-down out — like Cindy said —
$6.4 million expansion of before that’s going to be a
the existing library into the possibility.
parking lot.
“I would rather get it
But Nemlowill proposed done now and accept what
that city staff come up with we can provide.”
a funding strategy for a ren-
Herzig, who wanted
ovation project that does a new library at Heritage
not require a bond. Her Square and was open to a
motion passed the council housing component, said
with the same 3-2 split.
the City Council could
City Manager
“decide to build
Brett Estes said
for the 21st cen-
afterward
that
tury, or we could
the council’s vote
decide to build for
likely means there
the 20th century.
will be no major
“We can build
expansion of the
a building that
library. He said it
will be something
would likely take
that can be used
months for staff
for generations,
to come back
or we can build
with a renovation
a building — or
David
plan and funding
renovate a build-
Oser
strategy.
ing — that will
David Oser, a inancier be obsolete before we ever
who serves on the Library open the door.”
Board, cautioned the City
He doubted the exist-
Council that renovating the ing library could be easily
library would require a “gut remodeled. “No amount of
rehab” that could be expen- cosmetic surgery will bring
sive. Built in the 1960s, that building into the 21st
the library has deteriorat- century,” he said.
ing infrastructure and is not
LaMear, a former librar-
accessible to the disabled.
ian who had made a new
“The existing building library a theme in her cam-
does not have the ability to paign for mayor in 2014, was
be renovated cheaply,” Oser discouraged by the rejection
said.
of Heritage Square. “I’m
very disappointed,” she said.
Financial challenges “I think we’re going back-
The city had always ward instead of going for-
expected to use a mix of ward by choosing any other
city money and private option. But that’s the deci-
donations for a library proj- sion of the council.”
ect, but also presumed a
bond or loan would likely
Private fundraising
be necessary given the cost
Price said she is con-
estimates.
cerned about the lack of
City staff had estimated activity among library bene-
that a $10 million bond factors on private fundrais-
would cost the average ing. In many other cities
homeowner with a property that have built new libraries,
valued at $200,000 about she said, “it has been some-
$200 extra in property taxes one who has been part of the
each year.
foundation, who has stood
A $5 million U.S. up and been the champion
Department of Agricul- and said, ‘I will bring that
ture loan could have been money to the table.’
paid off over time through
“And that’s what we lack
a library utility tax.
here.”
In June, the Library
Without such a commit-
Board had recommended ment, Price said, “it makes
a new 18,000-square-foot my choice pretty simple,
library at Heritage Square which is to stay within our
east of the Garden of Surg- means.”
ing Waves. The City Coun-
Herzig objected to
cil had previously backed Price’s
characterization,
away from a $4.6 million calling it an “absolutely
plan to expand the library outrageous
statement.”
by tearing down the Wal- “It’s the council’s respon-
dorf Hotel next door, and sibility to give the founda-
had sought a review of Her- tion a clear directive, and
itage Square, but had let the we have failed to do that,”
issue simmer for 18 months. he said, apologizing to the
library foundation. “It’s our
High cost
failure, not yours. And I do
Price said the Library apologize.”
Board’s recommendation
Kate Summers, the
for Heritage Square “just chairwoman of the Library
goes well beyond the needs Board, said afterward that
of a library and our vibrant she thought the City Coun-
community.”
cil might be leaning toward
She cited the city’s lim- Heritage Square.
“And that is not what
ited funds, the uncertainty
of whether voters would happened,” she said. “I
approve a bond measure, was very disappointed that
and the impact of a new Councilor Price chose to
library on other designs attack our ledgling founda-
for Heritage Square, such tion, as well.”
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