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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2016)
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 29 SPANNING 50 YEARS ONE DOLLAR Walmart gets one more year Retail giant looks to build in Warrenton ‘We wanted to build something to last forever’ WARRENTON — Walmart has been given another year to break ground in Warrenton. The City Commission on Tuesday approved a one-year extension of the retailer’s site design permit to build at Ensign Lane and U.S. Highway 101 in the North Coast Retail Center. The commission fi rst granted the land use permit in August 2013 and has extended it three times, this time until next August . But this time the vote wasn’t unanimous. Mayor Mark Kujala and Commission- ers Pam Ackley and Tom Dyer voted for the extension; Commissioner Rick Newton voted against it. Commissioner Henry Bal- ensifer was absent. Asked after the meeting why he opposed the extension, Newton said, “I don’t think it will make life better in Warrenton” to have a Walmart . Astoria Bridge anniversary is marked Saturday amid much ado By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian T he summer after he graduated from Sea- side High School, Jim Gallegos went to work as a cement fi nisher on the Astoria Bridge. Like many other bridge workers, Gal- legos spent months working high above the Columbia River, in all types of weather, to com- plete the fi nal link of U.S. Highway 101. The Astoria Bridge opened 50 years ago this month. Gallegos, 71, who retired to Utah, returns to the North Coast for vacations and high school reunions. When he visits, he drives up to the Astoria Column and watches as ships travel under the bridge he helped build fi ve decades ago. “We wanted to build something to last forever, and I think we did,” he said. By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian See WALMART, Page 10A The Astoria Bridge project is announced April 21, 1959, after clearing its final legisla- tive hurdle by a 44-15 vote in the Oregon Legislature. Rededication The 50th anniversary of the Astoria Bridge will be marked Saturday morn- ing with a rededication ceremony. The public is invited to meet at 9 a.m. at the Maritime Memo- rial Park under the bridge . Guest speakers include state Sen. Betsy Johnson, Astoria Mayor Arline LaMear, Ore- gon Department of Transportation Director Matt Garrett, Washington State Secretary of Trans- portation Roger Millar, and Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee’s representative Schuyler Hoss . McAndrew Burns, the executive director of the Clatsop County Historical Society, said the rededication is inspired by a ribbon -cutting cer- emony that took place in 1966. At the time, the dedication drew Oregon and Washington gov- ernors, Miss Oregon and Miss Washington and a delegation from Astoria’s sister city of Wall- dorf, Germany. A relative of the Walldorf delegation 50 years ago will be in attendance Saturday. “50 years ago, this was the fi rst time a full contingent from our s ister c ity Walldorf came over,” Burns said. “It is a big deal for both cities.” In addition, 1966 Miss Oregon Estrel- lita Schid — now Lita Grigg, will attend the Jim Gallegos Flikr Via WikiMedia A Walmart store in Southington, Conn. Pearl on the Prom gets more pushback The Daily Astorian/File Photo Astoria in 1959, sans Astoria Bridge. Neighbors concerned about property values By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian See BRIDGE, Page 10A Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian On Aug. 27, 1966, The Daily Astorian announced the ribbon-cutting of the Asto- ria-Megler Bridge. SEASIDE — Variances for a new luxury motel on the Prom in Seaside could disrupt their property values, neighbors say. By submitting appeals to the City Coun- cil, neighbors Susan and Dan Calef of 25 Avenue A and Avrel Nudelman of 341 Beach Drive each seek a denial of the Planning Commission’s July decision to approve vari- ances for the Pearl of Seaside. Nudelman and the Calefs say their voices in opposition were “brushed aside,” and commission fi ndings were “both inadequate and not based on substantial evidence.” Pearl of Seaside owner Antoine Simmons of Haystack Lodgings responded he was working with neighbors to mitigate impacts, and that reductions in the plan’s scope could make the 48-room motel unfeasible to build. See HOTEL, Page 5A Community remembers ‘Mayor of Uniontown’ Goforth was a ‘driving force’ in neighborhood By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian Anyone who spends time in Uniontown can immedi- ately see the impact of Rae Goforth. The honorary “Mayor of Uniontown ” was known for her contributions to the Mari- time Memorial and Doughboy Monument, leading historical tours and the overall revival of her neighborhood. Goforth, 87, died in Astoria July 31. Northern California to Astoria “She was the driving force in 1970, she opened Fiddler’s on pretty much everything that Green Family Pub, which she happened down there for years ran for 20 years. She changed and years,” Astoria the name to Cafe City Councilor Russ Uniontown when Warr said. the neighborhood Warr, the owner became a historic of Astoria Gran- district. ite Works in Union- Reclaiming town, said he knew Uniontown Goforth for about In the early 1970s, three decades and Uniontown looked always respected her Rae like a junkyard fi lled service . He developed Goforth with abandoned cars an enduring respect and boats. for the community advocate. Over the years, Goforth led “She knew what she wanted and she never wanted to give efforts to restore the area. up,” Warr said. See GOFORTH, Page 5A When Goforth moved from Rae Goforth, left, instructs Ella Hill in the art of Victorian gar- nish behind the scenes during a Flavel House plum pudding tea in 2000. Goforth’s idea to raise mon- ey for the Clatsop County Historical Society in the late ’80s became an anticipated holiday tradition for many. The Daily Astorian File Photo
