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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2016)
SOCCER SEASIDE BOYS, GIRLS TAKE TO THE PITCH SPORTS 7A DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 49 ONE DOLLAR Vacation rental owners seek to derail Gearhart rules Alternate rental initiative presented to City Council By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian GEARHART — As Gearhart readies to pass short-term rental rules, a group of homeowners announced their intention to fi le an initiative to supersede the new ordinance. An informal band of vacation home- owners are “waiting to see” if Gear- hart ratifi es the ordinance at the City Council meeting Wednesday night. “The mayor and council are fairly entrenched, so we have taken the next step of retaining counsel and draft- ing an initiative,” Gearhart home- owner David Townsend, a commu- nications strategist, said Tuesday. “This allows us to put our alternative ordinance to the voters, which can- cels theirs. Hopefully we don’t have to do it, but we’re prepared to do it.” Proponents of the initiative agree with the need for a 24-hour emer- gency contact, neighbor notifi ca- tion and fees for permits — although they would designate revenue from the vacation rental taxes to a special fund for city fi re and police services, rather than enforcement costs, as City Administrator Chad Sweet proposed in August. Sweet said today he didn’t have any comment to the initiative yet, but “tonight you’ll get your answer from the City Council. For me, it’s all just part of the process. It’s democracy in action.” He said all councilors had received copies of the ordinance and it was included in tonight’s meeting packet. “There’s been a few discussions with individual councilors, but I’m not sure what their opinions are.” Does he anticipate the city’s ordi- nance will pass as planned tonight? “I do,” Sweet said. See GEARHART, Page 10A The Daily Astorian/File Photo The city is shifting parking enforcement to the Astoria Downtown Historic Dis- trict Association. EVERY KID IN A PARK, AGAIN Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Fourth-grade students pose with a Newfoundland dog during an educational program at Fort Clatsop National Memorial. Lewis and Clark park welcomes fourth-graders By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian GET A PASS L ewis and Clark National Histor- ical Park welcomes all fourth- grade students to visit the park for free through the initiative, Every Kid in a Park for another year. The yearlong program, which began again Sept . 1, offers fourth-grad- ers and those accompanying them a free annual pass into more than 2,000 federal lands, including Lewis and Clark National Historical Park for the second year. Jill Harding, the park’s visitor ser- vices chief, said Lewis and Clark National Historical Park gave out 1,136 free passes to fourth-graders last year, making the park one of the Top 25 to participate out of more than 400 national parks. “We’ve had great response from families and fourth -graders receiving the pass,” Harding said. “Through our education program, and at our front Lewis and Clark National Historical Park See PARK, Page 10A Fourth -grade teacher Melissa Groethe (left) and park Ranger Tom Wilson show students Lewis and Clark National Historical Park earlier this year. To download a free pass for nation- al parks, fourth-grad- ers can visit www.everykid inapark.gov. The website also has links to education- al activities, trip planning, field trip options, and additional information in both English and Spanish. The paper pass can be traded in for a more durable pass at the federal sites nationwide. ‘Fourth grade is that age where kids are starting to look outside and learn more about external experiences. It’s a good age to encourage them to come to national parks.’ Marcus Koenen interim superintendent at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Merchants take over parking tickets Tourism money will pay for outreach offi cer By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian The next parking ticket you get down- town might not come from the Astoria Police. The City Council voted Tuesday night to shift parking enforcement to the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association, which represents merchants. The city will deputize a uniformed community outreach offi cer who will have the authority to issue citations. Money from the fi nes will still go to the city through Municipal Court, but down- town merchants will gain greater control over parking. “There’s a mutual benefi t for it. Nobody is more motivated to turn over parking down- town than the downtown association,” Asto- ria Police Chief Brad Johnston said. “They will always be more motivated to do that than the police department.” The city will fi nance the community out- reach offi cer with $22,000 in Promote Asto- ria tourism money. The tourism fund, made up of hotel-room tax revenue, has also been tapped to pay a private contractor to main- tain the Astoria Riverwalk and other down- town green spaces and for a cleaning com- pany to service public restrooms at the Doughboy Monument and downtown. Using tourism money to privatize park- ing enforcement and park maintenance helps relieve pressure on the city’s general fund, which otherwise would have to underwrite services for both residents and visitors. “Right now, I feel as though that we see, as staff, an overall benefi t to the city,” City Manager Brett Estes said. See PARKING, Page 10A Most humpbacks leap off endangered list Whales off Pacifi c Northwest shores listed as threatened By AUDREY MCAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU — Federal authorities took most hump- back whales off the endan- gered species list Tuesday, saying their numbers have recovered through interna- tional efforts to protect the giant mammals. Known for their acrobatic leaps from the sea and complex singing patterns, humpback whales were nearly hunted to extinction for their oil and meat by industrial-sized whal- ing ships well through the mid- dle of the 20th century. But the species has been bouncing back since an international ban on commercial whaling took effect in 1966. The moratorium on whal- ing remains in effect, despite the new classifi cations. The National Marine Fish- eries Service said it fi rst had evidence to indicate there were 14 distinct populations of humpback whales around the world. It then said nine of these populations have recov- ered to the point where they no longer need Endangered Spe- cies Act Protections. These include whales that winter in Hawaii, the West Indies and Australia. Before, the agency classi- fi ed all humpback whales as one population. They had been listed as endangered since 1970. “Today’s news is a true eco- logical success story,” Eileen Sobeck, assistant administra- tor for fi sheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a statement. The whales will continue to be protected under other See WHALES, Page 10A Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian A humpback whale breaches near the Astoria Bridge last fall. Federal authorities are taking most humpback whales off the endangered species list, however whales that feed off Pacific Northwest shores are listed as threatened.
