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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
Columbians sweep past Warriors Council seat: Candidates recognize
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — Breana
Edwards and the Rainier vol-
leyball team set the tone early,
then did just enough to hold off
Warrenton in all three games
Thursday as the Columbians
scored a sweep over the War-
riors, 25-18, 25-21, 25-9, in a
Lewis & Clark League match
at Warrenton.
Edwards, Rainier’s big junior
middle blocker/outside hitter,
had blocks at the net for the irst
three points of the match, spark-
ing the Columbians to an 11-2
lead in Game 1.
The Warriors kept it fairly
even from there, at least for the
irst two games.
“Yeah, we lost in three, but
I was proud of our girls for not
backing off,” said Warrenton
coach Jim Hackwith, whose
team lost for the irst time in
league play. Rainier improves
to 3-0.
“The way it started didn’t
look good for us, but we didn’t
get scared,” he said. “I was
proud of the way we played. It
was a good match to see where
we’re at.”
Even after falling behind
11-2, the Warriors battled back
to within 20-18, off three kills by
Landree Miethe, and a big block
by Katelynn Blodgett on Raini-
er’s Kyla Howell.
But Howell came back with
a couple of ace serves, and the
Columbians scored the inal ive
points of Game 1.
Warrenton rallied from a 5-1
deicit in Game 2, and grabbed
a brief 9-8 lead with the help of
a kill by Claire Bussert off a set
from Sierra Lyons, the only lead
of the night for the Warriors.
Rainier responded with three
straight points, and never trailed
again.
Edwards blocked Miethe for
a point, had a jump-serve ace
and later added a kill from the
back row.
Game 3 was all Rainier, and
most of it Edwards, who had
more ace serves, more blocks,
and back-to-back power kills
that served as the exclamation
points to close out the match.
Lyons was 10-for-11 serving,
Miethe had six kills and Bussert
added 10 digs for the Warriors.
Sophomore
Morgan
Blodgett inished with three
blocks and Bussert had four
kills for Warrenton, which takes
part in the Vernonia Tournament
Saturday.
Elsewhere, Portland Chris-
tian (3-1) defeated Oregon Epis-
copal (3-1), putting the Colum-
bians into irst place in the
league standings.
The Warriors won two of
three games in the junior varsity
match, 25-22, 25-18, 11-15.
Oracle: ‘These settlements are
very challenging to resolve’
Continued from Page 1A
the Oregon Museum of Sci-
ence and Industry in Portland,
includes only $35 million in
actual cash. Of that, $25 million
will go to legal costs. The other
$10 million will go toward sci-
ence, technology, engineering
and math education in public
schools, to be branded as “Ora-
cle STEM Education Grants.”
The state’s $105 million val-
uation of the settlement also
includes $60 million in free cus-
tomer service support for yet-to-
be-obtained Oracle software.
State oficials were expected
to notify the federal government
of the settlement Thursday,
Brown said. Brown declined to
answer a question about whether
the state will be required to give
any of the settlement money to
the federal government.
“We received a very limited
amount of cash as you will see;
the cash is $35 million,” Brown
responded. “These settlements
are very challenging to resolve,
and all of the parties had to do
some give and take in order to
resolve the matter.”
The federal government con-
tributed $305 million for Cover
Oregon. But federal oficials
may ind it hard to recoup any
part of the settlement’s osten-
sible value. Not a penny of the
amount will go to repay the state
for the $240 million it paid Ora-
cle in connection with the proj-
ect, or reimburse the state for
any of the related damages cited
in the state’s lawsuit against
Oracle.
Kristen Grainger, a spokes-
woman for Brown, said the set-
tlement was “carefully” and “cre-
atively” constructed to let Oregon
keep as much of it as possible,
hopefully the whole amount.
“We are hopeful that (the
federal government) will see
that the needs of consumers are
met,” she said.
Sharing the blame
Under the agreement, neither
side admits liability or wrong-
doing. It also calls for a close
working relationship between
the two sides.
Besides the $35 million in
cash and $60 million in cus-
tomer support, the settlement
also includes a six-year licens-
ing agreement that would allow
the state to get free software to
upgrade some of its information
technology systems.
The expansion of the state’s
relationship with Oracle rep-
resents a major departure from
state oficials’ past representa-
tions that the company provided
lawed software, did shoddy
work and engaged in unethical,
even criminal, business prac-
tices. In fact, the state’s lawsuit
had asked a judge to ban Oracle
from ever doing business with
the state again.
Asked whether the state
could entrust its IT systems to
Oracle after the Cover Oregon
failure, Brown said she was con-
ident in the company’s exper-
tise around business enterprise
software.
Oregon House Minority
Leader Mike McLane, R-Pow-
ell Butte, said Thursday that the
settlement “marks the end of
one of the most embarrassing
chapters in Oregon’s history.”
“While Oracle clearly made
mistakes, there is no escap-
ing the fact that the state, too,
shares blame for the failure of
Cover Oregon,” McLane said.
“From the very beginning, the
project was mismanaged and
wracked by the failures of our
bureaucracy.”
It appears that Attorney Gen-
eral Ellen Rosenblum and her
attorneys had felt the $6 billion
lawsuit was worth much more
than Oregon eventually settled
for. Contract ledgers show the
state has paid more than $15 mil-
lion to outside lawyers in con-
nection with the case, which does
not include other state costs.
Her side had obtained inter-
nal Oracle emails that would
not look good in court, or in the
national media. One company
employee said that the company
had been “raping” the state. An
expert Oracle troubleshooter
said the company’s work in
Oregon was so poor that the
employees responsible should
be publicly “logged.”
The state’s lawyers in court
said they’d obtained other doc-
uments showing that Ora-
cle knew its software products
could not provide the services
it had promised while trying to
win the Oregon contract.
David Friedman, a Willa-
mette University College of
Law professor who has been
sympathetic to Oracle’s argu-
ments in the case, said “I really
do think this is a win-win. The
state is getting a substantial
amount of services and value
from Oracle … and Oracle can
say ‘Hey look, we’re not racke-
teers, we’re not fraudsters.’”
Tough talk is normal in a
case like this, but, “They’re
skipping off holding hands now
through the wildlowers,” he
said, “essentially back in busi-
ness with one another.”
lack of housing options is an issue
Continued from Page 1A
Students, he said, need “a
place to work and study and
have other activities to promote
their education.”
Jones, who also did not pick
sides in the renovation versus
rebuild issue, called himself “a
big proponent of having a great
library.”
“If you’re an unemployed
guy who doesn’t have a com-
puter and can’t pay his phone
bill so he can’t use it, and you
need help with job hunting,
you go to a good library and
you can get someone to help
you with writing a resume, and
you can do online courses, cor-
respondence courses, and you
can apply for jobs,” he said.
“And if you’re a child —
of which there are many in this
community that live in houses
where there are no books
and the parents don’t read —
you can go to the library and
develop literacy with people
that are volunteers, that read to
kids and help them with their
reading if they’re behind,” he
continued. “And literacy is an
essential element of being pre-
pared to enter the workforce
eventually, and you doom peo-
ple to remain in poverty for
generation after generation if
they don’t have literacy.”
Housing
Both candidates recognize
that the lack of housing options
on the North Coast is a pressing
issue without easy ixes.
“I think, at some point, you
have to really decide: Is it a sig-
niicant enough issue that we’re
willing to go ahead and make
some tough choices that will
make some people unhappy?”
Jones said.
Though Jones said he needs
to learn more about the prob-
lem, “I kind of feel like there’s
no solution that’s going to put
more than a little dent in the
housing situation that doesn’t
involve adding some high-den-
sity housing of some form,
whether it’s duplexes of tri-
plexes, or whether it’s apart-
ment buildings or boarding
houses or condos.”
He is fully aware, however,
that “you can’t propose build-
ing anything in Astoria bigger
than a cottage that doesn’t gen-
erate some controversy.”
Pederson believes council-
ors must balance the need for
“a healthy and growing town”
with the need to maintain the
charm. He wants the council
to consider bringing more non-
proits into discussions of the
housing crunch.
Earthquake
preparedness
On the topic of the Casca-
dia Subduction Zone earth-
quake, Pederson said the issue
is “huge” and should be taken
seriously. Emergency pre-
paredness, particularly the
measures recommended by the
state, should be aggressively
practiced and promoted, he
said.
“This is one area, if it were
to get hit, it’s going to get hit
really bad,” he said.
Pederson said cities should
be able to provide more oppor-
tunities to learn what to do
during and after a seismic
event.
Jones said local disas-
ter readiness is a responsibil-
ity shared among residents,
schools, Columbia Memorial
Hospital, local government
agencies, the police and ire
departments, the Coast Guard,
major employers and, yes, the
City Council.
“What the City Council
can do is just ensure all those
groups are meeting (on) some
sort of periodic basis, and set-
ting some goals and objectives
for preparedness,” Jones said,
adding that “there’s no pot of
money anywhere to do this.”
“I don’t think we’re pre-
OREGON CAPITAL
INSIDER
pared now,” he said. “And I
don’t think that’s anyone’s
fault. It’s just … It is what it is.
And I think that we need to just
keep the awareness level high
and encourage people to go out
and buy equipment.”
Goals and
qualiications
Jones said he is not running
for City Council because of
any particular issue, or because
he has an agenda to push.
“I just think that I have
qualities that would make me
a very effective city councilor,”
he said. “I’m very interested in
the city and the city’s future.
I’d like to be part of looking at
all of these complex issues and
fairly assessing them, listening
to community input, working
with my fellow city councilors
and city staff to come up with
balanced solutions that’ll make
improvements and make Asto-
ria a better place to live.”
Admitting that he is a bit
of a policy wonk, Jones — the
former chief of strategic anal-
ysis for the Coast Guard in
Washington, D.C. — said, “I
like looking into the future and
developing strategies and try-
ing to take complex pieces that
aren’t necessarily itting well
together and igure out how we
can make something happen
productively.”
Pederson said his experi-
ence in negotiating his union’s
contracts, and his history of
building orchestras on the
North Coast from the ground
up, will translate well to the
City Council.
He wrote in a statement:
“The future of the city demands
community leadership that is
cognizant of the challenges we
face, understands the choices
that are made which directly
affect our assets and opportu-
nities, and of this being done
with an ambience of respect
and consideration towards a
shared goal.”
We’re investing in Salem
coverage when other
news organizations are
cutting back.
Get the inside scoop on state government and politics!
Flagpole: Old one was rotten
Continued from Page 1A
operations during the slow win-
ter months. To recoup the cost,
the group has launched a public
fundraiser on YouCaring.com.
The Northwest Civil War
Council, which uses the fort
for its annual re-enactment
over Labor Day weekend, has
already pledged $1,000 toward
the lagpole replacement.
Park ranger John Koch said
the old lagpole was rotten and
broken when a crew took it
down last week. Over the past
few years, park rangers would
only ly a much smaller lag on
the aging pole.
“It was just a matter of time
until a stiff breeze would knock
it over,” Koch said.
Along with being too weak,
the old lagpole was built in the
late 1990s with guy-wires, com-
monly used on ship masts to
steady the pole. The wires often
damaged lags as they lapped in
the wind.
The new lagpole, the third
to be built at the Civil War-era
earthen fort, stands straight up
with no wires sticking out on the
top.
“We did not go for the mast
idea because there is always
danger of the lag getting tan-
gled in it,” Lindstrom said.
In addition, the park does
not plan to ly the Garrison lag
in the winter to keep it pristine.
The lag, valued at more than
$2,000, was donated years ago.
Park ranger Roger Stone —
one of the rangers who raises the
lag in the morning, and takes it
down in the afternoon — said
he has been impressed all week
seeing the massive lag up at the
fort. He stood in awe when the
Stars and Stripes went back up
for the irst time last week.
“I think you could probably
go across the river to Washing-
ton, some place along the shore
and actually see this thing,”
Stone said.
School: Building is in tsunami zone
Continued from Page 1A
Coaster Construction general
contractor John Nelson quickly
walked through the gymnasium
on behalf of the city to roughly
estimate the cost of making it
habitable and up to code. The
cost of interior and exterior ren-
ovations, including a 25 percent
contingency, would be about
$371,000.
“We know very roughly
what it would potentially cost,”
Kucera said. “It’s yet another
thing for you to consider as we
move forward with this.”
The $450,000 cost to
purchase the property, and
$250,000 to demolish the build-
ing and restore the lawn, were
included as placeholders in the
city budget. Instead of demoli-
tion, restoring the gymnasium
could be an option.
The estimate does not
include other costs, such as
operating the building, adding
restrooms and making aesthetic
improvements. Operating costs
could be about $50,000 a year.
“For this project, I would
envision probably spending the
contingency plus,” Public Works
Director Dan Grassick said.
Despite costs and the build-
ing’s location in the tsunami
zone, Kucera said there might
be value in investing in the
space for the community.
Mayor Sam Steidel said the
city could decide what to do
with the gymnasium after pur-
chasing the property.
Councilors, who should
decide by the end of the year,
discussed how the building
could become a viable asset
for the city and the possibility
of residents raising funds for a
project.
“Once it becomes occupia-
ble, then you have the potential
for fundraising,” Steidel said.
Making Healthcare Work for You
Get the tools you need to navigate the healthcare system better. Join us for a
community health literacy fair for all ages!
September 19, 2016
2-5pm, Astoria Senior Center
(1111 Exchange Street, Astoria, OR)
Get tools for:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Talking with your doctor.
Getting the most out of your insurance.
Managing your medical costs.
Reading your bill and insurance statement.
Making end-of-life decisions.
Finding community assistance.
Schedule of events:
2pm Opening Remarks, City Councilor Zetty Nemlowill
3pm “Making the Most of Your Medical
Appointment” by Foot & Ankle Surgeon
Dr. Michael Murdock
4pm “Health Coaching: Put your plans into action”
by Venus Fromwiller, Health Coach
2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • 503-325-4321
www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital