DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016
144TH YEAR, NO. 73
ONE DOLLAR
NEW FOR OLD
LIFE WOOD
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
Warrenton Police Chief Mathew Work-
man said two of his officers are under
investigation by the state.
Warrenton
Reclaimed lumber from barns, outbuildings Police are
popular among renovators, woodworkers
under state
scrutiny
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
S
UVER — Staring up into the innards
of a partially dismantled grain ele-
vator, deconstruction expert Steve
Marlega could barely contain his enthusiasm.
Though much of the wood in the roughly
70-year-old structure was too insect-damaged
to be reclaimed, the massive old-growth tim-
ber beams supporting its frame were in superb
condition.
“I’ll tear this whole thing down just for
those,” said Marlega, project manager for
Northwest Reclaimed Wood, a deconstruc-
tion fi rm.
While the old Pacifi c Seed grain elevator
in Suver , was no longer useful to its current
owner, the Wilbur-Ellis farm supply com-
pany, lumber from the structure will live on
in various forms.
Like the wood from ancient barns and
other outdated and dilapidated agricultural
buildings around the region, it will be turned
into furniture and used in home renovations
by people who value its unique heritage.
“History is huge. You don’t want
it to just die,” said Danuta Burris,
co-owner of Salem Salvage, a
reclaimed wood company that
buys material from Marlega.
Probe looks into
behavioral issues
By ERICK BENGEL
and DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
Steve Marlega of Northwest Reclaimed Lumber, left, and Danuta Burris of Salem Sal-
vage examine the lumber of a grain elevator in Suver . Old wood from barns and other
farm buildings is popular among woodworkers and home renovators.
‘A big thing’
People often prefer to
use lumber that was milled
at about the same time as
their older homes were built
because it fi ts better aesthetically
and dimensionally, she said.
Such lumber is also used as a dec-
orative element in newer homes, Burris said.
“Barn wood is a big thing right now. Every-
body wants that barn wood look.”
Dismantling an old barn or grain elevator
is much more time-consuming and compli-
cated than simply bulldozing it or setting fi re
to it. The added care is necessary to extract
the valuable lumber intact, said Marlega.
“You can’t get it by knocking it over.”
In some cases, quickly demolishing or
burning down a structure simply isn’t safe or
practical. The Pacifi c Seed grain elevator, for
example, was too close to other buildings and
a railroad track.
However, deconstruction also reduces the
trauma of removing a structure with which
people have developed a nostalgic connec-
tion, said Michelle Ratcliffe, a landowner
near Hubbard , who worked with Salem Sal-
vage to dismantle a barn earlier this year.
Ratcliffe thought of her old barn as “the
world’s greatest lawn ornament,” while
neighbors considered it a local attraction.
“People loved the barn,” she said. “It is
really emotional for the people involved and
the community.”
See WOOD, Page 11A
WARRENTON — The state Depart-
ment of Justice is investigating the con-
duct of offi cers at the Warrenton Police
Department.
The details have not been publicly dis-
closed, but Police Chief Mathew Workman
said two offi cers are under investigation.
Other sources said privately that the
probe could also show whether behavioral
issues of individual offi cers are linked to
inadequate supervision.
State investigators will turn over the
fi ndings to the Clatsop County District
Attorney’s Offi ce.
“The investigator, when he contacted
me, said that he was looking into a few
issues that could potentially be looked at as
criminal issues, which was very surprising
to me, obviously,” Workman said.
The police chief said three offi cers are
on administrative leave, including one, he
said, from a personnel issue that happened
prior to any investigation.
Warrenton Police have 11 sworn offi -
cers and three reserve offi cers, so having
three offi cers on leave can put a strain on
the small department.
Workman said the Police Department
and the city are cooperating fully with the
investigation. “And, again, I’m hoping that it
doesn’t come to fruition that there was any-
thing done wrong, but if it does, then people
need to be held accountable,” he said.
See POLICE, Page 11A
Shark bites
surfer in
Ecola park
Trauma nurse fl own by
Life Flight to Portland
Danuta Burris of Salem Salvage puts the finishing touches on a table made from re-
claimed wood at the company’s yard in Salem . Old wood from barns and other farm
buildings is popular among woodworkers and home renovators.
‘People really thought the world of him’
Baker at Danish Maid leaves
legacy of hard work, treats
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
John Lindstrom, the longtime proprietor of Lind-
strom’s Danish Maid Bakery in downtown Astoria,
died on Friday. He was 64.
He is survived by Jan Lindstrom, his wife of
more than 40 years, son David Lindstrom, daugh-
ters Michelle Lindstrom and Kathy Dietrich and two
grandchildren.
“People really thought the world of him,” Jan
Lindstrom said. “And he was always so good to peo-
ple when they came in.”
She said her husband worked in bakeries while
attending Astoria High School. After a few years in
See LINDSTROM, Page 7A
John
Lindstrom
frosts a
heart-
shaped,
raspberry
filled cake
in 2004.
Lindstrom,
a proprietor
of the
Danish
Maid with
his wife Jan
for nearly
30 years,
died Friday.
Coast Weekend
File Photo
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH — With the help of
good Samaritan bystanders, a 29-year-old
Portland surfer survived a shark attack on
Indian Beach in Ecola State Park on Monday.
Joseph Tanner was surfi ng when he
was attacked by a shark, according to Ore-
gon State Police,
sustaining bites to
his upper thigh and
lower leg. He fought
off the shark by hit-
ting the shark in the
face, Cannon Beach
volunteer fi refi ghter
David Norris said.
Then bystanders at
the beach applied a
tourniquet to stop the
bleeding.
Surfer Jeff Rose Signs like this will
told KGW-TV that be posted at Ecola
Tanner is a trauma State Park today.
nurse.
“He directed his
own fi rst aid, what needed to be done,” Rose
said. “He asked us a lot of questions, what
we were seeing, if we saw spurting blood.”
See SHARK, Page 11A