WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS FOR KNAPPA, JEWELL PAGES 8A & 9A
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016
144TH YEAR, NO. 109
TIMBER CLASH
A POSSIBLE $300 MILLION AT STAKE FOR CLATSOP COUNTY
ONE DOLLAR
After
Castro,
new hope
for Cuba
Expatriate wants
democratic shift
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
After fleeing Fidel Castro’s Cuba in 1961
at 5, Manuel Suarez said he holds out hope for
a democratic shift after the socialist revolu-
tionary’s death.
“I think, originally,
he had a good idea
about somehow or other
getting rid of (Fulgen-
cio) Batista, who was
a dictator,” said Suarez,
who lives on the North
Coast. “Unfortunately
when he got into power,
I think he changed his
mind.”
Manuel
Suarez’s memories
Suarez
of the Cuban Revolu-
tion are scant but powerful. He was the 13th of
14 children, his father a dean of engineering at
Villanova University’s Havana satellite cam-
pus when Castro swept into power in 1959.
“When Castro took over, he put my dad
in jail, and three of my sisters,” Suarez said.
“The rest of us were under house arrest. They
Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
See CUBA, Page 10A
Logs are transferred from a truck Tuesday at the Hampton Lumber Mill in Warrenton. The mill processes logs from trees on state
logging operations around the region.
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
For The Daily Astorian
O
n Monday, Clatsop County
received something it has
been expecting for weeks:
formal notice of a $1.4 billion
class action lawsuit that includes
15 counties and dozens of local
taxing districts.
By late January, the Board
of Commissioners will need to
decide whether or not to remain
involved in a legal clash that
could bring millions of dollars to
the county — or could, as some
fear, dangerously increase har-
vest on county forestland and
hand over control of these lands
to the private timber industry.
The lawsuit, filed by Linn
County earlier this year and
backed by the timber industry,
alleges the state has failed to
maximize revenue from the tim-
ber lands it manages on the coun-
ties’ behalf.
Decades ago, Oregon’s timber
counties turned over ownership
of their forestlands to the state.
The understanding was that, in
return, the state would maximize
profits from timber harvests.
However, a more recent forest
management plan emphasized
conservation measures and hab-
itat improvements.
The Linn County law-
suit argues that, now, the state
owes these timber-rich counties
money. In Clatsop County’s case,
there’s a possible $300 million at
stake.
Logs are prepared to be processed on Tuesday at the Hampton
Lumber Mill in Warrenton.
A seat at the table
There are two regular pub-
lic meetings scheduled between
now and the Jan. 25 deadline
when county commissioners must
decide if they want to opt out of
the lawsuit, one on Dec. 14 and
another on Jan. 11. Clatsop County
Manager Cameron Moore says it
is unlikely the board will make any
decision at the Dec. 14 meeting.
No matter what they decide,
someone is guaranteed to be
unhappy, county officials predict.
Also, in or out, it is likely
county staff will have to dedi-
cate time and resources to record
retrieval as the lawsuit progresses
and lawyers lay out their argu-
ments, Moore said.
And there are benefits to
remaining involved.
“If we’re in the lawsuit, we are
at the table,” Moore explained.
Any settlement discussions with
the state, any deals, any changes,
Clatsop County would be present.
The county has an obligation
to taxpayers to look closely at
the lawsuit and examine potential
impacts, both positive and nega-
tive, Moore said.
Who benefits?
The Linn County lawsuit is
essentially a contract dispute-
Moore said.
And, technically, county com-
missioners don’t have to do any-
thing. The county is named in the
lawsuit and will remain unless
commissioners opt out.
Some people who have been
coming to county commission
meetings consistently since the
lawsuit was filed worry about
what the suit could become and
what it might mean if the courts
rule in the counties’ favor.
Court filings show the law-
suit is backed by and, in large
part, paid for by the timber indus-
try. The Oregon Forest Industries
Council, Stimson Lumber Co.,
the Sustainable Forest Fund and
Hampton Tree Farm have all con-
tributed money to cover the coun-
ties’ legal fees. They created a lit-
igation fund, described in court
documents as a “special purpose
entity that may receive donations
from third parties.”
Former county commis-
sioner Helen Westbrook and oth-
ers who have spoken up at com-
mission meetings wonder: If the
court decides that the state is in
the wrong, will the various timber
groups backing the lawsuit gain
more control over state forestland?
And would such a judgment open
up these public lands to increased
timber harvest? And who really
wins in that scenario? Not the for-
est, the animals, the fish or the peo-
ple of Clatsop County, they say.
Westbrook, at a meeting in
October, said the evidence of the
timber industry’s involvement
shows “what the suit is about and
who stands to benefit the most.”
“Please think about how this
suit will most certainly impact
future management of our for-
ests,” she urged.
Deal
reached
in foster
care suit
Children were housed
in state offices, hotels
By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
According to the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, roughly 30
PORTLAND — The state Department of
Human Services has agreed to stop temporar-
ily housing foster children in hotels or offices
except under certain circumstances.
The department is defending itself against
a lawsuit filed by children’s advocates chal-
lenging its practice of housing foster children
in those settings.
The department and plaintiffs in the law-
suit reached an interim settlement agreement
earlier this month.
The agreement, publicly announced Tues-
day, states that effective Dec. 31, the state
will cease placing children overnight in DHS
offices unless there is no “available and safe
hotel” within 30 miles or 30 minutes of the
office.
See TIMBER, Page 10A
See FOSTER CARE, Page 10A
Timber-rich
A room with a brew
Pelican Brewing plans to renovate Cannon Beach hotel
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Now that Pelican Brewing
Co. is up and running, the
owners are turning their atten-
tion to the hotel property next
door.
Co-owners Mary Jones
and Jeff Schons plan to ren-
ovate the hotel. The brew-
pub and hotel are located on
the same parcel, but need to
be on separate lots in order to
finance the renovation. Last
week, the Planning Commis-
sion approved the preliminary
plan for a two-lot partition of
the property at 1371 S. Hem-
lock St.
“It is our intention to ren-
ovate the hotel and to do that,
we will need a source of bor-
rowing,” said Jones, the man-
ager of Cannon Beach Hold-
ings LLC. “To get the funding
required to renovate, we need
to have it on its own parcel to
be identified as collateral for
our loan. That is the reason for
the partition.”
Jones said they do not plan
on expanding the seven-room
hotel.
Both parcels meet the cri-
teria for the division request,
Schons said.
“We operate a hotel in
Pacific City, we understand
the hotel business,” he said.
“We’re excited about this
hotel. … We think it would
be a great opportunity for the
community to have a nice, well
put-together little seven-room
hotel right next to the Pelican.
We see it as a long-term goal
for Cannon Beach Holdings
and a long-term opportunity
for Pelican Brewing.”
They are looking to reno-
vate the hotel in one to three
years, he said.
Submitted Photo
Pelican Brewing in Cannon Beach.
Criteria for evaluating the
application included lot size,
street access, off-street park-
ing and more.
The Planning Commission
discussed how the hotel could
impact parking in the area,
since Pelican Brewing has led
to parking concerns.
Commissioner Lisa Kerr
said the applicant met the cri-
teria, “whether we like the
way the whole Pelican Brew-
ing phenomenon has affected
the parking in the area.” The
motel’s 10 parking spaces
“seems fair and reasonable,”
she added.
City Planner Mark Barnes
said Pelican Brewing has
expressed interest in helping
to reduce parking issues.