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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2016)
SEASIDE HOLIDAY CLASSIC TIPS OFF SPORTS • 10A 144TH YEAR, NO. 121 WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 ONE DOLLAR Lee will not run in 2018 Low tide approaches on the Columbia River as seen from the Astoria Column on Tuesday. Serves as chairman of county commission King tides provide peek at rising seas The king tide as seen from the Astoria Column on Tuesday. Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Studying tides helps plan for major fl oods By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian he second of this winter’s three king tide events hit Monday through Thursday, sending tidal surges up to more than 10.5 feet around Warrenton and Astoria. King tides, also known as perigean spring tides, are the highest-predicted tides of the year. They occur with the orbital alignment of the earth, sun and moon, pushing tides higher than usual and providing a glimpse into a future of rising sea levels. T King tides surge in Warrenton, North Coast King tides, which occur when the earth, moon and sun align, brought tidal surges of more than 10 feet Monday through Thursday in Warrenton’s Skipanon River. 12 feet* By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Scott Lee, the chairman of the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, will not seek re-election in 2018. Lee, 52, joined the c ommission in 2011, his fi rst time holding public offi ce. He was part of a sea change in the May 2010 elec- tion that saw him replace Jeff Hazen, Peter Huhtala replace John Raichl and Debra Birkby replace Rob- ert Mushen. Lee was named chairman of the commission in January 2014, and won re-elec- tion three months later. His term expires at the end of 2018. For the past 12 Scott Lee years, Lee has worked at Bikes and Beyond. He started managing and eventually took co-ownership with Arlene Fencsak after her husband and the shop’s founder, Rich- ard Fencsak, died of cancer in 2008. She is retired, Lee said, and he would like to move on to something new. See LEE, Page 9A King tides over 10 feet MLLW* 10 8 6 4 2 0 -2 Dec. 10 Source: NOAA Dec. 11 Dec. 12 Dec. 13 Dec. 14 Dec. 15 Dec. 16 *Tide heights relative to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), the standard chart datum for the U.S. coastline. Oregon reimburses schools for lead testing Edward Stratton and Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group Watching for water By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau By the time the tide peaked at around 10.5 feet Tuesday, water from Youngs River had risen within inches of the lanes of travel on Oregon Highway 202, one of the most striking local examples of tidal effects on infrastructure. “The biggest effect is erosion along the shoulder of the road,” said Kevin Werst, a transportation maintenance manager with the state Department of Transportation. When tides peak in Seaside, the city’s Public Works Director Dale McDowell said, he sends staff to monitor The Cove, a thin strip of rocky beach littered with driftwood and popular with surfers and other beachgoers. “We basically station a guy down by The Cove, because the waves can throw logs up,” he said, adding the city will sometimes close the entire beach down. SALEM — The Oregon Emergency Board on Wednesday approved reimburs- ing schools more than $2 million for about 53,000 tests for lead in school water supplies. The board established a $5 million reserve fund in September and authorized the state Department of Education to accept applications from schools for reimbursement of costs associated with testing for elevated lead levels in drinking water. The 53,000 tests come from school dis- tricts that represent 89 percent of public school students in the state, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Offi ce. School districts had until Dec. 1 to sub- mit invoices for reimbursement. They could make requests for tests conducted since March . The money only covers the cost of collecting and testing water supplies. See KING TIDES, Page 9A A car drives along Oregon Highway 202 south of Astoria during a king tide on Tuesday. During king tides, parts of the highway can be covered with water. See LEAD TESTING, Page 9A ‘Gentleman’ Grier was Masons’ chaplain for 45 years Seaview man left legacy of friends, deeds By PATRICK WEBB For EO Media Group SEAVIEW, Wash. — Look up “gentleman” in a dictionary and you will fi nd a defi nition that fi ts Norm Grier. “Gent·le·man (ˈjen(t)lmən/ noun): A chivalrous, courte- ous, or honorable man.” Grier, who died Monday, was both a gentleman and a gentle man. His family mourns. They have lost a beloved husband and father, who was grandfa- ther to six and great-grandfa- ther to 17. Grier was 88. He died at his home in Seaview with his wife of 55 years, Willa, daughters Debe Wroble, Lori Grier and Paralee (“Punky”) Suomela close at hand. He had been suf- fering for about a year from advanced heart failure and had been in home hospice care for the past week. His church has lost a devout congregant. Jim Tweedie, for- mer pastor of Ocean Beach Presbyterian Church in Seaview, remembers Grier with fondness. “Norm Grier loved his fam- ily, he loved his church, and he greeted each person he met as if they were the best friend he ever had,” said Tweedie, who retired this summer. “He loved a good story and he loved ren- dering trees into fi rewood. He savored each moment in life as if it was the most important moment he had ever had the privilege to enjoy. “He spoke slowly and lis- tened carefully. He walked humbly with God. He came closer to being like Adam before the fall than any person I have ever known.” Lost brother Norm Grier took great pride in his family, some of whose photos were displayed in his Seaview, Wash., home. Ilwaco Freemasons mourn See GRIER, Page 6A EO Media Group File Photo
