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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 2016)
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SANTA CLAUS FALLS INTO THE COLUMBIA RIVER? Illustration by Sally Lackoff FIND OUT INSIDE | COAST WEEKEND DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 125 A long slog ‘IT’S A LOT OF PAPERWORK. IT’S EMBRACING THE PROCESS.’ ONE DOLLAR Port evicts CREST tidal study Commissioners gripe about the king tide monitoring By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Erosion and storm damage from last December’s storms are still visible along the Astoria Riverwalk. Local agencies still waiting on federal money for storm damages a year ago $100,000 Flooding caused logjams along some Clatsop County roads during storms a year ago. County road crews spent more than $100,000 cleaning up, $89,000 of it reim- bursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. See PORT, Page 5A Pacific County leaders hope to save youth camp By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian igh winds and record rainfall ravaged por- tions of the North Coast last December, leading to state and federal emergency declarations. With the declarations came the potential for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay three-quarters of the cost of storm damage repairs through the state. A year later, most agencies in Clatsop County that reported damages are still try- ing to get some or all of the money and start repairs. H By NATALIE ST. JOHN and NICK NIKKILA EO Media Group Leaning locusts Clatsop County Public Works Perhaps the most visual representation of the slog to get federal relief are a patch of locust trees just east of the Columbia River Maritime Museum, still leaning over the water from coastal erosion caused by the storms. Astoria had initially tried to include the trees as part of the city’s FEMA claims to repair about 20 spots of erosion along the Astoria Riverwalk. But the trees are on property owned by the museum. “We ended up opting out of FEMA,” said Dave Pearson, the museum’s deputy director. “As a pri- vate nonprofit, they weren’t going to give us the money.” See SLOG, Page 7A Port of Astoria Commissioners Stephen Fulton and Bill Hunsinger, two consistent critics of the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, raised a stink at the Port’s Tues- day meeting about CREST placing tidal monitors last week at the Vera Slough tide gates outside the Asto- ria Regional Airport. The two commissioners attempted to pass a motion asking that the equipment Stephen be removed from the site, Fulton despite Port Executive Director Jim Knight having already asked CREST staff to remove the equipment. The motion failed. Knight said he gave CREST permission to access Port property and Bill install probes around tide Hunsinger gates to monitor water lev- els during the king tides, one of the three highest tidal events of the year. Knight said CREST wanted to help the Port, at no cost, understand the effect of king tides on the airport at Vera Slough, a tidal inlet near the Warrenton end of the Youngs Bay Bridge. City of Astoria The city of Astoria is exploring bioengineered alternatives to repair a land- slide near a city water line along Pipeline Road and Bear Creek. The landslide was part of damages from storms a year ago, for which the city and other agencies are still seeking reimburse- ment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for repairs. NASELLE, Wash. — Pacific County leaders are optimistic that Naselle Youth Camp can be saved. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee called for closing the youth camp — one of the county’s largest employers — to trim $7.4 million in his two-year state budget. The medium-security facility houses about 70 to 90 teen and young adult male offenders. The gov- ernor proposes closing the camp in 2018, and relocat- ing the youth to Echo Glen Pat Children’s Center in Sno- Escamilla qualmie and Green Hill School in Chehalis. “The mood is pretty blue, bruised,” Naselle Youth Camp Superintendent Pat Escamilla said. The superintendent said staff are anx- ious, and have many unanswered questions, See CAMP, Page 7A Hotels, city quibble over room tax definition Room taxes in Cannon Beach now apply to all ‘non-optional fees’ By LYRA FONTAINE The Daily Astorian CANNON BEACH — Hotels and vacation rentals are concerned about Cannon Beach’s interpretation of the lodging tax. In September, lodging opera- tors received a letter from the city that required lodging tax collection to include “non-optional fees.” These could include booking, late checkout, extended stay, pet, extra guests, clean- ing, hot tub and cancellation fees. Representatives from local hotels and vacation rental companies say this interpretation conflicts with the munic- ipal code. Lodging industry members from 16 local businesses — includ- ing Hallmark Resort, Stephanie Inn, Ocean Lodge, Tolovana Inn and Surf- sand Resort — have asked the city to vet the new requirements through a public process. The Jan. 3 City Council meeting will address the lodging companies’ concerns. After auditing 10 lodging operators, the city found that some hotels did not collect tax on certain fees subject to the Submitted Photo See HOTELS, Page 7A Owners of the Lighthouse Inn and other Cannon Beach hotels seek to clarify the city’s room tax. The matter comes before the council Jan. 3.