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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017 Cannon Beach City Hall renovation plan hits a wall High bids delay fixes at building By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian CANNON BEACH — The envelope, please. But this time there was no winner. After months of design, updates and review, Cannon Beach Public Works Director Dan Grassick opened sealed bids on Tuesday for a major remodel of City Hall. Two construction bids had been received — and both exceeded the $150,000 cap the city had budgeted. “Both were well over the estimate and budget by at least $80,000,” Grassick said. A new building would have cost at least $3 million, but renovations to the existing City Hall at 163 Gower were expected to come in at a frac- tion of that cost. The Design Review Board approved the final stage of a plan to upgrade office space, windows, doors and exterior at a public hearing last week, with board mem- bers unanimously voting to approve a site plan to modify three windows on the north side, a change missed earlier. The proposed major mod- ifications include changes to R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian Members of the Design Review Board at a January meet- ing. Chairman Mike Morgan is at left. “For us to build a whole new building would be to the magnitude of $3 (mil- lion to) $4 million,” Gras- sick said. “Do you really want to move now to a new building, or do you want to remodel until the tsunami happens?” Contractors would have had 120 days to complete the project. Without a contending offer, the city will be re-evalu- ating next steps and will not be awarding the project this fiscal year. “(We) will reconsider what the options are after discuss- ing with the council,” Grass- ick said. R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian This area of City Hall was among those slated for remodel. the windows on a portion of the building’s north elevation, including the offices occupied by the city manager, assistant city manager and information technology director. Among the changes, the police department would have received a new entrance and doorway and more space for storage. Plans had placed Hay- stack Rock Awareness Project offices in an exterior building and the finance corner com- pletely redone and rebuilt. Building and plan- ning departments would also receive a new, separate entrance so contractors seek- ing permits can come directly to the appropriate offices. Plans drawn by David Vonada aim to fit in with the architectural style of Can- non Beach, Grassick said last week, with wood shingles and white trim. “Dave designed the whole process. They spent a lot of time with the depart- ment heads and the employ- ees to decide how the work flow goes, you’ve got to move things around,” he said. The integrity of the 1940s building is fine, he said, but City Hall would likely not survive an earthquake under today’s standards. R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian Public Works Director Dan Grassick in a portion of City Hall that had been slat- ed for remodel. Water district hits back at Warrenton on dam District asserts jurisdiction over structure By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Stand- ing their ground against the city, the Skipanon Water Con- trol District on Wednesday issued a statement describ- ing the Eighth Street Dam as publicly owned and under the jurisdiction of the water district. The statement was in response to the Warrenton City Commission’s emergency declaration in December that asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine whether the aging dam should be restored for flood control. The city alleges the water dis- trict’s decision to remove the tide gates on the dam has put public safety and property at risk. Warrenton also claims the dam is a federal asset critical to the city’s levee system. In a rebuke, the water dis- trict, which has been managing the dam since it was built in 1963 with the help of the fed- eral government, said there is no evidence of an emergency and accused the city of pursu- ing a flailing legal strategy and squandering taxpayer money. Rather than negotiate with the water district, the city has made several threats to sue The Daily Astorian/File Photo The Skipanon Water Control District has asserted juris- diction over the Eighth Street Dam. for control over the dam and is awaiting guidance from the Army Corps that might help settle the dispute. “Having been down there, shown our willingness to nego- tiate, the fact that they seem to be heading over the cliff with- out talking to us is mind-bog- gling,” said Bruce Francis, the vice chairman of the water dis- trict’s board. “We’re open- minded. We’re sitting here. We’re waiting to talk to them.” “It is a different style of conducting government,” Robert Stricklin, a board mem- ber, said. “It is,” Francis said. “Yeah, it’s a two-by-four on your head.” The water district voted 4-0 Wednesday to adopt the statement, which reflects the board’s consensus belief that the dam is publicly owned and falls within the water dis- trict’s jurisdiction. Stricklin abstained because he wanted the statement to be more spe- W A NTED cific about ownership. He believes the dam is owned by the Department of State Lands, which owns the land underneath the structure in the Skipanon River. The state, however, has not shown any ownership interest. Removal still sought The water district also reaf- firmed its position that the dam is a hazard and should be removed to help improve salmon habitat and water qual- ity on the river. No partner has Clatsop Post 12 Ham Steak Dinner with Macaroni and Cheese and Salad Friday Jan. 27 th 4 pm until gone 8. 00 $ 6PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 IT’S BACK!!! Assistance League ® Columbia Pacifi c ACCESSORIZE SALE IS ON! SAVE FEBRUARY 5 TH THE SUPER BOWL DATE SUNDAY 2017 RED BUILDING LOFT in Astoria Look for the BIG RED BINS in all Columbia Banks starting January 3rd to give your donations of purses, jewelry, belts, scarves, etc.. YOU KNOW WHAT A GREAT SALE THIS IS AND FOR A WONDERFUL CAUSE! All proceeds will go towards programs of Assistance League ® the Columbia Pacifi c Watch for more information, but for now SAVE THE DATE of February 5th! Assistance League the Columbia Pacifi c is a non-profi t organization whose volunteers raise funds to assist school children in our community. For more information about this event, call Mary Davies at (503)738-2672 For more information about ALCP or becoming a member, visit our website at www.assistanceleaguecp.org are up for re-election in May and plan to run again. “There is no basis of which I am aware for a claim of ‘jurisdiction’ and I have no idea what the effect might be of the ‘consensus statement’ which binds no one to any- thing so far as I can imagine,” Akin Blitz, a Portland attorney representing Warrenton, said in an email. emerged since the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce pulled out of a dam removal project last year because of the controversy with the city, and the water district has no money to launch a project on its own. A project would also require a city permit, which would be unlikely given the hostile climate. The statement Wednesday, and the move late last year to hire a private attorney, shows the water district is not pre- pared to shrink in the face of the city’s legal demands. Three board members — Tessa Scheller, the chairwoman; Stricklin; and Gail Galen — Army Corps review The water district appears content that the Army Corps, which originally built the city’s levee system, might weigh in. Blitz released an email from an Army Corps assistant district counsel in Decem- ber that describes the dam and two nearby city levees as “integrally-connected compo- nents of what appears to be a single flood risk reduction system.” Just last year, though, the Army Corps approved a per- mit for the water district and CREST to remove the dam and made no mention of its importance for flood control or the city’s levee system. “So obviously, they had looked at it and come to the decision that we were correct in what we were trying to do,” Francis said. A Special Thank You to all Family, Friends & Supporters for the Benefi t of Lesley Graber Saturday, January 21 st at the Seaside Golf Course • BJ’s Pizza Palace • Inn at Seaside • Ebb Tide • Seashore • Budweiser of Seaside • Seaside Golf Course • Pacifi c Paint • Seaside Outlet Mall • Jeff -n- Kim • James McCorkle • Sam’s Cafe • Relief Pitcher • Dairy Queen • Bartholet • Coast Hardware • Seaside & Gearhart Liquor Store • Beyond Nail & Pedi Spa • Clean Sweep • Freedom • Fultano’s • Finns • Norma’s • Doogers • David Osborn • Seaside Tobacco Shop • Sea Salts • Bridge Tender • Wayfarer • Pig -n- Pancake • Reed & Hertig • Coat Rack • NAPA • The Man Store • Twisted Fish • Bell Buoy • Otto • Borland Coastal Electric • River Inn • West Lake • Wayfarer • Funland • Cece & Jeff Carrow • Jody Weaver • Cindy Langa (Her time & energy) Thank You All Supporters! Celebration of Kim (Kyong S) Fuhrmann’s Beautiful Life Teri and I would like to invite everyone who knew Kim of Kim’s Kitchen, to join us in sharing memories and celebration of Kim’s beautiful life. We especially hope her many caregivers will attend. We include every shopkeeper, waitress and cab driver who took the time and effort to ensure her safety and well-being. We thank you. If you have stories you want to share, there will be open mic during the celebration for you to share. If you cannot make it to the event or don’t feel inclined to share your story in front of the group, please write the story and email them to kimskitchenastoria@gmail.com. I will either read them or post them at the Celebration Service for all to hear. Teri and I look forward to seeing old friends who knew Kim along with new friends Teri and I have yet to meet. January 28th 1 to 4pm Pier 39 (Hanthorn Cannery) Banquet Room
