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9A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2017 Horse camp: Department of Forestry still accepting written comments Continued from Page 1A September. In 2015 and 2016, campers used the site an aver- age 21 percent of the available time in these months, accord- ing to the state. Northrup Creek, which also accepts a limited number of other campers, is the lowest utilized of the campgrounds in Clatsop State Forest, Williams said. On top of the added rev- enue, the special-use permit will allow the state to better track whether or not campers are paying for the full length of their stay. “We’ve been discussing the use and lack of use for several years,” Williams said, “know- ing with these cuts we won’t be able to offer the same level of service we offered in the past.” Guaranteed spots Horse campers at Northrup Creek have complained in the past about not having a guaran- teed spot to camp prior to their arrival. The permit is partially designed to guarantee spots to campers, making it more likely they will make long trips to the site. Also, the fee may entice campers to bring larger groups to the grounds. “People won’t travel a long way out here if they aren’t guaranteed a site,” said Jenni- fer Bunch, treasurer of Oregon Equestrian Trails North Coast Chapter. But Oregon Equestrian Trails, which helps maintain the state-owned campground, day-use area and adjacent 9-mile trail for horse riders, has strongly opposed the fee hike and two-night require- ment. Bunch, of Svensen, and group member Diane Berry, of Astoria, who led the effort to build and maintain the camp before and after its opening in 2005, estimate they use the camp three to six times each summer. The group’s mem- bers have spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars working on projects such as tree removal and construction of a storage shed. A trailhead at the camp is even named after Berry. The main draw to the camp is the variety of terrain and Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Jennifer Bunch, treasurer of Oregon Equestrian Trails, right, and Diane Berry, Oregon Equestrian Trails member, walk around at Northrup Creek Horse Camp on Tuesday. wildlife on the trail, members say. “They called us the jewel of horse camps in the state,” Bunch said. Though they say they will still make the annual trips, oth- ers may not be as inclined. “It’s totally unrealistic for this camp,” Berry said. “That will effectively kill the camp.” Public comment Williams held a meeting with Oregon Equestrian Trails’ members in late February about the proposed plan that seemed to cause confusion. Members decried the fact that the camp was being closed without a public comment period “He told us it was clos- ing and that it would only be available for special-use per- mit,” Bunch said. “That’s why we initially were up in arms, and we still are up in arms. We were under the impression it was a done deal.” But Williams recalls tell- ing them the camp would still be open and that the spe- cial-use permit plan was just a proposal. He said he asked for alternatives from the group but did not receive any at the time. “I told them I wanted to stop any rumors the horse camp is closing,” Williams said. “I was totally honest and upfront with them from the get-go.” The Department of For- estry then announced in early March it would accept writ- ten comments from last Mon- day through May 4 on the department’s webpage or at twilliams@odf.state.or.us. Williams so far has received dozens of phone calls and emails about the camp. ‘Really cranky’ State Sen. Betsy Johnson has also heard from the public about the camp. “The contacts with my office were really cranky,” she said on her weekly radio show in early March. “Just call- ing them and saying, ‘You’re closed,’ was not the right solu- tion. I’m not really impressed with how the department is handling public outreach right now.” Proposed alternatives have included keeping the rate at $15 per night for a period of time during the summer or scrapping the two-night requirement. Oregon Eques- trian Trails has offered to han- dle more of the maintenance load and devise new ways to promote the camp. The Astoria District Rec- reation Advisory Committee will hold a meeting with pub- lic comment on April 4 at 5:30 p.m. at the Department of For- estry’s Astoria Office. Williams doubts the cur- rent proposal will be the one the department finally decides to implement. “It’s not a perfect plan. I know that,” he said. “There’s been more awareness of the lack of use at Northrup Creek. I’ve seen that as a positive.” Parks: Deed restrictions limit city’s ability to sell some park property Continued from Page 1A ‘Some urgency’ In recent years, “the number of facilities managed, our requirements, continued to go up, and resources con- tinued to go down. The per- cent transfer from the general fund continued to decrease,” Cosby said. The overstretched funding and staffing levels have led to a high turnover rate in part- time employees and a few poorly maintained parks. The department may have to close down some sites “due to haz- ards,” Cosby said. “We have a responsibil- ity to keep playgrounds and swingsets up to a certain par. Same with trails and our rec- reational space,” Cosby said. City Manager Brett Estes said, “There is some urgency, from the staff’s perspective, to move forward on this.” He, Cosby and Finance Director Susan Brooks are building next fiscal year’s budget. Details of the fee may not be decided on by then. However, “the longer we prolong this, the more of an impact we could be having to our general fund,” Estes said. He and Cosby may bring the proposal before the coun- cil again at a work session within a month. Councilors Cindy Price and Bruce Jones said they would favor a higher rate than the figure Cosby proposed — perhaps closer to $7 or $8 so that the city has money for more than just the basics, Price said. Councilor Zetty Nemlow- ill suggested that perhaps the fee should be based on a per- centage of ratepayers’ power bills rather than levied as a flat rate. Selling parks The City Councilors agreed that a utility fee is a promising idea. A utility tax, however, would not extinguish the question of whether the city should sell off the least-uti- lized parks, an idea unpopu- lar among people surveyed during the master-planning process. “I do think that the master plan strongly suggests some- thing should be eliminated in order to continue to decrease the requirements on your resources,” Price said. Jones, mindful that future cost-cutting measures might be necessary, said he had trou- ble thinking of a service in the parks purview that he would want to remove. “I’d rather get rid of a few properties, frankly,” he said. “That, I know, would be very controversial, to sell a few parks that are the least uti- lized. We’ve seen how contro- versial it is. But I’d rather face that heat than cut out youth sports, for example.” The income generated from selling properties tra- ditionally goes into the cap- ital improvement fund, and can be spent on other depart- ments. However, the coun- cil can decide — as Nemlow- ill said she would prefer — to designate the money for parks department use only. Although Price said she could support the sale of underused parks, she would not want to lose a park from an area with relatively few parks, even if that park is not fre- quently used. Alderbrook Park at Lief Erikson Drive and 45th Street, is not heavily used, but it’s the closest park to an area underserved by parks, Cosby said. Burdens and responsibilities Nemlowill, who sat on the citizens advisory commit- tee that guided the master plan last year, championed a quali- ty-over-quantity view. “Parks and Rec is extremely important to the quality of life in Astoria,” she said, “but we know that we can’t do every- thing well.” Nemlowill said she sup- ported easing the park staff’s burden by transferring underused properties. Tidal Rock Park at Com- mercial and 15th streets, for example, is “really a blight on downtown Astoria,” she said. “It’s in an urban renewal district — and an urban renewal district’s aim is to cure urban blight,” she said. “And here we have a city-owned property, which is the dumpiest property on the block. It’s unacceptable.” The problem is not that the parks staff isn’t doing a good job, she said. “It’s that they sim- ply can’t keep up and maintain that site. And it’s a low-prior- ity site, and so they spend more time at sites that get more used. So it doesn’t make any sense to me that we have that in our parks system.” Nemlowill acknowledged that, since the property comes with deed restrictions, the city can’t simply sell it. She added that the city should find partners in the com- munity that could take over some of the services the Parks and Recreation Department provides. “If we’re going to ask cit- izens to pay more money for parks, we need to show that we’re being really responsi- ble and also offloading some of our burdens and responsibil- ities at the same time,” Nem- lowill said. Erick Bengel/The Daily Astorian Astoria Parks and Recreation Director Angela Cosby gives a presentation on the depart- ment’s budget using teeter-totters during a City Council work session Thursday night. Letter: Lack of a sales tax highlighted Continued from Page 1A The city’s economy is “diverse and robust, with a low (4.2 percent) unemployment rate, all of which fully supports continuing strong sales at the downtown Astoria J.C. Penney store.” Astoria, the councilors remind Ellison, is a “port of entry and regional trading center.” On top of national retailers already investing in the region and “achieving healthy sales,” WalMart is scheduled to open a Warrenton store in 2018. “Between 2007 and 2016 the retail component of our economy was the third fast- est growth sector, after lei- sure & hospitality and educa- tion & health services, with a 7 percent growth in employ- ment,” the letter reads. “This speaks to our region’s buying power, year-round sales, and the strength of the summer and cruise months when the popu- lation of the region swells with visitors and tourists.” Astoria’s J.C. Penney is seven blocks from Columbia Memorial Hospital, the coun- Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian People walk by the J.C. Penney on Commercial Street Fri- day in downtown Astoria. The store is slated to start liqui- dating its stock April 17 and to close June 18. ty’s second-largest employer, and soon will be four blocks away from the new Mo’s Restaurant, the letter points out. In addition, “Astoria is one of only 13 cities across the United States that has received designation as an official Coast Guard City, home to more than 2,000 members of the Coast Guard, and attracting both air and afloat crews for training at the Advanced Helicopter Res- cue School and the National Motor Lifeboat School.” The letter highlights Ore- gon’s lack of a sales tax, which, the letter says, draws shoppers from Washington state. “License plates in down- town Astoria and throughout the county reflect that popu- lation and, we are certain, so would the J.C. Penney cus- tomer profile in Astoria. Very many of these customers do not shop online, so this is lost rev- enue forever if the downtown store is closed.” The letter concludes with a simple request “that our down- town Astoria J.C. Penney store remain open for many more years, and many more shoppers.” Be in the know A colonoscopy may be your best option for cancer screening and prevention. Talk to your doctor and learn more about your options online at www.columbiamemorial.org. 3 Facts for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month 1. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Finding it now could save your life. 2. Everyone over the age of 50 should be screened. Ask your doctor if you should be screened sooner. 3. There are several colorectal cancer screening tests, includ- ing affordable, simple, at-home screening options. Call 503-338-4075 now to make an appointment. 2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • 503-325-4321 www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital
