KNAPPA HIGH SCHOOL SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW PAGE 11A
Junior
Dale
Takalo
144TH YEAR, NO. 199
Man Cave passes
insurance muster
Questions raised
about alcohol liability
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Port of Astoria Property Manager
Shane Jensen confi rmed Tuesday that the
Port’s insurers do not preclude coverage
because of possible alcohol use. Jensen
was responding to the concerns of Port
ONE DOLLAR
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017
C ommissioners Stephen Fulton and Bill
Hunsinger over liability for alcohol use
on the agency’s property at the Astoria
Regional Airport.
Fulton has accused fellow C ommis-
sioner James Campbell, his opponent
in the May special district election, of
condoning a private club — known as
the Man Cave — with a bar in a private
hangar at the a irport. He later called the
See MAN CAVE, Page 10A
Mushen stricken
at Port meeting
Taken to hospital for treatment
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
The entrance to Philip Bales’ Man
Cave at the Astoria Regional Air-
port is marked by a collection of
conservative stickers.
MORE INSIDE
A contentious Port of Astoria Commission
meeting Tuesday night was cut short when
Commission President Robert Mushen had an
apparent medical emergency.
During a heated discussion between com-
missioners and Port counsel Eileen Eakins
Stormwater, labor law fines get
Port scrutiny on Pages 2A and 3A
See MUSHEN, Page 10A
Port of Call works to change its rep
Robert Mushen
Gearhart
group looks
to repeal,
replace rules
Measure would redo
short-term rental regs
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
A car travels down Commercial Street in front of Port of Call Bistro and Bar as dusk approaches on Monday in Astoria.
New bosses mindful
of over-serving
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
A
state snapshot of drunken driving cases
over the past two years suggests a pat-
tern of Port of Call patrons drinking at
the downtown bar and later getting arrested.
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission
gathers drunken driving statistics based on
police reports provided by local law enforce-
ment agencies . When a police report includes
the establishment where the driver said they
had been drinking, that detail is often added
to the compilation .
Out of 47 recorded examples in Clatsop
County in 2015 and 2016, the state found,
Port of Call appeared in 12 . The second high-
est number , from Annie’s Saloon, was four.
The examples only represent a fraction of
the 250 to 300 DUII cases fi led annually in
the county, but they reinforce a perception of
hard drinking at Port of Call.
“We did have a less-than-stellar reputa-
tion in the community,” said Taz Davis, who
took over as Port of Call’s general manager
earlier this year.
Indicator
The state report is based solely on testi-
mony from drivers who have been arrested
for DUII . Law enforcement a gencies are
only required to report the statistics if some-
one they arrest records a blood alcohol con-
tent of 0.20 percent or higher or if they are
involved in a crash. Some agencies report
more than the minimum, while others do not.
Because complete data would be impos-
sible to fully track, the reports are not
intended to be used as a basis for imposing
sanctions on bars. But the Oregon Liquor
Control Commission does utilize the fi nd-
ings to determine which establishments may
be in need of instruction on how to avoid
over-serving customers.
“We use the DUII report as an indica-
tor of potential problems,” Christie Scott, a
liquor commission spokeswoman, said.
Florida-based owner, hired Davis, who
began working six weeks ago, to shore up
the Commercial Street bar and bistro’s orga-
nizational structure. One part of that organi-
zation was ensuring the new manager would
be able to prevent over-serving, Sawyer said.
“In coming up with new management
and new leadership and organization, it was
very important to have someone that shares
my values and has a very strict no tolerance
policy against over-serving,” Sawyer said.
Staff at Port of Call has participated in
on-site training from the liquor commis-
sion in the past few years on how to avoid
over-serving, investigator Marc Warren said.
But bartenders and security person-
nel have had issues with serving high-alco-
hol drinks in glasses meant for beer and not
checking for or being afraid to question cus-
tomers who show strong signs of intoxica-
tion, Davis said.
“Interaction with our guests is the biggest
piece of it,” Davis said. “It’s a big focus for
us to realize how to spot that.”
New leadership
Marvin James Sawyer, Port of Call’s
GEARHART — Opponents to Gearhart’s
short-term rental rules have borrowed from a
national political playbook in a new challenge .
Local residents have fi led a petition initia-
tive to “repeal and replace” the rules enacted
last fall.
“Both my husband and I would really like
to see a more reason-
able approach,” said
Joy Sigler, who with
Brian Sigler and Sarah
Nebeker are the chief
petitioners.
“That’s
why we were moti-
vated to sign it. As is,
it’s not good for local
people. And we’re
local. You can’t get any
more local than us.”
Joy Sigler
County Commis-
sioner Nebeker rep-
resents District 2,
which covers Gearhart
and the Clatsop Plains
and portions of Seaside
and Warrenton.
Sigler, owner of the
Pacifi c Crest Cottage,
said the city’s rules
would limit options for
her children and hurt
Sarah Nebeker
her business, based in
Gearhart.
“Not only have you taken away the choice
that my children should have to rent this short
term, you’ve also eliminated a lot of guests to
the community, which is my customer base,”
Sigler said. “You’ve hurt me on two levels.
And there are a lot of local people who are
going to feel the very same way.”
Seeking new rules
The city’s rules, enacted last October, reg-
ulate occupancy limits, parking and prop-
erty management contact information, among
other measures. Vacation rental permits are
transferable only by inheritance.
See PORT OF CALL, Page 5A
See GEARHART, Page 10A
Slow sign-ups could stall Cannon Beach charter school
the school would not be allowed to
open in the fall.
As of Monday , only 12 kindergar-
ten students and eight fi rst- and sec-
By BRENNA VISSER
ond-graders have signed up.
The Daily Astorian
“When we started this pro-
cess many years back, a lot of fam-
CANNON BEACH — With a
ilies applied,” Phil Simmons, the
building lease and recent grant award
director of start up operations for the
in hand, plans to open the Cannon
academy, said. “But in that time,
Beach Academy this fall are starting
families have moved, so it will be a
Phil
to fall into place.
challenge to get the minimum
Simmons
But a few aspects are still up in
required.”
the air. One, most notably, is that not
Simmons is still optimistic about
enough students are enrolled.
reaching the goal. As a charter school, any child
For the academy to open its doors, a provi- in the region can enroll. Marketing materials
sion in the contract between the academy and have been circulated at Seaside Heights and
the Seaside School District requires at least 17 Gearhart elementary schools, helping spread
kindergarten students and 17 students combined the word.
in fi rst and second grades to be enrolled by May
See ACADEMY, Page 5A
1. If that threshold is not reached, it is possible
Fall opening could
be up in the air
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
The site of the new Cannon Beach Academy is at 171 Sun-
set Blvd. The charter school is set to be opened this fall.