4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2017
Fulton: Claims staff’s analysis left out reasonable alternatives
Continued from Page 1A
adjacent land shovel-ready for
future development.
Fulton, originally part of
a unanimous Port Commis-
sion vote to move forward
with a bond, has since come
out in opposition, presenting
several alternatives. He has
accused fellow Port Commis-
sioners James Campbell and
John Raichl of having undis-
closed conflicts of interest
because they hangar planes at
the airport.
Rick Holbrook, a pilot with Life Flight Network, gives a
thumbs up after landing an Agusta A109E Power helicopter
at the Astoria Regional Airport in May 2015. The landing was
part of the helicopter’s inaugural flight into Warrenton.
Conflict of interest
Fulton sent a letter to the
Airport Advisory Committee
regarding a staff report Kobes
submitted to the committee.
“Mr. Kobes is not a salaried
employee,” Fulton said. “He is
a subcontractor to the Port of
Astoria and the Port pays him
by the hour to manage the air-
port and development projects.
If the airport bond passes, it
will create a great number of
additional hours of work for
Mr. Kobes and very substan-
tial additional compensation. It
must be noted that Mr. Kobes
failed to disclose this major
conflict of interest in the staff
report.”
Kobes’ report was respond-
ing to Fulton’s suggestion that
the Port evict retired dentist
Philip Bales from a private
hangar on Port land.
The Daily Astorian/File Photos
The Astoria Regional Airport in Warrenton includes three runways, several banks of rec-
reational airplane hangars, two large hangars housing Lektro and industrial land to the
south housing several businesses.
Fulton
has
accused
Bales, who has a clubhouse
with a bar inside the han-
gar, of violating his lease and
operating an illegal speak-
easy. He has called on the Port
to investigate the possibility
of evicting or moving Bales
and his hangar, which stands
just southwest of the air-
port’s main office, and siting
Life Flight’s new hangar
there.
Kobes started the report by
saying he has stored an air-
plane in Bales’ hangar through
a handshake agreement since
2003, but that it has no bear-
ing on the facts behind Ful-
ton’s suggestion. In the report,
he explains why the southeast-
ern site was chosen as the best
location by Life Flight, the
Federal Aviation Administra-
tion and Port staff.
Fulton claimed the report
may have violated ethics
rules precluding the agen-
cy’s employees from lobby-
ing for the bond. He requested
a formal opinion by the Port’s
attorney.
Lackluster analysis
Despite numerous recom-
mendations for the southeast-
ern site, Fulton claims the
staff’s analysis left out rea-
sonable alternatives, such as
relocating Bales’ hangar or
moving the airport’s main
office to make way for Life
Flight’s hangar without a
bond. He has called the bond
measure speculative develop-
ment, an argument echoed by
his political allies and fellow
Port Commission candidates,
former Warrenton City Com-
Port: Commission meets today to vote
Continued from Page 1A
exporter have been subsidiz-
ing “ghost riders,” a term for
longshoremen who mostly sit
in the passenger seat of trucks.
Port Property Director
Shane Jensen described an
agreement to rent trucks and
trailers from Custom Exca-
vating by Dean Larson Inc. in
Warrenton.
“Custom
Excavating’s
going to provide log trucks
each morning,” Jensen said.
“They’re going to maintain
them. They’re going to refuel
them. We’re basically going
to consult with (Astoria Forest
Products) and find out when
they actually need the trucks.
We notify Custom Excavating.
They will deliver the trucks to
Pier 3.”
The Port will pay Custom
Excavating $392 per day —
or $4,704 a month — for the
trucks and provide liability
insurance. The trucks will be
stored under lock and key on
Pier 3 during periods of log-
ship loading.
Jensen said the rental
agreement, a new strategy for
the Port, will initially last six
months in a trial phase. Chris
Connaway, president of the
local International Longshore
and Warehouse Union chapter,
praised staff’s partnership with
longshoremen on the agree-
ment and the use of a local
company.
Port Executive Direc-
tor Jim Knight originally pre-
sented the recently drawn-up
agreement as an advisory item,
owing to Commissioner Bill
Hunsinger’s repeated concerns
over “hot paper,” or last-min-
ute documents Port commis-
sioners receive without much
time to review. Hunsinger
later attempted to make the
agreement an action item for
the Port Commission to vote
on finalizing, but his motion
failed for lack of a majority.
Commission
President
Robert Mushen, who had a
medical emergency at the
Port Commission meeting
last month and who Knight
said had the flu, was not at the
meeting Tuesday. Hunsinger
and Commissioner James
Campbell voted to take action.
Commissioner John Raichl
abstained because his nephew
works for Custom Excavat-
ing. Commission Stephen Ful-
ton voted against making the
agreement an action item, say-
ing he needed more time to
review.
The Port Commission
voted to keep discussion on
the agreement open and meet
today to vote.
In other action:
• The Port agreed to donate
$500 to the Portland Rose Fes-
tival to help fund Ships Up the
River, an event honoring crews
of U.S. Navy ships stopping in
Astoria as part of Fleet Week
in June.
• The Port Commission
adopted a whistleblower pol-
icy to protect employees
who report improper govern-
ment actions from retaliation.
The policy, being adopted by
many local governing boards,
came from state statutes. The
Port’s attorney said the agency
was already four months
behind in establishing such a
policy.
In a separate email, Ful-
ton said he has disclosed this
potential conflict of interest
during Port Commission dis-
cussions in the past, and that
his opposition to the Port’s
bond measure is based solely
on the agency having other
alternatives that don’t require
taxpayer money.
“The Nygaard property in
the city of Warrenton south
of the airport currently has
long-term restoration require-
ments that make it unavailable
for development,” he said.
Consult
a
P ROFESSIONAL
a provider of medical
Q: As
services, what special
precautions do I need
to take regarding email
communication?
LEO FINZI
Astorias
Best.com
S hop locally for
your beSt value .
W e beat all
on - line Sale priceS .
juSt Stop by
and See !!
M-F 10-6 Sat . 11-4
77 11th Street, Suite H
Astoria, OR
503-325-2300
containing protected
A: Email
health information needs
to be encrypted. Examples
include sending X-rays or
treatment histories via email
from one doctor’s office to
another.
We recommend Microsoft
Office Enterprise with Azure
Rights Management for your
patient’s and your protection.
We can help set it up and train
your staff in its use.
Q: Do you have
Lingering Sciatica?
is a description of leg
A: Sciatica
pain, and not a diagnosis. It can
ASTORIA
1
CHIROPRACTIC
Barry Sears, D.C.
Council:
‘Symbols can
speak loudly
with an issue
like this’
503-325-3311
2935 Marine Drive
Astoria, Oregon
the gum, can
you extract it?
3
“I hope this sends a mes-
sage out to the immigrant com-
munity that we care,” Fontaine
said. “It’s symbolic, but sym-
bols can speak loudly with an
issue like this.”
JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR
DMD, FAGD
String of resolutions
503/325-0310
1414 MARINE DRIVE,
ASTORIA
www.smileastoria.com
4
1.
2.
3.
4.
CMH cares for
the whole family.
You can pay your bill online.
CMH provides an athletic trainer to
schools at no cost.
Our volunteers are priceless!
2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • 503-325-4321
www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital
originate from lumbar, sacroiliac
or buttock problems.A complete
exam and diagnosis are essential.
Once the source of the problem
has been identified, appropriate
treatments can be started. Treating
the wrong area won’t help the leg
pain. Chiropractic care has been
shown to be effective in treating
all types of sciatica. Call today
at503-325-3311 to see if we can
help you. We are accepting new
challenges.
tooth has
Q: My
broken off at
2
Continued from Page 1A
The string of inclusivity
resolutions came after Presi-
dent Donald Trump’s push for
a nationwide crackdown on
illegal immigration. In Janu-
ary, the president also signed
an executive order that would
withhold federal grant money
from sanctuary cities — a
general term describing cities
that seek to protect undocu-
mented immigrants from fed-
eral immigration policies.
Inclusivity
resolutions
allow cities to support immi-
grants and refugees with-
out running the risk of possi-
bly losing federal money by
not cooperating with federal
immigration agents. The res-
olution also does not change
any current policies or pro-
cedures of the Cannon Beach
Police Department.
missioner Dick Hellberg and
local business owner Pat
O’Grady.
Fulton said the Port let
county voters down by not
exploring all the options
before asking for the $1.96
million bond. “The bond
should not have been sought,
and it should be rejected by the
electorate.”
Fulton works for Warrenton
Fiber, a company controlled
by the Nygaard timber family.
The Nygaards own land south
of the airport.
Loop-Jacobsen
Jewelers, Inc.
A :
We provide a wide range
of oral surgery service.
If a broken tooth such as this
occurs, it can usually be easily
removed with newer deigned
instruments called physics forceps.
This new device works somewhat
similar to the claw of a hammer
which makes removing a nail in a
piece of wood much simpler. This
technique has proven to be very
effective and conservative.
is the
Q: What
Birthstone
for May?
A :
Frank & Judy VanWinkle
A family owned and
operated jewelry
store since 1919
(503) 325-6181
1360 Commercial
Astoria, Oregon
Emerald. The natural green
color of an Emerald is
unmistakable. The stone
represents success and is a perfect token
of love and respect. Giving an Emerald
makes it Abundantly clear how much
you care. Considered to be one of the
most expensive jewels available,
Emeralds have been a part of popular
culture for thousands of years,
beginning primarily with the Egyptians.
Emerald are also given for the 20th or
35th wedding anniversaries.