ASTORIA SUNDAY MARKET
144TH YEAR, NO. 221
COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL
INSIDE
ONE DOLLAR
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2017
STEP ONE
FOR HOMELESS,
AN ID IS OFTEN A
PATH TO RECOVERY
City eyes
lodging tax
to bankroll
park needs
Possible solution for
$100,000 shortfall
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Scott Docherty/Submitted Photo
Dan Brownson (volunteer and chef at Carruthers, donated gravy for b iscuits), Riverfolk board member Sheryl Redburn
and Riverfolk organizer Mary Docherty served food at Riverfolk Sunday brunch recently. The brunch is also a time when
Riverfolk volunteers check in with clients and make sure those who are trying to get state IDs are on track.
The Astoria City Council has directed
city staff to look into increasing the tax vis-
itors pay when they stay at local hotels,
motels and campgrounds.
The council made no decisions at the
work session Thursday night, the third one
they have held in recent months to discuss
ways to address a $100,000 shortfall in the
Parks and Recreation Department budget.
But City Manager Brett Estes said he saw
he had consensus from the council to research
the logistics of a lodging tax increase. He and
staff will present more detailed information
on how the increase might be implemented
and what it could mean for local businesses,
tourism organizations and the parks depart-
ment at a future meeting.
In addition to the lodging tax increase, the
council discussed a possible food and bever-
age tax, a business license fee for businesses
located along the Astoria Riverwalk, the for-
mation of cemetery , parks and recreation
taxing districts and an operations levy.
See PARKS, Page 7A
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
N
ot long after a previously homeless Warrenton man got his state
Unease over
management,
morale drive
health district
election races
identifi cation card, he landed a job interview. Another man fi nally
got veteran s benefi ts he hadn’t known how to access.
Agencies that work with the home-
less in Clatsop County say getting a
state ID and birth certifi cate, or replac-
ing these documents, if they have been
lost or stolen, is crucial for someone try-
ing to get back on their feet.
“We get lots of requests for (help
with) ID,” said Clatsop Commu-
nity Action Executive Director Elaine
Bruce. “It really is a sort of step one
in getting people out of the cycle of
homelessness.”
Unfortunately, it can also be one of
the most diffi cult steps for someone
to take on their own, more so if they
struggle with mental health or addic-
tion issues. Few homeless people have
all the documentation on hand, and it is
a common problem when you are car-
rying all your possessions with you for
items to be stolen or go missing.
Many local groups, while provid-
ing a degree of assistance, are often
overwhelmed with requests, and have
See HOMELESS, Page 7A
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Mary Docherty, a volunteer with the
‘Filling Empty Bellies’ program, poses
with Ted for a photo at People’s Park in
Astoria on Wednesday.
Property Watch expands downtown
Program aims to
curb disorder
downtown
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
In an effort to curb aggres-
sive panhandling and loiter-
ing downtown, the Astoria
Police Department has rein-
stated and expanded a program
that allows police to supervise
specifi c businesses on owners’
behalf.
Astoria building owners
can sign a one-year contract
with police that allows them
to supervise properties and
remove people who engage in
disorderly activity. They are
also encouraged to post signs
on front windows warning
against behavior such as mak-
ing unreasonable noise, fi ght-
ing, threatening others, littering
and remaining on premises for
more than 20 minutes.
Astoria Police ran a sim-
ilar Property Watch program
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
See WATCH, Page 7A
Some vacant shops along Commercial Street offer the
homeless a location to panhandle in downtown Astoria.
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Concerns over private management and
staff burnout drove debate in the two contested
races for the Clatsop Care Center Health Dis-
trict at the American Association of Univer-
sity Women’s candidate forum Wednesday.
Karen Burke, a retired nurse and the
incumbent chairwoman of the health district’s
board, is being challenged by Mindy Stokes,
a former health district employee and a wom-
en’s studies instructor at Clatsop Community
College.
Michael Aho, the former co-owner of the
Main Street Market in Warrenton, is being
challenged by Jacqueline DeVaney, who
works in home health care and a medical and
surgical step-down unit. Aho did not attend
the forum.
Allison Sansom, director of the college’s
nursing program, and Roy Little, a physi-
cian at Clatsop County Jail who also conducts
child abuse assessments at The Lighthouse for
Kids, are running unopposed.
For-profi t concerns
The fi nancially struggling health district
See HEALTH DISTRICT, Page 7A
Crisis respite center offers temporary sanctuary
Months away
from having
secure beds
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — The cri-
sis respite center has treated
more than 50 patients with
mental illness since opening
last July, a temporary sanctu-
ary that has relieved some of
the burden on hospital emer-
gency rooms and the county
jail.
Many of the patients strug-
gle with thought disorders,
such as schizophrenia, or
mood disorders like depres-
sion. Most were also on drugs
or alcohol when they were ini-
tially referred for care.
Administrators believe the
respite center has already saved
lives, but it is built on a tenu-
ous fi nancial model that nearly
collapsed over the winter. The
respite center has also not ful-
fi lled a promise to Clatsop
County, Astoria and Warrenton
to have secure beds to contain
patients who are disruptive or
potentially dangerous.
“Once I do secure, I’m
responsible for somebody
else’s life,” said Amy Baker,
the executive director of Clat-
sop Behavioral Healthcare,
which operates the respite cen-
ter. “Right now, people can
choose to be here or not be
here, and that is a much better
risk position to be in.
“Once we commit to
doing this, we need to do a
good job with it. It’s a big
responsibility.”
Baker said she wants to
make sure the respite center is
fi nancially sustainable and that
staff has the proper expertise
before seeking Oregon Health
Authority approval for secure
beds. She predicts it could take
another six months.
See CENTER, Page 6A
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The crisis respite center in Warrenton features a common
area, kitchen, exercise equipment and other amenities for
patients. More than 50 patients with mental illness have
been treated since the center’s opening last July.