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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 10, 2017)
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 224 Balensifer gets nod as new mayor TOUGH RULES Newton withdraws his name in Warrenton By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Henry Balensifer was appointed mayor Tuesday night by the City Commission after Com- missioner Rick Newton withdrew his name from consideration. Balensifer had been acting mayor since Mark Kujala resigned in March to spend more time with his family and business. New- Henry ton had expressed interest Balensifer in the appointment, setting up a potential tie vote. It was assumed the two candidates would vote for themselves, leaving Commissioners Pam Ackley and Tom Dyer to make or break the tie. But o nly three minutes into the City Commission meeting , Newton announced he was withdrawing . R eading from a state- ment , he thanked the people who had sup- ported his bid , but said the possibility of a tie vote “weighs more heavily on my thoughts than anything else does.” A tie would have meant that Balensifer would have served as acting mayor until the end of Kujala’s term in 2018 and a vacancy would have remained. The commission has been short one member since Kujala’s resignation. “I want the best for the city of Warrenton, and I do not believe leaving an empty posi- tion is in the people of Warrenton and Ham- mond’s best interest,” Newton said. Dyer made the motion to appoint Balen- sifer as mayor and Ackley seconded it. The commission voted, unanimously , to appoint DA YANG SEAFOOD EXPLAINS WASTE, LABOR VIOLATIONS By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian I n April , Da Yang Seafood was hit with its sec- ond round of wastewater violations in as many years by the state Department of Environmen- tal Quality. The proposed penalties came on the heels of separate labor law violations that have heightened the calls by some for the Port of Asto- ria to punish the seafood processor . But representatives from Da Yang, which has invested heavily in its base of operations at the end of Pier 2 since setting up there in 2004, said the company operates in a more nuanced and diffi cult environment of crumbling infrastructure, unclear wastewater requirements and unique working con- ditions with perishable seafood. Da Yang was fi ned $54,600 last month for dis- charging wastewater into the Columbia River on more than 200 occasions in 2015 without a permit. “Despite installing the same wastewater treat- ment technology as all the other processors in Ore- gon, meeting the current limits remains a chal- lenge,” a statement from the company in response to the fi nes said. Most seafood processors operate under a state 900-J permit regulating wastewater discharges based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The fi ve-year permit expired in 2011 and is still being renegotiated by the state and sea- food processors, with a draft expected for public comment near the end of the year. See DA YANG, Page 9A ONE DOLLAR See BALENSIFER, Page 9A Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Work at the Da Yang Seafood processing facility in Astoria includes upgrades to infrastructure in order to comply with environmental regulations. Da Yang Seafood rents space in the Port of Astoria’s Pier 2 seafood-processing warehouse plant, along with Bornstein Seafoods. Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian CB ditches 40 percent water hike Public works panel looks at alternatives By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian CANNON BEACH — A 40 percent water rate increase is no longer being con- sidered in Cannon Beach for next fi scal year. The rate increase was proposed ear- lier this year to help fi nance the water and wastewater master plan that detailed about $3.4 million in water infrastructure and $1.3 million in wastewater projects. The proj- ects would focus on rehabbing or replacing a variety of systems, including brittle water lines and water storage tanks. But concerns from the public works com- mittee about discrepancies within the rate study and disagreements about how certain projects were prioritized has made a substan- tial rate increase a problem . See CANNON BEACH, Page 8A Another speed bump for Cannon Beach Academy Charter school tries to lock down new digs By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian CANNON BEACH — Days after securing enough stu- dents to open the Cannon Beach Academy, the board of directors will have to fi nd a new location before opening this fall. The last -minute change came when the board received a cost estimate of $245,000 — more than $150,000 over the $90,000 they budgeted for con- struction costs. The original location on Sunset Boulevard would need to be renovated extensively to meet state school fi re codes , board member Phil Simmons said. “We budgeted $90,000 based on what my contractor friends told me, based on the square footage we were reno- vating,” Simmons said. “They weren’t envisioning code requirements for school.” The board submitted their plans for the charter school more than two years ago, Sim- mons said, but weren’t able to get a formal estimate for con- struction until after submitting their building permit in March. Board members are now seeking to lock down the for- mer Preschool and Children’s Center at 3781 S. Hemlock, hoping to fast -track the process amid a looming fall opening. New space When the board originally submitted their charter school plans to Seaside School Dis- trict, the Children’s Center was not available, Simmons said. But the Children’s Center closed in April 2016, and in a lot of ways, Simmons said the building is more suitable than the original location. Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian See ACADEMY, Page 9A The Cannon Beach Preschool and Children’s Center may be an option for the Cannon Beach Academy.
