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.