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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
LOGGERS GET ANOTHER SHOT AT STATE TITLE DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 239 SPORTS • PAGE 10A ONE DOLLAR Astoria Library to get a makeover Project could wrap in 2020; cost $5 million By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian The planned Astoria Co-op Grocery expansion in the Mill Pond neighborhood will need a conditional use permit, zone adjust- ment and approval by the Mill Pond Village Owners Association. The co-op hopes to raise more than $1 million for the store. GROCERY ON THE GO Astoria Co-op signs lease at Mill Pond The C ity C ouncil gave unanimous sup- port Tuesday night to a plan to renovate the Astoria Library , essentially going back to a feasibility study that explored the same idea in 2013. Renovation work on the $5 million proj- ect would begin in 2019 and wrap in 2020. The council’s vote marks a turning point in discussions about the library’s future. For years city councilors , library board members and others have proposed and debated a variety of alternatives — every- thing from building an entirely new library to knocking down the neighboring former Waldorf Hotel to make room for an expan- sion. None of the ideas drew unanimous sup- port and fundraising efforts stalled . See LIBRARY, Page 5A By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian T he Astoria Co-Op Grocery has signed a lease to build a new store on the site of the former Astoria Plywood Cooperative at the corner of 23rd Street and Marine Drive. The new location in Mill Pond, at more than 11,000 square feet, will increase the co-op’s retail footprint from 2,100 to 7,500 square feet and is expected to nearly triple the current staff of 25. The expansion will add more fresh produce, meat, cheese, deli and a dining area. The co-op has a 20-year lease on the site with landowner Astor Venture LLC and will start a capital campaign in the fall to raise substantially more than $1 million for the construction of the store. Co-op General Manager Matt Stanley said the co-op’s total project cost will be about $3.8 million, with a similar amount coming from Astor Venture. Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Life Flight Pilot Dan Leary performs a preflight inspection of a helicopter at the Astoria Regional Airport. Astoria Co-op Grocery/Submitted Photo The Astoria Co-op Grocery hopes to raise more than $1 million from members and open a new store at the corner of 23rd Street and Marine Drive in the Mill Pond neighborhood by the end of 2018. Growing “Most shoppers feel the c o-op has out- grown its current space at 14th and Exchange (streets) in Astoria,” a release from the co-op said. “Crowded aisles and lack of a des- ignated receiving area for deliveries are a few of the telltale signs. A shopper sur- vey revealed that the vast majority support expansion, so the board of directors made that a goal in the co-op’s strategic plan.” Stanley joined the co-op in 2008, shortly before the store moved from the Norblad Building on 14th between Exchange and Duane streets to the Shark Rock Building, one block south. Since then, he said, the store has grown from between 500 and 600 mem- bers to nearly 4,000, with annual sales climb- ing from $800,000 to $3.8 million. “This current location has allowed us to be really successful,” he said, but the Shark Rock Building was meant to be offi ce spaces, while the vacant land provides the co-op a chance to build a dedicated grocery store. See CO-OP, Page 7A Life Flight funds not in Port budget $1.96 million bond rejected by voters By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian The sun sets over the Mill Pond neighborhood , which could see an expansion of the Astoria Co-op Grocery in the future if it passes zoning hurdles and is approved by the homeowner s association. The new location offers more square footage. After the failure of a $1.96 million bond for infrastructure development at the Astoria Regional Airport failed this month, the Port of Astoria has no money in its budget next fi scal year to help develop Life Flight Net- work’s new base. During a budget committee meeting Tuesday, committee member Cindy Daly asked what the plan was to help accommo- date the medevac service, which last year received a $665,000 ConnectOregon infra- structure grant to pair with its $285,000 match and build a hangar and crew quarters. See PORT, Page 7A From the love of libraries to leadership Seaside leader elected to state library post By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — When Esther Moberg was 17 years old work- ing as a page in the Astoria Library, the thought of becom- ing one of the most infl uential librarians in Oregon was not on her mind. Starting in September, Moberg will take over as the president of the Oregon Library Association. She is the director of Seaside Public Library, and has been working in the library world for more than 14 years. The library association elected her at the end of May for a year- long term. As president, it will be Moberg’s job to advocate for the health and well -being of all academic, public, school and special libraries throughout Oregon, she said. She will often be at the same table as govern- ment offi cials and publishers and will organize conferences to help give Oregon’s libraries a unifi ed voice . “It’s such an honor. It says your peers respect you enough to give you this kind of respon- sibility,” Moberg said. “It’s all about giving back.” She said she decided to run after the nominating commit- tee reached out to her, recom- mending her as a viable candi- date. Before this, she had been involved with the library asso- ciation for about fi ve years, serving on a variety of confer- ence and award committees. Love at young age Her love for libraries started at a young age, she said. She was home-schooled, which meant going on multiple trips to the library for learning materials. See MOBERG, Page 7A Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Library Director Esther Moberg, left, helps a colleague at the Seaside Library where she has worked for years . Moberg was recently elected president of the Oregon Library Association.
