Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2017 New commander takes over Steadfast Balmaceda replaces Bolanos on Astoria cutter By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Submitted Photo Preliminary map of the Seaside campus plan. School’s out, but Seaside land use application is in Consultants deliver plan for growth By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — School’s out, but not for city officials. They’ll be hitting the books with the delivery of a 66-page comprehensive plan, zoning map and text amend- ment request to the Seaside Planning Department. With appendices, the submitted material runs into the hun- dreds of pages. The Seaside School Dis- trict proposal aims to amend the city’s comprehensive plan, necessary to expand the urban growth boundary by about 49 acres for the new district campus approved by voters in November. The request, which also includes zoning amendment changes, property annexation and rezoning, is an antici- pated step in the multipart process to build a new cam- pus out of the tsunami zone. Prompted by hazard The school district is one of only four public K-12 schools in Oregon within the tsunami inundation zone. In 1999, the state pub- lished earthquake haz- ard maps showing Cannon Beach and Gearhart elemen- tary schools, Broadway Mid- dle School and Seaside High School would all be severely damaged in the event of a major earthquake and sub- sequent tsunami. These schools were also identified as having a high potential for collapse. Cannon Beach Elemen- tary School closed due to financial and safety concerns in 2013. That same year, a $128.8 million bond for new schools failed at the polls. In November, a scaled- back $99.7 million bond plan was approved by more than 70 percent of the electorate. Analysis by Winterbrook Planning, with relevant back- ground information provided by the Seaside School Dis- trict, confirmed what the dis- trict had determined in 2009 — the only suitable school campus site located outside of the tsunami inundation zone is located on higher ele- vation land that is zoned for forest use. Boundary plans A separate but similar process to expand Seaside’s boundary started two years ago, in order to comply with statewide goals and guide- lines for land use planning. The city forecast the rate of growth in Seaside over the next two decades and estimated how much land needs to come into the urban growth boundary to accom- modate the population, with two models, one through 2035 and the other through 2067. The school district’s urban growth boundary expansion is distinct from those discus- sions, which were tabled last summer. Unlike the city’s earlier urban growth boundary dis- cussions, population, hous- ing and growth are not the primary factors, Seaside Planning Director Kevin Cupples said. The zone designation “institutional-campus” will be applied to the entire school campus site. The district meets the seven criteria nec- essary for expansion of Sea- side’s urban growth bound- ary for schools, according to the report: location adjacent to city limits; size; topogra- phy; access; soils; safe from the tsunami inundation zone; and capable of being served by utilities. About 31 acres of an 80-acre land gift will remain zoned as county forest. Planning process The Planning Commis- sion will be the first to review the request, most likely in August at the earliest, Cup- ples said. The commission’s action would be then reviewed by the City Council, the county Planning Commis- sion and the county Board of Commissioners. If the application is approved, the school district will apply for a conditional use plan approval. More detailed plans showing build- ings, athletic fields, parking and circulation will be pro- vided at that time. “None of those processes is rapid,” Cupples said. A decision by the new year, as anticipated by the district’s timetable, could be possible, Cupples said. Report highlights • Traffic generated from the proposed school cam- pus will have no significant impact on U.S. Highway 101. • The cities of Seaside, Gearhart and Cannon Beach are expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 1 percent. • The capacity of the new school campus is 1,690 stu- dents, an increase of 0.97 percent over the next 13 years. • The school district will encroach on nearly 40 acres of big game habitat. • Plans call for bypass of a wetland and two fish-bear- ing streams. • Access to the cam- pus will come on the exist- ing Spruce Street. Additional street improvements may be necessary. • There is no land within the cities of Cannon Beach, Gearhart or Seaside which could meet the specifications for relocating schools. The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday marked the retirement of 38-year veteran Cmdr. Jose Bolanos and transferred his command of the Asto- ria-based cutter Steadfast to Cmdr. Alain Balmaceda. Bolanos took the helm of the Steadfast in 2015 from Mark Walsh, who had been brought in to finish the term of John Bitterman, who was relieved from his command in August 2015. At nearly 50 years old, Steadfast is one of the Coast Guard’s older assets, patrolling the West Coast along North and Central America and enforcing marine laws and intercepting drugs, smugglers and migrants. But Bolanos said the real asset is the ship’s crew. “Steadfast is just a vessel,” Bolanos said. “The real credit goes to the Coast Guard men and women who have sailed her.” Under Bolanos, the Stead- fast has intercepted more than 6,000 pounds of cocaine, 200 pounds of marijuana, 19 sus- pected drug smugglers and 28 undocumented immigrants, along with fisheries patrols and rescue missions. Bolanos highlighted one in which the crew came upon three Mexi- can fishermen waving franti- cally from their sinking boat. “There’s no better feel- ing than knowing you have saved a life and they’re going home,” Bolanos said. “Over the past two years, the men and women of Steadfast have safely executed all our mis- sions with pride, persever- ance and professionalism.” Bolanos said there is no greater feeling than a sun- set at sea and the thrill of the chase. “Going to sea has been my calling in the Coast Guard, being on the tip of the spear.” Bolanos is retiring to Mobile, Alabama, with his wife, Susanna, and five chil- dren Katherine, Wilson, Hannah, Sarah and Coo- per. Replacing him is Bal- maceda, who has more than 20 years in the Coast Guard since graduating from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He most recently served as deputy commander of the Coast Guard’s Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, overseeing 260 Coast Guardsmen and six patrol boats deployed in Bah- rain in support of Middle East ll Ca ime yt n A Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian From left to right: Cmdr. Alain Balmaceda, Rear Adm. Pat DeQuattro and Cmdr. Jose Bolanos make their way toward a ceremony Friday to celebrate a change in command of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Steadfast. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Coast Guard Cmdr. Alain Balmaceda, left, salutes Rear Adm. Pat DeQuattro, right, during a change of command ceremony for the cutter Steadfast in Astoria Friday. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Cmdr. Jose Bolanos, far left, performs the last personnel in- spection of his command of the cutter Steadfast on Friday. ‘There’s no better feeling than knowing you have saved a life and they’re going home.’ Cmdr. Jose Bolanos operations. He comes to Asto- ria with his wife, Ann-Marie Balmaceda, and their three children Isabel, Lucas and Mateo. “I commit to my new ship- mates that I will give nothing less than 110 percent,” Bal- maceda said. He said Bolanos was exactly what the Steadfast needed at such a critical time in its history. Rear Adm. Pat DeQuat- tro, deputy commander of the Pacific Area command that overseas regional cutters, said the Coast Guard could just transfer command quietly. But no other civilian position equates with a commander of a ship carrying arms, he said, with the authority to use them in the service of the U.S. “There are lives at stake,” he said. “The reputation of our service is at stake. And by extension thereof, the reputa- tion of our nation is at stake.” He called Bolanos a true professional whose passion for the service has been a lesson to all. The Steadfast, which returned from its last deployment in April, heads out on its next counter-drug mission in about a month. “I ask that you now shift your loyalties to Cmdr. Bal- maceda,” DeQuattro said. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Fre e as Est F ima t t es Jeff Hale P ainting • Residential • Commercial •Cedar Roof Treatments • Interior & Exterior Over 20 years local experience 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131 I got screened. Now it’s your turn. Fort Stevens Park and Friends of Old Fort Stevens O BSERVE THE 75 th A NNIVERSARY OF THE J UNE 21, 1942 J APANESE S UBMARINE A TTACK ON THE F ORT Gretchen Darnell Seaside, Oregon Colorectal cancer is the #2 cancer killer. But screening can prevent it or catch it early when it’s highly treatable. Talk to your doctor today about getting screened. Wednesday, June 21 Noon-4 pm On the date of the attach, an interpreter will be at Battery Russell andthe Pacifi c Rim Peace Memorial with displays and information about the attach. COLORECTAL CANCER The cancer you can prevent. www.TheCancerYouCanPrevent.org June 21, 1992: Th e 50th Anniversary of the Japanese attack. Over 150 Fort Stevens veterans gathered at Battery Russell to remember the event and to dedicate the Pacifi c Rim Peace Memorial. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded campaign Sponsored by Th e Friends of Old Fort Stevens and Fort Stevens State Park 503-861-2000 • visitfortstevens.com
