SAVOR THE NORTH COAST’S DINING BOUNTY INSIDE
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2017
144TH YEAR, NO. 259
ONE DOLLAR
Warrenton
Library
bustles at
new spot
City looks at larger
levy for growth, staff
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The Doughboy Monument in Astoria with a restaurant in the background was the scene of a stabbing incident last week that has
authorities still looking for answers. A group of about 10 people was apparently involved in the fight that wounded Aaron Lee Ashby.
‘CONVOLUTED’ CASE
Several witnesses,
but few answers, after
stabbing in Uniontown
See LIBRARY, Page 7A
Gearhart
Fire: What
price safety?
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
brawl that led to a stabbing
near the Doughboy Monument
in Uniontown last week has
produced plenty of witnesses, but few straight
answers.
Astoria P olice responded to reports of
a fi ght involving a group of about 10 peo-
ple, who appeared to be transients, shortly
before 7:30 p.m. on June 19. E mergency per-
sonnel treated Aaron Lee Ashby, 50, of Port
Townsend, Washington, for a stab wound
near his stomach. Clinton Holmen, 32, of
Astoria, was also treated after being knocked
unconscious.
Both men have since been released
from Columbia Memorial Hospital, and no
arrests have been made in connection to the
incident.
WARRENTON — The Warrenton Com-
munity Library has only been open at its new
location on Main Avenue for fi ve days and
has already signed up several dozen new
card holders.
City staff and commissioners believe the
library will only continue to stay busy — if
not get busier — now that it has moved from
cramped, ramshackle quarters in Hammond
to a larger building that used to house the
Serendipity Cafe, in the heart of downtown .
But in order to fully fund library opera-
tions now and into the future — and allow
the library to expand hours, increase from a
bare -bones staff or offer new programs —
the levy that funds library operations needs
to be increased from $0.095 cents per $1,000
assessed property value to at least 25 cents,
city staff and library board members said.
The fi ve-year levy expires this year and any
proposed increase will go in front of voters
in November.
Going up to 25 cents would give the
library only about $40,000 extra to put
A
Public sour on park site
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The stabbing incident last week near the Doughboy Monument in Astoria happened
early in the evening in full view of several witnesses at a restaurant.
The investigation
In the ensuing investigation, it has become
clear the brawl was at least partially a result
of Ashby inappropriately touching the dog of
Nickolys A. Glaser, 23, of Spring Valley, New
York. But despite the incident’s setting — in
full view of surrounding businesses and driv-
ers along Marine Drive — not much else is
clear.
“Everybody sees things from differ-
ent perspectives,” Astoria Police Deputy
Chief Eric Halverson said. “We have
the where and when. It’s about fi nding the
who, what, why and how. ‘Convoluted’ is
the best word I could use to describe this
situation.”
See STABBING, Page 7A
A victim of
an assault
near the
Doughboy
Monument
in Astoria
receives
treatment.
Colin Murphey
The Daily
Astorian
GEARHART — The city is looking for
alternatives to a new fi rehouse on public
parkland, a proposal that met with strong
pushback at a public forum in May.
With some willing property owners, con-
versations about potential sites are underway.
The current fi rehouse consists of a cin-
der-block building at 670 Pacifi c Way, built
in 1958, and is considered outdated and vul-
nerable to earthquake and tsunami. While
built “fairly stoutly,” according to geologist
Tom Horning, who has served as a consul-
tant for the city and is a Seaside city coun-
cilor, the property is likely to fl ood even in a
moderate tsunami, prompting discussion of
a new location.
Gearhart has two and possibly three
potential sites for acquisition, Mayor Matt
Brown said Tuesday, and talks with property
owners have begun.
Brown said he hopes to present the new
locations, along with cost breakdowns, to the
public this fall.
“The park can be an option, but I believe
we need to present three options to the gen-
eral public in a town hall meeting later this
year,” Brown said.
See GEARHART, Page 7A
Cannon Beach welcomes new building offi cial
Butler leaves
retirement to
inspect for city
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Alton Butler, Cannon Beach’s
new, full-time building inspec-
tor, knows what it takes to get
something built.
Between his early years as a
logger, 25 years as an engineer
in the National Guard and about
20 years as a building inspector,
Butler knows materials, design
and regulations .
Butler started earlier this member, Butler moved to
month as building inspector , a Sheridan to work as a logger.
position that enforces building In 2000, he was laid off and
codes for safety and compliance attended Chemeketa Commu-
on any new construc-
nity College under the
tion in Cannon Beach.
federal d islocated t im-
Before this year, the
ber w orkers program
city contracted with
to get certifi ed as a
Bob Mitchell, the
building inspector.
inspector for Seaside,
Since then, But-
to do this job.
ler has worked as an
“After my tour as
inspector at Mount St.
a Marine, I entered in
Helens, Lincoln City,
Alton
the engineering unit in
The
Confederated
Butler
the National Guard and
Tribes of Grand Ronde
found I had an interest
and
McMinnville
in meeting people and keeping before retiring. But the oppor-
buildings safe,” Butler said.
tunity in Cannon Beach made
B orn and raised in Grand him reconsider, he said.
Ronde, where he is a tribal
“It’s a good place to retire,”
Butler said. “It’s my dream job
to do this on the coast. It’s a
nice community — a good way
to fi nish my career.”
While Butler has a good
number of code-enforcing
years under his belt, some
aspects of working on the
coast have a learning curve.
Some, like compromising
with contractors with build-
ing plans, can be found any-
where. Living by the ocean
means learning a whole new set
of fl ood -plain, tsunami -inunda-
tion zone and vacation -rental
codes.
But knowing the codes is
only half the job, he said.
“Doing public relations is
half my job. Being approach-
able and being respectful of
all people are strengths in this
job,” he said.
City Planner Mark Barnes
said Butler’s approachable
nature and his experience make
him an asset to the city.
“He’s very knowledgeable,
and he knows how to talk to
people,” Barnes said.
When Butler isn’t enforc-
ing building codes, he said he
likes to offi cial high school bas-
ketball, baseball and football,
as well as work on refurbish-
ing a 100-year-old barn back in
Sheridan.
“I’m just glad to be here. I
feel welcomed,” Butler said.