Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 2017)
145TH YEAR, NO. 52 ONE DOLLAR DailyAstorian.com // Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Chuck Waddell with Precision Heating and Indoor Air Quality in Warrenton installs solar panels on the roof of Alderbrook Station in Astoria in late August. GLIMMER OF LIGHT FOR SOLAR POWER Alderbrook Station shows solar can work in rainy Astoria applications for solar panel installation — Buoy Beer Co. ’s plan to install panels is one recent, large-scale proj- ect. This may have to do with the fact that some people are installing smaller arrays and may not think to con- tact the city, but others say it is a matter of perception. “Solar doesn’t work around here: too cloudy, too rainy,” said Stan Tussing, the owner of Precision Heat- ing & Indoor Air Quality in Warrenton, paraphrasing an opinion he often hears. “I used to think that myself, and I was wrong,” he added. “It works very well here.” By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian B ased on weather alone, few would have ques- tioned the decision to begin installing solar panels on the roof of the historic Alderbrook Station at the end of August. Workers sweated in the glare of the summer sun. T he National Weather Service recorded a light rain the day before, but there hadn’t been a true rainy day in weeks. Across Clatsop County, 43 Pacifi c Power custom- ers have solar power, for a total capacity of 325 kilo- watts — far more than when Daren Doss, the architect ‘Out of reach’ Workers with Precision Heating and Indoor Air Quality of Warrenton recently installed an array of 34 solar panels on the roof of Alderbrook Sta- tion in Astoria. More photos at DailyAstorian.com and owner of Alderbrook Station, fi rst approached the power company about solar in Astoria 10 years ago. City Planner Nancy Ferber said the city sees few Tussing and his crew spent the last days of August installing 34 panels on Alderbrook Station’s white roof. The installation and wiring went smoothly and Doss is just waiting on a few fi nal items to make the set up compatible with older features of the building’s power supply. He hopes the 11.2 kilowatt system will handle much of the power for the building . Feds call fl ood plain lawsuit premature State economists tackle pot, but gaps persist in young industry Project $142 million in revenue over two years By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon state economists are crunching numbers on a product that in many other states remains illegal — marijuana. Under a new law passed this year , state econ- omists have been asked to project future tax rev- enues from pot. Meanwhile, the state’s employ- ment department is trying to get a better sense of how many people are employed in the burgeon- ing legal cannabis industry. In Oregon, sales of recreational marijuana are taxed at 17 percent of the retail sale price. Cities and counties can tack on a local option tax of up to 3 percent. Late last month, state economists projected that the state will bring in net marijuana reve- nues of about $142 million in the next two years, but the very short history of legal marijuana and other factors complicate forecasting. “Currently the outlook for recreational mar- ijuana sales and tax collections remains highly uncertain,” state economists wrote in a quarterly See POT, Page 9A Warrenton among the plaintiffs EO Media Group Marijuana plants grow in a high tunnel at a farm near McMinnville . State econo- mists project the state will bring in net marijuana reve- nues of about $142 million in the next two years . Seaside seeks housing answers opers to the city to connect essential services like roads and utilities. Housing study, development fees reviewed By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian The federal government is asking that a lawsuit brought by an Oregon coalition over proposed fl ood plain rules be thrown out as premature and lacking jurisdiction. The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service and Fed- eral Emergency Manage- ment Agency were sued in U.S. District Court over the summer by Oregonians for Floodplain Protection. The coalition includes trade groups representing home- builders, Realtors, farm- ers and the construction industry, along with indi- vidual landowners and sev- eral county and city govern- ments, including Warrenton. Warrenton Mayor Henry Balensifer said the city felt the need to have its voice heard. The city paid $500 to be a part of the coalition but is not helping fund the lawsuit. The coalition’s law- suit stems from a biological opinion issued last year by the fi sheries service, which administers the Endangered Species Act. FEMA, which admin- isters the National Flood Insurance Program to more See LAWSUIT, Page 4A County study By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — The city took two steps Monday night to address a countywide housing shortage. City councilors unani- mously approved participation in a housing study to assist in understanding the type, size, location and price of housing needed to meet current and future needs within Clatsop C ounty. See SOLAR, Page 4A Seaside pledged $10,000 toward the study, joining Gear- hart, Cannon Beach, Astoria and Warrenton in contributing $50,000 toward the $100,000 study. The county will provide the remaining $50,000 . In addition, councilors voted to approve $32,000 for a study of system development charges — fees paid by devel- In June, County Manager Cameron Moore suggested Seaside partner with other cit- ies to learn more about hous- ing issues. A similar six-month study by Tillamook County identifi ed specifi c data about the area’s housing market and possible solutions. The Clatsop County agree- ment recognizes the “lack of housing options is creating barriers to continued economic growth.” See SEASIDE, Page 4A Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian The federal government is arguing that a lawsuit by Warrenton and others over a biological opinion and proposed flood plain rules is premature.