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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2017)
LOCAL ARTIST SKETCHES ASTORIA SUNDAY MARKET WEEKEND BREAK • PAGE 1C 145TH YEAR, NO. 70 ONE DOLLAR WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2017 Arts and culture a boon to county Events brought in $13 million in 2015 By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Clatsop County reaped more than $13 million in 2015 from arts and cul- tural organizations . The fi nding comes from a national study conducted by economists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and funded by Americans for the Arts, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. The economists focused on data from 22 nonprofi t organizations in the county. Randy Cohen, vice president of research and policy at Americans for the Arts, presented the fi ndings at a gathering of local artists and public offi cials Thursday night at Buoy Beer Co. After including the Portland and Eugene metro areas in previous stud- ies, the organization coordinated with the Oregon Arts Commission and the Arts Council of Clatsop County to analyze data on the North Coast. “This is the fi rst time in the county that we’ve had some hard data,” said Don Frank, chairman of the arts coun- cil . “We don’t have to just stand up there and say it. It’s like, ‘Here, read it.’” The survey also found that arts in the county support 359 full-time equivalent jobs, add $6.7 million in household income for local residents and $1.3 million in local and state government revenue. The aggregate amount of money spent, including for overnight lodg- ing, meals and souvenirs, by the more than 160,000 arts and cultural event attendees was more than $10 million. Out of all the visitors who traveled Clean needles, but no exchange No takers on fi rst day of pilot program By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian latsop County public health offi - cials stood by with plenty of clean needles Thursday afternoon and were ready to exchange them with anyone in possession of a used one. But they went home at the end of the day with the same stock. Public Health Director Michael McNickle, Public Health Nurse Sheri Salber and Kerry Strickland, founder of Jordan’s Hope for Recovery, hosted the fi rst in a series of needle exchange oppor- tunities at Peoples Park in Astoria. T hey found that illegal drug users are hesitant . McNickle said it would take time to develop trust . He spoke to people ear- lier this week who may be able to spread word , handing out a number of informa- tional cards. C Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian ABOVE: Sheri Salber, a county public health nurse , displays a clean syringe that can be traded for used ones at the needle ex- change program in Astoria. BELOW: Salber, left, Michael McNickle, center, and Kerry Strickland spent Thursday afternoon at People s Park in Astoria waiting to provide food, water and clean syringes . See NEEDLES, Page 7A from outside the county to an attend an art event, 66 percent said they vis- ited the county specifi cally for that event. More than 300 communities par- ticipated in the study across the coun- try . Nonprofi t art organizations were found to have contributed $166.3 billion to the national economy, or more than 4 percent of the U.S. gross See BOON, Page 7A Helping after a hurricane Local vacation rental companies donate after disasters By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian CANNON BEACH — When Brian Olson saw the path of destruction Hurricane Harvey left in Texas in August, his reaction was a sense of grief and a desire to help. But soon after, the co-owner of Beach- comber Vacation Homes in Cannon Beach had another thought. “These people are just like us. We in Can- non Beach could be in the same boat,” Olson said. Many vacation rental property man- agement company owners lost homes they rent in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Destroyed or damaged rental properties mean no income for the foreseeable future. Olson couldn’t help but think what he would do as a property manager if a tsu- nami were to ravage the homes he makes his living off of on the North Coast. So Olson and several other vacation rental managers from around the country collaborated with the property management software LiveRez. com to create LiveRelief. The nonprofi t col- lects donations and coordinates efforts to support property managers who are strug- gling after the natural disasters. See HELP, Page 7A ‘IT’S ALL ABOUT BUILDING TRUST. WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WE’RE NOT GOING TO ARREST THEM OR DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT.’ Michael McNickle | Public Health director Submitted Photo LiveRez’s Sharon Keefe assesses the damage Hurricane Harvey inflicted on a home in Rockport, Texas. Vintage dealer plans mall in former Abeco building Mixed use planned for Astor Court By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian William Hicks, who owns Hollywood Vintage in Port- land, is planning a mixed-use shopping mall inside the for- mer Abeco Offi ce Systems storefront on Commercial Street in Astoria . Hicks plans to call the proj- ect Astor Court. He intends to rent square footage to busi- nesses looking for some- thing less than a full-fl edged storefront. Helping him in the endeavor is business partner Rodney Bender. “I really want to put stuff in here that locals, that residents, as well as tourists, can take advantage of and enjoy,” Hicks said, adding he’s interested in anything from retail and offi ce space to a deli or antique dealer. For the past 20 years, Hicks has run Hollywood Vintage in Portland’s Hollywood dis- trict, offering vintage cloth- ing, accessories, costumes and eyewear. Over the next few years, he’s looking to leave Portland and relocate to Astoria, where he bought a house several years ago. “What I will do to seed the business, is I have an optical department in Portland, so I’ll sell vintage … and classic-style eyeglass frames,” he said. Hicks has been moving stuff in from Portland over the past week. H e will be readying the space for businesses in the next few months. Hicks imagines a three- story mall with storefronts of varying sizes. He plans to extend the third-story mezza- nine around the entire ground fl oor and punch a stairway to the basement. See MALL, Page 7A Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Rodney Bender, left, and William Hicks are planning a mixed-use mall inside the former Abeco Office Systems storefront at 1332 Commercial St.