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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2017)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2017 145TH YEAR, NO. 77 ONE DOLLAR Changes in the works at Liberty Theatre Venue celebrated as ‘Astoria’s living room’ By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Nathan Evans and Courtney Bonzer admire the view from atop the Astoria Column on Sunday. The landmark is bathed in pink light for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Column chips in on cancer fight Goal to raise $2,000 by the end of October By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian T he Astoria Column is glowing in a pink light again for the fifth consec- utive year in support of Breast Can- cer Awareness Month. But this year, con- tributions to the cancer fight have been more than aesthetic. Visitors can make donations this month to the Knight Cancer Collabora- tive. For every $5 dropped off at the gift shop, the Friends of the Astoria Column’s board of directors will make a matching contribution. “The Column is an appropriate sym- bol for the climb to health, and this jour- ney has been made much easier thanks to the opening of the new treatment center,” said Penny Cowden, executive direc- tor of the Columbia Memorial Hospital Foundation. Park host Fred Pynes, site manager Lyndsay Vigil and board mem- bers came up with the idea at a weekly meeting. “We were just sitting around, kind of brainstorming for ways to have more community involvement,” Pynes said. “It all kind of fell into place with the October lighting and the opening of the center.” Vigil has spearheaded the efforts the past few weeks by collecting donations at the gift shop and handing out flyers to local businesses. “Everyone’s been really on board when we let them know what we’re doing,” she said. The column has collected $900 from See COLUMN, Page 4A After operating at a deficit for the last three years, the Liberty Theatre is on track to break even this year and there are big plans on the horizon. In a presentation Monday night to the Astoria City Council, Jennifer Crockett, the theater’s director, told councilors she wants the Liberty to live up to its tagline as “Asto- ria’s living room.” She and the board have introduced a vari- ety of new shows and programs, and hired an artistic director, but they are “on the cusp” of overloading their three-person team, while at the same time struggling to pay for oper- ations, Crockett said. Crockett, hired last September, remains the only full-time staff member. “So we’re kind of on that tightrope right now. Money is coming in, but we ended in a deficit last year and have for the last three years. We’re on track to do better this year, but we’re not able to hire yet,” she said. Still, they were able to offset last fiscal year’s deficit through donations. Though the theater is only about a quarter into its fiscal year, Crockett said, “With our fundraising and our ticketed events we’re tracking with right where we should be this year to break even.” See THEATRE, Page 4A Bloomfield was a leader in the arts A life of humility and adventure By STEVE FORRESTER The Daily Astorian Marge Bloomfield, a leader in Astoria’s arts and culture renaissance, died Friday at her home in Surf Pines with members of her family present. She was 92. Bloomfield and her husband, Ted, retired to Clatsop County in 1990 following his extensive career as an orchestra con- ductor in Portland, Roches- ter and Europe. In 1998, Marge Bloom- field became a board mem- ber of Liberty Restoration Marge Inc. She was named chair- woman of the theater’s con- Bloomfield struction committee. Fol- lowing the purchase of the Liberty Theatre in 2000, the construction committee met on a weekly basis with Rickenbach Construction as the theater’s restoration began in earnest. Former Bank of Astoria President Cheri Folk recollects her own growing estimation of Bloomfield. The Astoria Column glows pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month as the sun sets over the historic monument on Sunday. See BLOOMFIELD, Page 4A Last call for Port of Call Owner fell behind on rent By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian The Port of Call Bistro & Bar has been ordered out of its location at the corner of Ninth and Commercial streets in Astoria by the end of the month. Circuit Court Judge Dawn McIntosh signed off on an agreement for Marvin James Sawyer, the bar’s owner, to pay Luottamus Partners, the owner of the building, $11,250 and vacate in “broom-clean condition” by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 31. Luottamus Partners filed suit against Sawyer and Port of Call last month, claiming he had fallen behind by more than $36,000 in rent and breached several portions of his lease. In his defense, Saw- yer argued Port of Call had already agreed to a sepa- rate repayment plan. He also claimed that Luottamus Part- ners had no authority to pur- sue the case, because the per- son directing the company to bring the lawsuit was not from the partnership. Real estate broker Peter Tadei said the Port of Call and adjacent Astoria Event Center — all part of one building — is listed for sale for $595,000, including the equipment. “It’s basically a turnkey for the new buyer,” he said. Sawyer, who did not respond to a request for com- ment, opened the Port of Call in 2014, later taking on Anne Probst as a partner. The estab- lishment came under scrutiny earlier this year when statis- tics from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission gathered from police reports showed a significant number of drunk- en-driving arrests of the bar’s See LAST CALL, Page 4A The Daily Astorian Marvin James Sawyer, who opened the Port of Call Bis- tro & Bar in 2014 at the corner of Ninth and Commercial streets, must vacate by the end of the month.
