SEASIDE GIRLS WIN 16TH STRAIGHT AT HOME SPORTS • PAGE 10A
145TH YEAR, NO. 111
DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017
A day for kids,
a night for innovation
ONE DOLLAR
Clatsop,
Columbia
could link
up transit
Options could improve
regional bus service
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Garrett, Anika and Bianna Parks visit David Frei and his therapy dogs, Grace and Angel, at the Seaside Festival of Trees.
Hospital foundation gala supports emergency services
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
S
EASIDE — Innovation was the focus of Saturday’s 20th
annual Safeway Providence Festival of Trees at the Seaside
Civic and Convention Center.
With a goal of raising $175,000, donors at silent and live auc-
tions tallied almost $196,000.
The money will support programs at Providence Seaside
Hospital.
“Our focus for tonight is to celebrate the last 20 years and look
to the future and the need to grow and expand our services,” said
Kimberly Ward, executive director of the hospital’s foundation.
“This fund will allow us to focus on greater, more strategic proj-
ects. The first priority will be to help patients who use our emer-
gency services.”
Providence Seaside Hospital Foundation Chairman Gregg
Freedman described it as “the most successful gala ever.”
See GALA, Page 9A
‘A gift to each other’
Cannon Beach celebrates
holiday season with annual
lamplighting, holiday tea
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH — During a notoriously busy
time of year, Lori and Kathy Strombeck come to Can-
non Beach as a way to start the holiday season in a more
“peaceful and gentle” way.
“Coming here is a gift to each other — rather than
buying fancy sweaters or something,” Lori said.
The two sisters traveled from Corvallis and Eugene to
attend the Cannon Beach Library Holiday Tea and lamp-
lighting ceremony Saturday. Sitting by the library’s fire-
place with tea in one hand and homemade cookies in the
other, Lori said they have been attending the town’s holi-
day rituals for the past four years as way to start off a cha-
otic month of shopping and event planning.
“We like starting the season in a peaceful way. When
the holidays start getting crazy and expensive, we go back
to thinking about this day — the tea, the lamplighting,
the music — and remember what Christmas is all about,”
Lori said.
The Strombecks were among hundreds who came Sat-
urday to celebrate the 44th annual lamplighting ceremony
in Sandpiper Square.
Ornately decorated Christmas trees were on display over
the weekend at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center
during the annual Festival of Trees.
Two of the region’s bus transit networks
are exploring the possibility of joining forces
to improve service.
Sunset Empire Transportation District,
the bus agency for Clatsop County, recently
secured a state grant to study its options with
Columbia County.
Those options could include expanding
to oversee transit in Columbia County, con-
tracting with that county or asking voters to
create a separate transit district there.
The results of the study are expected
early next year. Jeff Hazen, executive direc-
tor of Sunset Empire since 2014, applied for
the grant.
“They really struggle in Columbia
County, because they are a county depart-
ment,” he said. “They don’t have the tax base
we do.”
Columbia County Rider operates buses in
the county and contracts with motor coach
operator MTR Western to provide drivers.
The study is looking at the operational spe-
cifics and tax rate needed to fund transit ser-
vices in one or both counties, Hazen said.
Changing tax rates or expanding a district
would involve public votes, while contract-
ing with Columbia County would require a
competitive bidding process.
Sunset Empire sends two buses a day
east on U.S. Highway 30 to Rainier and
back. Columbia County Rider in turn pro-
vides buses to Portland and Longview,
Washington.
“In Columbia County, funding can
change year by year,” said Michael Ray,
transit director in Columbia County. “The
advantage of being a district is your funding
is dedicated to the district.”
Sunset Empire has a permanent tax rate
of 16.2 cents per $1,000 of assessed prop-
erty value, along with timber tax revenue.
The transit district receives about $900,000
annually in property taxes, Hazen said.
Voters in Columbia County last year
rejected a bond measure that would have
created the Columbia County Rider Trans-
portation District at a tax rate of 23 cents
per $1,000 of assessed property value. The
county also previously tried to pass a quarry
depletion tax that would have aided transit.
See TRANSIT, Page 9A
Sue Cody
See LAMPLIGHTING, Page 9A
Jeff Hazen has been the executive di-
rector of Sunset Empire Transit District
since 2014.
New Astoria school liaison provides family support
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
ne thing Michael Olsen
has noticed since joining
the Astoria School District is
how much teachers care about
their students.
But they are often power-
less to influence a child’s life
once he or she walks out of the
classroom.
“That’s a horrible feeling
for a lot of these really caring
teachers,” he said.
As the district’s new fam-
ily and school liaison, Olsen
reaches out to see what’s going
on with students who don’t
show up to school.
O
“Just knowing what the
conditions are at home helps
inform how the teacher can
approach the student in the
school,” he said.
A marriage and family ther-
apist, Olsen came to Astoria
a few years ago from Grants
Pass, eventually setting up
his own private practice. He
recently heard about the new
liaison position at the school
district, funded by Measure
98. The state Legislature pro-
vided $170 million over two
years to enhance college and
career-technical
offerings,
while cutting down on the
state’s dismal attendance and
dropout rates.
Olsen operates out of
an office at Astoria Middle
School. He receives referrals
from school counselors to con-
tact families whose children
aren’t showing up for school
or having other issues.
“A lot of times it’s support-
ing parents,” he said. “Parents
are overwhelmed. I’m think-
ing of one family I’m working
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
See OLSEN, Page 9A
Michael Olsen is the new family and school liaison for the
Astoria School District.