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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2017)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2017 145TH YEAR, NO. 117 ONE DOLLAR Q&A U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley Wyden, Merkley call on Trump to resign Hampton Lumber CEO prefers talks, not tariffs, on Canadian lumber imports Steven Zika has been CEO of Hampton Lumber since 2006. Oregon Democrats join critical senators Associated Press U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley have urged President Donald Trump to resign over sexual misconduct allegations. The Oregon Democrats are among five senators calling on the president to step down as other politicians accused of sexual misconduct have done. Several women who have complained about Trump spoke out again Monday and urged Congress to investigate the president’s behavior. “These women are right,” Wyden posted on Twitter. “If @realDonaldTrump won’t resign, Congress must investigate allega- tions by many, many women that he sexu- ally assaulted and harassed them. No one is above the law.” Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian A worker operates machinery processing wood products at the Hampton Lumber mill in Warrenton. Company has mills in Oregon, Washington state and British Columbia See SENATORS, Page 4A By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Going up, up, up to fight fires New $1.2 million Seaside fire truck By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — In about 18 months, Sea- side Fire and Rescue will be the proud owner of a new tractor-drawn aerial quint. The nearly $1.2 million firefighting appara- tus provides five functions: pump, water tank, fire hose, aerial device and ground ladders. The ladder will reach 100 feet — 25 feet more than the fire department’s 75-foot lad- der truck — to meet the needs of Seaside’s tallest buildings, Fire Chief Joey Daniels said at Monday night’s City Council meeting. ight years ago, Hampton Lumber purchased a mill along the Skipanon River employing nearly 100 peo- ple from fellow wood prod- ucts company Weyerhaeuser. Hampton invested an estimated $18 million reno- vating the mill and now directly employs about 150 people there turning out up to 200 million board feet of Douglas fir and hemlock lumber. Steve Zika, the CEO of Hampton Lumber since 2006, recently met with The Daily Astorian and detailed the com- pany’s local presence. The third-generation family-owned company has been in business 75 years, since founder Bud Hampton bought his first mill in Willamina. The company now operates four mills in Oregon, three in Washington state and two in British Columbia. It also owns a 34,000-acre tree farm in eastern Clatsop County, around 12,000 acres in western Washington County and around 12,000 acres in Wash- ington’s Pacific County. The U.S. International Trade Commis- sion recently upheld tariffs of more than 20 percent on lumber imports from Can- ada, ruling the neighbor to the north sub- sidizes and dumps timber on the Amer- ican market. Overseeing mills on both sides of the border, Zika provided his Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian An employee at the Hampton Lumber mill in Warrenton keeps a sharp eye on equipment moving products through the facility. take on the issue of Canadian subsidies and tariffs. Q: How did Hampton Lumber end up in Warrenton? A: During the Great Recession, Wey- erhaeuser was looking to sell that facility, and since we were already in the Oregon, North Coast area, we felt good about the potential for that mill. It had been some- what run-down, because they knew they were going to sell it, so they hadn’t been investing in it. So we not only bought the mill, but at the time invested roughly $18 million to update the mill. Q: What’s the biggest factor affect- ing Hampton’s business? See ZIKA, Page 4A See FIRE TRUCK, Page 4A Cannon Beach fire board member resigns Beck-Sweeney leaves for ‘personal reasons’ after 18 years of service By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District board mem- ber Linda Beck-Sweeney resigned Monday night. CANNON BEACH – Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District board member Linda Beck-Sweeney resigned Monday night, citing “personal reasons.” Beck-Sweeney, who has served on the board since 1999, was one of three board members who prevailed in a recall vote last year orga- nized by residents who criticized the board’s handling of former Fire Chief Mike Balzer’s firing. Beck-Sweeney did not indicate whether or not the experience played a role in her decision, but said after 34 years of volunteer work in Can- non Beach she needed to focus more on her per- sonal life. “I’ve been doing this since March of 1999. I love it, but I need to make some changes in my personal life, and I feel like it’s time to step away from the board for awhile,” she said. “It has nothing to do with the board.” Mark Morgans of Greenwood Resources was recommended by Beck-Sweeney and appointed by the board to fill her position until the seat is up for election in May 2019. Morgans served as a volunteer firefighter at the district for more than 17 years before stepping down as a captain in 2016. “It was the right time to retire then, but when you make this kind of commitment it becomes See FIRE BOARD, Page 4A