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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2017)
6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2017 editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager DEBRA BLOOM Business Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager OUR VIEW Railroad companies have dragged their feet on safety improvements S ince 1969, nearly 300 people have died in U.S. train crashes that existing tech- nology could have prevented, according to the Associated Press. Add the three people killed in Dec. 18’s crash south of Tacoma, Washington, and the toll is 301. It will be 12 to 24 months before the of the U.S. rail system is privately National Transportation Safety Board owned. The government steps in to completes its investigation into what improve roads and runways, although caused the Amtrak cars to veer off the users help pay through taxes and fees. rails on the route’s maiden voyage, As private entities, railroads make their crashing onto Interstate 5 below. The own decisions on track upgrades and train was going nearly 50 mph faster safety improvements, although they’re than allowed as it reached a curve, the often driven by government regulations NTSB said. and deadlines. Technology known Cost is the key rea- Why the delay? as positive train control son railroads con- could have prevented vinced the federal Cost. And the the previous crashes, government to delay relationship according to the NTSB. — until 2018 — the If speed, along with deadline for positive between railroads human error, caused last and government. train control. Cost is week’s crash, that one why railroads have also might have been been slow to replace preventable. But the technology won’t old-style tanker cars — like the ones be operational on that section of track that derailed and caused an oil fire in the — or on other parts of Amtrak routes in Columbia River Gorge last year — with sturdier, safer construction. Washington and Oregon — until some- And cost is why Eastern Oregon lost time next year. passenger train service in 1997. The Why the delay? Cost. And the decline of federal subsidies made the relationship between railroads and route unprofitable, and Congress has government. never appropriated money for Amtrak to Unlike highways and airports, most AP Photo/Elaine Thompson A damaged Amtrak train car is lowered from an overpass at the scene of last week’s train crash in DuPont, Wash. re-establish the passenger route. From a human standpoint, it’s uncon- scionable that railroad companies have dragged their feet on technology and safety improvements. From a socie- tal perspective, it raises the question of whether government should invest more to help American rail service join the 21st century. A good rail system benefits everyone, reducing traffic congestion by taking freight and passenger vehicles off roads. A great rail system gets goods and pas- sengers to their destinations faster, sav- ing time and money. Though high-speed passenger rail remains a dream — at least in the pop- ulation centers of the Willamette Valley — we do not yet have consistently on-time, dependable train service in the Pacific Northwest. Our hilly and curvy topography requires slower train speeds, which is why the straighter route being inaugurated in last week’s crash was an advantage. Rainy-season landslides can disrupt tracks. And because our rail sys- tem lacks sufficient long sidings or dual tracks, Amtrak trains often must give way to freight trains. Still, Oregon is making headway. The transportation package passed by this year’s Legislature includes money for rail freight loading facilities in Eastern Oregon and the Mid-Willamette Valley, rail expansion at the Port of Morrow and an extended rail siding north of Salem. Compared with the past, those are big steps. Compared with the need and the potential, they are small. And overdue. SOUTHERN EXPOSURE Hot meals, friends and a program partnership N o one should go hungry for the holidays — or any other time of year. That’s the message Chris Duffy, nutrition coordinator for the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District, conveys every weekday with pro- grams feeding senior citizens, either homebound or at the Bob Chisholm Community Center. Duffy and the district teamed with the Warrenton-based agency Inner Potential to help prepare and serve meals for seniors from Seaside, Gearhart and Cannon Beach. With students from Seaside, Warrenton and Astoria, their mission is to partner with indi- viduals experiencing intellectual or develop- mental disabilities in achieving a healthy and fulfilling life. R.J. MARX “They were looking for something proactive to help their students learn hands-on activities, counting, organization, timing, serve-out on meals and the lunch,” Duffy said. “The partnership has been fantastic and very well-received by the students.” Weekdays, any senior over 60 may come in and eat, Duffy said. Hot meals are served Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:45 a.m. The center serves soup and sandwiches Tuesdays and Thursdays. Meals consist of about 800 calories, with a starter salad and “a lot of pro- teins,” Duffy said. “If there are dietary restrictions, we make accommodations for that.” Since the program’s debut in August, the community center has averaged about 26 diners and volunteers a day. Wednesday is considered the peak day, with about 30 diners. Members of the group help prepare about 200 meals a week as part of the Meals on Wheels program, which deliv- ers food to about 40 clients in the South County. “It’s not only the food they get, which is good, but they get to talk to people because it can be very lonely when you leave alone,” diner Jean Wilson, 93, said, adding: “I don’t have any trouble with loneliness because I read all the time.” At lunchtime, socializing is a main draw. “Monday morning, we have people start getting here at 11:15 when we have the coffee out,” Duffy said. “For them to sit down at a table and talk about Chris Duffy and Judy Parish discuss the menu during lunch service at the Bob Chisholm Community Center in Seaside. Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Staff and students from Inner Vision take a moment to pose for a photo while helping out at the Bob Chisholm Community Center in Seaside. Skyler Archibald volunteers at the Bob Chisholm Community Center in Seaside. Lunch is served at the Bob Chisholm Community Center in Seaside. the weekend and events throughout the week — that to me is as important as getting that nutritious meal, that bal- anced meal.” Diners look forward to seeing friends and socializing. “I underestimated how important that would be,” Duffy said. “About once a month we’ll bring in a musician, games — but the idea is to be able to meet with your peers.” Kevin Okerlund of Inner Potential said the volunteer work brings new skills and career potential, possibly in the local hospitality or kitchen industries. “It’s been really neat to see how inde- pendent they’re becoming, and how the seniors have really responded,” he said. Interaction between students and seniors is an added benefit, Inner Potential’s Sue Thurston said. “Building those connections in the community is really important, for peo- ple who sometimes may not have had that in their lives,” she said. “As long as everyone is committed and it remains positive, they really look forward to coming.” R.J. Marx is The Daily Astorian’s South County reporter and editor of the Seaside Signal and Cannon Beach Gazette.
