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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.