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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2017
2017: Moments of glory arrived for area high school sports teams
Continued from Page 1A
Short-term rentals
In a closely watched deci-
sion, Gearhart voters rejected
a ballot measure that would
have repealed the city’s vaca-
tion rental rules.
The measure failed 77 per-
cent to 23 percent Nov. 8. It
was the culmination of months
of fierce debate online and
in front yards, and five years
of discussion before that. In
2013, city leaders and resi-
dents had sought to improve
the stock of long-term rental
housing in Gearhart amid con-
cerns about how vacation rent-
als could impact the city’s
atmosphere and livability.
Gearhart essentially voted
in favor of preserving an
essentially small-town resi-
dential character. The decision
tells us something about pref-
erences for the entire North
Coast in the years ahead, and
sketches out a path for other
coastal towns that want to
accommodate some vacation
rentals without making them
a dominant economic theme.
Several of Clatsop County’s
cities are struggling with the
rise of online rental companies
like Airbnb and Vacasa in their
communities.
Now that Gearhart has
made its decision, Clatsop
County commissioners plan
to press ahead with crafting
county-wide regulations.
Schools win
championships
Moments of glory arrived
thick and fast for the North
Coast’s high school sports
teams.
The Seaside boys basket-
ball team made school history
in March, winning its first-ever
state championship. Following
a Feb. 10 loss at Valley Cath-
olic, the Gulls caught fire and
won seven in a row, includ-
ing a 71-63 victory over Valley
Catholic in the Class 4A state
title game. The Gulls captured
the hearts of Seaside, win-
ning a championship for Bill
Westerholm in his 19th year as
the coach.
In an epic come-from-be-
hind win, Knappa won its sec-
ond 2A/1A baseball crown in
three years, defeating Reed-
sport 10-9 in the state title
game in June. Trailing Reed-
sport 9-1 after five innings and
9-3 heading into the bottom
of the seventh, the Loggers
scored seven runs to secure
the win. With most of its team
returning, Knappa will be the
favorite to win its third cham-
pionship in four years next
June.
People at an election watch party in Gearhart react to
Mayor Matt Brown reading the preliminary results at Mc-
Menamins Hotel in Gearhart.
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The Knappa Loggers won the state championship on a walk-off after being down 9-1
earlier in the game against Reedsport.
And the Astoria High
School girls track and field
team continued its dynasty,
winning its third consecutive
4A state championship in May.
Port of Astoria woes
The Port of Astoria had
a very dysfunctional year in
2017.
In October, a jury deter-
mined the Port had breached
a contract with Param Hotel
Corp over a lease at the Asto-
ria Riverwalk Inn. The jury
awarded $4 million in dam-
ages to the hotel company. The
amount was later reduced to
less than $1 million.
In a May election, Port
Commissioner Stephen Ful-
ton, a wetlands specialist for
Warrenton Fiber Co., lost his
bid for another commission-
er’s seat to James Campbell,
a marine contractor. Campbell
won his reelection with more
than 70 percent of the vote.
Fulton, who joined the
commission in 2013, was part
of a unanimous vote to hire
Executive Director Jim Knight
in 2014 but became a wither-
ing critic — along with Com-
missioner Bill Hunsinger — of
Knight’s management.
Then, at the end of Novem-
ber, the port announced it was
relinquishing its hold on North
Tongue Point. Staff estimated
the agency had lost $2 mil-
lion in net revenue since it
first began leasing the former
U.S. Navy base in 2009. Plans
to turn the site into a deepwa-
ter port or a site of other prof-
it-building businesses had
fallen through multiple times
over the years.
Hyack Maritime purchased
the property and intends to
turn it into a marine fabrica-
tion and repair facility.
Flavel blocks sold
The last building belonging
to Mary Louise Flavel, descen-
dent of prominent Astoria
Captain George Flavel, sold
to Portlanders Lisa and Jim
Long. It was the third Flavel
property to be sold recently. In
2016, another couple bought
the nearby M&N Building.
The purchases mark a sea
change for the underutilized
and neglected downtown com-
mercial buildings owned by
the famous family.
Police chief resigns
Astoria Police Chief Brad
Johnston resigned suddenly
in August after more than 20
years with the department.
An independent assessment
revealed the department had
been at a “point of crisis”
under his leadership, under-
mined by politics, discord and
conflict, issues further compli-
cated by staffing shortages and
flagging morale.
Former Beaverton Police
Chief Geoff Spalding has
served as interim chief since
Johnston’s departure, a role he
will likely fill for some time.
City Manager Brett Estes has
said part of Spalding’s role will
be to evaluate what the depart-
ment needs to move forward.
The department has since
hired new officers, and is now
only one officer short of a full
roster.
Justice reinvestment
Oregon has tried to slow
the costly growth of prisons
by relaxing sentences for drug
and property crimes and giv-
ing counties grants to super-
vise more felons locally. The
The Clatsop County jail in Astoria includes a secure recre-
ation area on the roof of the building.
County
commissioner turmoil
Clatsop County Commis-
sioner Leanne Thompson
found herself in the middle of
a storm this year, increasing
tensions between her and the
other commissioners.
In September, Thomp-
son came under investigation
after she allegedly placed her
hands on a county staffer and
expressed frustration about
County Manager Cameron
Moore.
Thompson had also claimed
more than $3,000 of expenses
in the first three months of
the fiscal year, a huge chunk
of what all five commission-
ers are allowed, combined,
for the entire year. Thompson
had been repeatedly criticized
by commissioners for claim-
ing nearly $20,000 in travel
and education expenses since
2015.
Chair Scott Lee called for
Thompson’s resignation at the
end of October, criticizing her
conduct and her spending. She
fired back, saying, “My heart
is in this place.”
In November, it was
announced Thompson would
Approximately 20 people held a rally in front of the post
office in Astoria in opposition to the GOP health care bill
under consideration by Congress.
be reimbursed for the expenses
she incurred so far this year,
but may have to pay her own
way in the future — a solution
she herself offered.
Historic business closes
After 101 years in Asto-
ria, J.C. Penney closed its
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and was one of 138 stores the
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The building remains
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