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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 Night watch: Seaside interested in program Sirens: Mayor Balensifer emphasized the need for individual responsibility Awareness of Property Watch is still low, Randall said. “A lot of people aren’t aware of the effectiveness of it because it’s after hours or on weekends,” Randall said. “It allows us to go there, talk to a person and say, ‘This isn’t a place you should be. Could you please move on?’” ‘We believe having a redundant system in place is never a bad idea.’ Continued from Page 1A In Washington state, warn- ing sirens are managed by the state, Brown said. In Oregon, the decision to maintain or not maintain warning sirens has been left to counties. Up and down the coast, counties and communities have made dif- ferent decisions. Tillamook County chose to dismantle around 30 pole- mounted, 1960s-era tsu- nami sirens in 2012, and has not replaced them. Officials there argue that other tech- nology like the ability to send out mass texts or auto- mated reverse 911 calls are more efficient and cost-effec- tive warning systems. At the time, they estimated it could cost $100,000 to replace the devices, money the county did not have. They said, echoing opinions expressed in other communities, that the shaking from a massive earthquake is the most obvious warning that a tsunami could be on the way. Brown agrees up to a point. “We believe having a redundant system in place is never a bad idea,” she said. She pointed out that the Warrenton and Hammond area sees thousands of tourists each summer who may not be familiar with the region or its hazards. Money is an issue for many counties when decid- ing whether or not to install sirens, she added, and it is no different in Warrenton. Brown estimated installation costs would be about $15,000 per siren just for sites where there is already a power source available. Cannon Beach also received sirens from the county and wants to eventu- ally put them in highly traf- ficked beach areas that may or may not have a nearby source of electricity; the costs to install will be much higher. Brown has applied for a Continued from Page 1A Coordination The program allows busi- nesses to coordinate with police ahead of time, giv- ing officers the authority to remove people without a tres- pass complaint. When businesses under the contract notice recurring issues or see signs of previous camping such as leftover gar- bage or human waste, they can alert police. In return, officers check those locations as much as possible during patrols. “Anyone anywhere knows you can call 911, but I think if the police department has been to your facility, I just think it’s a lot smoother,” said Bruce Jones, the maritime museum’s deputy director and an Astoria city councilor. Randall said the program has led to more “positive con- tacts” with officers and busi- nesses, allowing owners to ask questions about building security. “Most of the time, busi- nesses are calling us because something unpleasant is going on. This provides us the oppor- tunity to speak with them before something bad has hap- pened,” said Randall, who added that owners typically ask about items like locks and lighting. “It can go off into something they’ve always wanted to ask a police officer about but never have.” Police have encouraged businesses to post signs in win- dows warning against behav- iors such as unreasonable noise, fighting, threatening others, littering and remaining on the premises for more than 20 minutes. For the most part, the signs have been a deterrent. Tiffany Brown Clatsop County’s emergency management director homeland security grant to cover the costs of installing the sirens at the Hammond and Warrenton fire stations. She and city officials had hoped to secure a third site at Fort Stevens State Park, but were unable to come to a for- mal arrangement before the grant application deadline. It is unlikely that all six sirens will be used in War- renton, Brown said, point- ing to the example of Cannon Beach. The city had to use a few of the sirens it received just for parts. Sirens are in place else- where in the county, in Sea- side and Gearhart. Astoria does not have sirens. Warrenton has slowly been moving toward better emergency preparedness. The sirens are a big step, said city commissioners. Emergency preparedness and outreach is one of four goals they dis- cussed for the year. City Man- ager Linda Engbretson has been working on updating the city’s emergency operations plan, which lays out how city staff and officials will con- duct city business in the face of emergencies both large and small. Mayor Henry Balensifer, who keeps a go-bag stocked with tools and items he would need in case of a vari- ety of emergencies, empha- sized the need for individual responsibility. Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Properties in downtown Astoria have utilized several options to deter loitering, including fences and signs. Authorities say signs posted in the windows of businesses have been effective in reducing loitering and other problems. “It seems that when the exclusion criteria signs go up, then most of the prior issues that a property or business was having have either stopped or had a noticeable decrease,” Randall said. “There have been some instances where the exclusion criteria signs have been ripped down and the owners have had to put some new ones up.” Property Watch could be shifting where homeless peo- ple congregate. More people have been illegally camping in the woods within city limits, a trend that may be linked to the program. “Many of the places that the homeless were sleeping at are now areas where they know they are not supposed to be,” Randall said. “Sometimes the campsites are a quick hike up into the woods and are not so easy for an officer to go by for a quick look.” A version in Seaside Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham has attended Astoria’s Homelessness Solutions Task Force meetings and has eyed the Property Watch program. The chief said his depart- ment has had preliminary dis- cussions about implement- ing a smaller version of the program. “We run into very similar types of situations down here,” Ham said. “It seems like it’s a neat program.” Ham added that the Sea- side program would be smaller in scope. The city would like to curb some issues in areas where both tourists and home- less people tend to go. But issues like public urination are not as frequent. A public meeting may take place in April. In Astoria, meanwhile, the small but growing program will be re-evaluated each year. Continued interest from police and business owners will be key. “I don’t know of any reason the program would not con- tinue,” Jones said. “I would hope the program would con- tinue indefinitely.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 P SHEE L LOCA TempActiv COOL to the TOUCH by 2018 Queen iComfort Mattress Starting at $ 1099 INCLUDES 120 DAY NEW iCOMFORT MATTRESS (COMFORT EXCHANGE) RV Mattress Short Queen Cool Memory Foam 7” Only 10” Only 375 $ $ More than just Antiques! 55+ Vendors 499 Twin Herrera Firm $ Special 0% Interest Financing Available up to 60 Months! 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