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!
(Mattress Only)
94
Each
Antiques • Nautical Items
Glassware • Vintage Decor
Queen
King $ 599
$
799
Queen Herrera Firm
(Mattress Only)
$
197
Each
892 Marine Drive, Astoria • (503) 338-0101
T HE S LEEP
Y OU N EED
GUARANTEED
Warrenton
503-861-6085
www.americasmattress.com
Located next to Big 5
and Fred Meyer
HOURS: MON-FRI 10-7
SAT 10-6; SUN 11-5
With 6 convenient locations NEWPORT | FLORENCE | COOS BAY| LINCOLN CITY | WARRENTON | TILLAMOOK