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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2018)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 145TH YEAR, NO. 191 ONE DOLLAR Health care district seeks a $3 million tax levy READING TO MAISIE Money would go toward facility upgrades and expanded services By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Bronte Noguerra, seated, reads to Maisie the border collie while the dog’s owner, Pam Holen, watches at the Astoria Library. Border collie listens to children read at Astoria Library By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian he girl started reading quietly, but then the hand that wasn’t busy turning the next page of the book found Maisie’s soft, highly touchable ear. As she ran her fingers through the border collie’s fur, the girl’s eyes didn’t leave the book and her hand didn’t leave Maisie, but her voice grew a little louder. Maisie turned and gave her fingers a quick lick. Six-year-old Bronte Noguerra watched, waiting her turn on the floor of the Astoria Library’s children area. The book she had picked out to read to Maisie rested on her lap. Up until recently she had not wanted to practice reading, her mom, Britta Noguerra, said. Now she reads to her parents and her younger sister all the time. The Noguerra family is one of several that usually comes to the library every week to take advantage of the library’s “Read to a Therapy Dog” program, where young readers can practice reading aloud and become more confident in their skills. Suzanne Harold, the children’s librarian, was thrilled when Maisie’s owner, Pam Holen, approached her about bringing the certified therapy dog to the library last year. Harold had just moved to Astoria from a job with the Multnomah County Library, where there had been a robust “read to a dog” pro- gram for children. “It can be the extra motivation that some kids need to read out loud,” Harold said. “Dogs don’t care if you mess up or make up the story.” The program seemed like it would be a perfect fit for a library that has been working to re-establish itself as a center for the community, expanding both its offerings and its pro- grams under the leadership of Jimmy Pearson, who was hired The Clatsop Care Health District will ask voters in May to pitch in $3 million for upgraded services and technical capabilities. The five-year option would impose a 23-cent tax per $1,000 of property value, according to the county assessor’s office. Additional revenue would allow the district, which operates three long-term care facilities in Astoria and War- renton plus an in-home care agency, to address deferred maintenance needs at its aging Clatsop Care Center and expand services at its memory care facility. “We’ve always felt that the main reason we seek tax support is to provide a better life for residents,” said Heather Reynolds, chairwoman of the health district’s board of directors. “Peo- ple had different standards in the 1950s than they do now.” The care center is a long-term treatment facility on 16th Street and Franklin Avenue built in 1926. While the health district has a license for 71 beds, only 28 are being used. The building could only realistically hold about 40 residents, Reynolds said. The levy would fund a generator backup, technology upgrades and security measures — a new system that would allow staff to monitor residents who wander from the facility. The health district had explored selling the building, but any sale would not take place for at least five years, Reynolds said. She added the district has other priorities to address. “It’s not totally off the table, but we’ve got to be totally stable before we can fill that,” Reyn- olds said. “It’s going to be a long time frame to get there.” The health district also hopes to purchase one bus for the care center and another for the See HEALTH, Page 4A Hood to Coast inks five-year deal in Seaside T After past acrimony, city welcomes iconic race By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Pam Holen leads Maisie to the children’s area of the library. ‘It can be the extra motivation that some kids need to read out loud. Dogs don’t care if you mess up or make up the story.’ Suzanne Harold See LIBRARY, Page 4A Astoria Library’s children’s librarian Allen Building up for sale in Astoria By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Ted and Wendy Osborn have put the Allen Build- ing at 10th and Commercial streets in downtown Asto- ria on the market. The building is listed for $580,000 through the Clatsop Association of Realtors. The listing comes less than a month after the Sanborn Building kitty corner to the Osborns’ was sold by Astoria real estate company Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Luottamus Partners to Portland-based MH Real Estate. The Allen Building at 10th and Commercial streets The Osborns purchased the Allen Building in 2011 has been listed at $580,000. and began a restoration, with Ed Overbay the general contractor. The restoration of the building, which was shop In the Boudoir and clothing store The Fox & built in 1924, won the Dr. Edward Harvey Historic The Fawn. The owners of both stores announced last Preservation Award in 2014 for commercial structures. year they would close by the end of this month. Dave “I bought it to fix it up, because I’m an architect McMacken, owner of art space Ratz & Co. in the 10th and I love buildings,” Ted Osborn said. “But I’m not Street storefront, said he is planning to stay. really interested in owning it or running it as a rental There are already a couple of prospects for new ten- ants, Ted Osborn said, but none that he’s moved on building.” At slightly more than 4,000 square feet, the Allen while the current tenants have yet to vacate. “I don’t think I’m going to have any trouble filling Building includes three retail storefronts. The two on Commercial Street are occupied by home decor it,” he said. SEASIDE — Nearly three years ago, resi- dents packed City Hall and called for an end to Seaside’s relationship with the Hood to Coast Relay. Residents and businesses complained about unruly behavior and traffic during one of the summer’s busiest weekends. On Monday night, the City Council inked a five-year deal with relay officials to keep Seaside as the final destination of the 198- mile team run from Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge. Dan Floyd, chief operat- ing officer of Hood to Coast, attributed efforts by City Councilor Randy Frank and Mayor Jay Barber in bring- ing the city and race organiz- ers to the table. “Once every- Dan Floyd body was able to discuss both sides, we really became one side,” Floyd said. “There was more of an understanding what the city wanted from us, and for the city, what we did for 200 miles. We got to make each other aware of what’s going on and how we can improve. This is a huge turnaround.” Frank, a former critic of the race, called recent meetings between the city and Hood to Coast “very productive” and praised the con- tract as “doing more than what we’ve asked for.” “I think you’ve answered not only the con- cerns of the people of Seaside, but all along the race course,” Frank said. The city currently receives $18,000 plus $3,000 for expenses, according to City Man- ager Mark Winstanley. The new contract starts at $25,000 this year and increases 5 percent a year through 2022, when Hood to Coast will pay the city more than $30,000. In addition to the payment, Hood to Coast agreed to cover the city’s costs directly attribut- able to the event, including staffing and equip- ment for police, fire and public works. See DEAL, Page 3A
