KNAPPA & JEWELL | SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS PAGE 10
145TH YEAR, NO. 197
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018
ONE DOLLAR
Civil War re-enactment gets new home
First time in 28 years it will not be held at Fort Stevens
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
An artillery unit on the Union side participates in a Civil War re-enact-
ment at Fort Stevens last year.
Port might
settle the
Riverwalk
Inn lawsuit
Port director to
negotiate proposal
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Port of Astoria is moving
toward a settlement with Param Hotel
Corp. regarding the Astoria River-
walk Inn.
The Port Commission on Tuesday
authorized Port Executive Director
Jim Knight to negotiate a settlement
proposal.
“I think we should be able to
get to some form of a settlement …
I’d imagine within 60 to 90 days,”
Knight said.
Bill Hunsinger, the strongest critic
of Knight on the
Port Commission,
was the lone “no” in
the 4-1 vote, calling
for a couple of com-
missioners to be in
the negotiations.
“We
already
Jim Knight
went through this
thing one time, when we only had one
guy negotiate,” Hunsinger said.
Param is planning to take over
operation of the Riverwalk Inn in
November after prevailing over
the Port in court late last year. The
Port appealed the decision, and the
case has been placed in the appel-
late court’s settlement conference
program.
Astoria Hospitality Ventures, run
by William Orr and Chester Tra-
bucco, has a lease to operate the hotel
through October. Clatsop County Cir-
cuit Court Judge Dawn McIntosh had
ruled the Port is obligated to lease
Param the hotel for two years, begin-
ning in November, with a five-year
lease-extension option.
The Port Commission had voted
for such a takeover in 2015 before
negotiations with Param fell apart
and the company sued for breach
of contract and fraud. A jury later
See PORT, Page 3A
The largest Civil War re-enact-
ment in the Pacific Northwest will
remain in Clatsop County, but not at
Fort Stevens State Park, its longtime
home.
The Northwest Civil War Coun-
cil inked a deal Saturday with the
county Fair & Expo to hold the
event on Labor Day weekend at the
fairgrounds.
Organizers announced in Febru-
ary that, after 27 years, the re-enact-
ment would no longer be held at Fort
Stevens. They said newly imposed
camping fees from the state Parks
and Recreation Department would
increase operating costs by roughly
65 percent.
While the re-enactors spoke with
a private property owner near Albany,
they were hoping to keep the event
nearby. John Lewis, the fair’s main-
tenance supervisor, contacted the
council days after it announced the
departure.
“After 28 years, we have a lot
of people planning their vacations
on coming to that area,” said Earl
Bishop, the council’s chairman.
“They were willing to work with us
and make us feel wanted.”
The contract with the fairgrounds
will include the same fees as those
charged by the state park in 2017,
Lewis said. “We’re always looking
for events out here. We have a large
enough facility to handle an event
that size. It just seemed like a good
opportunity for both of us.”
Bishop admitted the fairgrounds
will not have the same historical
appeal as Fort Stevens, which was
built during the Civil War. Some of
See CIVIL War, Page 3A
ELECTION FORUM | COUNTY COMMISSION & STATE HOUSE
Commission candidates
discuss range of topics
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Candidates for Clatsop County commissioner prepare to answer questions during a forum at Astoria High School.
Eight candidates vying
for three seats on board
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
At a forum that covered a range of Clatsop
County issues, a few seemed to be a priority
for candidates and spectators alike: job cre-
ation, emergency preparedness, a November
jail bond, housing and the environment.
Eight candidates for three seats on the
county Board of Commissioners in the May
election gathered Tuesday night for a forum
at Astoria High School sponsored by the
American Association of University Women
and The Daily Astorian.
Candidates to replace Commissioner Lisa
Clement in District 3 are Peter Roscoe — a
former restaurateur and Astoria city councilor
— Doug Thompson — a property manager
and also a former Astoria city councilor —
and Pamela Wev — an Astoria land use plan-
ning consultant.
Roscoe touted his experience and an
endorsement from former Astoria Mayor Wil-
lis Van Dusen in his case for the position. A
large chunk of his experience involves work-
ing with natural resources.
“What I would like to see is further uti-
lization of our natural resources, alternative
energy. We have a river here that would cre-
ate a tremendous amount of energy,” he said.
Thompson, who recently stepped down as
chairman of the Clatsop County Democratic
Central Committee, tagged climate change as
the top issue he would address as a commis-
sioner. He added that he opposes any fossil
fuel development on the Columbia River.
See COUNTY, Page 7A
State House candidates appeal to voters
Several compete to
replace Boone
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The five hopefuls to replace state Rep.
Deborah Boone in state House District 32
pitched themselves to voters Tuesday in a
candidate forum at Astoria High School.
Three Democrats are running in the May
primary, including Tillamook County Com-
missioner Tim Josi and political newcomers
John Orr and Tiffiny Mitchell.
Josi, who served in the state House from
1991 to 1998 and the last 20 years on the Til-
lamook County Commission, has come out
as the early front-runner with the broadest
name recognition and biggest campaign cof-
fer. He touted his experience and how he has
been reacquainting himself with people in the
district.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Candidates prepare to answer questions from the audience in Astoria.
See HOUSE, Page 7A