PAGE 3A A VERY SCANDINAVIAN WEEKEND 145TH YEAR, NO. 250 ONE DOLLAR DailyAstorian.com // EMPOWERING PRACTICE CAMP RILEA SCHOOL JUICES ELECTRICAL WORKFORCE, PROVIDES PATH TO AN APPRENTICESHIP By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian B etween the retirement of baby boomers and the need to build and replace the nation’s electrical infra- structure, the demand for power line workers is surging, with an expected 14 percent growth rate by 2026. The next generation of work- ers is training in a pole barn and field of de-energized power poles inside the Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center. The Vocational Outside Line Training Academy, sponsored by the International Brother- hood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association, was started in 2006 to increase the pool of qualified electrical workers, said Banjo Reed, director of the academy. “With the baby boomers retiring, there’s going to be a huge need for qualified electri- cal workers,” Reed said, adding Camp Rilea is one of between 20 and 30 industry sponsored train- ing locations throughout the U.S. The academy, a precursor to a paid apprenticeship with a union, offers three $8,500, 10-week pro- grams a year for 30 students, mainly pulling from the Pacific Northwest. The students spend four days a week at Camp Rilea learning about electrical systems, equipment, climbing utility poles and doing the job safely. Many bring trailers and stay at Kampers West RV Park in Warrenton. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian See SCHOOL, Page 5A Trainees practice working on electrical lines at Camp Rilea. Lawsuit against mental health agency settled Suit involved claims of discrimination By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Two former employees at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare have settled a federal lawsuit against the mental health agency that alleged top admin- istrators engaged in discrimination and retaliation. Richard Holmes, a case manager who resigned in 2015, claimed the agency failed to take action after a female case manager subjected him to homophobic slurs. Colleen Studi- narz, Holmes’ supervisor, claimed she was fired after she backed Holmes and called for an investigation. The terms of the settlement were not publicly disclosed. A trial in federal court in Portland that had been sched- uled for late June has been canceled. Amy Baker, the director of Clat- sop Behavioral Healthcare, declined to comment. Attorneys for Holmes and Studi- narz did not respond to messages seek- ing comment. The lawsuit was filed in 2016 against the mental health agency and Sumuer Watkins, who was the execu- tive director; Nick Benas, who was the director of business operations; and Lois Gilmore, the human resources manager. Watkins and Benas left the agency in 2016 in a management shakeup. The agency, which holds the con- tract to provide mental health services in Clatsop County, was under siege at the time over internal divisions and public scrutiny over the quality of care. A separate federal lawsuit by Cheryl Varese, who worked in the agency’s developmental disabili- ties unit, alleged retaliation for com- plaining about unethical and illegal management practices and a hostile work environment. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in March, but Varese is appealing. Varese also filed a new lawsuit in Clatsop County Circuit Court alleg- ing whistleblower retaliation and vio- lations of state medical leave law. County public works employee retires after 42 years Credits his co-workers for inspiration By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian asha Raichl spent nearly two straight days in knee- deep water making repairs inside the Clatsop County Jail during the Great Coastal Gale in 2007. Considering how long he’d held his job with the county Public Works Depart- ment, the confined setting seemed fitting. “My wife says I got insti- tutionalized,” Raichl said. “I S Sasha Raichl spent nearly 42 years at the county’s Public Works Department. wasn’t sure I would make it out in the real world.” More than a decade later, he’ll have to try. Raichl retired at the end of May after spend- ing nearly 42 years at the department. A county resident since he was a toddler, Raichl started working at a Seaside auto body shop when he was 13 years old. He made connections with county public works employ- ees and, a few years later, swiveled into the county fold. Raichl credits his former co-workers for his desire to remain at the department for most of his life. “He loved the guys that he worked with, and he is very grateful to them for all the love they’ve given him,” said Kim- berly Raichl, his wife. Raichl estimates only a fraction of the people he orig- inally worked with are still alive. “I’ve been a pallbearer a lot,” he said. Starting out as a car mechanic, Raichl moved over to the county’s shop — even- tually becoming the shop See RAICHL, Page 5A