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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 2018)
BEACH. SET. SPIKE. COAST WEEKEND // INSIDE DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2018 146TH YEAR, NO. 29 Visitor volume dips on the Oregon Coast Tourism spending at an all-time high ONE DOLLAR County sells land for data center Project in Warrenton could bring 76 jobs By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian t the height of summer, it is easy to believe every Oregonian has found their way to the Oregon Coast. But while figures from the 2018 Oregon Travel Impact report show tourism spending has increased, the number of visitors staying in hotels and rentals dipped slightly on the Oregon Coast, dropping about 1.3 percent between 2016 and 2017. The decline on the North Coast was 1.7 percent. The pattern contrasts with the state over- all, where visitor volume increased by 2.2 percent, according to the study by Dean Runyan Associates. Flattening visitor volume should not be seen as an issue for the tourism industry, said Leon Aliski, the company’s project manager. Total destination spending grew 2.2 percent to nearly $2 billion on the Oregon Coast in 2017. On the North Coast alone, visi- tor spending on accommodations increased from $190 million to $197 million in one year. Many local lodging operators have yet to feel any impacts from fewer visitors, with many reporting 2017 as an exceptional year. So how does spending continue to grow when the number of people booking rooms is stagnant? Aliski said it indicates higher room rates and more expensive transportation costs. In the last year, room rates increased by 4.4 percent. Clatsop County on Wednesday agreed to a $1.2 million sale of 67 acres in the North Coast Business Park in Warrenton for a new data center and technology incubator. The project at the corner of Ensign Lane and 19th Street could provide 76 local jobs with an average wage of $75,000. Mark Cox, of Agile Design, also believes it will attract other tech-related companies and help train local students for an emerging industry. Data centers have been rapidly expanding in the Pacific Northwest because of an abun- dance of cheap water and power, along with incentives such as enterprise zones, which provide a three- to five-year property tax break on new projects. Cox’s site is part of the Clatsop Enterprise Zone. Clatsop County also makes sense because of the quality of life, faster commute times and the region’s proximity to the undersea backbone of the global internet, Cox said. “A lot of people are not aware that about 70 percent of all fiber-optic cable connections that come in on the western continental U.S. is actually within 100 miles of this site,” he said. His project also falls within the county’s goals for the business park to support year- round employment with a focus on the tech- nology sector, Cox said. A Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Tony Street, far right, and Mike Parks perform for tourists walking along the Prom in Seaside. “If they are spending more because a room costs more and gas costs more, and maybe they are spending more on restaurants, then you can have more spending without actually having more people there.” See TOURISM, Page 7A See LAND, Page 5A Leon Aliski Dean Runyan Associates Below: Paul and Rosalie Lankow, tourists from Hillsboro, enjoy the cool weather in Seaside as people set up for the annual volleyball tournament on the beach. Vandals hit Astoria alley Racial slur painted on a wall downtown By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Vandals spray-painted a racial slur, sex- ually explicit symbols and other offensive messages on the walls of the 13th Street Alley in downtown Astoria. The alley, which merchants hope to one day permanently decorate with murals and lighting, was one of several places scarred with graffiti. Employees also discovered scrawls of green paint on City Hall, the Elks Lodge and the Astoria Library on Wednes- day morning. The alley was the hardest hit, however. Public works staff covered the most explicit damage and volunteers organized by the Astoria Downtown Historic District Associ- ation plan to paint over the rest of the graf- fiti today. See GRAFFITI, Page 7A Tapales crowned as the Astoria Regatta queen Coronation opened Regatta festivities By HANNAH SIEVERT The Daily Astorian Catherine Tapales of Warrenton High School was crowned the 2018 Astoria Regatta queen on Wednesday night at the Liberty Theatre. “I’m still in shock,” she said in the hall- way following the coronation. “I can’t believe it happened.” Tapales was chosen queen by a panel of judges after the four Regatta princesses answered on-the-spot questions and deliv- ered speeches. The Regatta Court has spent most of the year giving the speeches, all of which touch on Astoria heritage, to groups in the community. Tapales described the work and lives of Coast Guard crew, tugboat pilots, bar pilots and fishermen to the crowd at the theater without a hitch. Tapales will succeed the 2017 Regatta queen, Megan Postlewait. In her farewell speech, Postlewait thanked the commu- nity and the Regatta for giving her confi- dence and helping her grow. She will attend Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, in the fall to major in computer engineering. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian See QUEEN, Page 7A Astoria Regatta Princess Danielle Morinville embraces Catherine Tapales after Tapales was named the 2018 Regatta queen.