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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 2018)
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018 146TH YEAR, NO. 38 ONE DOLLAR Port Commission is open to East Mooring Basin project Underused marina would be redeveloped By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Port of Astoria commissioners on Tuesday tentatively approved exploring a partnership with a private company to develop housing and a cruise ship dock at the East Mooring Basin, while express- ing plenty of questions about how it will work. Nik Sernande, a San Francisco-based architect and member of Fishermens Wharf - Astoria LLC, presented his vision for the marina to commissioners. In the audience was Floyd Holcom, a for- mer Port commissioner, leading member of Fishermens Wharf and owner of Pier 39 directly to the east of the marina. Sernande, who has worked with Hol- com to develop Pier 39 from a former cannery to a commercial complex, lik- ened the possibilities at the marina to the development occurring on San Fran- cisco’s Treasure Island, a former Navy base where his company is based and he has assisted with mixed-use developments. See PORT, Page 7A A COLUMN CLOSE-UP Photo crew snaps pictures for Toyota at Astoria landmark Mavrik Studio Fishermens Wharf — Astoria wants to build floating homes, expand boat moorage and bring in cruise ships at the Port of Astoria’s East Mooring Basin. Health advisory issued for Cullaby Lake Harmful toxins found in water By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian A nother Clatsop County tour- ist attraction served as the scene for a Hollywood-style production. A Culver City, California-based photography crew spent Tuesday after- noon taking photos of Toyotas as they drove up Coxcomb Drive toward the Astoria Column, according to a permit application filed with the city. The company — James Lipman Photography — declined to provide specifics about the shoot because it involved a new line of sport utility vehicles that has yet to be announced. The company hired BSD Enterprises, a local flagging service, to halt traffic at the top and bottom of Coxcomb Drive in three-to-five minute spurts as the photography took place. In the Column parking lot, the crew See COLUMN, Page 7A Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian ABOVE: Crew members with a photography company set up a shot near the Astoria Column. BELOW: A member of a production crew waits for the camera to start shooting under the Astoria Column. A health advisory was issued on Tuesday for Cullaby Lake due to a bloom of harmful algae. State public health officials confirmed the presence of cyanobacteria and the toxins they produce at the popular recreational site off U.S. Highway 101 near Warrenton. A similar bloom occurred at Coffenbury Lake in Fort Stevens State Park last summer. Officials say people should avoid swim- ming and high-speed water activities in areas where blooms are identified. Drinking the tainted water is especially dangerous. The toxins cannot be removed by boiling, filtering or treating the water. The bloom is the second recorded at Cul- laby Lake within the past five or six years, said Steve Meshke, natural resources manager for Clatsop County. Other times, toxin levels have neared the threshold. He began keeping an eye on potential blooms and taking water samples as awareness has grown about the danger the toxins present. The lake and surrounding parkland are popular with boaters and large groups. The park may host as many as 400 or 500 people on a busy weekend day. On Tuesday, Meshke saw between 30 and 40 people at the park. Boating is still safe on the lake so long as speeds don’t create excessive water spray, which could lead to inhalation risk. If people choose to eat fish they catch from the lake, they should first remove all fat, skin and organs before cooking since toxins are more likely to collect in these tissues. Fillets should be rinsed with clean water. The toxins cannot be absorbed through the skin, but people who have skin sensitivities may experience a puffy, red rash. Pets and children are at increased risk for exposure because of their smaller size and activity levels. Exposure to the toxins can produce a num- ber of symptoms, including numbness, tin- gling and dizziness that can lead to difficulty breathing or heart problems. People may also experience skin irritation, weakness, diarrhea, nausea, cramps and fainting and should seek medical attention if these conditions persist or worsen, public health officials say. Public health officials say cyanobacteria is not always obvious and toxins can still exist in clear water. Sometimes affected water will also look foamy or scummy. Port hopes to pivot to fiber-optic business ‘YOU’RE LOOKING AT OUR New data center CAPACITY ON could be catalyst By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian THE COAST TO HAVE ONE OF Mark Cox, the tech entrepreneur behind the proposed data center at the THE FASTEST North Coast Business Park, has said that 70 percent of the West Coast’s fiber-optic INTERNET internet connections are within 100 miles of Clatsop County. CONNECTIONS Jim Knight, the executive direc- tor of the Port of Astoria, sees a poten- ON THE WEST tial business opportunity for the agency managing the distribution of those COAST.’ in connections. Jim Knight | executive director of the Port of Astoria During a Port Commission meet- ing Tuesday, Knight presented a letter of intent from Cox to partner with the Port to manage fiber-optic cables his new facility will need. The letter also indicates Cox’s interest in working with the Port to create an alternative energy source for the data center. Representatives from Agile Design, the company created by Cox to develop a data center, will flesh out the ideas over the coming weeks at Port Commission meetings, Cox wrote. “You’re looking at our capacity on the coast to have one of the fastest internet connections on the West Coast, which is a link to the rest of the world,” Knight said. Port commissioners unanimously voiced support for Knight’s pursuit of the fiber-optic business, seeing it as an emerging industry with a low environ- mental impact. Commissioner Bill Hunsinger said he remembers longshoremen at the Port loading cable ships. The Port periodically plays host to cable-laying and surveying ships. Commissioner Robert Stevens said there is a commodity — data — being landed close to Astoria that the Port needs to hustle to get in on. “I envision lots of competition for that same role from larger, more established entities to the east of here,” Stevens said, referring to upriver ports in Portland and Vancouver, Washington. The community is likely to support such a business, said Port Commissioner Dirk Rohne, repeating his caution that Cox’s goal to break ground next year on the data center is not realistic. “I think it will take two years before they can even put a shovel in the ground … but I support the concept,” he said.