Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018 New ferries could help relieve I-5 congestion Bladholm wouldn’t elabo- rate on how the project came about. She said it was not prompted by the 2013 failure of a proposed bistate agree- ment to replace the Inter- state 5 drawbridge over the Columbia. “We’re anticipating hav- ing more news to share on the 27th that will really help get momentum behind us,” Blad- holm said. Frog Ferry would carry passengers By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau A monthslong effort to fashion a new ferry service across the Columbia River in Portland comes into public view Friday before the Oregon Transportation Commission. The ambitious plan to ferry hundreds of people between Portland and Vancouver, Washington, has been encour- aged by Gov. Kate Brown, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and other leaders. The force behind the plan is a company called Frog Ferry. Its founder and president is Susan Bladholm, a market- ing executive with prior pub- lic-sector experience at the Port of Portland and in pub- lic economic development agencies in Oregon. She also co-founded Cycle Oregon, the popular bicycle ride. Bladholm said her com- pany has been developing its plan for a year and a half. She wasn’t ready in an interview to reveal the full details, saying such a disclosure could jeop- ardize efforts to round up help from government agencies to make the plan work. Frog Ferry’s idea is to deploy passenger ferry service in three stages. The first stage would mean round-trip service between Vancouver and Port- land from stops on the Colum- bia and Willamette rivers. A one-way trip would take about 40 minutes. The ferries, which could each carry 149 passengers, would have bicycle storage but wouldn’t carry cars. Frog Ferry says the ferries could carry nearly 600 people during commute times, taking 500 vehicles off the congested Interstate 5 span between Summer service in 2022 Pamplin Media Group Frog Ferry would carry passengers between Portland and Vancouver, Wash. Washington state and Oregon. More ferry stops would be added over the next two stages, with service extending up the Columbia Gorge. The ferry service would be an answer to growing traf- fic congestion in the Portland area that is clogging freeways, extending commutes and cost- ing businesses. Such congestion cost Port- land commuters $1.7 billion in time and fuel in 2014, accord- ing to a 2015 analysis by the Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. Brown believes the Frog Ferry proposal is “the most organized effort to date” to turn to the rivers for reliev- ing “unprecedented levels” of congestion, according to Nikki Fisher, a spokeswoman for the governor. She said the governor thinks “our waterways are an untapped resource to increase mobility.” Letters of support The depth of the support was revealed in letters Frog Ferry submitted to the state ahead of Friday’s meeting of the Trans- portation Commission. “Transit remains a critical priority for our region, and I appreciate you working with the Portland Bureau of Trans- portation, the Bureau of Plan- ning and Sustainability, the Office of the Harbormaster, and my office to pursue a Port- land-area river taxi service,” Wheeler wrote in a January let- ter to Bladholm. Curtis Robinhold, execu- tive director of the Port of Port- land, addressed Frog Ferry’s proposal in a February letter to Bladholm. “I support the Frog Ferry initiative as a public-private partnership, and wish you well in leveraging local, state and federal funding sources, as well as private sector inves- tors to aggregate resources and Drainage work delayed on new Seaside school campus Project still on track for 2020 By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — A permit delay will push drainage work off at the Seaside School Dis- trict’s new campus until next summer. That’s when crews will be able to do water work for drain- age and swales as required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers’ permit approval. The permit was issued two days after the end of this sea- son’s in-water work period. That will keep the school district’s schedule labeled as “caution” on project manager Jim Henry’s dashboard. “We’ve been delayed for a year, but we’ve been working closely with Hoffman on what that means for 2019 and their schedule,” Henry said of the contractor. “It’s important we open the school and be ready to move in 2020.” Despite the delay, Henry ticked off October milestones, including coordination with the city on reservoir site use, bid process and completion of a seismic grant application from the state. Concrete was poured this week and crews are forming Sheila Roley Construction is underway at the new Seaside campus. walls at the lower level, he said. The foundation is designed “so that the whole building moves as one,” Henry said. “If there’s an earthquake, even if there’s cracks under the ground, it should be able to span any gaps of 4 to 5 feet that might occur. The whole build- ing moves together like a raft.” A 2-million gallon above- ground water storage tank will be made of steel and built with similar seismic specifications to the building foundation. The tank, to be financed by the city, will be the subject of a City Council workshop on Monday at City Hall. Henry said the project remains on budget but will stay in the “caution zone.” Superintendent Sheila Roley gave high grades to the “wonderful project, with great folks working on it, and great community support.” “It’s still a little bit of a nail-biter, but there’s progress every day,” she added. “We’ll see something vertical pretty soon.” improve the traffic situation,” Robinhold wrote. “Best of luck to you as the initiative moves forward.” Bladholm approached Matt Garrett, director of the state Department of Transportation, six months ago about appear- ing before the state commis- sion, according to Tom Fuller, agency spokesman. He said Garrett has taken no position on the plan. “I think the commission is just interested in hearing infor- mation and ideas around ferry service and we’ll just have to see whether anything comes of it after that,” Fuller said. Tammy Baney, the com- mission’s chairwoman, said she didn’t expect any decision at Friday’s meeting. The commission “is charged with ensuring a safe and efficient transportation system. This concept is one that we want to know more about,” she wrote in an email. “Susan Bladholm, of the Frog Ferry, has been working with ODOT on feasibility. It makes sense for us to be informed.” In an interview, Bladholm couldn’t estimate the cost of the river ferry service but said her company would seek pub- lic and private funding to launch the service. Greater Portland Inc., a public-private economic devel- opment organization, is a non- profit fiscal sponsor, accord- ing to documents submitted to the state. Other entities could potentially become fiscal spon- sors in the future. Fiscal sponsorship is an arrangement that typically allows projects that may lack tax-exempt status to raise money and get other admin- istrative support, according to the National Council of Nonprofits. Frog Ferry intends to become a nonprofit, Bladholm said. Under the timeline, sum- mer service could begin in 2022. But that’s an ambitious goal, Bladholm said. Frog Ferry in its submis- sion to the state said some obstacles to ferry service are on the river itself, includ- ing logs and other debris. But it also faces hurdles get- ting funding and support from local governments. Bladholm said that no pub- lic agency has volunteered to take the lead on the project yet. “We are trying to shore that up, and we have a lot of sup- porters that are working behind the scenes with a number of these elected officials and pub- lic agencies,” Bladholm said. She also said a news story on the concept before the group is ready to announce publicly “could undermine some of those efforts.” It’s not the first time Port- land ferry service has been suggested as a modern com- muting option. In 2006, the city decided it shouldn’t pur- sue commuter ferry service because a study showed that building terminals and oper- ating the ferry would be more expensive than other transportation. But the study noted that significant increases in pop- ulation and commute travel make ferry service more eco- nomically feasible. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group and Salem Reporter. Court case could bring clarity to Oregon’s sanctuary law By CONRAD WILSON Oregon Public Broadcasting A Wasco County Circuit Court judge will hear a case in January that could dramat- ically define — and clarify — Oregon’s sanctuary law for the first meaningful time in the law’s 31-year history. While the law has been the subject of past litiga- tion, no court has outlined the scope of what’s allowed under the anti-profiling legis- lation signed into law in 1987 with overwhelming bipartisan support. In July 2017, a group of county residents sued the Northern Oregon Correctional Facility in The Dalles because the jail houses detainees for U.S. Immigration and Cus- toms Enforcement. The residents argue the agreement between NORCOR and ICE violates Oregon’s sanctuary law, which limits how much local law enforce- ment can work with federal immigration authorities. NORCOR is the last remaining local jail in the state that houses ICE detain- ees and argues it’s not vio- lating state law. In May, the Josephine County sheriff can- celed its contract with ICE, citing NORCOR’s litigation among its reasons. In June, the Springfield Municipal Jail also ended its agreement with ICE. In court filings last week, a group of Wasco County res- idents suing the jail asked the county judge to force NORCOR to end its agree- ment with ICE and declare the jail was violating state law. The case could turn on a few key words. Specifically, what does it mean for state and local law enforcement agencies to “detect” and “apprehend” a person? Under the statute, no local law enforcement agency can use “agency moneys, equipment, or personnel for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violating of law is that they are person of foreign cit- izenship present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.” According to the plaintiffs, NORCOR is doing just that. NORCOR is the regional jail serving Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam and Hood River coun- ties. It’s held immigration detainees since 1999, when the jail opened. NORCOR is part of a net- work of more than 130 facili- ties in 40 states that ICE uses to hold detainees through Intergovernmental Service Agreements, according to the deposition of Corey Heaton, assistant field office direc- tor for ICE’s enforcement and removal operations in Portland. AMAZING AWAITS. Come visit our newest location at the corner of Sunset and WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Hemlock in Cannon Beach. You can also find us at our orignal Pacific City brewpub right on the beach or at our Tillamook brewery and tap room to see where the magic happens. Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Clatsop Post 12 Beef Stew Salad and Biscuits Friday Nov. 16 th 4 pm until gone $ 8. 00 6PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 Fall Bazaar & Holiday Sale Craft Items • Gifts • Baked Goods Holiday Decorations & much more! November 16 & 17 9 -4 th am th pm P E L I C A N B R E W I N G .CO M Clatsop Care Center 646 16th St • Astoria Proceeds from the sale will be used to support a variety of resident activities Family Friendly Patio Seating Brewery Tours Fresh Beers on Tap Growler Fills
