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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, DEcEmbER 12, 2018
Trail: ‘There are a lot of opportunities in this area’
continued from Page A1
marketing manager for the
Astoria-Warrenton
Area
Chamber of Commerce, said
“we wanted to acknowl-
edge that this is a good place
for people who are want-
ing to take a picture of the
Goonies house.”
The chamber asks fans
to avoid going up into the
neighborhood to find the
house. But the request has
left fans confused about
where they can go and still
see a glimpse of the property.
“There isn’t really an ‘x
marks the spot,’ or a ‘you
are here,’” Willkie said.
The film trail sign will be an
important marker for fans
who want to ensure they’re
getting a good view of the
house.
If it turns out people are
simply using the sign as a
way to pinpoint the Goonies
house neighborhood so they
can go in for a closer look,
that portion of the sign will
be removed, Willkie said.
While the majority of
Goonies fans are respect-
ful and just happy to be
near sites included in one of
their favorite movies, Burns
has noticed a shift over the
years.
“There is a growing
5 percent that feel enti-
tled,” he said. They want to
know, “Why can’t we see
everything?”
Burns and others explain
that the Goonies house can
draw thousands of people
a year. There are no official
signs or museum guides to
tell people what is and isn’t
allowed. No garbage cans or
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Pedestrians on the Astoria Riverwalk near the East Mooring Basin may notice the plaque recognizing a film location.
public bathrooms. No park-
ing. It has the potential to be
— and has been — a mess.
“The real Goonies fans,
they respect that,” Burns
said. They know how wel-
coming the community has
been and, he added, “They
want to engage in a mean-
ingful way.”
Official measures
Still, the city, in response
to neighborhood com-
plaints, has had to take offi-
cial measures.
The
City Council
recently passed an ordi-
nance to impose strict park-
ing fines in an effort to
curb issues associated with
Goonies fandom.
Most of the city’s efforts
have only angered some
Goonies fans, who argue
that people who bought the
Goonies house and even
houses nearby “should have
known what they were get-
ting into.”
“‘Goonies fans, it turns
out, never say die, or no, to a
photo opportunity,” noted a
press release about the film
trail.
Another sign specifically
for “The Goonies” will be
located by the Oregon Film
Museum near the historic
Flavel House Museum and
will speak to that structure’s
roles in the film.
A sign at Alameda Park,
located on Alameda Ave-
nue above Marine Drive
in the shadow of the Asto-
ria Bridge, pays homage to
“Short Circuit.” The bridge
was a major feature in a
robot character’s escape.
Across the state, the
Oregon Governor’s Office
of Film and Television is
working in partnership
with local groups, the Ore-
gon Made Creative Foun-
dation and Travel Oregon
to create the film trail. If all
goes well in Astoria, signs
could be placed at strategic
points across Oregon, from
the desert to the coast, high-
lighting the varied locations
that have provided back-
drops and sets for a number
of films.
“Historical markers are
typically about famous peo-
ple and events,” Tim Wil-
liams, executive director
of the Oregon Governor’s
Office of Film and Televi-
sion, said in a statement.
“Movies filmed here are
also an important part of
Oregon’s history and cul-
ture, so ours offer a twist on
that convention.”
He hopes the signs will
provide interesting infor-
mation and act as “a beacon
to visitors seeking out film
locations and stories.”
The Historic Oregon
Film Trail debuts Jan. 10.
Willkie said there will
be some kind of dedication
ceremony in Astoria for the
signs and to celebrate the
launch of a website that will
provide more context and
information about the trail,
where to find other signs or
how other communities can
nominate sites.
In the future, she hopes
to include more film sites in
Clatsop County, spots like
the Hammond Marina, fea-
tured in “Free Willy.”
“There are a lot of oppor-
tunities in this area,” she
said.
Housing: ‘At some point we have to do our job’
continued from Page A1
residents, outlining a num-
ber of rules and conditions
if housing is developed.
The company is also open
to future housing develop-
ment being considered a
conditional rather than an
outright use, which would
give the city more say in
what is developed.
On Tuesday, Newton said
the City Commission needed
to be completely transparent
about the process. He was
in favor of allowing more
spoken and written testi-
mony ahead of the January
meeting, but the other com-
missioners did not see the
need.
They noted that the com-
mission has already delayed
voting once before in order
to give people another
opportunity to ask Pacific
Seafood questions and pro-
vide testimony.
“At some point we have
to do our job,” Commis-
sioner Mark Baldwin said.
“We have to rule on what the
state has said we have to rule
on, what our Planning Com-
mission has said.”
Baldwin, however, does
not plan to vote on the code
amendment. He has noted a
possible conflict of interest
since he worked as a con-
tractor for Pacific Seafood
when the company rebuilt
its facility in Warrenton.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Pacific Seafood wants to build dormitory-style housing
for its workers in Warrenton.
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