LETTERS TO SANTA • INSIDE
DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2018
146TH YEAR, NO. 126
ONE DOLLAR
Santa
delivers
the goods
at Armory
A reward for volunteers
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Cannon Beach had hoped to develop the South Wind property into an elementary school. The city is now considering a new City
Hall and police station on the site.
Cannon Beach gets a
reality check on South Wind
A high cost for
development
‘THE PEOPLE ARE SO
NICE. THEY WATCH
OUT FOR YOU.’
Aubrie Haskell |
youth volunteer at the Armory
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
C
ANNON BEACH — G eo-
technical fi ndings are raising
new questions about develop-
ing South Wind, a 55-acre, city-owned
property which for years has been con-
sidered the long-term solution to mov-
ing critical services out of tsunami
danger .
SRG, a P ortland-based architecture
fi rm, submitted a report to the City
Council last week detailing the bene-
fi ts, downsides and costs of building a
new City Hall and p olice s tation .
Across the board, the project is esti-
mated to be more expensive than the
city anticipated, ranging from $14.5
million to almost $28 million, depend-
ing on the location.
A one-story building along Hem-
lock Street would cost about $14.5
million and would not be tsunami
resistant. A two-story building south
and to the east of the existing City Hall
on Gower Street would be resistant to
a medium-size tsunami and cost about
$16 million.
At South Wind, however, the esti-
mates jump to between $27.2 mil-
lion and $27.7 million, depending on
whether the city chooses to build out
utilities for the benefi t of future proj-
ects. The high price tag is largely
because of the signifi cant work engi-
neers believe will need to be done to
offset landslide risks .
The full geotechnical analysis is
still underway and won’t be completed
Skaters at the Astoria Armory got a
surprise Friday from Santa, who passed
out hundreds of locally donated toys and
beanies.
Robyn Koustik, the manager of the
Friends of the Astoria Armory, said she
tries to organize Christmas events each
year for the children who attend Friday
and Saturday skate nights . The Friends
recently received a donation of about 400
toys from Dollar Tree by way of the Asto-
ria Elks Lodge. Sara Moritz-Crowell, a
friend of Armory volunteers, added 40
beanies.
“I really enjoy helping out the commu-
nity and just thought it was a good thing
to do,” Moritz-Crowell said. “I actually
just started up my own knit business. Just
trying to get my name out there a little
bit.”
A new report is raising questions about the feasibility of developing the South Wind
property in Cannon Beach.
until January, but preliminary fi ndings
suggest that addressing landslide risks
could be more complicated and expen-
sive than previously understood, add-
ing “the potential of tens of millions
of dollars” on top of the $27 million
estimate , said Lisa Patterson, an SRG
architect.
“It’s bad. We have to mitigate
through it,” Patterson said.
The report is shedding new light on
the fi nancial and logistical realities of
South Wind .
“I’m struggling with why we would
still contemplate South Wind after see-
ing those kinds of numbers and hear-
ing these kinds of risks, even though it
gets us out of the extra-large tsunami
range,” City Councilor Mike Bene-
fi eld said. “Are you willing to spend
$15 million more for an area that may
be out of the tsunami range but may
slide down the hill in the end? The
geology there seems much worse than
I ever envisioned.”
The beanies went to the youth vol-
unteers at the Armory who keep watch
and promote good behavior during skate
nights. Aubrie Haskell has been volun-
teering over the past month . Along with
her beanie, she walked away Friday with
a stuffed bear and a jump rope she plans
to give to her sisters.
“It’s just so nice,” she said of the
Armory. “The people are so nice. They
watch out for you.”
Haskell is one of nearly 80 volunteers
between 5 and 15 years old at the Armory,
at least half of whom Koustik estimates
are low-income.
“For them, I think it’s a cool sta-
tus, with the lanyard and the made-up
names,” Koustik said.
Koustik runs anti-bullying, youth vol-
unteering, roller derby and other commu-
nity service programs aimed at promoting
good behavior . Her focus is catching kids
before high school to steer them away
from bad choices , she said.
An emergency building
Conversations about replacing City
Hall resurfaced earlier this year at
the urging of City Manager Bruce St.
Denis, who had concerns about how
the existing building would fare in a
tsunami or earthquake .
“It was never meant to be an emer-
gency building,” St. Denis said.
The idea is for the city to have
a more suitable emergency opera-
tions center, with the majority of the
See Property, Page A5
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Aubrie Haskell, right, was surprised Friday
at the Astoria Armory with a stuff ed bear
and a jump rope from Santa, played by Jeff
Daly, and his helper, Dan Stein.
Warrenton man to compete in skateboard challenge
McClelland will try
to skate 200 miles
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — When
Randy McClelland was
given a skateboard as a birth-
day gift at 3, he couldn’t have
known that it would prepare
him for a unique — and
exhausting — hobby.
McClelland, 47, of War-
renton, was forced to quit
long-distance running in
2015 because of a lung con-
dition. Instead, he picked up
a skateboard.
For the third year, McClel-
land will combine his pas-
sion for endurance and skat-
ing in a grueling challenge.
In January, he will ride in the
24-Hour Ultraskate at a race-
track in Miami, where he will
attempt to skate 200 miles.
“When I go down there, I
believe it’s an opportunity to
recycle my own energy,” he
said.
Dozens of people, with
various skill sets, typically
ride in the event, which will
start on a Friday at 8 a.m.
Competitors will race on the
Homestead-Miami Speed-
way, a NASCAR track.
In his fi rst year compet-
ing in the challenge, McClel-
land skated 120 miles and
was forced to stop near the
14-hour mark due to a hair-
line fracture in his foot. Last
year, he skated 160 miles in
20 hours.
Event organizers recog-
nize personal-record pla-
teaus, including the 200-mile
mark.
“That’s turned out to be a
big deal to me,” McClelland
said.
McClelland,
director
of strategic initiatives at
Columbia Memorial Hospi-
tal in Astoria, has also used
the event to raise funds for
local causes. Last year, he
raised $5,000 for the hospi-
tal’s Friendship Fund, which
helps caregivers after cri-
ses such as house fi res, crit-
ical illnesses, deaths in the
family and other traumatic
events.
This year, McClelland
will support the Assistance
League of the Columbia
Pacifi c, which promotes child
wellness and self-esteem .
“There’s nothing formal
about it, you know. I’m just
asking people I know if they
Jack Harris Photography
See Skater, Page A5
Randy McClelland participates
in 24-hour Ultraskate events.