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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2018)
A9 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2018 2018: YEAR IN REVIEW Seaside shooting neur behind the Cannery Pier Hotel, died of natural causes in September. Jacob, 69, was a colorful character and a force behind the renovation of the Liberty Theatre and the Astoria Armory and ideas like the Astoria Riverfront Trolley and the Astoria Riverwalk. “A man with a passion for Astoria like never seen before,” Jeff Daly, a longtime friend, said after Jacob’s death. “You can go anywhere in Astoria and feel the energy of his vision and see what he saved for all of us.” Cashus Dean Case, 44, was shot and killed by Seaside Police Cpl. David Davidson at the Seasider RV Park in July after a report that he was waving black powder pistols and threat- ening to kill dogs that had mauled a man. Video footage showed Davidson fi red three rounds from an AR-15 rifl e into Case’s chest within seconds after ordering Case to drop his weapons. While noting that the shooting was “fast,” the Clatsop County District Attorney’s Offi ce determined that it was justifi ed. Davidson was also involved in a fatal police shooting in 2016 that was ruled justi- fi ed. The offi cer killed a felon who had shot and killed Sgt. Jason Goodding. Walmart in Warrenton Customers lined up in June for the grand opening of a new Walmart in Warrenton. The retail giant, which fi rst announced plans for a store on the North Coast in 2009, is the latest addition to a collection of big-box stores in Warrenton. Astoria Riverwalk Inn After nearly three years of litigation, the Port of Astoria Commission in October approved the transfer of the Astoria River- walk Inn to Param Hotel Corp. The company, led by Ganesh Sonpatki, had been trying to take over the hotel since 2015 from heavily indebted former operator Brad Smithart. Param sued the Port after the takeover fell apart and the agency chose Astoria Hospital- ity Ventures, owned by a brother-in-law of a former Port commissioner, to run the lodging. A Circuit Court judge eventually slapped the Port with a multimillion-dollar judgment and gave Param the choice between taking the money or a promised seven-year lease on the hotel. The Port appealed the judge’s rul- ing, but eventually settled with Param, which replaced Hospitality Ventures as the operator on Halloween. Param also opened an escrow account of $580,000 to pay off Smithart’s debts to the Port, city and county. Smithart, who has since moved to the East Coast, was set to receive more than $180,000 in the negotiated settle- ment. But the city bought his stake of the set- tlement at a public auction as collateral for his debts, leaving Smithart with nothing. Seaside Civic and Convention Center The Seaside Civic and Convention Center kicked off its $15 million reno- vation and expansion project with a June groundbreaking. Meeting space will increase by 21 percent, with the largest increases being an expanded ballroom and improved breakout rooms. The facility will grow from 46,000 square feet to close to 55,000, an increase of nearly 19 percent. Russ Vandenberg, the general manager, has told the City Council that the project could be completed by August. Cannon Beach City Hall Conversations about replacing Cannon Beach City Hall resurfaced this year after concerns about the building’s ability to with- Gearhart centennial Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Robert ‘Jake’ Jacob helped with the restoration of the Tourist No. 2 ferry. stand a tsunami or earthquake. The new building would be a central loca- tion for emergency response and communi- cations. City councilors are debating whether to build at the existing location on Gower Street or at a 55-acre site east of U.S. High- way 101 known as South Wind. Both sites come with signifi cant foun- dational challenges and high costs, with the estimated bond price varying between $14.5 million to more than $27 million, depend- ing on the location. Voters could be asked to approve a bond for the project in November. Election winners Warrenton Mayor Henry Balensifer was elected in November to a four-year term at the post he was appointed to after Kujala resigned in 2017. Balensifer defeated John Washington, a Hammond retiree. Behind the message of “Let Seaside Keep Its Mayor,” Mayor Jay Barber held off a chal- lenge from radio station owner John Chap- man. The City Council appointed Barber in 2016 after former Mayor Don Larson stepped down. Larson died shortly after. In Cannon Beach, Mayor Sam Steidel was unopposed in his bid for a second term. Real estate agent Robin Risley and City Councilor Mike Benefi eld prevailed over hotelier Greg Swedenborg for two seats on the City Council. In the one contested election in Gearhart, City Councilor Kerry Smith won a second term after overcoming challenger Jack Zim- MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY PLACE IT’S MY COMMUNITY I had cgffee recently with a friend whg asked “After a year in Astgria, whatvs still gn ygur list gf things tg dg here?” merman, a former oil and gas executive. Voters rejected a $20 million bond for the expansion of the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District’s aquatic facility in Seaside. Water quality After high bacteria readings this year at Cannon Beach storm outfalls at Gower Street and Chisana Creek, the city revived a water testing program and could be on a path to a solution. The cause of the bacteria spikes has stumped the city for more than a decade, with staff being unable to identify a pattern. DNA testing showed bacteria is not from human waste, which the city says indicates the bacteria is from animal waste and fungi building up inside underground pipes. The city hired an engineering fi rm to explore ways to redesign and install ultravio- let light fi lters at the outfalls, which would kill the bacteria before it goes out to the beach. Oil spill An oil spill from a 4,200-gallon, 20-foot tank created a sheen that extended 5 miles along the Columbia River in January. The old tank, located under a pier near the Cannery Pier Hotel in Uniontown, was likely placed roughly 70 years ago. Knowledge of the tank was lost amid several changes in ownership of the pier. Jacob dies Robert “Jake” Jacob, the Astoria entrepre- For Gearhart’s 100th anniversary, resi- dents came together with a celebration to remember. The centennial — honoring the former town of Clatsop’s incorporation as the city of Gearhart in 1918 — brought festive gatherings, parties, memorabilia and a down- town street dance in July. Butterfl ies Threatened Oregon silverspot butterfl ies made their fi rst appearance in decades at Sad- dle Mountain this summer after public and private partners placed hundreds of caterpil- lars on the mountain’s slopes. Habitat loss is the leading reason for the decline of silverspot butterfl y popula- tions and the work is part of a larger effort to reintroduce the butterfl ies across their tra- ditional coastal range. The insects also rely on a threatened plant, the early blue violet. Local groups have been working to re-es- tablish native plants in coastal prairie habi- tats throughout the North Coast and in south- western Washington state. Bunnies gone wild A burgeoning rabbit population in Can- non Beach made headlines this year after res- idents in Tolovana complained to the city. Some neighbors say the bunnies have ruined lawns, burrowed holes and created health concerns, while others cherish their furry feral friends. A few bunnies even turned up dead. While the city has chosen not to get involved at this time, the story grabbed the attention of people across the country, inspir- ing a “Save the Cannon Beach bunnies” peti- tion on Change.org. For now, the bunnies are still nibbling on the grass near Tolovana Inn. Katie Frankowicz, Jack Heffernan, Edward Stratton, Brenna Visser and R.J. Marx of The Daily Astorian contributed to this report. Happy New Year There are lgcal places I have yet tg visit that I rattled gff. Many mgre that I have visited and enjgyed sg much that I will revisit. There is, after all, much tg lgve abgut living gn the Ngrth Cgast. The cgnversatign started me thinking abgut place and cgmmunity, and well, what makes a place a cgmmunity instead gf just a cgllectign gf attractigns. Of cgurse itvs the pegple whg live here. We share a wgrk ethic, pride in histgry and respgnsibility in making living here better. At The Daily Astgrian, we think every day abgut gur respgnsibility tg capture that shared histgry in gur pages – print and gnline. We share family milestgnes like births, marriages and gbituaries. Every day we chrgnicle lgcal news frgm weather tg electigns and state champignships. We help pegple find new jgbs, hgmes and places tg shgp. We alert readers tg prgblems that need tg be sglved in gur cgmmunities, and pegple whg have ideas tg sglve them. Our emplgyees are Ngrth Cgast native-bgrn and newcgmers. We are 40 pegple whg live here, gwn hgmes here, buy grgceries, raise kids and vglunteer. Thank ygu fgr investing in gur wgrk. Every subscriber, reader and advertiser makes it pgssible fgr us tg cgntinue tg deliver truly lgcal news every day – in print, gnline, apps and sgcial media. We appreciate the trust ygu put in us with ygur subscriptign and advertising dgllars. Ygu make it pgssible fgr us tg tg live and wgrk in a wgnderful place. Thank ygu. PUBLISHER, THE DAILY ASTORIAN Del Thompson, former owner of OK Rubber Welders. Klyde Thompson, owner of Del’s OK Tire Point S Tire and Auto Service, uses Nokian All-Weather Tires on his personal vehicles. Nokian tires offer superb handling on wet or dry summer roads and superior grip in wintry conditions. Get the best of both roads with Nokian All-Weather Tires for safety and carefree driving comfort. DEL’S O.K. TIRE Over 70 years of the Thompson family putting you first! (503) 325-2861 • 35359 Business 101, Astoria MON - FRI 8:00 PM | SAT 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM tirefactory.com/astoria