A2
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
IN BRIEF
Warm weather increases
fi re danger on North Coast
Warmer temperatures and strong, dry winds are
increasing fi re danger on the North Coast, according
to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
People are advised not to burn debris on windy
days or leave burns unattended until the fi re is com-
pletely out. The department also recommends having
a garden hose and shovel near burn sites.
Questions about how to safely burn debris
can be directed to the Department of Forestry at
503-325-5451.
— The Astorian
State to discuss fi shery
changes at coastal meetings
With below average Chinook salmon returns
expected this fall, the state will hold several meetings
about adjusting fi sheries later this month.
Three meetings will take place at coastal locations.
State fi shery managers will propose temporary rules
to adjust bag limits with the goal of giving anglers a
chance to catch Chinook while reducing harvest pres-
sures on the fi sh and allowing more fi sh to escape and
spawn.
Coastal Chinook runs were also low last year, said
Robert Bradley, the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife’s district fi sh biologist for the North Coast.
“We need to adjust angling regulations this sea-
son as a conservation measure to protect these pop-
ulations and provide for future fi shing opportunity,”
he said.
The three public meetings are scheduled from
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will occur at Nehalem’s North
County Recreation District offi ce, in the AE Doyle
Room, 36155 Ninth St., on Wednesday; in Tillamook
at Tillamook Bay Community College, Room 214,
4301 Third St., on May 16; and in Newport at Hall-
mark Resort, 844 Elizabeth St., on May 29.
— The Astorian
Hood to Coast runner
sues after drunken spree
A Hood to Coast runner whose leg was badly
injured when a fellow runner got drunk, stole a truck
and ran over her in a designated sleeping area in 2017
is suing race organizers and the fellow runner for
nearly $1 million.
Cynthia Gillespie claims organizers of the popu-
lar Oregon relay race were negligent in designating
a patch of ground in a Columbia County fi eld as the
sleeping area when it wasn’t safe. The sleeping area
was marked off by caution tape and bordered by some
parked cars, the suit says.
The suit also says organizers failed to enforce a
ban on alcohol and should have known that runners
such as David Jon Blackmon were drinking.
Gillespie suffered muscle tears, bruises, back pain,
cervical pain, headaches and permanent disfi gure-
ment to her leg, according to the suit.
In February, Blackmon was sentenced to 60 days
in jail, with a provision allowing him to be released
to go to work as a mortgage broker while serving his
sentence. His driver’s license also was suspended for
fi ve years after he pleaded guilty to driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants, reckless endangerment and
fourth-degree assault.
— The Oregonian
DEATH
May 7, 2019
NELSON, Martina Abraham, 78, of Taylorville,
died in Taylorville. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary
of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements.
MEMORIAL
Saturday, May 11
DICKSON, Delores Darlene — Graveside ser-
vice at 11 a.m., Ocean View Cemetery, 575 18th St.
in Warrenton.
ON THE RECORD
DUII
• Around 4:15 p.m. on Monday, Eddie Davenport,
42, of Astoria, was arrested by Warrenton police near
the Rite Aid parking lot for driving under the infl uence
of intoxicants.
Recreation district candidates
share their views at forum
Bond measure,
facility expansion
among the topics
By KATHERINE
LACAZE
For The Astorian
SEASIDE — Seven res-
idents are vying for two
open positions on the Sun-
set Empire Park and Recre-
ation District’s board in the
May e lection .
“We’ve never had seven
candidates run for elec-
tion, so this is kind of a new
experience for me,” Sky-
ler Archibald, the recreation
district’s executive direc-
tor, said during a candidate
forum held May 2 at the Bob
Chisholm Community Cen-
ter . “I’m looking forward to
seeing the results of the elec-
tion and moving forward
and working with our board
to provide the best quality of
services that we can.”
Katharine Parker, Shirley
Yates, Marti Wajc and John
Chapman are on the ballot
for Position 4, while Patrick
Duhachek, Lindsey Morri-
son and Rodney Roberts are
competing for Position 5.
Throughout the forum,
sponsored by the recreation
district and the Seaside Sig-
nal, candidates introduced
themselves and shared their
ideas about the future of the
district, potentially expand-
ing
the
organization’s
facilities and boundary,
and its role in emergency
preparedness.
Bond measure
Asked whether they sup-
ported the $20 million bond
measure last November that
would have gone toward
expanding the aquatic and
youth center facilities , Chap-
man, Wajc, Duhachek and
Morrison said they voted
“no.”
With the number of bond
measures on the ballot —
including one for relocat-
ing the county jail — there
was heavy competition for
taxpayer dollars, Chapman
said. Although he desires an
expansion, there were obsta-
5:30 p.m., 3781 S. Hem-
lock.
Gearhart Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., City Hall,
698 Pacifi c Way.
cles and unanswered ques-
tions that infl uenced his
vote .
Duhachek agreed it was
“too much, too soon,” but
expressed interest in pur-
suing alternative funding
sources for the expansion.
Morrison added she also
didn’t want to add to the tax
burden, especially for the
community’s elderly pop-
ulation, and suggested the
recreation district consider
grants.
In Wajc’s opinion, “big-
ger is not always better.”
She believes the district has
enough space with its exist-
ing facilities and should
focus on maintenance rather
than expanding.
Roberts and Parker both
voted “yes” on the bond
measure, as they mutually
believe the district needs
more indoor recreation
space for the public, such as
a basketball court and walk-
ing track.
They understood, how-
ever, why the timing wasn’t
ideal , especially with the
school district’s bond mea-
sure to fund the new cam-
pus having passed only a
couple of years ago. They
would like to revisit the con-
cept and investigate how to
better approach funding the
expansion.
The candidates also dis-
cussed if and how the mid-
dle and high school could be
used by the recreation dis-
trict when they are vacated
in 2020.
Morrison said trying to
lease or rent the facilities
would be preferable to pur-
chasing them outright.
Wajc added they could
rent a gym or other space
on the school property for
special occasions when the
need arises.
The candidates agreed,
however, that the schools
being located in the tsunami
zone is problematic. Addi-
tionally, Chapman said, the
buildings are deteriorating
and maintenance is being
postponed in anticipation of
moving to the new campus
for the 2020-21 school year.
He brought attention to
the lack of resources, includ-
ing gyms and outdoor play-
ing fi elds, that will man-
ifest if the buildings are
destroyed. The Pacifi c Bas-
ketball League uses those
venues for eight to nine
weeks in the winter during
its coastal tournaments.
Chapman sees an oppor-
tunity for the recreation dis-
trict to pursue the middle
school property as part of a
communitywide develop-
ment and then manage rent-
als of the space, which could
become a valuable resource.
However, he added, “If you
want to attract visitors from
outside to use those facili-
ties, you need to give them
something to want to come
to.”
Roberts and Duhachek
agreed the school district
will want to maximize value
on the properties, which are
in prime locations, but it is
worth studying how they
could fi t into the district’s
future.
Emergency
preparedness
T he candidates also
addressed the recreation dis-
trict’s role in emergency pre-
paredness and resiliency in
a natural disaster, such as a
tsunami.
The candidates agreed
the district’s facilities,
because of their location,
would be useless as shelter
space, as they are likely to
be decimated .
Chapman, Wajc and
Parker believe emergency
preparedness requires the
efforts of several agen-
cies, including the city, law
enforcement, school district
and fi re department, and the
recreation district could par-
ticipate by offering educa-
tional programs or in other
capacities.
In Duhachek’s opinion,
the district should stick to
its mission and “do what it
does best, and that’s run rec-
reation programs.”
“Other entities are better
capable of coming up with
a tsunami evacuation plan,”
he said.
Morrison and Roberts
agreed, adding the recre-
ation district’s main involve-
ment should be making
information and resources
available for visitors at the
pool or other spaces used by
the public.
Will Seaview, Long Beach tie the knot?
Annexation a
possibility
By ALYSSA EVANS
Chinook Observer
LONG BEACH, Wash.
— Should Long Beach
annex Seaview?
After realizing Seaview
isn’t included with Long
Beach’s growth manage-
ment plan, Long Beach City
Administrator David Glas-
son looked into the possi-
bility. “We’re at the stage of
letting the idea fester,” he
said. “Neither side is push-
ing it forward.”
The Seaview Historical
Preservation Society will
host a community meeting
PUBLIC MEETINGS
THURSDAY
Seaside Convention
Center Commission,
10:30 a.m., 415 First Ave.
Cannon Beach Academy,
Katherine Lacaze/For The Astorian
Candidates for the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District appeared at a candidate forum.
On
Long Beach could annex
Seaview.
on the issue on June 29 at
the Columbia Pacifi c Heri-
tage Museum .
The meeting is intended
for Seaview residents to
discuss the option with var-
ious offi cials, said Nansen
Malin, the president of the
preservation society.
“I want everybody to
have a voice and then we
make a group decision,”
Malin said.
The discussion won’t
be the fi rst the two towns
have had on the topic. Long
Beach and Seaview last
publicly considered annex-
ation in 2006.
Seaview residents have
historically turned down
the idea .
“Maybe the answer is
Seaview wants to stay unin-
corporated and that’s fi ne,”
Glasson said.
If Seaview were annexed
by Long Beach, the two
towns and Pacifi c C ounty
would need to make deci-
sions on what services are
and aren’t changed.
Since Seaview is unin-
corporated , most of its ser-
vices come from county
government.
Possi-
ble changes would likely
include utilities, taxes,
law enforcement, emer-
gency services, govern-
ment access , zoning and
development.
“Are we there right
now?” Malin said. “I think
there’s some hurdles to
overcome.”
Glasson wants to hold
informal meetings with res-
idents of both towns.
“Every time there’s
change, people are wor-
ried,” Glasson said. “If we
have that discussion, it’ll
take care of some of these
issues.”
Mother’s Day
at Pig ‘N Pancake
FREE
Established July 1, 1873
(USPS 035-000)
Published Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday by EO Media Group,
949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR
97103 Telephone 503-325-3211,
800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR
97103-0210
DailyAstorian.com
Beverages
For Moms
Circulation phone number:
503-325-3211
Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR
ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP
All advertising copy and illustrations
prepared by The Astorian become the
property of The Astorian and may not
be reproduced for any use without
explicit prior approval.
COPYRIGHT ©
Entire contents © Copyright,
2019 by The Astorian.
Treat Mom to FREE Beverages this
Mother’s Day at Pig ‘N Pancake
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF
CIRCULATIONS, INC.
Printed on
recycled paper
Subscription rates
Eff ective May 1, 2019
MAIL (IN COUNTY)
EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25
13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00
26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00
52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00
Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214
DIGITAL
EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00
ASTORIA
SEASIDE
146 W. BOND
(503) 325-3144
Breakfast,
Lunch & Dinner
323 BROADWAY
(503) 738-7243
Breakfast,
Lunch & Dinner
CANNON BEACH LINCOLN CITY
223 S. HEMLOCK
(503) 436-2851
Breakfast
& Lunch
s r
r
TM
3910 NE HWY 101
(541) 994-3268
Breakfast,
Lunch & Dinner
www.pignpancake.com
NEWPORT
810 SW ALDER
(541) 265-9065
Breakfast,
Lunch & Dinner
May
11 th