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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019 Hotel continues to shape riverfront discussion IN BRIEF Hollander Hospitality has yet to build Health advisory lifted for waters off Cannon Beach By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian The public health advisory for ocean waters off Cannon Beach has been lifted. State Department of Environmental Quality testing shows fecal bacteria levels have subsided. However, state offi cials recommend staying out of large pools on the beach that attract birds, as well as runoff from these pools, because the water may con- tain increased fecal bacteria. An advisory was issued on Tuesday. Marquis advocates for enforcing laws against animal cruelty Former Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Mar- quis has led the formation of the National Law Enforce- ment Council under the Animal Wellness Foundation and Animal Wellness Action. The new council is advocating for increased fund- ing to help law enforcement enforce federal, state and local laws against animal cruelty. The council also supports the passage of the Preventing Animal Cru- elty and Torture Act, which they say will crack down on animal cruelty. The organization said animal cruelty is often a stag- ing ground for other illegal behavior. “Cruelty to animals is not some isolated, eas- ily compartmentalized act of aggression,” said Mar- quis, the co-chair of the council. “When we stamp out animal cruelty and apprehend people who have lost empathy for the suffering of others, we make our com- munities safer for everyone.” A hotel that has yet to be built continues to haunt dis- cussions about waterfront development in Astoria . On Monday night, c ity c ouncilors heard a a slew of amendments to the River- front Vision Plan , rules and standards that lay out how development occurs along the river. Most of the changes are relatively minor — house keeping measures, city planners said — intended to clarify and update what the city requires. The City Council will consider amendments to standards for building size and height at a future meet- ing. The Planning Commis- sion is still discussing a vari- ety of new limits on building height and size in the Bridge Vista section, which runs from Portway Street to Sec- ond Street. A four-story Marri- ott-brand hotel — the Fair- fi eld Inn and Suites — at the base of Second Street was the fi rst test of the River- front Vision Plan’s codes for Bridge Vista . During public hearings on the hotel, the city iden- tifi ed gaps or confusion in Katie Frankowicz/The Astorian Grass and weeds grow tall around Stephanie’s Cabin in Astoria. The property, owned by developer Hollander Hospitality, has remained vacant since it was sold in 2016. the codes. The d eveloper, Hollander Hospitality, also asked for direction and clar- ifi cation from the city . The project weathered multi- ple denials by city boards and was appealed to the City Council, where it was approved last year. “The City Council approved the appeals but noted that portions of the code were not clear on what was intended for various design aspects,” Rosemary Johnson, a city planning consultant, noted in a memo to the City Council. On Monday, City Coun- cilor Joan Herman still had concerns and wanted to clar- ify how developers used adjacent properties to jus- Clatsop Care seeks members for oversight committee Clatsop Care Health District is seeking people to join its Tax Levy Oversight Committee. In May 2018, Clatsop County approved a fi ve-year, $3 million levy to fund program enhancements, criti- cal maintenance and technology upgrades to the health district’s three long-term care facilities in Astoria and Warrenton and an in-home care agency. The committee will oversee how the levy funds are being used, make recommendations to the board of directors and maintain transparency between Clatsop Care and the community. Committee meetings will begin in the fall. To apply, visit www.clatsopcare.org/news.php. For more information, email Clarissa Johnson, the com- munity outreach director, at cjohnson@clatsopcc.edu. Brownson to hold meet and greet Astoria City Councilor Tom Brownson is holding a “Meet Your Councilor” event from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday in the Flag Room at the Astoria Library, 450 10th St. — The Astorian Seaside man pleads guilty to encouraging child sexual abuse The Astorian Colin Murphey/The Astorian The expansive gym at the Cannon Beach Elementary School sits unused. Cannon Beach Elementary purchase falls through Museum passes on deal for now By R.J. MARX The Astorian DEATHS June 16, 2019 NOBLE, Paul Ray- mond, 52, of Elsie, died in Elsie. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. June 9, 2019 UTTI, Harry Alan, 72, of Gearhart, died in Cath- lamet, Washington. Cald- well’s Luce-Layton Mor- tuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. MEMORIALS Saturday, June 22 DAVIS, Mary Louise (Wooldridge) — Memo- rial and celebration of life at 1 p.m., St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, 2036 S.E. Jeffer- son St. in Milwaukie. HOLWEGE, Betty Jane Roundy — Cele- bration of life from 2 to 4 p.m., Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 350 Niagara Ave. ON THE RECORD Strangulation • Zachery Kyle Catron, 24, of Yakima, Washing- ton, was arrested in Clatsop County on Wednesday for strangulation and harassment. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. tify certain design charac- teristics in new construction. The Fairfi eld Inn developer used the Astoria Warehous- ing building, a collection of large and low buildings to the west, as part of their jus- tifi cation for the hotel’s size, Herman said. City staff clarifi ed this requirement in the code changes, Johnson replied. Developers must look to all buildings visible within three blocks and cannot zero in on only one building. Concerns about the size of the hotel — planned at the former Ship Inn restau- rant — as well as its ini- tial boxy design stalled the project early on and ignited vocal protests from some in the community. Despite winning the appeal in December, Hol- lander Hospitality has yet to build the new hotel. City staff say the developer has not submitted any permits to begin construction and the property remains vacant . Representatives of Hol- lander Hospitality could not be reached for comment on when hotel construction will begin. Nor was information available about the develop- er’s long-term plans for adja- cent property, also owned by Hollander, that includes the former Stephanie’s Cabin restaurant. Meanwhile, an old com- plaint has resurfaced. Sarah Jane Bardy, who serves on the Design Review Committee and voted against the hotel, and others in the community criticized Hol- lander last year for not tak- ing care of the properties and allowing tall weeds to grow. The complaints prompted City Manager Brett Estes to contact the developer about the unkempt landscaping. The developer addressed the grounds , but weeds and grasses are once again fl our- ishing around T he Ship Inn and Stephanie’s Cabin . “Too bad that somebody has to be reminded, but I think it makes a statement on our community, partic- ularly in our busy season,” Herman said. The Cannon Beach His- tory Center and Museum will not be moving ahead with a plan to purchase the former Cannon Beach Ele- mentary School from the Seaside School District. The museum had hoped to restore the gymnasium and create a cultural event center for the community . “Over the past few months it has become clear that our timeline for this purchase must be pushed back,” Elaine Trucke , the museum’s executive direc- tor, said . “We hope to approach the school district in the future, but for now, we must focus our energy on the museum and its collections.” In November, Sheila Roley, the school superin- tendent in Seaside, said the school district supported the sale. The building, which has sat vacant at the north end of Cannon Beach since the school was closed in 2013, has long been of interest to the city, which discussed buying it as some form of event or community center on and off for years. The Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes also showed interest in preserv- ing the unique building as a cultural landmark. The former elemen- tary school is one of four buildings the school dis- trict is attempting to sell as it builds a new campus out of the tsunami inundation zone. “We would defi nitely be interested in the future,” Trucke said. “Just not right at the moment. Sheila Roley and the Seaside School District have been very supportive of this endeavor. In fact, there has been so much support from the community. We hope to revisit this next year.” The real estate fi rm of Norris & Stevens is prepar- ing to market other school buildings, including Broad- way Middle School, Sea- side High School and Gear- hart Elementary School, as part of the plan to relocate students to a new campus . SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE NORTH COAST A Seaside man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to encour- aging child sexual abuse in the second degree for pos- sessing child pornography. Joshua Allen Pickering, 35, was arrested last year and charged with 18 counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the fi rst degree and one count of felon in posses- sion of a fi rearm. He came into posses- sion of the visual recordings between January 2016 and January 2018. Pickering is scheduled to be sentenced in October . Astoria man arrested after allegedly running over woman The Astorian An Astoria man was arrested for assault on Wednesday after allegedly running over a woman with his car. Ronald Keith Hobbs, 56, was arrested for assault in the fourth degree and reck- less endangerment in the incident on Nordmark Drive off of U.S. Highway 26. Authorities said he could face additional charges. The woman suffered seri- ous injuries and was fl own to a Portland hospital . Appeals court upholds Tillamook transmission line approval By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The Oregon Court of Appeals has upheld the approval of a 9-mile trans- mission line across farms and forestland in Tillamook County without explaining its legal reasoning. Last month, the Tilla-Bay Farms dairy was joined by the Oregon Coast Alliance conservation group in argu- ing the project didn’t com- ply with land use rules. The transmission line is controversial because crit- ics fear it will disrupt farm activities, such as aerial spraying, while encouraging trespass and vandalism of private forestland. The Ore- gon Farm Bureau and Ore- gon Dairy Farmers Asso- ciation have opposed the project’s approval. The Tillamook People’s Utility District says the transmission line is neces- sary for reliable service to the community of Oceans- ide, which faces power out- ages from vehicles and trees colliding with an existing distribution line. Opponents claim the project could be avoided by building a second distribu- tion line along existing road easements, which wouldn’t take additional farm and for- estland out of commission. During oral arguments in May, the a ppeals court focused on whether such a transmission line is permis- sible within estuary zones in Tillamook County. SYMPHONIC BAND 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 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR 3 LEG TORSO 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. 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