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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2019)
13 food carts to try in Astoria this summer COAST WEEKEND DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019 146TH YEAR, NO. 242 $1.50 Cannery Pier Hotel nears sale Owners also seek to resolve dispute over crumbling dock By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Recology Western Oregon Gulls perch on garbage at the Astoria Transfer Station. The state noted issues with the number of birds at the facility last year, but the company has since installed systems to keep the population down. Seagulls pose problems at Astoria Transfer Station Birds often pick through trash See Hotel, Page A6 By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian H ow many seagulls are too many ? At the Astoria Transfer Sta- tion, the state’s tolerance for the birds tapped out at 50. During an unannounced inspec- tion last year by the Oregon Depart- ment of Environmental Quality , inspec- tors noted dozens of gulls outside the building, picking through garbage and perched inside where garbage is dumped and transferred. Recology Western Oregon, the com- pany that collects garbage and recycling for Astoria, faced a violation of a state statute which dictates solid waste must be stored and collected in ways that pre- vent the spread of disease to people or animals, and prevents hazards to ser- vice or disposal workers or the public. “Seagulls are considered vectors and the quantity observed at the Asto- ria T ransfer S tation indicates that more needs to be done to prevent vector pro- duction and sustenance,” Chris Pap- Planners move toward new height limits near river Restrictions in Uniontown Wikimedia Commons The state warned Recology last year to control the gull population. insick, a state solid waste compliance specialist, wrote in a warning letter to Recology. Inspectors noted an estimated 50 to 75 gulls. Recology appears to have fi xed the problem with the installation of a grid wire system on the roof of the trans- fer station intended to deter nesting and roosting. A similar system is already in place at the company’s Tillamook Transfer Station. See Birds, Page A6 Glam Tram heads toward Bigfoot country Daly’s minibus ends Astoria run By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Jeff Daly’s Glam Tram, the colorful open-air taxi that since 2014 has shuttled people around downtown Astoria, is headed to Cougar, Washington, in search of Bigfoot. Daly recently sold the tram, a 1960s-era minibus originally used to ferry people around the Los Angeles Zoo, to Jeremy The Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria is under contract for sale as the owners pursue a settlement with the state in a dispute over a crumbling dock . The Department of State Lands fi led a claim for at least $1 million from the estate of Robert “Jake” Jacob, the late developer of the boutique hotel . Pieces of a dock next to the building — part of a cannery from the 1920s — collapsed last year on a tank underneath, spill- ing boiler-heating oil into the Columbia River. The Coast Guard oversaw a cleanup estimated to cost around $1 million . An attorney for Jacob’s estate, Steven Gerttula, countered in court fi lings that the state’s claim over the dock is disal- lowed because no trespass on state land occurred, and because the state’s claim of at least $1 million is speculative. Gerttula declined to comment further. Thane Tienson, a Portland attor- ney also representing the estate, said the state’s claim was a standard move to protect its interests. “We’re in active negotiations with the Department of State Lands to resolve this amicably,” he said. The dock dates to the Union Fish- ermen’s Cooperative Packing Co. The Port of Astoria bought the property from Peter Pan Seafoods in 1984. Jacob bought the property from the Port in 1999 to develop the hotel. Johnson, owner of the Lone Fir Resort west of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Johnson plans to rebrand the tram for Bigfoot tours around his resort. “I think I’ve ridden that tram as a kid,” he said. “I spent a lot of time with my grandma at the LA Zoo.” A local graphics company will rebrand the tram with a large image of Bigfoot, the folk- loric, ape-like character used in many Pacifi c Northwest tourist attractions. Johnson hopes the vehicle will become a marketing tool for visitors passing through Cougar. See Minibus, Page A6 Edward Stratton/The Astorian Jeff Daly took the Glam Tram, the open-air taxi in which he’s whisked people around downtown Astoria since 2014, on one last ride — 36 times around the Roundabout . By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Astorian The Astoria Planning Commission reached consensus Tuesday night on new height limits for development along the Columbia River in Uniontown. New buildings in the Bridge Vista sec- tion of the city’s Riv- erfront Vision Plan MORE could be no higher INSIDE than 28 feet, with exceptions to 35 feet Astoria rejects for water-dependent vacation projects tied to the rental project maritime industry. Page A2 Development over Warrenton the river could be no subdivision higher than the riv- project hits erbank unless it is snag water-dependent. Two plan districts Page A3 could also be carved into Bridge Vista for the Port of Astoria and Astoria Warehous- ing, which have sought fl exibility to keep development options available. The Port and Astoria Warehousing would have to come up with master plans that would require city approval. The Planning Commission could vote in late July to make the recommenda- tions to the City Council. Commissioners will hold a work session later to consider issues such as building mass and poten- tial restrictions on new hotels. Bridge Vista covers property along the river between Portway Street and Second Street. Development guidelines, adopted See Limits, Page A6
