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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2019 Astoria approves bid for cemetery plan IN BRIEF Event planned for Astoria community development candidates Two candidates for Astoria’s long-vacant community development director post will be introduced at a public meet-and-greet event on July 30. The event will give the community a chance to meet the candidates and ask questions ahead of a round of for- mal interviews. The candidates’ names will be released at the event. An event had been scheduled for earlier in the month but was postponed after the candidates asked for addi- tional time to prepare for the public interview process and gather information about Astoria. City Manager Brett Estes has struggled to fi ll the community development director position since Kevin Cronin left the job nearly two years ago. Estes has come close to making a hire several times, but people with- drew their names for personal reasons. The City Council approved a pay bump for the posi- tion, following a recommendation from the recruiting company Estes hired to help with the search. Estes said one hurdle has been when a candidate, moving from a more urban area, has a spouse who may struggle to fi nd comparable employment on the North Coast. The meet-and-greet event will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Clatsop Community College, Columbia Hall, Room 219, 1651 Lexington Ave. County seeks comment on Astoria Marine cleanup Environmental fi rm Maul Foster Alongi is seeking a conditional use permit to begin the long-awaited cleanup of the former Astoria Marine Construction Co. shipyard on the Lewis and Clark River. The shipyard began to manufacture and repair wood- en-hulled vessels in 1924. During World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, the company made military vessels, at one time employing 400 people. Investigators found petroleum, heavy metals and tin- laden organic compounds in the groundwater and soil around the shipyard and surrounding riverbed. The state Department of Environmental Quality in 2017 fi nalized a plan to excavate, replace, cover and cap contaminated soil. The cleanup is expected to cost between $3 million and $3.5 million, paid for by $3.8 million Astoria Marine recovered from insurance policies issued in the 1960s and ‘70s. Carson Bowler, an attorney for Astoria Marine, has previously said the cleanup will be completed around the end of the year. Clatsop County is taking comments on Maul Foster’s application until 4 p.m. Monday. Email comments to comdev@co.clatsop.or.us or mail them to: Community Development Department 800 Exchange Street, Suite 100 Astoria, OR., 97103. History of concern about maintenance By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian Development of a mas- ter plan for Astoria’s Ocean View Cemetery took another step forward Monday. The City Council unan- imously approved a bid from Lees and Associates at just under $88,000 to cre- ate a facilities master plan for the 70-acre property in Warrenton. Astoria owns and main- tains the cemetery, but it is used by the entire county for burial services. In recent years, families of loved ones buried at the cem- etery and city leaders in War- renton were especially criti- cal of how the grounds were being kept. The Astoria Parks and Recreation Department has since dedicated a part-time seasonal worker to grounds maintenance to address the concerns, a move Tim Wil- liams, the parks director, said has signifi cantly reduced the number of complaints. Astoria city leaders hope a master plan for the cemetery will help enhance the site and explore how the property can generate revenue to be more self-sustaining. Williams sent notices of a request for proposals to fi ve cemetery planning fi rms, three of which responded with bids. The bids ranged widely, with the highest bid from Katie Frankowicz/The Astorian Astoria has hired a consulting fi rm to develop a master plan for Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton. Cemetery Resources Plan- ning Alliance at $187,000 and the lowest bid from L.F. Sloane Consulting Group at $39,000. In a memo to the City Council, Williams recom- mended the group that sub- mitted a bid in the middle: Lees and Associates at just under $88,000. City Councilor Joan Her- man had some concerns about cost and asked Williams about the wide range between the different bids. “It’s hard to have that barometer,” he replied. “Sometimes fi rms just put in a strong high bid just to see if they can get it and then there’s others that just don’t have the resources or qualifi cations to produce a master plan that we would like here.” “And you feel like the Lees and Associates bid though … is reasonable for the work scope?” Herman asked. “I believe so, yes,” Wil- liams said. Williams anticipated spending between $50,000 and $100,000 on a master plan process. Lees and Associates’s pro- posal includes site visits and city staff and stakeholder workshops this summer with the goal of presenting a draft master plan for public com- ment by the end of Septem- ber. A fi nal master plan could be in front of the City Council by late November. Brownson to hold meet-and-greet event Astoria City Councilor Tom Brownson is holding a “Meet Your Councilor” event from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Sat- urday at 3 Cups Coffee, 279 W. Marine Drive. Residents are invited to express their thoughts about what’s going on in Astoria. — The Astorian The Astorian The Waldorf Hotel may be turned into apartments. DEATHS July 15, 2019 ROBERTS, Stephen Allen, 70, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. July 7, 2019 ANGUS, Edward B., 83, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Ser- vice of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD Criminal mischief • Darrell Robert Sut- ton, 24, of Seaside, was arrested on Wednesday for criminal mischief in the second degree after he allegedly shattered a win- dow at Mini Mart West. Domestic harassment • John McKenzie Meldrum, 37, of Astoria, was arrested on Tuesday for domestic harassment, menacing and attempted sexual abuse in the third degree. DUII • Timothy Everett Woodward, 34, of War- renton, was arrested on W. Marine Drive in Asto- ria on Tuesday for driv- ing under the infl uence of intoxicants and resisting arrest. His blood alcohol content was 0.14%. • Brent McGuire, 56, was arrested on Monday on U.S. Highway 26 in Seaside for DUII, reck- less driving and driving with a suspended license. Police said he crashed his car into an embankment. His blood alcohol content was 0.16%. • Daniel W. Moon, 23, of Warrenton, was arrested on Sunday on S. Main Avenue in Warren- ton for DUII and driving while uninsured. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. 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 Old Waldorf Hotel loses a fi re escape, gains a facade Historic building converted into affordable housing By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian An old metal fi re escape is coming off the front of the historic Waldorf Hotel, making it among the fi rst visible changes as the downtown building tran- sitions from abandoned to remodeled, affordable housing. The Historic Landmarks Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the change and the restoration of the building’s deterio- rated west facade — vis- ible above the Astoria Library — with new win- dows, lap siding and trim . The Waldorf is on Duane Street between City Hall and the library. Innovative Housing, a Portland-based nonprofi t, purchased the building last year with plans to change the former hotel into a 40-unit affordable housing apartment building. Julie Garver, Innova- tive Housing’s director of housing development, said the organization plans to begin submitting informa- tion for permits from the city in late July. Preliminary work on addressing asbestos in the building will likely start in August, with roof replacement slated for the late summer and early fall ahead of the wet weather months, Garver said. The bulk of construc- tion will not begin until next year. The Waldorf, also known as the Merwyn , was built in 1926 and func- tioned as a hotel until the mid-1960s. It was renamed the Wal- dorf in 1980 and used as housing until 1989. That same year it was added to the d owntown h istoric d istrict and shut down by the city because of code violations. Since then, various groups and developers have attempted to reno- vate the building, without success. One owner tried to get a permit to demol- ish the Waldorf in 2014, but was denied following a local campaign to save the building. 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. 0 4 0 2 P O S T CLA CLATSOP PLAINS PLANNING AREA PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. 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N A L P E H T ON Oregon Department of Environmental Quality The Port of Astoria and oil companies have agreed on the concept of a permeable barrier to treat and prevent petroleum from seeping into the Columbia River between piers 1 and 2. Port accepts state pollution cleanup plan By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian The Port of Astoria will accept the state’s decision on the cleanup of fuel pol- lution on the central water- front and negotiate a mul- timillion-dollar settlement with oil companies. B ulk oil, manufactur- ing and other heavy indus- trial operations have left left behind underground pipes, tanks and pockets of pollu- tion under the Port’s docks. A pipe leaked in the 1990s, releasing oil into the ground- water under the Port’s old offi ces on Gateway Avenue and into the Columbia River at a slip between piers 1 and 2, where the agency has used a boom to prevent an oil slick from spreading. The state Department of Environmental Quality recently determined the Port and other responsible par- ties — McCall Oil & Chem- ical Corp., Niemi Oil Co. and ExxonMobil — should excavate contaminated soil and place a permeable cap over the polluted area. Mon- itoring wells would provide feedback on the cleanup’s progress. “It’s probably fair to say it is the most cost-effec- tive and it makes no sense to think about appealing this,” Thane Tienson, part of the Port’s legal team, told the Port Commission on Tuesday. The Port originally pushed for a new dock to be built and backfi lled to block pollution from reaching the Columbia . But the state and other responsible parties balked at the more expen- sive proposal. A state consultant recom- mended a marine mattress fi lled with cap materials and topped by rock riprap. But the Port and other parties did not support the solution. The state allowed the responsible parties to create a general solution for cap- ping the polluted area. The specifi cs of the cap, how it will be protected from rough weather and the cost will be decided during the design phase with environmental fi rm Maul Foster Alongi. “Armed with that infor- mation, we will go forward and try to negotiate a resolu- tion with the other primarily responsible parties,” Tien- son said. The hope is to fi gure out the specifi cs and cost over the next few weeks, Tienson said. Similar proposals have surpassed $3.5 million. The Port’s team has set- tled with some insurers and still has outstanding claims with others, Tienson said, but is cautiously optimistic it can reach a solution that limits the Port’s costs for cleanup. “The remedy itself is a long-term program,” he said. “It’s essentially going to be a multiyear process of imple- menting a remedy and then 30 years, essentially, of oper- ations and maintenance.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500